Ok… ignore what I said above about the rooms not being connected…😬🙄😏
First, pick up a physical map at the information kiosks below the Pyramid. There are QR codes where you can download it to your phone but seriously this is one place I do better with paper.
At the bottom of the Pyramid go to the escalators for the Denon wing. There are big signs posted above each set of the 3 escalators.
Go straight down the wide hallway to the first gallery on your left which is 170. Obviously spend time here and if you want to delve into the Islam exhibit next door it’s connected.
Continue straight thru 170 ( which is labeled Level -1 ). At the end follow the signs to the Venus de Milo and go up the stairs still going straight ahead. This leads you to further Greek antiquities. Continue thru these rooms with the Venus at your back. At the end of Rm 339, you go to the left and down another staircase to Rm 338 and the Sphinx.
Do an about face and with your back to the Sphinx you are facing the Medieval castle walls. This section was open yesterday (Monday).
I would walk the Medieval section, then head back to the Sphinx and backtrack. The Greek rooms here are divided so the ones in front of Venus are crowded but the ones on the far side are pretty much a straight shot. It’s not more than 5 minutes if you are not threading your way through crowds. You may get distracted by “stuff”, lol.
When you get back to the first stairs you climbed from 170, go down then climb the opposite staircase following the signs to La Joconde or Mona Lisa. You turn the corner to the left at the top of this staircase and boom you have your first view of The Winged Victory of Samothrace. Climb the stairs to it!!
To the right are the Botticelli frescos. If you go to the left from Winged Victory, behind it is the Gallerie of Apollo with the French crown jewels.
If you are by the Gallery of Apollo that is on Level 1 and you can wend your way thru the Sully wing to the Richelieu wing and Room 501 with the Vase of Alienor d’Aquitaine and the very posh Napoleon III apartments. Or from Winged Victory you can head for the scrum in front of Mona.
To me, the difficulty with the map is that it just doesn’t give you the idea of different levels. For instance, the rooms 339 and 338 LOOK like they are on the same level but they are not. 338 is on a strange half level, lol.
It’s just like Hogwarts, too. Staircases seem to go to different floors on different days, lol!!
I hope everyone finds what they want to see!
