Opened with fanfare in 2012 in Lens, 18km north of Arras, the innovative Louvre-Lens showcases hundreds of treasures from Paris' venerable Musée du Louvre in a purpose-built, state-of-the-art exhibition space. Unlike its Parisian cousin, there's no permanent collection here. Instead, the museum's centrepiece, a 120m-long exhibition space called the Galerie du Temps, displays a limited but significant, ever-rotating collection of 200+ pieces from the original Louvre, spanning that museum's full breadth and diversity of cultures and historical periods.
A second building, the glass-walled Pavillon de Verre, displays temporary themed exhibits. Rounding out the museum are educational facilities, an auditorium, a restaurant and a park.
Lens is accessible by regular TGV trains from Paris' Gare du Nord (€28.50 to €51, 65 to 70 minutes), as well as regional trains from Lille (from €6.80, 40 minutes) and Arras (from €4.50, 15 minutes).
