I was not excited to go back to the Louvre. That is to say, I've been there, seen it, and wanted to spend every moment in my latest trip to Paris totally relaxed, scarfing down pastries, sipping wine at a sidewalk cafe or mindlessly eating quiches and boeuf bourguignon until I needed a nap. Living in New York City, visiting major tourist attractions (crowded/overcrowded/overwhelming/expensive) doesn't have as much lure as it would should I not spend my days pushing through tourists on Broadway or enduring the masses on public transit. Despite all this, it was my fiancé's first time in Paris, so yes, we visited the world's largest art museum and surprisingly, it was one of our favorite parts of our nearly two weeks in France.
To effectively dodge the crowds and have a more structured experience at the gargantuan museum, we booked the Mona Lisa Express Semi Private Tour with City Wonders. We met our guide, Eva, across from the Louvre just before 9 a.m., as the queues for City Pass holders started to fill up outside the iconic glass pyramid. Though the semi-private tour can accommodate up to six people, the other couple booked on our tour didn't show up, so Eva escorted us past the entry lines and ticket lines directly into the Louvre -- the skip the line feature already proving our pre-booked tour worthwhile.
First, Eva took us into the historical depths of the Louvre (that is, the basement and former moat), explaining the building's history as a royal palace and pointing out the details and changes of the architecture over the last several centuries. Thanks to the small size of our tour, Eva was able to answer questions and also customize our "highlights" to speak to our interests. As someone who is more likely to fold museum maps in my pocket, only to recycle the glossy paper after my exit, I was happy to have someone to follow through the crowds in the maze-like museum.
Your guide to luxury travel—and life's other indulgences.
Throughout the ninety minutes, we surveyed the Louvre's "greatest hits": The Venus of Milo, The Nike of Samothrace, and, of course, The Mona Lisa. Before and after viewing each work, Eva explained the historical and artistic significance of each piece, comparing them to works from the same era and region and answering any questions we had. At one point, another visitor offered Eva cash to join our tour, which she respectfully declined. This wasn't quite Beyoncé and Jay, get-the-entire-Louvre-to-yourself treatment (there are other tourists in pretty much all of our photos), but it was nice to have a dedicated guide to lead us throughout the palatial space.
For those who want more personal space, Eva said the least-crowded times to see the Louvre are on Wednesday and Friday nights, when the museum stays open until 9:45 p.m., and, oddly, on Sundays. The Monday morning crowds weren't too unbearable, however, and waking up early for the tour to be some of the first visitors in the museum certainly made this visit better than had we waited until later in the day.
We originally planned to flee the Louvre as soon as our tour ended, but Eva set the mood for art appreciation, and I wanted more. The ticket included with our tour allowed us all day access, and we stayed for a few more hours, wandering through the Napoleon apartments and a few other galleries, before following the advice of the hoards of Louvre visitors before us: Don't try to see it all in one day.
City Wonders Louvre tours can be booked in advance at CityWonders.com. English language tours start at $70 per guest, including museum admission.
