Louvre Abu Dhabi, an iconic as well as a universal museum is renowned as a premier cultural institution built in the heart of Saadiyat Cultural District. The museum opened its doors on 11th November 2017. Designed by Jean Nouvel, Pritzker prize-winning architect, this museum covers an area of about 9200 sq. m galleries which include both the Permanent and Temporary galleries.

This museum is different from other museums in Abu Dhabi as it has some extraordinary collection of masterpieces in paintings, sculptures by renowned artists. It has all the works of ancient and contemporary works hailing from different countries. The Louvre Museum is organized in sections featuring collections by school, techniques, and materials as this upholds the unique characteristics of a series. The extraordinary exhibition design of the museum features the connection between civilizations and cultures. The chronological and theme-based display shows different civilizations and periods.

Louvre Museum had its origin back in the year 2007, when both the United Arab Emirates as well as France, decided to build a cultural institution. It is the sign of the spirited nature of the traditional Arab world. Along with the support of both the countries, the famous Louvre Abu Dhabi museum is a perfect blend of United Arab Emirates culture and openness, the perfection as well as the expertise of France.

One of the unique features is the huge silvery dome of the museum popularly known as "Floating dome of light and shade". It filters the sunlight through its perforations to create a beautiful "rain of light" effect inside the museum. The most interesting fact about the museum is that it is accessible by both lands as well as the sea and has about fifty stand-alone buildings, divided into a single auditorium and the rest being luxe restaurants.

Highlights

• Explore the amazing collection of about 120 relics in the museum that are collected from various cultures and continents like the Basin of Bonifacius, statues of Bodhidharma and Bodhisattva, several vases and paintings.
• Visit the museum where more than 600 pieces of astounding paintings and art drawn from pre-history era to the recent times are kept on display.
• Marvel at the exhibitions kept at The Children's Museum that are designed specifically for the children.
• Drop in the Make and Play activities at the museum and learn something new about art.
• Enroll for calligraphy classes and learn this unique skill from expert artists.
• Relish zesty delicacies at the Jean-Nouvel designed cafe at the museum.
• Spend a relaxed evening with like-minded art enthusiasts at the stylish Art lounge under the canopy of the sky.
• Enjoy refreshments and piping hot breakfast at the Aptitude Cafe.

How To Reach

You can reach Louvre Museum Abu Dhabi from the Abu Dhabi airport in many ways and, some of them are listed below: 

Town Car- You can take Towncar to travel to the museum from the Abu Dhabi Airport and it takes about thirty minutes to reach. You can take the Al Falah Road/E12. Alternatively, you can take both the Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street/E10 which will take 34 minutes approximately to reach the museum.

Cab Service- If you opt for the cab service, then it will take about thirty minutes to reach the museum from the airport and will be travelling on the same route.

Public Transport- Availing the bus line 094 and 032 will take you to the museum in about one and a half-hour.

Personal Car- You can also travel in your car from the airport to the museum. It will take about thirty minutes to reach.

Best Time To Visit

You can visit the Louvre Museum anytime you want throughout the day as per your convenience. The museum opens every day from 10 am till 8 pm from Saturdays till Wednesdays and 10 am to 10 pm on Thursdays and Fridays. It is important to note that the museum remains closed on Mondays. You should visit the museum as soon as it opens to avoid the long queues.

Other Essential Information

Cafes at Louvre Museum 

- Museum Cafe   

During the visit to the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, you can check the Museum Café which is a modern and elegant food and beverage outlet. Here you will get some amazing combination of Emirati dishes with a touch of European flavours blended into a perfect dining experience. Observe the spectacular view when the skyline meets the sea from this café while you enjoy the delicious starters, main courses as well as desserts. Cherish the pleasant mornings with a huge range of toothsome breakfast options. Take a break from the exploration and enjoy the selected chef special beverage items. Enjoy the special dishes like quinoa salad, camel burger, local Hammour or Sea Bass and savour the local dishes blended with an international taste. The café opens on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday from 10 am to 8 pm and on Thursdays and Fridays, the café remains open from 10 am to 10 pm and remains closed on Monday.

- Aptitude Cafe 

Established in the year 2017 as one of the first speciality coffee shop outlets in Abu Dhabi. The Aptitude Café is popular for two main goals, to provide a perfect choice of café for all the coffee connoisseurs. It also provides knowledge about the special coffee beans and coffee-making process, from picking to its grounding that helps in achieving the aromatic smell. The café only brews the finest quality coffee beans hailing from the countries Panama, Colombia, Brazil, and Ethiopia. Apart from coffee, you will also get a wide range of delicious pastries and desserts.

Exhibitions at the Louvre Museum 

Every year the museum organizes and hosts a couple of temporary exhibitions. These exhibitions display many artworks, sculptures, paintings of the prominent artists. The exhibition is mainly organized by thirteen French museum partners only for the visitors who visit the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

All the temporary exhibitions are organized in the pattern of the thematic approach like the permanent collections in the Museum Galleries which highlight, compare and influence the ideas of different civilizations as well as cultures.

The various artworks include self-portraits by Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Leonardo Da Vinci, and others.

Vincent Van Gogh- A popular Dutch post-impressionist painter, one of the most influential painters in Western art history. He created about 2100 artworks over a decade which includes landscapes, portraits, still lifes as well as self-portraits.

Paul Gauguin- Famous French post-impressionist artist, he was one of the most popular artists for experimenting with colours. His work influenced the French avant-garde and various other renowned artists like Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso.

Leonardo Da Vinci- Widely popular as one of the greatest painters of all times in spite of the fact that only fifteen paintings of him have survived. One of the most famous portraits of Leonardo Da Vinci at all times is Mona Lisa.

Tips for Visiting Louvre Museum Abu Dhabi

Few tips which are important to remember while planning to visit the Louvre Museum are:

Reach early: Louvre Museum opens daily at 10 am and remains open till 8 pm apart from Mondays. It is best if you arrive early at the museum as with time, the crowd grows which result in long queues which takes a lot of time to enter the museum.

Make bookings: The facility of online booking is a great advantage as the tickets are not cheap and also you can save a lot of money if you want to visit the museum during the peak season.

Get an audio guide: Knowing every art form available in the museum is impossible. So, if you want you can download the Louvre Abu Dhabi guide in your smartphone for free which will give you both audio and video information on the history, sculptures, and paintings inside the museum.

Decide activities for the rest of the day: It just takes four full hours to explore the Louvre Museum which means you can plan different activities which you can enjoy near the museum or by exploring the Dubai city.