This is the Paris Louvre Museum Giftshop

The Carrousel du Louvre is a shopping mall in Paris very famous among locals and visitors. It offers a great way to take a break after visiting the famous paintings andartworks of the Louvre museum.

Open seven days a week, the exclusive center features dozens of stores, a gourmet food court and an elegant, spacious setting. If you are looking for a place to eat near the Louvre, the Carrousel is a very good choice. It's also the place to go if you're looking for new clothes, jewelry, books or a special gift to take back on the plane.

Located in district 1 of Paris, the nearest metro station is the Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre stop and is served by lines 1 and 7. However, if you have your own means of transportation, keep in mind that parking is available at the Caroussel du Louvre.

Another public transportation option is the Paris bus lines: 21, 27, 39, 42, 45, 58, 67, 68, 69, 70, 72, 73, 74, 84, 85 and 95, along with night bus service via lines N01, N11, N12, N13, N15, N16 and N24 (all of which will drop you very close to the Louvre Museum).

You can also use the RER trains to get there, the Chatelet - Les Halles stop where lines A, B and D stop is only about 650 meters from the restaurant.

In addition, you can also use the tourist buses as a means of transportation, or even the water buses that travel along the Seine River, dropping you off at stops near the Louvre Museum and the Bistrot Benoit restaurant.

The Carrousel du Louvre is open daily from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm. With a few exceptions, the stores are open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., 7 days a week. 7 days a week.

The shopping center is located at 99, rue de Rivoli. If you go by metro I recommend the Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre stop (Line 1). If you go by bus lines 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81 and 95 can serve you.

If you have a car or you have rented one, you can use the parking lot of the shopping center located on Avenue du Général Lemonnier (700 spaces available). Also remember that you will have to take the "long" escalators leading to the lower level of the Louvre complex to access the mall.

Important: Every corner of the Carrousel is accessible for people with disabilities or movement difficulties.

The construction of the Carrousel du Louvre was seen as an extension of the entrance in a project that began in the early 1990s. The Carrousel du Louvre officially opened in 1993 and is now one of the most popular shopping malls in central Paris. It is not only a shopping mall, but also an artistic space, as it was decided that the medieval ruins should be preserved in their original location. They are now visible in the Carrousel shopping center and form an integral part of it.

As if that were not enough, sculptures have also been added. Carrousel du Louvre plays a more than practical role for the Louvre, as it houses parts of its past. The Carrousel also provides access to the museum.

The Carrousel is also architecturally impressive: the lower section of the famous glass Pyramide du Louvre (Louvre Pyramid), designed by Chinese architect I.M. Pei, is visible from the mall.
In addition, the Carrousel du Louvre includes a large exhibition space where major annual events such as the Paris photo exhibition are held.

The work on the Grand Louvre and the construction of the Carrousel exposed the amazing foundations of the Palais Royal. These are the ruins of the perimeter wall of Charles V, a stone wall designed to protect the city. The part visible from the Carrousel du Louvre shopping center was built in the 16th century.

The mall features fashion, home design, gifts, books and many other specialty boutiques. Jewelry, gifts and home décor are some of the Carrousel's highlights.

You'll also notice a wide variety of businesses, including the AppleStore, a Lancel leather goods store and Bickici jewelry. You'll also appreciate the fact that typical French brands are in one place, such as Mariages Frères for tea or Fragonard and L'Occitane for souvenirs. There are also spaces to buy tickets for French comedy theater.

Along with smaller local boutiques, well-known brands and stores in the center include:

• L'Occitane en Provence: Mid-priced, high-quality French cosmetics and gift store.
• Hertz Car Rental: Space to rent a car in Paris, a very good option to consider.

The Bistrot Benoit restaurant is located in the heart of the museum, just below the pyramid and is the only restaurant in the Louvre Shopping Center, hence it is also known as "the restaurant of the shopping center''.

This restaurant offersmenus and dishes of French gastronomy, a meal that has been completely renovated by chef Alain Ducasse, who mixes the traditional with a contemporary touch, as well as providing a large selection of wines and other beverages to accompany the meal.

There is a formula available for lunch where you can have a starter, main course and dessert, which also comes with a glass of wine or mineral water and for (20-30 euros).

However, you can also enjoy the food even more by ordering a la carte as you would in one of the fine restaurants in Paris. In this chaos, Bistrot Benoit**(originally called Cafe Grand Louvre**) will offer you several options at your leisure to enjoy a three-course meal in a unique and prestigious setting.

So for starters, you can experience Benoit's classic French snails, chicken and thyme pâté, celery beet, duck foie gras confit, onion marmalade, toasted bread or Parmentier soup with croutons.

Main courses could be salmon with béarnaise and mashed potatoes, sirloin steak, fried potatoes and pepper sauce, traditional veal blanquette and rice with tartar sauce or roast duck fillet with spices and polenta au gratin.

Children are also welcome and catered for with their own menu for children under 12 years old.

Prices and opening hours of the Louvre Shopping Mall Restaurant

Bistrot Benoit is open every day except special holidays for breakfast between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., then for lunch starting at 11:30 a.m. and closing at 5 p.m.

It is also open at night until 9:45 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, except in summer when it keeps the same hours every day. Average price a la carte: 20€ to 50€.

Style of the Louvre Shopping Center restaurant

Under the pyramid**, in the heart of the Louvre Museum**, Bistrot Benoit welcomes visitors all day long in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. An authentic setting in the heart of the museum. After renovations were completed, the new interior offers an artistic style with chairs and tables made of zinc, brass, wood and red velvet (a rather formal look that fits perfectly with the Louvre museum). What's more, you will also find waiters dressed in a traditional style with white aprons and bow ties.

The Bistrot Benoit stands out under the prestigious glass pyramid with an area of 200 square meters and a capacity for 90 people. This was reopened in 2018 under the watchful eye of renowned Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse, with the name of the bistro taken from the famous restaurant in Paris named Benoit that first opened in 1912.

Another of the mall's most outstanding places to eat is its pastry shop : Paul. Despite being the only pastry shop in the mall and offering some of the tastiest cakes, crepes and croissants it is not a place to spend a lot of money, and you will hardly find something that costs more than 8 euros. It is also very close to the entrance to the museum.

In addition, they also serve breakfast in the morning, a very smart option to save time and go straight to the museum, especially if you go with children to the Louvre. The downside is that it opens a little late, until 10:30 am.

Of course, it must be said that they offer very complete French-style breakfast menus with coffee and croissant, the classic French ham sandwich with butter or a chocolate cake. You can even stop by for a light snack in case you want to visit the museum later.

In case you want to visit the Louvre very early in the morning and want to have breakfast nearby, I recommend heading to the cafes and food places near the museum.

Useful information

• Location: 2nd floor, just below the Louvre Pyramid.
• Hours: Continuous service from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Prices: Breakfasts from 8-12 euros/person

Don't shop just for the sake of shopping: While it is true that the mall has many electronics and clothing stores, I recommend buying only those items that are exclusive to the museum and that you won't be able to buy elsewhere. This is because, in general, the prices of non-museum items are usually more expensive.

Take advantage of your location to enter the Louvre: If you plan to visit the museum and you have your tickets already purchased, I recommend not leaving the mall, but go directly to the door of the Louvre museum, this entrance has the same name as the mall: Carrousel du Louvre and is much less crowded than the main entrance (Pyramide).