Field trips and tour programs to museums have three things in common. You don’t get to decide what to see, you’re rushed through to see a handful of items, and you have to stay in a big crowd. So if you’re planning out your own trip without the tether of a tour guide, congratulations! You get to see what you want to see at your leisure, and avoid being herded around like a flock of sheep. That being said, the Louvre is no ordinary beast. There are thousands of things to see and it’s nearly impossible to see them all while you’re traveling. The fact that the Louvre is massively big doesn’t help either. You could easily wander around aimlessly for a few hours and miss out on the things that you’d actually be interested in.
So here are 5 ways you can customize your trip to the Louvre:
- Consider what you’ve already seen. In Seattle I saw Egyptian artifacts through the King Tut exhibition, and there were a few things such as the coffin of Cleopatra that I saw at the British Museum. Naturally, the Egyptian section of the Louvre wasn’t a burning priority for me. I knew I wasn’t able to see any of the Greek and Roman antiquities back home, so I made sure to put them on the top of my list!
- Check out the pieces that are unlikely to go on tour. The Wedding Feast of Cana will probably never go on tour, seeing as it’s taller than a giraffe. Apparently it was cut in two when it was transported to Paris in the first place.
- What did you learn about in history class? I remembered learning about the Code of Hammurabi during world history class, so it was neat to see it in person. I realized that the photo I’d seen in my history book was only the top of the Code of Hammurabi, so seeing the part where the laws were written made a lot more sense. A walk through the Napoleon apartments was cool too!
- What are you interested in? Not all of the paintings in the Louvre have a religious motif. There are animals, food, mythology, historical events, portraits, battle scenes, festivities, and even voyages. Take your pick!
- Take a look at the floor plan. Because the palace is divided into wings and blocks of squares, there may be more than one way to get from point A to B. One route might go through a gallery you’d be interested in, or perhaps going up to the next floor would be a better idea. Taking a look at the floor plan before hand will keep you from having to backtrack and see the same thing twice. Your legs and feet will thank you at the end of the day!
Your turn ♥ Do you have any tips for making the most out of a trip to a museum? How would you customize your trip to the Louvre?
