Louvre in 3 hours
 

I found this link while surfing. I'd like to do a quick tour, then go back again. Does this still look valid to the pros?
http://www.gettingaway.com/directory...ris/louvre.htm

Thanks folks.

Hi MD,

Do you mean that your 3hr tour will be the quick one?

You can see the pyramid, Mona, Venus and Winged Victory in well under 3 hr.

Art Buchwald wrote a column some years ago on how to do the 10-min Louvre.

I think 3 hrs is about the maximum time one should spend in the Louvre at one visit. Anything more becomes 'sensory overload'. Also, shouldn't spend all your time indoors while in Paris, as the parks are lovely, the backstreets are intriguing (sp), and café terraces beckon.

You can visit the Louvre in little over 25 seconds. Previously posted, you can re-visit it over and over in your head with this lovely little song...

====================

"Two Americans in Paris"
written and produced by Christine Lavin

Dashing up the stairs,
following the signs.
I don't speak the language.
You lead,
but I'm not far behind.

The car is downstairs on the street.
In twenty minutes
we must meet the driver
to take us to the airport.
Fly home.

But you said
"You must see the Mona Lisa
before we leave this place".
Running breathless through the Louvre.
Foolish Americans race.

Down another hall.
Up more marble steps.
I say "let's go right".
I'm wrong.
We go left.
Another lengthy corridor.
Another flight of stairs.
We know she's here.
We're just not sure where.

And you say:
"You must see the Mona Lisa,
you must see her face"
Running breathless through the Louvre.
An impossible race.

We run the length of
one more cavernous hall.
A knot of people has gathered
round a certain painting
on that wall.
You push me toward the front
of the reverent crowd.
Yes it's her, I know that smile.
Can we leave now?

But you whisper:
"Look at the Mona Lisa.
Look at that face."
But I'm thinking
of the waiting cab
and flying back home to the States.

You hold me by the arm
say "Count to twenty-five.
Oh, don't miss this opportunity.
It makes me feel alive"
But I'm looking at my watch.
I'm telling you we must go.
But you can't release your grip.
You just shake your head "No".

And you tell me,
"Look at the Mona Lisa.
Stare at that face.
I will do the counting for you.
Just stand here in place"

un deux trois
quatre cinq six sept
huit neuf dix onze douze
treize
quatorze
quinze seize dix-sept dix-huit
dix-neuf vingt
vingt-et-un vingt-deux vingt-trois vingt-quatre
vingt-cinq

I saw the Mona Lisa
I saw her face
Running breathless through the Louvre
Two Americans race.

from the album,
"Shining my flashlight on the moon"
at www.christinelavin.com

===============

Best wishes,

Rex

We took that exact tour when we were in the Louvre last year. Once you get into the place, get a map, and get your bearings, it will go pretty smoothly.

We did encounter a couple of deviations as some of the exhibits were blocked off for renovations or cleaning, but for the most part, it was great. ((b))

Thanks for the poem Rex, PJ

I suppose it could work as a poem, but I bet even Christine herself wouldn't give it much more than a C-/D+ just as a poem. I urge you to hear the song.

"I think 3 hrs is about the maximum one should spend in the Louvre in one visit. Anything more becomes 'sensory overload'."
That may be your limit, travelnut, but not ours.

I agree with Travelnut but only as a first time traveler to France - with all there is to do and see in Paris if we had spent more than three hours in the Louvre we would have had nothing to look forward to when we go there again :)

I loved the poem, Rex.

Insofar as Art Buchwald is concerned, I believe he "did" the Louvre in 6 minutes, not 10, but he did know where he was going.

If your goal is to see the same 3 things everyone wants to see, it can be done in 45 minutes. I cannot tell you the number of times I have done that because I was with someone whose interest in the museum extended only to the 3 things (or maybe just to Mona).

On my last trip I was blissfully solo and spent the entire day at the Louvre and finally saw some things in depth.

Well, I did say "in one visit", meaning there will always be more to see every time you return to Paris. I'm no academic, my back will start hurting from standing in place(s) too long, and I like walking outdoors, so...

Travelnut, I'm with you on this one. We spent somewhere around 2.5 hours in the Louvre on our first trip. (Missed Winged Victory, though.) After a while all the statues started to look alike and we knew it was time to go. We will spend another 3 hours there next time!

We found some of the things highlighted on the tour to be uninteresting, and he misses some things (such as Michelangelo's slaves) that I wouldn't want to miss.

My suggestion is that you visit the Louvre's web site, http://www.louvre.fr/ , and go into the collections and atlas areas, where they have almost all their works shown. You can then make sure your tour includes everything you want to see. Be warned, however, that the museum is huge, and we were into our second week before we were confident of where we were and where we were going. Also, some galleries are closed on certain days, so you will want to inquire about that at the desk.

One nice thing about the museum pass is that you can break up your day, with perhaps a couple of hours in the early morning, and a revisit in the afternoon. Early morning is the recommended time for the more popular exhibits; we went to the the Mona Lisa and Aphrodite and Winged Victory in the afternoon, and it was zoolike.

Unless you really like museums, 3 hours at the Louvre is more than enough time to see the highlights-for me at least. I saw Mona for the second time in my life this past February - just a few seconds glance- and it was just ok because of the crowds just trying to take 100's of pictures of her.

Allisonm, insofar as missing "Winged Victory" is concerned, I wouldn't worry about that. If one of your friends asks you about it, you can always lie and say you saw it.

To a large degree these lists of "must sees" are silly anyway. Everyone has a different agenda and no one will sue you for missing Winged Victory. If anything, ADMITTING you missed it shows your individuality.

Took me nearly 3 hours to find my way out!

John, I would have had the same problem, but thanks to my wife, she could read the Louvre map/handout. ((a)) ((b))

If it wasn't for my S.O. who finally took charge of the handout I would still be in there!

Rex- I love the Christine Lavin song. I can see her on stage just tapping her foot impatiently while she sings it. Have you heard the Ellis Paul song about 'only an American would do Paris in a day"?

The Louvre in 20 minutes: buy your ticket (or use your museum card), go in, head for the statue of the Winged Victory, stand at the foot of the steps leading up to the her, and drink in her beauty. Move from one side of the stairs to the other, still looking up. Go up the stairs for a closer look. Go back down the stairs, look up for one last glance, and leave--satiated with the statue's beauty. (Forget taking a photo--she doesn't seem to like it, and our pictures never came out.)