Louvre Palace

The Louvre Palace is a historic royal palace in central Paris that now houses the Musée du Louvre; its origins date to a medieval fortress built in the late 12th century. The site combines medieval, Renaissance and later royal architecture and is among the most visited cultural complexes in the world.

The palace contains the Louvre museum’s vast collections - visitors commonly view works from ancient Egypt, the Near East, classical antiquity, and European painting and sculpture. Signature highlights include Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, large-scale Italian and French Renaissance paintings, and monumental ancient sculptures; the museum displays more than 35,000 works on permanent exhibit. The glass pyramid by I. M. Pei (completed 1989) and the palace’s historic courtyards and façades are themselves major architectural attractions.

Originally built as a fortress by King Philip II around 1190, the building was progressively converted into a royal residence during the 16th century under kings such as Francis I and expanded by later monarchs. After the royal court moved to Versailles in the late 17th century, the Louvre’s role changed over time, and following the French Revolution it was formally opened as a public museum in 1793.

The palace sits in the 1st arrondissement on the Right Bank of the Seine, bordered by the Tuileries Garden and Palais Royal in central Paris; the main entrance is in the Cour Napoléon beneath the glass pyramid.

• Collection size and location: The complex occupies a central Paris site on the Right Bank and houses more than 35,000 works on permanent display across its collections, making it one of the world's largest art museums.
• Visitor tip: Use the Pyramid/Grand Hall entrance in the Cour Napoléon for the main visitor flow; early morning and late afternoon reduce peak crowds in popular galleries such as the one holding the Mona Lisa.

What to See #

• Glass Pyramid (Pyramid du Louvre): The central glass pyramid designed by I. M. Pei, completed in 1989, which serves as the main visitor entrance and sits in the Cour Napoléon.
• Denon, Sully and Richelieu wings: The museum is organised in three main wings - Denon, Sully, and Richelieu - each containing large collections of paintings, antiquities, and decorative arts dating from antiquity through the 19th century.
• Cour Carrée and medieval foundations: The Cour Carrée and the medieval foundations under the palace where visitors can see remnants of the original 12th-century fortress.