Musée du Louvre - a newbie's guide

Musée du Louvre is the biggest and deservedly well known art museum in Paris, and if you only have time for one museum, this is the one. It covers ancient civilisation art, Islamic art and Western art from the Middle Ages to the 19th century.

Highlights:

••  Mona Lisa - I recommend reading a little about the innovations that Leonardo achieved with this painting so that you can appreciate it more.

••  Venus de Milo sculpture.

••  Cupid and Psyche (Canova); Captive - The Dying Slave (Michelangelo); and the rest of the Italian sculpture section.

Love Lock Bridge - overburdened with love

The Pont des Arts (aka Love Lock Bridge) was recently in the news when a section collapsed under the weight of the locks. It's a pedestrian bridge that embodies an ancient tradition dating back to... err... 2008, where you symbolically seal your love into a lock, attach it to the bridge, and throw the key into the Seine.

The result - a bridge completely covered in locks...two bridges actually...

1.  Pont des Arts - between the Louvre and the Institut de France.

2.  Pont de l'Archevêché - near the south-east corner of the Notre Dame.

In true Paris style, the former is said to be for committed love, and the later for lovers.

59 Rivoli - An artist collective in a legalised squat - review

An art gallery you won't find in the guidebooks - 59 Rivoli. The website touts that there are 30 artists at any given time, with 20 permanent and 10 temporary, spread over 6 levels. It has a street art vibe, but you'll find other styles of art here as well.

Entry is free, and you can wander and see many of the artists working away in their studios, who are more than willing to chat.

The ground level apparently presents a new exhibition from an outside artist every 2 weeks, and you'll find small free music gigs at 6pm every Sat and Sun. Music festivals are also held twice a year which take over the whole building.