The Louvre and Gardens of Paris

Paris is a city brimming with sights and activities. Its beautiful gardens and open spaces are a delight to explore. The city's museums and monuments alone could occupy you for months. The Louvre, the largest of them all, is particularly overwhelming with its 35,000 works of art. In this blog post, we share highlights from our recent visit, including our experiences in some of Paris's enchanting gardens and our time spent navigating the wonders of the Louvre. And, we have a few restaurant recommendations as well!

Tuileries Garden

There are so many gardens throughout the city of Paris. On a warm day they are filled with people enjoying them. This garden was opened to the public in 1667. The garden was actually designed as an Italian Renaissance garden. Like so much of Paris, this garden has an incredible history of it’s evolution over the years. But on this day, it was just lovely to walk around and enjoy.

The Grand Basin is one of three ponds in the garden. This spot is where one of the first hydrogen balloons launched in 1783. In 2024 it also became the spot where the Paris Olympics version of the Olympic flame flew in a cauldron above the pond.

The gardens have a variety of sections with different flora and fauna. In the background sits the Museum de O’rsay of the famed Impressionism art and more.

At the time of our visit the preperation of the Paris Olympics was in full swing. In the background sits the famous Luxor Obelisk in the Place de la Concorde, which became a centerpiece of the Olympics.

“Mercury Riding Pegasus," created by Antoine Coysevox in 1701-1702, is one of many magnificent statues throughout the gardens. It’s a sharp contract to the grandstands under construction where 3x3 Basketball, Skateboarding and Breaking take place for the Olympics.

Jardin du Luxemburg

What do you do on a lovely Sunday afternoon with no museum or monument tickets? Visit yet another beautiful Parisian garden where a free concert is playing.

Interestingly enough both the Tuileries and Luxembourg gardens were created as private royal gardens by Marie di Medici. She was Italian by birth and commissioned the gardens after her husband King Henry IV died.

The centerpiece of the garden is the Grand Basin that features chairs all around inviting you to sit and enjoy on a beautiful day. The model sailboats can be rented and look like a lot of fun.

When in Paris, spend some unplanned time just wandering through the magnificent city gardens.

And Just Like That, The Weather Changes

On our walk back to the hotel, the skies opened up and it absolutely poured. Of course, this was the one time we didn’t bring an umbrella. What to do? Hail a cab, which we did.

The Louvre

This picture tells it all: Get early morning timed tickets to the Louvre. The museum opens at 9:00 as of the writing of this post. We arrived at 8:30 and had about 100 people in line ahead of us. Also be sure to have those umbrellas as you never know when rain will start. (Since we’d learned the hard way) There is also an underground entrance from the “carousel” but we opted for this iconic spot to wait.

We committed that we would spend 3 hours at the Louvre and ended up spending 6. Without a firm agenda, we wandered a lot, letting ourselves simply be guided by what moved us to see.

Everyone knows where to head first: The Mona Lisa. It’s not near an entrance. If you are not with a tour group, consider renting an audio tour. If not, be sure to grab a museum map. We did none of these things but did eventually download a map on our phones. It’s easy to find the Mona Lisa…follow the crowd. Eventually there are also signs.

There she is! A great close up, unobstructed view. As everyone says, she is smaller than we all thought she’d be.

Reality: A Crowded Gallery

Later in the day, the line extended out of this small gallery into the bigger hall. Also, in this area, they direct traffic one way. I feel badly for the other paintings in this gallery that often go overlooked.

After the Mona Lisa, we share some of the most memorable works of art and architecture that struck us. The “Les Salles Rouges” (The Red Rooms) were part of the expansion of the Louvre by Louis III and today host some very famous 19th Century paintings, beyond the Mona Lisa.

“Liberty Leading the People” by Eugene Delacroix is one of the famous paintings in the “Red Rooms”. Painted in 1830, it does not depict the French Revolution in 1789, as many think, but rather the overthrowing of King Charles X in 1830. We learned the painting had recently been restored.

Before getting to the “Red Rooms” sits the “The Winged Victory of Samothrace” is a 2nd century piece discovered in 1863. This massive marble sculpture stands 18 feet tall. It sits atop the main staircase, and is often missed by the crowds rushing by to find the Mona Lisa. It is incredibly beautiful in person.

“Venus de Milo” is an ancient Greek statue renowned for its beauty and mystery, is one of the most iconic pieces in the Louvre. Discovered on the island of Milos in 1820, this iconic sculpture of the goddess Aphrodite dates back to around 150 BCE and is celebrated for its exquisite craftsmanship and enigmatic missing arms.

We wandered into the Denon Wing, featuring many famous sculptures. One of the most recognized is “Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss" by Antonio Canova in 1787. According to a Greek myth, Psyche, a mortal woman of extraordinary beauty, falls in love with Cupid, the god of love. After a series of trials and tribulations imposed by Venus, Psyche succumbs to a deep sleep. The sculpture captures the climactic moment when Cupid awakens her with a kiss.

Another shot within the wing filled with sculptures. Take the time to notice, not only the art but the compelling architecture.

Inside The Galerie d’Apollon sits incredible French Crown Jewels.

King Louis XIV had this hall designed by many artists who later went on to design the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles. One of the most notable is the “Apollo Slaying the Serpent Python” in the center painted by Eugène Delacroix. The jewels are gorgeous but hard to imagine wearing many of them as they are so huge. Sadly, none of my close up pictures of these jewel came out.

King Louis XIV

Of course if you have hall of your riches, you must have a portrait of yourself in that hall.

The Louvre was a palace long before it was a museum. Take the time to wander through these halls, many set up as they would have been as residences.

In the Sully wing, sits a number of period rooms with furnishings that would have been used by Kings in the 17th and 18th century. Such opulence! Does not look like there is a place to flop down and relax.

Something my research didn’t reveal, is that there are restaurants in the Louvre! We were in the Richelieu Wing when we realized we were hungry. All of a sudden we smelled coffee and there was the adorable Angelina Cafe, complete with the most incredible view. The menu was simple, but included a nice glass of wine and within 45 minutes we were back in the museum.

A view from the cafe terrace. The lines were quite long mid-day.

Since the Paris Olympics were just 60 days away the Louvre had a great temporary gallery dedicated to the games.

You have to get the cheesy pictures. In the basement or “carousel” of the Louvre are shops, more cafes and the bottom of the pyramid. Pretend to hold it up. Then touch to the top of the pyramid outside.

We enjoyed our day at the Louvre, where we learned so much seeing just a few of the 35,000 works of art on display, in this magnificent building.

Where We Stayed

If you’re going to splurge a bit, Paris is a great place to do so on a hotel. Paris is laid out by 20 Arrondissements or districts. This is important to know when planning a hotel stay, based on what you want to see and do. We wanted to stay close to the Louvre so we chose The Renaissance Vendome in the 1st arrondissement. It was a great choice with unique and nicely appointed rooms and even a terrace to see the sites. The hotel had more of a boutique feel in it’s size and extremely friendly staff.

A Speakeasy!

Funny story: When we returned from dinner on our 1st night we wanted one more glass of wine. We asked the front desk if they had a bar. She giggled and walked us to this wall of mirrors and said, “We have a Speakeasy!” We loved it so much we went every night, which is unusual for us to stay out, but it’s Paris!

Benoit

There are thousands of restaurant choices in Paris. We share just three that stood out to us. Benoit is a lovely bistro that has been in business for over 100 years. We opted for simple, traditional dishes, starting with delicious Escargot. If you are looking for a traditional French Cassoulet, a white bean stew with slow cooked meat and sausage, this is definitely one to try. It was delicious and we would recommend checking out this charming bistro.

Chez Monsieur

Rather than the more “touristy” restaurants, we continued to try local bistros. The concierge recommneded Chez Monsieur, a short walk from our hotel. Here is the place to try another French favorite, Sole Meunière, which arrives tableside sizzling in the pan before the waiter finishes preparing at the table.

Another delicious dish is the Chez Monsieur’s version of another French stew called a “Blanquette.” This dish is in a creamy white sauce. But, be sure to save room for dessert to try one of their specialties, Fresh profiteroles with real hot chocolate So delicious! Another great meal in Paris!

Le Relias de Venise

While we mostly avoid touristy restaurants, Le Relais de Venise is an exception you shouldn't miss. This iconic eatery, loved by locals and tourists alike, has been serving its singular dish, Steak Frites, for over 60 years. Your meal begins with a fresh salad, and the only choices you'll need to make are the temperature of your steak and your beverage. We highly recommend their house wine! Craving more? Additional fries and steak arrive quickly, ensuring your hunger is thoroughly satisfied. The entire experience at Le Relais de Venise is one not to miss when in Paris. Be prepared to wait, as the do not take reservations! Plus, they now have locations in London and Mexico City.

We hope our visits to the gardens of Paris, The Louvre, The Renaissance Vendome and a few favorite restaurants has been helpful to you!