No self-respecting art lover can visit Paris without visiting the Louvre. Close your eyes long enough to get past that pyramid and you're in for a treat.
It's overwhelming, no doubt. You just have to resign yourself to the fact that you're not going to see it all, or even close. In most museums, I don't pay much attention to the floor plan, but in the Louvre you'll want that map handy.
Wandering around aimlessly leads you to rooms housing small sculptures and artifacts - not what I was there to see. I wanted paintings! So I pulled out the map and followed the roads leading to painting-filled rooms.
The first stop for most people is the Mona Lisa. My travel partner, Ruud, mentioned that since she's everywhere, since everyone is familiar with her face, seeing her in person isn't as special. I disagree - I think that makes it more special. Sure, everyone has seen her in some form - but relatively few have seen the real Mona Lisa, and it's a sight to behold. Unfortunately, she's behind glass, which makes it infinitely more difficult if not impossible to really connect with and experience a painting, but seeing her is still a great experience.
Luckily, her room wasn't so crowded, so I got to spend quite a bit of time in front of her. Make time for the Mona Lisa. You won't regret it. After that, I checked my map and headed straight for the Netherlands/Flemish part of the museum for my Rubens fix. Ah, Rubens. He's everywhere, and I love it.
We visited on a Friday night, so admission was free for us young folks. We only had three hours, but we still got to see a lot and saved a little money in the process. An added bonus was all the art students that were there at that time. We loved peeking over their shoulders at their sketches. So many talented people!
It should go without saying: don't miss the Louvre.
Musée du Louvre
Wednesday-Monday 9-6pm
Wednesday and Friday 9-9:45 pm
Admission: 8,50 euros (9 starting July 1, 2007); 6 euros on Wednesdays and Fridays after 6pm (free for ages 18-25)