The Louvre: From Fortress to the World's Great Museum

Cross the road from the Pont des Arts and you'll find the gate into the Louvre's courtyard. One of the world's three great museums, the Louvre is a must-see on any Paris trip. It began life as a fortress, but when it became a royal palace under Francis I, royal treasures and collections began to gather here. After the court moved to Versailles, it turned into a dedicated home for art, and in 1793 part of the palace began serving as the national central museum, gradually taking the shape of the museum we know. Today the collection numbers more than 380,000 works, with over 35,000 on display. Even if you spent just one second on each piece, it would reportedly take several weeks to see everything.

The glass pyramid at the entrance was designed in 1989 by Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei. When it was unveiled, critics blasted it as out of keeping with the grand old building, but it has since become the Louvre's unmistakable symbol.

If you are trying to see all of Paris in a day, going inside the Louvre is too much to fit in. But if you do want to squeeze it in, plan your route around the headliners: the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace.