gomiki

I posted with questions regarding lines for this exhibit. We had tickets today for 1:00 PM. We tried to enter through the Carrousel entrance but we were told we had to enter through the Pyramid outside. There was a special line with no one in it for ticket holders We saw the other two special exhibits before getting in line for Vermeer. We entered the ticket line at 12:30 and went through at 1:06. And there is a second queue and we were let through in small batches. We got through that at 1:22.

If you want an audio guide you must get it on the next level. We thought they would be available at the entrance to this exhibit but that is not so. ( Which seems like a loss of revenue. Very few people had them. We were told we had to go out to get them and stand in line to come back in. Seriously?)

It was not jammed and I was able to see all the paintings from right in front of them. The Valentin exhibit is in an adjacent space and quite a contrast.

This is am amazing value and experience for admission to the Louvre and four special exhibits.

vanne

Thanks for reporting -- I have been holding off buying tickets as I was concerned about this.

Does the ticket for the Vermeer exhibit cover admission to the Louvre, or do you need to buy a separate ticket?

FuryFluffy

Thanks gomiki for reporting back. Now I'm not scared for my future visit of Vermeer

vanne: the ticket of Vermeer exhibition cover admission to the Louvre and all other exhibitions there.

amyb

FYI for those who haven't gone yet, there is a Vermeer/Valentin audio tour in the Apple store that I downloaded and just started to listen to. It has an interactive map of the exhibits and audio files for each painting (enter the corresponding number on the painting to hear the file). I think it was $1.99 and I have to assume that there is one for Androids as well.

Sue4

Thanks so much for your report. Very helpful! Now I know to go to the Pyramid entrance. Also, interesting that you can't pick up the audio guide at the entrance to exhibit. I ordered and paid for one online when I got my ticket. Guess I need to make sure to get it before standing in the last Vermeer line. I'm so glad that you were able to see the paintings without the space being so crowded.

Also, think I'll get that Vermeer app from the Apple Store. amby, thanks for that information.

gomiki

Sue, you may be able to get that with your ticket since you have prepaid once inside the exhibit but I am not sure. Maybe someone else will chime in. We would have had to get them on the first floor before we got in line on the ground floor.

FuryFluffy

My visit today was not bad either. The entrance was confusing: I went to the underground entrance directly from the metro Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre, I don't know its name, maybe Carrousel entrance, but I definitely didn't enter from street level. At 9h before the museum opens, there's already a long line under the pyramid, the line went deep into another corridor. 90% of the line are Asian people. I stood in the line obediently.

But when the museum opened, people with tickets went directly in, out of the line. So I left the line and go to the entrance. There was no "entering by small batch" as in gomiki's case. I went almost straight from the moment I broke the line to Vermeer's exhibition.

Inside the exhibition, yes the 1st painting are surrounded by sea of people. But as you proceed, the crowd becomes less and less, as if people loose interests. So I took a global look at the room, walk to the last painting and did a visit in reverse order. I had "The Milkmaid" and "La Dentellière" all to myself.

OReilly

Gomiki: I am so delighted you had a good visit. You know what mine was like

I don't suppose I will get back there before it finishes, which really disappoints me as it looked absolutely amazing.

FuryFluffy: You are going to have a great time there: Enjoy!

Regards .. Ger

FuryFluffy

Ger: actually, thanks to your report that I braced myself for the crowded and didn't feel shocked. To inflate your envy: I could see the paintings at whatever angle I like, left, right, straight, 1 meter in front, 3 meters in front... Vermeer feels very intimate.

But if you like him, a trip to Amsterdam might worth it. Rijksmuseum, the owner of "The Milkmaid", has several other exquisite Vermeer paintings, set up in a beautiful background room, together with Rembrandt and other masters. It's nowhere as crowded as Louvre.

After Vermeer's exhibition, I roam around in Louvre and stumble upon Mesopotamia. As you said, it's a great great collection with practically no one around.

Nikki

Now I'm jealous. Had to give away my ticket last month. And I had even watched a whole lecture series on Dutch painting to prepare for my visit. Glad you had a good visit and hope you're having a great trip.

OReilly

< Vermeer feels very intimate>

That it what most upset me about my visit - you have to be intimate with his paintings, as the beauty is in the tiny detail, and I could not see the detail with the hoards in the way.

Yes, I was in Amsterdam two year ago, and visited the Rijksmuseum.

Enjoy your very quiet visit to Mesopotamia


Best regards ... Ger

Sue4

FuryFluffy, thanks for your visit report today. You had a good idea seeing the paintings in reverse. I'll be prepared for standing in line to get in, even with a ticket, as security ensures that these days. Standing in long lines isn't the easiest thing for me these days (it's called AGE!) but oh, well. My entrance time for Vermeer is 10:30 - so I suppose I should try to get to the Louvre at opening time just to get organized, and get my audio guide, etc.

Nikki, I'm also in the process of doing a lecture series on Dutch Painting and really enjoying it. I already did it several years ago, but thought I'd refresh. It's well worth it, as I really love Dutch painting. Sorry you didn't get to see this exhibit.