The Beginner's Guide to the Louvre: 12 Masterpieces You Shouldn't Miss

The Louvre is the most visited museum in the world—and for good reason. Home to more than 35,000 works of art spanning thousands of years, it's impossible to see everything in one visit.

Most visitors head straight for the Mona Lisa, but some of the museum's greatest masterpieces are hiding in plain sight.

This guide covers the must-see artworks at the Louvre, why they're worth your time, and how I'd plan a visit if you only had one day in Paris.

I've also included my favorite nearby cafés, restaurants, and neighborhoods in a RoamRecs Paris collection so you can turn your museum visit into a perfect day in the city.

Before you even reach the Mona Lisa, you'll climb one of the Louvre's grand staircases and suddenly come face-to-face with one of the most breathtaking sculptures in the museum.

The Winged Victory of Samothrace depicts Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, landing on the prow of a ship after a naval triumph. She's missing both her head and her arms, yet somehow feels more alive than many complete sculptures.

That's because everything about her was designed to create movement.

Her wings stretch behind her. Her body leans forward. Most remarkably, her marble robes cling to her as though they're soaked by crashing waves while the fabric behind her billows violently in the wind.

It's one of those works that reminds you marble isn't just stone—it's an illusion.

The sculpture was originally displayed high above a sanctuary overlooking the sea on the Greek island of Samothrace. Visitors would have approached from below, making the dramatic viewpoint at the top of the Louvre's Daru Staircase surprisingly close to how the ancient Greeks experienced it more than 2,000 years ago.

• Created around 190 BC.
• Found in pieces on the Greek island of Samothrace in 1863.
• Originally stood atop the prow of a marble ship.
• Missing her head and both arms.
• Considered one of the greatest surviving sculptures from the Hellenistic period.

Yes, the Mona Lisa is worth seeing.

But she's probably much smaller than you're expecting.

At just 30 by 21 inches, Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece is surrounded by crowds that often make visitors wonder what all the fuss is about.

The secret isn't her size—it's Leonardo's technique.

He painted using incredibly thin layers of translucent paint, allowing shadows to blend so softly that there are almost no visible brushstrokes. This technique, known as sfumato, gives Mona Lisa's smile its famous ambiguity. Depending on where you're standing, she can appear to be smiling... or not smiling at all.

The painting has also lived an extraordinary life. In 1911, it was stolen from the Louvre by an Italian handyman who believed it belonged back in Italy. For more than two years, the world's most famous painting simply disappeared, helping transform it into an international celebrity.

Ironically, many visitors spend so much time photographing the Mona Lisa that they miss the enormous masterpiece hanging directly across from her: Veronese's Wedding Feast at Cana.

• Painted around 1503–1506.
• Leonardo likely continued refining it for years.
• Stolen in 1911 and recovered two years later.
• Protected behind bulletproof glass.
• Smaller than most visitors expect.

This is probably the most overlooked masterpiece in the Louvre.

That's because it's hanging directly across from the Mona Lisa.

While crowds gather around one of the museum's smallest paintings, they often ignore one of its largest.

Painted by Paolo Veronese in 1563, The Wedding Feast at Cana depicts the biblical story of Jesus turning water into wine.

The canvas is enormous—more than 30 feet wide—and contains over 100 figures.

Take your time and you'll begin noticing musicians, servants, nobles, animals, and tiny details woven throughout the celebration.

• Largest painting in the Louvre.
• Painted in 1563.
• Depicts Jesus' first miracle.
• Contains more than 130 individual figures. 

After you've seen the Mona Lisa, simply turn around. You'll immediately understand why this masterpiece deserves just as much attention.

Long before the Mona Lisa became the Louvre's biggest attraction, visitors came to see the Venus de Milo.

Discovered on the Greek island of Milos in 1820, she's believed to represent Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love.

She's also one of history's greatest mysteries.

Nobody knows exactly what she was holding before her arms were lost. Historians have suggested everything from an apple to a shield, but no definitive answer exists.

What's remarkable is that her missing arms almost become irrelevant once you're standing in front of her.

Instead, your attention shifts to her calm expression, graceful posture, and extraordinary balance. The sculpture demonstrates an idealized beauty that influenced artists for centuries.

Sometimes a masterpiece becomes even more compelling because it's incomplete.

• Created around 100 BC.
• Found on the island of Milos.
• Missing both arms before entering the Louvre.
• One of the most famous ancient Greek sculptures in the world.

If you've ever seen an image representing France, there's a good chance it traces back to this painting.

Delacroix painted Liberty Leading the People after the July Revolution of 1830, showing Liberty—personified as Marianne—leading ordinary citizens over the barricades.

It's dramatic, emotional, and filled with symbolism.

The figures represent people from different social classes fighting together, while Marianne raises the French tricolor above the smoke.

Although many people assume it depicts the French Revolution of 1789, it actually celebrates a different revolution that took place decades later.

Today, Marianne remains one of France's enduring national symbols.

• Painted in 1830.
• Inspired by the July Revolution.
• Marianne still symbolizes the French Republic today.
• One of the Louvre's defining masterpieces.

This painting tells one of the darkest true stories in French history.

In 1816, the French naval ship Méduse ran aground off the coast of West Africa. More than 140 people were abandoned on a makeshift raft.

Only fifteen survived.

Artist Théodore Géricault interviewed survivors, visited morgues to study anatomy, and even built a scale model of the raft before painting this enormous canvas.

Standing in front of it, you can almost feel the desperation.

Rather than depicting rescue, Géricault captures the exact moment survivors spot a ship in the distance—unsure whether hope has finally arrived.

• Based on a real shipwreck.
• Measures nearly 23 feet wide.
• Considered a masterpiece of French Romanticism.
• Shocked audiences when first exhibited.

Napoleon understood the power of image better than almost anyone.

When he crowned himself Emperor in 1804, he commissioned Jacques-Louis David to immortalize the ceremony.

The result is one of the largest and most detailed paintings in the Louvre.

Interestingly, the painting doesn't actually show Napoleon crowning himself. Instead, it depicts him crowning Joséphine—a deliberate decision that presented him as both powerful and generous.

Like many great political paintings, it tells the story Napoleon wanted remembered, not necessarily every detail exactly as it happened.

• Over 30 feet wide.
• Contains more than 100 identifiable figures.
• Painted by Jacques-Louis David.
• Napoleon personally influenced parts of the composition.

If the Winged Victory captures movement, this sculpture captures tenderness.

Antonio Canova depicts the exact moment Cupid awakens Psyche with a kiss after she falls into an enchanted sleep.

The composition feels impossibly delicate.

Marble somehow becomes soft skin, feathers, and flowing fabric.

Walk around the sculpture and you'll discover that every angle creates a completely different silhouette, making it one of the best examples of sculpture designed to be viewed in the round.

• Sculpted between 1787 and 1793.
• Inspired by Greek mythology.
• Created by Antonio Canova.
• Considered one of the greatest Neoclassical sculptures.

Stand near Cupid's wings and notice how the curves of both figures form a heart around their faces.

The Louvre is one of the largest museums in the world, with more than 35,000 works of art on display. While you could easily spend multiple days exploring every gallery, most first-time visitors only have a few hours—which makes having a plan essential.

If you're visiting for the first time, I'd recommend setting aside three to four hours. That's enough time to see many of the museum's most famous masterpieces while still leaving room to wander into a few galleries that catch your eye.

One mistake I see people make is heading straight to the Mona Lisa and spending most of their visit in line. Instead, begin with the Winged Victory of Samothrace at the top of the Daru Staircase, then continue toward the Mona Lisa before exploring nearby works like The Wedding Feast at Cana, Liberty Leading the People, and The Raft of the Medusa. You'll cover many of the Louvre's highlights without constantly backtracking through the museum.

If you're visiting during the summer, book your tickets ahead of time and try to arrive when the museum opens or later in the afternoon to avoid the largest crowds. And wear comfortable shoes—you'll likely walk several miles without realizing it.

One of my favorite things about the Louvre is that it's surrounded by some of the best spots in Paris, making it easy to turn your museum visit into a full day exploring the city.

After leaving the museum, stroll through the Jardin des Tuileries, stop for Angelina's famous hot chocolate, wander the arcades of Palais Royal, or grab a coffee from Café Kitsuné before continuing toward the Seine. If you still have time, spend the afternoon exploring Le Marais, one of Paris' most charming neighborhoods for boutiques, cafés, and people-watching.

I've pinned all of these places—along with museums, restaurants, bakeries, and landmarks—into one RoamRecs Paris collection so you can save the entire itinerary before your trip.