Enjoying – or perhaps suffering – a fresh wave of attention thanks to its role as a key location in Dan Brown’s modish bestseller The Da Vinci Code, the Musée du Louvre is arguably the world’s greatest museum and art gallery. Strictly speaking, the name ‘Louvre’ refers to both the museum and the palace in which it is housed. Painting is what it’s most famous for, but it also boasts an unparalleled collection of antiquities from Pharonic Egypt, the Middle East, Greece and Rome. LouvreThe medieval fortress from which the present day palace originates was built by King Philippe Auguste at the end of the 12th century. Its remains now form the centrepiece of the ‘medieval Louvre’ exhibition beneath the Cour Carré. The building as we see it today dates from 1546, when Francois I decided to built a royal palace on the site of the fortress. (Francois also inadvertently secured the museum’s most celebrated acquisition when he invited Leonardo Da Vinci to spend the last years of his life in Amboise as ‘Premier Painter, Engineer and Architect’. Da Vinci accepted the offer and brought the Mona Lisa with him from Milan.) Subsequent Kings, including Louis XVI, modified and added to the palace over a considerable period, yet the building’s carved pilasters and pediments remained surprisingly harmonious in appearance as it grew. The only jarring addition has been the infamous glass pyramid in the centre of the Cour Napoleon – though such is the grace and beauty of the rest of the Palais it has somehow managed to absorb this alien structure without it seeming too outrageous a blemish. The Louvre became a fully fledged art gallery in the late 18th century, benefiting in large part from the plunder amassed by Napoleon –Louvre much of which the French government has serenely failed to return to its original owners.

Just entering the Louvre is a memorable experience in itself. You take an escalator into the vast sunken courtyard beneath the pyramid. Here you’ll find ticket offices, information guides, shops and surprisingly decently priced, high quality cafeteria. Once you’ve purchased your ticket don’t be put off by the monumental scale of the museum – the collections are neatly divided up into seven levels (Oriental, Egyptian, Classical, Sculpture, Painting, Medieval Louvre, Objets d’art), spread over three wings: Denon (south), Richelieu (north) and Sully (east.) It’s an eminently rational layout and you’re unlikely to get lost once you’ve mastered it. Must-see collections include the Italian masterpieces of the Grande Galerie, the French 19th century large-format paintings, the beautiful French sculptures, the Islamic art and the intriguing medieval Louvre. Among the museum’s many jewels, the undoubted highlights include Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa (of course) and The Virgin of the Rocks, Veronese’s Marriage at Cana, Gericault’s Raft of the Medusa, Canova’s Cupid and Psyche, the Venus de Milo and The Winged Victory of Samothrace.