Paris

The Louvre is the world’s most visited museum, welcoming around 9 million visitors each year, and the largest of its kind with 73,000 square metres of exhibition space and 35,000 works displayed from a collection of 480,000. Located in the heart of Paris, for those asking where is Paris in Europe, it sits along the Seine in northern France. The complex began as a fortress in 1190, became a royal palace between the 16th and 18th centuries, and opened as a public museum in 1793 after the French Revolution. The 1989 glass pyramid designed by I. M. Pei serves as its iconic entrance. The collection is organised into eight departments, though many visitors come specifically for three masterpieces: the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace, making it one of the essential things to do in Paris alongside seeing the Paris tower. Allow at least half a day, while serious art lovers may need two or three visits. Paris people often return multiple times to explore it fully.