The Louvre & Place de la Concorde

The last stop of my day in Paris was the Louvre. The Louvre is a museum now but it began its life as a royal palace and it was Louis XIV who moved the seat of power to Versailles in 1682. Since 1789, it has housed the museum.

The Louvre glass Pyramid is now the main entrance to the museum and has been there since 1989. I’m not a big fan of the pyramid.

Upon entering the Louvre, I first visited its medieval remains.

They are perhaps slightly overlooked among the masterpieces, I was practically alone down there but they are certainly no less spectacular.

Just like this view of the courtyard.

The most fabulously decorated space in the Louvre today are the Napoleon Apartments.

A portrait of Empress Eugenie

Crown, brooch and diadem that belonged to Empress Eugenie

State bedroom

Bust of the Duchess of Angouleme

Letter of Marie-Antoinette to Madame Élisabeth

Medallions of the Orleans family

Princess Clementine of Orleans

Box belonging to Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily

From the salon of Princess Marie of Orleans, later Duchess of Württemburg

Salon of Princess Marie of Orleans in the Tuileries

Charlemagne’s Crown

Margaret of York

Elisabeth of Austria 

Catherine de’Medici

Anne of Austria

Marie de’Medici

Marriage of Marie de’Medici and Henry IV

Joanna of Austria, Grand Duchess of Tuscany

Coronation of Marie de’Medici

Henry IV hands the regency of France to Marie de’Medici

Birth of Louis XIII

Exchanging of princesses, Anne of Austria & Elisabeth of Valois

When I finally left the Louvre it was already closing and it had become a bit dark.

On the way back to the Champs Elysees I passed the Place de la Concorde, which was the execution site during the French Revolution. Sadly hardly anything is left that remembers this place’s horrible past.

The Louvre is definitely a must-see during a trip to Paris but prepared to be TIRED at the end of it. There is so much to see you won’t know where to start.