If you’re an art enthusiast, the Louvre is probably at the top of your Paris or museum wish list.
As the world’s largest and most visited museum, it boasts an impressive collection of 35,000 artworks, ranging from the 6th century BC to the 19th century AD, all housed within a magnificent Renaissance palace.
However, as you might imagine, visiting the Louvre can be quite the experience.
It’s often packed with crowds, flashing cameras, selfie sticks, and people bustling around or trying to touch the art. This can make it feel a bit chaotic and overwhelming.
But there’s good news! You can now explore the Louvre from the comfort of your home, avoiding the hustle and bustle.
I’ll guide you through how to virtually visit this iconic museum and view all its must-see masterpieces.
Get ready to enjoy your personal Leonardo or Michelangelo experience in peaceful solitude.
Layout of the Louvre
The Louvre is a U shape, divided into three wings: Denon, Sully, and Richelieu. Each of the wings has four floors.
The Denon Wing is home to the Louvre’s best known art work, including the world’s most famous painting, the Mona Lisa.
The Sully Wing is known for its statuary and antiquities.
The Richelieu Wing houses the lavish apartments of Napoleon III and some famed Dutch art works.
Virtual Tour of Louvre Masterpieces
Let’s take an online virtual tour of the Louvre, wing by wing.
You can see all the must see masterpieces via 360 video tours, YouTube videos, or online tours on the Louvre Website itself. For a lengthy overall YouTube tour of the Louvre, click here.
The Denon Wing
The Denon Wing is the most visited part of the Louvre. It boasts the fabulously ornate Apollo Gallery, with high arches and frescoed ceilings.
It’s a shrine to Sun King Louis XIV. The paintings were begun by Charles Le Brun and completed by Eugene Delacroix.
1. French Paintings in the Denon Wing
The Denon Wing is most renowned for its iconic French paintings from the Neoclassical and Romantic periods of art history. The must see French masterpieces include:
- Eugene Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People
- Jacques-Louis David, The Coronation of Napoleon
- Theodore Gericault, Raft of the Medusa
- Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Grand Odalisque
You can take a virtual tour of the recently restored Apollo Gallery on the Louvre’s website here. You can learn about the Coronation of Napoleon from this Louvre YouTuber.
You can take a virtual video tour of the world’s most famous French painting, Liberty Leading the People here. And learn about the Grand Odalisque here.
Via my blog, you can also explore the Louvre’s underrated masterpieces in the Denon Wing.
I also have a guide to what I think is the best painting in the Louvre, Gericault’s Raft of the Medusa, a then-scandalous painting based on a true story.
2. Italian Paintings in the Denon Wing
The Denon Wing also boasts treasures from the Italian Renaissance.
This is where you’ll find works by Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Titian. The must see masterpieces include:
- Leonardo Da Vinci, Mona Lisa
- Leonardo Da Vinci, The Virgin and Child With St. Anne
- Titian, Pastoral Concert
- Raphael, Portrait of Baldasarre Castiglione
- Paolo Veronese, The Wedding Feast at Cana
You can take a virtual 360 tour of the Grand Gallery, which houses much of the Louvre’s Italian art.
If you’re a Mona Lisa fan, the Louvre is offering the museum’s first virtual reality experience, which brings to life the story of the enigmatic portrait. You can also take a virtual tour of the Mona Lisa here, with Smarthistory, an artsy YouTube channel.
In the Louvre’s busiest room, the Mona Lisa stares across at Veronese’s massive Wedding Feast at Cana. You can take a virtual tour and get the full scoop on the Louvre’s largest painting here.
You can virtually tour Raphael’s paintings, including Baldasarre, on Google Arts & Culture. Learn about Titian’s Pastoral Concert, which inspired Edouard Monet’s groundbreaking painting Luncheon on the Grass, here.
READ: 3 Day Impressionism Tour of Paris
3. Sculptures in the Denon Wing
If you prefer sculpture to painting, the Denon Wing has one of the world’s most magnificent sculptures — the Winged Victory of Samothrace.
It also has a room on the ground dedicated to Italian sculpture, the Michelangelo Gallery. It’s one of my favorites spots in the Louvre.
It’s home to Michelangelo’s Dying Slave and Rebellious Slave, from 1513-15. These sculptures seem to struggle to escape the marble.
They were originally intended for the Tomb of Pope Julius II in Rome. But Michelangelo got distracted with the ceiling of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel and could never finish the tomb.
READ: Masterpieces of the Vatican
You can also find Antonio Canova’s incredibly romantic Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss. It’s considered Canova’s master work.
You can take a virtual tour of Michelangelo’s Slaves here, a virtual tour of Canova’s work on Google Arts & Culture, and a virtual tour of Canova’s Psyche here. You can take a virtual 360 tour of the Winged Victory here.
2. The Sully Wing
In the Sully Wing, you’ll find some of the world’s most beautiful sculptures, antiquities, and the remains of the Medieval Louvre.
One of the Louvre’s greatest ladies, a Hellenistic masterpiece, is here — the Venus de Milo. Even without arms, Venus de Milo is considered the classical epitome of female beauty.
You can also see another masterwork, Sleeping Hermaphrodite, a mythological merger of a male and female body. The ancient sculpture was discovered in Rome near the Baths of Diocletian.
Cardinal Scipione Borghese commissioned the Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini to carve the mattress in 1619. He later sold the piece to the French when he was strapped for cash.
READ: The Bernini Trail in Rome
The Egyptian Antiquities are a well loved highlight of the Sully Wing. The collection features the 12 ton Great Sphinx of Tanis, model ships, ancient sculptures, a massive statue of Ramses II, and a sarcophagus room.
The medieval Louvre is also a fascinating place. Originally, the Louvre was a 12th century fortress built by King Philippe Auguste.
The lower levels are all that remain. Archeologists discovered and excavated the underground medieval remains during the construction of I.M. Pei’s pyramid in 1983-85.
You can take a virtual tour of all the Louvre’s Roman Antiquities here, the Venus de Milo here, and the Sleeping Hermaphrodite here. You can take a virtual tour of the famed Egyptian Antiquities here and walk around the Medieval Louvre here.
3. The Richelieu Wing
In Richelieu Wing, you can admire the Louvre’s Mesopotamian Antiquities, Napoleon III’s Second Empire rooms, sculptures, and some amazing Dutch masterpieces.
The Richelieu Wing boasts the spectacular Cour Marly, a spacious glass roofed courtyard.
It’s stuffed with 17th and 18th marble and white stone sculptures, many commissioned by Sun King Louis XIV and Louis XV. There’s also a magnificent Fountain of Diana, dating from 1550.
Perhaps the most famous part of the Richelieu Wing is the Napoleon III apartments. They were built between 1852-57 to accommodate visiting dignitaries. They’re sumptuous.
Crystal chandeliers glitter, gilded furniture gleams, and the ceilings sport beautiful frescos — all set amid red velvet and red drapery. The Rococo state dining room could seat almost 100 people.
You can virtually tour the Cour Puget here and the Cour Marly here. You can take a virtual tour of Napoleon’s Apartments here.
The Richelieu Wing is also home to some unmissable Dutch old master paintings, including:
- Johannes Vermeer, The Lacemaker
- Johannes Vermeer, The Astronomer
- Rembrandt, Bathsheba at Her Bath.
- Hieronymous Bosch, Ship of Fools
- Georges de la Tour, The Cheat with the Ace of Diamonds
From the Louvre’s website, you can see and get an education on The Lacemaker here, Bathsheba here, Ship of Fools here, and The Cheat here.
If you’re a Beyonce fan, her recent music video featured pieces from the Louvre. Now, you can follow the Beyonce Louvre Trail on the Louvre website.
The Louvre is also featuring an Artwork of the Day. If you’re interested in the history of the Louvre, here’s my guide.
Tickets For The Louvre
Naturally, if you decide to visit the Louvre in person, it’s essential to pre-book a skip the line ticket. If you take your art seriously, you may want to book a guided tour.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my guide to taking a virtual tour of the Louvre. You may enjoy these other Paris travel guides:
- 3 day itinerary for Paris
- 3 day art weekend in Paris
- 5 day itinerary for Paris
- Hidden gems in Paris
- Guide to the Latin Quarter
- Guide to Montmartre
- Best museums in Paris
- Monet guide to Paris
- Louvre survival Tips
- Tourist traps to skip in Paris
- Guide to the Musee d’Orsay
If you’d like to take a virtual tour of the Louvre from home, pin it or later.
Good day.
I was wondering if you would recommend the Louvre at night . Is there a significant difference in terms of avoiding crowds, the lighting for pics and access to different wings?