La Louvre and the Museums of Paris

In Paris, You could visit only museums for an entire week, and still be left having scratched just the surface. Most visitors do not make it beyond the Louvre, and even fewer make it beyond Musee d'Orsay.  Centre George Pompideu gets some rave reviews for its modern art. Musee d' l' Armee gets its fair share of visitors, being just next door to Napoleon's tomb. Musee Rodin and Musee d'Oarngerie are next in the pecking order.

We had to pick just one for the limited time we had in Paris, and decided to go with the biggest - the Louvre.  

If Mona Lisa and/or nude bodies attract you, this museum is for you. I can only imagine what it would be in the Musee de l'erotisme at Pigalle, near the Moulin Rogue.  Anyway, Louvre is a must see attraction in the world, a cultural masterpiece. If the multitudes of 'conservative' Arab, especially Saudi women can take in the nudity on offer, so can anyone.

We went in on a Friday when it opens until 9 PM. The upside is lesser crowds, meaning we could get in from the famous main pyramid without any queues whatsoever. The downside is some of the sections being closed off, so we couldn’t see everything. If you find the queues at the main Pyramid entrance overwhelming, try to get in from the underground entrance of the Caroussel at rue de Rivoli, as recommended online. Both entrances lead to the same central foyer, from where you make your way into three separate wings.

Once you are inside, unless you are an art lover who would like to spend a hour or two immersing oneself into a single painting, you could cover the entire sprawling museum, and be richer for the experience anywhere between two or three hours.

The Mona Lisa is clearly marked, so try to cover that and the paintings en-route first, before going to that painting where one topless woman pinches the equally naked breast of another woman.

NEXT: Disneyland and Parc Asterix