Its exhibits come from such diverse origins as ancient Egypt, classical Greece and the Roman Empire, medieval Europe, and Napoleonic France, but controversially including many items that were looted from their places of origin. Its most famous exhibit, of course, is Leonardo da Vinci's painting of the Mona Lisa (French: La Joconde, Italian: La Gioconda), generally to be found surrounded by hordes of camera-flashing tourists. The Louvre poses many of the same challenges to the visitor as Paris itself; overwhelming in size, crowded in high seasons, and much information available only in French. If you want to see everything in the Louvre, plan at least two full days. However, it is better to pick and choose, as the collection was assembled with an eye to completeness rather than quality. As of July 2019, due to intense crowding and reports of ticket fraud, entry now almost always requires a pre-booked timed ticket, even for holders of the Paris Museum Pass.

It began in the twelfth century as a fortress guarding Paris, and generation after generation of French kings turned it into a palace. When Louis XIV left for Versailles, artists moved in; after the Revolution it opened in 1793 as a museum for everyone. In 1989 I. M. Pei put a glass pyramid in the courtyard — hated at first, now one of the most recognisable doorways in the city.