Napoleon in the Louvre
Follow us for a private tour in the footsteps of Napoleon in the Louvre. Napoleon is very present in the Louvre not only for the artifacts of the museum but also for the building and its environment, which have been strongly impacted by the French Emperor. A tour with Yves postgraduate fully licensed tour guide.
Entablement and quadriga of Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. Credit Pixabay dezalb.
Napoleon in The Louvre Private Tour Essentials
- +/- 2-hour Guided tour in English
- Really private = your party only (6 people max.)
- Postgraduate (MPhil) local licensed guide lecturer
- Flexible schedule
- Availability: not on Tuesdays, not on Thursday
- Best days for the tour Friday Saturday Sunday
- Skip-the-line tickets not included to buy online (22 € per adult)
KNOW MORE / BOOK
Yves Your Private Tour Guide in the Louvre
Certified French national guide
BA, Magna Cum Laude, Heritage Developpement & Preservation from Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers
Postgraduate from Paris Dauphine-PSL University
Napoleon in the Louvre Tour Content
Napoleon and the Louvre
- Bonaparte witness the fall of monarchy on the 10th of August 1792
- The Tuilerie Palace & the Napoleon district
- The rue de Rivoli
- The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel
- The impact of Napoleon on the Louvre
- Percier and Fontaine the architects of the emperor
- How Napoleon III realized the dream of his uncle
Musée des Arts Décoratifs installed in the wing of the Louvre commissioned by Napoléon. Credit Unsplash, Jean-Baptist D.
Designed by Percier and Fontaine, the architects of the Emperor, the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel was built between 1806 and 1809 to commemorate the victory and campaign of Austerlitz (December 2nd, 1805). Photo © Broaden horizons.
Some of the Empire Most Famous Paintings
- Jacques-Louis David: “Self portrait of the artiste (1794)”,”Pope Pius VII (1805)”, “The General Bonaparte (1797-1798)” Sketch Ecole de David.
- François Gérard: “The Empress Marie-Louise (1810)”; ” Portrait of the Sculptor Canova (1808-1809)”, “Emperor Napoleon I in Coronation Robes ” repetition formerly the property of Caroline Bonaparte.
- Antoine-Jean Gros: Study for “Bonaparte at the Pont d’Arcole (1796)”,” Bonaparte Visiting the Plague Victims of Jaffa (1804)”, “Napoleon on the battlefield of Eylau (1808)”.
- Pierre-Paul Prud’hon: “The Roi de Rome (1811)”, “The baron Vivant Denon”, “The Empress Joséphine (1805)” French: L’impératrice Joséphine dans le Parc de Malmaison).
- Jean-Louis André Théodore Géricault: “The Charging Chasseur (1812)”, “Wounded Cuirassier Leaving the Field of Battle (1814)”
François Gérard by Antoine-Jean Gros ca 1790, both of them were favored students in J. L. David’s studio; MET.
Study for the Bonaparte at the pont d’Arcole painting by Antoine-Jean Gros 1796. Credit The Yorck Project – GNU Free Documentation License.
Napoleon on the battlefield of Eylau by Antoine-Jean Gros. Credit The Yorck Project – GNU Free Documentation License.
The Charging Chasseur by Jean Louis Theodore Gericault. Credit The Yorck Project – GNU Free Documentation License.
1810 Painting by Boilly representing a public view of Jacques-Louis David “Coronation of Napoleon” The David huge painting (+/- 10 x 6 meters) completed in 1807 was exhibited on three occasions between 1808 and 1810 in the Napoleon Museum (nowadays Le Louvre Museum). You won’t be the first one to admire this David masterpiece!
Detail of the Coronation of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David. In The middle of the Foreground the Marechal Murat, the future king of Napoli. In the center of the background is Letizia Bonaparte, the emperor’s mother. Credit The Yorck Project – GNU Free Documentation License.
Imperial Fournitures & Artifacts of the Glory
- Throne of the Emperor at the Tuileries palace
- Imperial Crone of Napoleon
- Empress Josephine’s Jewels.
- Tea service of Napoléon I & Marie-Louise
- Necessaire of Napoléon I
- Fournitures of the Madame Récamier’s room
The room of Madame Récamier by Jacques-Louis David. Credit The Yorck Project – GNU Free Documentation License.
Inside the Imperial Louvre
- The imperial museums
- The Room of the Marriage of Napoleon and Marie Louise
- The Napoleon III Apartements
- Some of the most famous masterpieces of the Louvre are related to the imperial era despite not showing any clue about it.
Napoleon throne at the Tuileries by Jacob-Desmalter from a Percier & Fontaine drawing.
Napoleon III Apartments, in the background a portrait of Eugenie de Montijo, the wife of Napoleon III, the last French Empress. She died in 1919.
Other Napoleon Tours
Napoleon in Paris Guided Tour
3-hour Private Tour from 150 € per party
An extensive tour in the footsteps of the French Emperor to discover Paris under Napoleon. Famous Gardens, Covered passages, Royal Palaces, Royal Squares, River Seine sceneries and much more.
Napoleon in Paris Full-Day Tour
If you are a real fan of the Napoleon era, we have a full-day Napoleon in Paris Guided Tour, which includes the Napoleon in the Louvre Tour: The entire program is the next:
- The 3-hour Napoleon in Paris Tour
- + A Napoleon-Oriented Louvre Tour
- + A Pont-des-arts & rue Bonaparte Walk
- + The Napoleon Tomb in the Invalides.
Napoleon in Paris Full Day Tour
7-hour Private Tour from 380 € per party
Really private tour
From 380 € for 2, 420 € for 3 etc.
+/- 7-hour tour
Postgraduate (M.phil) fully licensed guide
Things to know before Booking
Clarification: Skip-the-Line Tickets Are Just Standard Online Ones
Louvre website says "All visitors, including those entitled to free admission (including Paris Museum Pass bearer), must book a time slot. Buy your ticket online on www.ticketlouvre.fr... During off-peak times, there may also be a limited number of time slots for same-day visits available for booking at the museum. However ... to guarantee your entry ... we strongly advise booking your time slot in advance online." Conclusion no magic: During your time slot, you are entitled to enter the online booking security line, so yes, you skip the line... of those who come without a ticket!
Louvre Museum Tickets Fare
Museum tickets are not included in the tour price.
- Online Louvre tickets: 17 € per adult
- Free for all kids under 18 years old
- Free under 26 years old for the European Union residents
Restrictions
- Private tour means a tour for you & your party only, not that the museum is privatized.
- Tour duration & content are purely indicative, they may vary due to contingencies.
- In case of unexpected closed galleries you accept to follow a substitution content.
- Prices do not include transportation, food, drinks or any other extra services.
Attention Points
- Check the Louvre galleries closure schedule before planning your Louvre coming
- Tour on foot in Louvre's huge galleries, so good health & comfortable shoes are mandatory
- Photos are authorized, but without flash. Selfie sticks are not allowed.
- WARNING proof of ID is mandatory as tickets are nominative!
- WARNING print your tickets or at least upload them before coming to the Louvre (last minute problem uploading tickets may spoil the tour)
Meeting Point
Easy one Inside or outside the museum (detail during booking)
Access: Metro Line 1 station Palais-Royal
Book your Louvre Private Tour
confirmation (email)
Private Tour Napoleon in The Louvre
For 1 to 2 people + 45 € for any extra person
A group of maximum 6 people exclusively yours
English language
Napoléon III Apartments in the Richelieu Wing – Photo Nat Molino, Unplash.
Emperor Napoleon I in Coronation Robes. The portrait was painted in 1806 by François Gérard pupil of Jacques-Louis David, Gérard became an official painter of Napoleon as of Louis XVIII and Charles X.