Your adventure into the art world begins when you're picked up at your hotel and whisked off to the Louvre in a private vehicle.

The Louvre is one of the world's greatest art museums--and one of the largest--so it's a good thing you're seeing it with the help of an experienced guide! The building, a former royal palace located in the center of Paris between the Seine River and the Rue de Rivoli, was first opened to the public as a museum in 1793, during the French Revolution.

This multi-faceted museum celebrates humanity's long journey with the remarkable scope of a collection that spans thousands of years, reaches from America to the borders of India and China, and is highlighted by such iconic, universally admired works as Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" and the 2nd century Greek statue "Venus de Milo."

The Louvre's impressive collection, which halts at the watershed date of 1848, is grouped into eight departments: Paintings; Egyptian Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Sculptures; Decorative Arts; Islamic Art; and Prints and Drawings.