The Mona Lisa (La Giocondo)

This famous Portrait of Lisa Gherardini (wife of Florentine Francesco del Giocondo) is called La Gioconda or Mona Lisa and was painted by the famous Italian painter Leonardo da Vinci between 1503 and 1506.

It is said to be the best known, most visited, most written about work of art in the world! It was also da Vinci’s favorite painting. The Mona Lisa is the Renaissance master’s only known surviving work of portraiture.

Look closely. Lisa has no eyebrows. Scientists say the painting has been cleaned too many times and the eyebrows have disappeared.

KeeKee Travel Tips for the Mona Lisa

Visit the Louvre website for tickets and even more great details to plan your visit. You can buy up to 6 tickets in advance. 18 years old and younger are free. The first Saturday of each month has free admission from 6 pm – 9:45 pm.

If you haven’t purchased tickets in advance, there’s a ticket machine unknown to most, and you don’t have to wait in the potentially l-o-n-g ticket lines! It’s located in the Carrousel du Louvre (the shopping area underground). Enter off rue de Rivoli (across the street from Hotel du Louvre) and you’ll find it on the landing after the first 2 sets of escalators down.

Visitor Trails in Activities & Tours

The tour section of the Louvre website offers a number of thematic trails designed to give you an overview of the scope and richness of the museum’s collections. Each trail is based on a selection of works that typify a period, an artistic movement, or a theme. They can be viewed online or printed out prior to a museum visit.