Louvre Palace

As one would expect from one of the major European collections, the feel of this site is one of sophistication and size. Like the museum, it wallows in the quality and scale of its collections, unfolding through pages which mirror in their size the rolling corridors of Europe's largest museum.

Browsers can choose between French and English language formats (though some areas are only in French) and the download of the initial text and pictures is quick. At the top of the homepage there is a comprehensive choice of areas to explore, with sections on the history of the Louvre Palace and Museum, opening times, library facilities, and maps. Of particular interest to those planning to visit the Louvre is the option to purchase tickets online, along with an area describing which galleries can be guaranteed to be open at different times of the year. Having queued for what seemed like hours with vacant groups of Italian students in lines snaking round the Pyramide, the online ticket booking, with its special entrance and collection point, seems very opportune. The timetable of renovations should be compulsory on all large Museum sites, especially those in Italy where 'chiuso' often seems to be Italian for museum.

The collections are splendidly described. Explorations of the major works within the museum are broken down thematically allowing simple and easy digestion of a number of works. These galleries are described in essays which illuminate the background to the galleries and the most notable items within the collection. To anyone not familiar with the Louvre collections, the scale and scope of these essays will come as a great pleasure.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Virtual Tour: The link for this is found through the museum icon on the homepage, and is clearly an important and ambitious venture for the Louvre. The choice of galleries to explore is large, ranging from the Grand Empire to Ancient Egypt. Following the obligatory download of viewing software (QuickTime), which can take a while to install (although many newer machines will have this installed already), the viewer can stand in a range of galleries, turning on the spot and zooming in and out to change the viewing angle. The number and range of these downloads is as vast as the museum itself, and they give a wonderful impression of the scope of the site. As ambitious as the Pyramide building that crowns the centre of the Louvre, these tours are a wonderful addition to what is already a comprehensive site. The download of the software may take a while but it is worthwhile, as it is used to great effect on many of the best museum websites we've reviewed. In combination with the wonderful gallery tours described above, these virtual tours almost make a visit to the Louvre unnecessary.

Online Shopping Featuring products almost entirely derived from the collection, the online shopping experience is both stylish and potentially expensive. All objects are illustrated and the range is good. There is a currency converter to facilitate quotes in currencies, from the Finnish marka to the equally esoteric euro. The shop site operates an efficient online shopping service in which international buyers can have confidence.