Skip-the-Line Louvre Highlights Tour: Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo & the Crown Jewels
About this activity
Highlights
- Skip the line into the Louvre and enjoy a specially-crafted itinerary to make the most of your visit
- Familiarize yourself with the stories behind some of the world's best-known masterpieces
- Immerse yourself in the grandeur of the building as your guide recounts stories surrounding the royalty that once walked the very halls you will navigate
- 9:30AM tour only: Enjoy an intimate tour with an expert guide and max 6 guests.
Full description
After meeting your art historian guide in front of the Louvre, skip the line into the museum with a group of no more than 20 other people. Tours starting at 9:30 AM only can enjoy an intimate Louvre experience with a maximum of six guests, ensuring a personalized journey through art and history. If your party consists of more than 6 participants, there is a possibility you will be split up due to ticketing availability at the Louvre Museum.
Your first of port-of-call will be Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Your tour will then feature sculptures by Michelangelo and Antonio Canova; classic paintings from the French Romantics like Delacroix's Victory Leading the People and Gericault's The Raft of the Medusa; the iconic statue of the Venus de Milo; and even France's crown jewels.
Over the course of your tour, your guide will give you the context and background you'll need to understand what you're seeing and how to appreciate its beauty and importance. You'll hear behind-the-scenes stories like how a solitary worker managed to steal the Mona Lisa; and how a story of shipwreck and cannibalism on the front page of a newspaper became one of France's most beloved paintings.
As you explore, you'll also experience the full splendor of the Louvre as a building. Originally built as a defensive fortress and once a seat for French royalty, this enormous palace hosted grand balls and all types of royal affairs before it was a museum. As your tour continues, your guide will bring your surroundings to life with stories of the kings and queens whose footsteps you're walking in.
This short but very sweet tour distills the Louvre Museum collection into a very manageable experience so you can be in and out without having to worry about anything but enjoying the art.
Sites Visited • Louvre Museum • Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" • Italian sculptures • Classic Greek art rooms • French painting galleries
Included / Excluded
- Local English-speaking guide
- Expertly guided walking tour
- Skip-the-line ticket for Louvre Museum
- Headset
- Gratuities
- Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off
Meeting point
Start Location
Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, Paris, FR
Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. When facing the arc, meet at the winged statue on the left. Due to an ongoing renovation of the Arc du Carrousel, the meeting point may be a bit crowded. Your Walks coordinator will be waiting for you with a sign.
Get directions →Important information
Know before you book
- Our group tour utilizes multiple areas that are not wheelchair accessible. Those with wheelchairs should contact us so we can arrange your visit.
- Areas visited during this tour are subject to closure. Your guide may need to modify areas visited on the day of the tour.
- The Louvre is subject to closures due to strikes. If time permits, we will reach out to you prior to your tour. For last-minute closures, cancellations may be communicated at the meeting point.
Know before you go
- This tour is in English.
- This is a walking tour. Guests should be able to walk at a moderate pace without difficulty.
- This tour meets 15 minutes prior to the start time. No refunds can be provided for late arrivals or no-shows.
- Our group tour utilizes multiple areas that are not wheelchair accessible. Those with wheelchairs should contact us so we can arrange your visit.
- All guests (including children) must bring ID on the day of their tour.
- Security measures are enforced at the Louvre. Only small handbags and backpacks are allowed inside. No item larger than 55 x 35 x 20 cm will be allowed.
- Areas visited during this tour are subject to closure. Your guide may need to modify areas visited on the day of the tour.
- The Louvre is subject to closures due to strikes. If time permits, we will reach out to you prior to your tour. For last-minute closures, cancellations may be communicated at the meeting point.
- Tips/gratuities (for your guide) are always appreciated.
- IMPORTANT NOTE: All sites in Paris that we visit during our tours are requiring clients and guides alike to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test within the past 48-hours for entry. You can read more about it on the French Government website (https://www.gouvernement.fr/en/coronavirus-covid-19). If you have any questions regarding your tour, please reach out to us prior and we can help answer any questions you may have.
- Due to an ongoing renovation of the Arc du Carrousel, the meeting point may be a bit crowded. Your Walks coordinator will be waiting for you with a Walks sign
Cancellation policy
Cancellations received greater than 24 hours prior to tour commencement are fully refundable. Cancellations received within 24 hours of tour commencement are nonrefundable. Amendment requests are subject to availability and price changes. Late arrivals and no shows are nonrefundable. This is applicable to any tour participant that fails to arrive, or arrives after tour departure.
Reviews
If you’re reading this, book it now! You’ll be one of the first on the boat and get the best spot before anyone else. Daniela (aka “Daniel”) treated us exceptionally well from start to finish. Her knowledge of the falls and the stories behind them was the perfect balance of informative and entertaining. She keeps you laughing throughout the tour and enjoys the experience right alongside you as if it were her first time seeing it. 10/10 — I would recommend this tour to anyone. As an added bonus, our group had only four people, which made the experience absolutely incredible and much more personal. Thanks again, Daniel! 😉
The tour was great and having priority on the boat was excellent
The tour was great and having priority on the boat was excellent
