I had set my alarm clock to ring at 7:30am as I wanted to go to Musée du Louvre early in the morning before it opens. But I got woken up at around 7am because of a phone call from Singapore. And it gets annoying when the caller is looking for the previous owner of my phone number. Guess this person is really outdated since I've been using the number for more than 1.5 years already.
I laid on the bed a while more and eventually decided to get up before my alarm. I washed up and dressed up, all ready for the early and long day in the museum. I stopped by a cafe near to the hotel and had my breakfast, ordering just croissant and a cup of expresso for €2.60. After my little breakfast, I took the metro to the museum.
I had read online that there is a TABAC store inside the museum's metro station that sells the museum tickets. Unfortunately, I didn't have much luck in finding it, so I just exited the metro station and walked towards the museum. Upon reaching the museum, I was pretty amazed at the queue already forming up before 8:40am. I wasn't sure of the other ticketing offices, so I just joined the queue and waited for opening time in the cold weather.
At 9am, the queues started moving. We entered the pyramid and took the escalator down to where the ticketing counters are. I went for the automated ticketing machines and paid for the ticket using my credit card. I bought the combo pass which includes the temporary exhibition featuring works by Raphael. The normal ticket costs €11 and the combo pass costs €15.
After purchasing my ticket, I got hold of the map and looked at where the suggested/popular exhibits are. I then started my tour around at a swift pace. I took lots of photos of interesting exhibits and was just impressed thoroughly with how big the museum is and the beautiful pieces of art work. I am not an art buff, but I still felt the visit was very fruitful and worth the full day. I saw the famous Mona Lisa painting and was actually more amused with the crowds there trying so hard to take photos of it.
After 4 hours of walking around, I went to the cafes in search of lunch. Unfortunately, the food court was too crowded, so I settled for baguette at a cafe for lunch. I got the set which also included a packet of potato chips and a bottle of water for €9.20. I took my lunch and sat on the floor nearby to have my lunch, just like what many other visitors were doing since there is a lack of seats and there are just too many people around.
After my quick lunch, I continued on for almost 3 hour more. I skipped the topmost level of paintings altogether but covered most of the other 3 levels within my 7 hours of visit. And that resulted in about 800+ worth of photos in just one day!
After I left the museum, I walked around outside to take some photos. I also walked towards the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, Jardins des Tuileries and Place de la Concorde. I also caught some photos of the Obelix and Eiffel Tower with the sunset before going back to the hotel for rest. For more photos from the museum, check out this link.
After some rest, I went out to explore around the vicinity and in search for a good dinner. I was actually thinking of finding some good French soup for appetizer or duck breast for main course. I didn't have much luck finding any of them after walking around for 20 mins or so. Hence, I ended up in a bistrot nearby called Restaurant Village Monge, where I had breakfast yesterday.
I went for the set meal and ordered escargots for my appetizer. I wasn't exactly satisfied with the taste as the garnishings tasted a bit bland. After my appetizer, I had sirloin for my main course. I chose to have it medium rare and it came soft to my liking though bloody. It had shallots on top of it which also enhanced the taste. It also came with a small serving of vegetable salad and fries. After my nice sirloin steak, I decided to have créme bulée for dessert. The sugar coating on top was hard and sweet, while the cream below was so smooth and creamy. Overall, my dinner was pretty good and I paid €21 for it. After my nice dinner, I walked back to my hotel to wash up and rest for the day.
I laid on the bed a while more and eventually decided to get up before my alarm. I washed up and dressed up, all ready for the early and long day in the museum. I stopped by a cafe near to the hotel and had my breakfast, ordering just croissant and a cup of expresso for €2.60. After my little breakfast, I took the metro to the museum.
I had read online that there is a TABAC store inside the museum's metro station that sells the museum tickets. Unfortunately, I didn't have much luck in finding it, so I just exited the metro station and walked towards the museum. Upon reaching the museum, I was pretty amazed at the queue already forming up before 8:40am. I wasn't sure of the other ticketing offices, so I just joined the queue and waited for opening time in the cold weather.
At 9am, the queues started moving. We entered the pyramid and took the escalator down to where the ticketing counters are. I went for the automated ticketing machines and paid for the ticket using my credit card. I bought the combo pass which includes the temporary exhibition featuring works by Raphael. The normal ticket costs €11 and the combo pass costs €15.
After purchasing my ticket, I got hold of the map and looked at where the suggested/popular exhibits are. I then started my tour around at a swift pace. I took lots of photos of interesting exhibits and was just impressed thoroughly with how big the museum is and the beautiful pieces of art work. I am not an art buff, but I still felt the visit was very fruitful and worth the full day. I saw the famous Mona Lisa painting and was actually more amused with the crowds there trying so hard to take photos of it.
After 4 hours of walking around, I went to the cafes in search of lunch. Unfortunately, the food court was too crowded, so I settled for baguette at a cafe for lunch. I got the set which also included a packet of potato chips and a bottle of water for €9.20. I took my lunch and sat on the floor nearby to have my lunch, just like what many other visitors were doing since there is a lack of seats and there are just too many people around.
After my quick lunch, I continued on for almost 3 hour more. I skipped the topmost level of paintings altogether but covered most of the other 3 levels within my 7 hours of visit. And that resulted in about 800+ worth of photos in just one day!
After I left the museum, I walked around outside to take some photos. I also walked towards the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, Jardins des Tuileries and Place de la Concorde. I also caught some photos of the Obelix and Eiffel Tower with the sunset before going back to the hotel for rest. For more photos from the museum, check out this link.
After some rest, I went out to explore around the vicinity and in search for a good dinner. I was actually thinking of finding some good French soup for appetizer or duck breast for main course. I didn't have much luck finding any of them after walking around for 20 mins or so. Hence, I ended up in a bistrot nearby called Restaurant Village Monge, where I had breakfast yesterday.
I went for the set meal and ordered escargots for my appetizer. I wasn't exactly satisfied with the taste as the garnishings tasted a bit bland. After my appetizer, I had sirloin for my main course. I chose to have it medium rare and it came soft to my liking though bloody. It had shallots on top of it which also enhanced the taste. It also came with a small serving of vegetable salad and fries. After my nice sirloin steak, I decided to have créme bulée for dessert. The sugar coating on top was hard and sweet, while the cream below was so smooth and creamy. Overall, my dinner was pretty good and I paid €21 for it. After my nice dinner, I walked back to my hotel to wash up and rest for the day.
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