Home to the “Mona Lisa,” the “Venus de Milo” and 35,000 other works of priceless art, the Musée du Louvre is the largest, best-known art museum in the world. As one of Paris’s most popular attractions, almost everyone wants to visit, and the museum is usually jammed with tourists and art aficionados. However, careful planning means you can avoid the crowds and make the most of this incredible, culturally rich destination.

Figure Out Where You’re Going

With so much ground to cover, do your homework before heading to the museum, so you can hone in on your specific interests or must-see artworks. The museum’s exhibits center around 10 themes: Egyptian antiquities; Islamic art; Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquities; Near Eastern antiquities; graphic and decorative arts; French sculpture; and the paintings collection.

Wait Until After Lunch

During the day, the Louvre is packed, especially around tourist favorites like the surprisingly small portrait of “Mona Lisa,” where the crowds are most congested. Morning is the worst: Most travelers follow their guidebook’s advice to arrive early, so the 9 a.m. queues can be formidable. If you arrive after 3 p.m., you’ll miss the longest lines. Better still, head to a late-night opening on a Wednesday or Friday when the Louvre is open until 9:45 p.m.; it’s much quieter, with an almost intimate atmosphere. Avoid the first Sunday of each month between October and March; while entry is free on these days, the resulting crowds aren’t worth the discount.

Find the Secret Door

A little-known “secret” entrance might help you avoid a long morning wait. By entering the museum by the Porte des Lions entrance in the south Denon wing, not only will you beat the bulk of the morning visitors, you’ll also be well-placed to visit the “Mona Lisa”; this entrance is the closest to Da Vinci’s famous painting.

Buy Your Ticket From a Machine

While guidebooks advise visitors to buy tickets online, these tickets are for allocated times, which can make visiting a little stressful when you’re trying to combine your visit with other Paris activities. By buying your ticket from a Louvre ticket machine, you’ll beat the ticket queue, since most tourists don’t seem to know about the existence of them. Head to the underground Carrousel du Louvre shopping center on 99 Rue de Rivoli.

Think Smart When Taking Breaks

With the Louvre’s more than 652,000 square feet to cover, walking around it is a bit daunting. Even with the most comfortable footwear, you’ll need a break. Organize your itinerary to coincide with a stop at the Cafe Mollien on the Denon wing’s first floor, where the food and beverages aren’t as costly as the Louvre’s other eateries. It’s also a lovely spot, with stunning columns, a painted ceiling and a terrace overlooking the main pyramid.

If You’re Taking Your Kids

Rent a stroller from the information desk for your smaller children. Older children will enjoy the online treasure hunts around the museum, which include themed trails like a lion hunt that points them in the direction of 12 lion sculptures or the “On Horseback” trail, which explores paintings and sculptures devoted to horses. The horseback trail has the added advantage for children in that it stops outside near the play areas and ponds of the Tuileries Garden.

Louvre Facts You Never Knew

Around 15,000 people visit the Louvre each day, with seven out of 10 visitors from outside France.

The Louvre was built as a fortress in 1190. In the 16th century, it became a palace, and in 1793, it became a museum after the French royal family moved to the Palace of Versailles.

Napoleon Bonaparte added 5,000 artworks to the museum, which he renamed Musee Napoleon.



The “Mona Lisa” has its own bodyguards, and it’s shielded by bulletproof glass.

The 69-foot glass Louvre Pyramid was built in 1989. It was controversial at the time due to its modern design and the choice of non-French architect, the Chinese-American I.M. Pei.

If you spent one minute looking at each piece of art, it would take you 64 full days to see everything in the museum.

The “Mona Lisa,” the “Venus de Milo” and the “Winged Victory of Samothrace” are the most-visited artworks.

While more than 35,000 pieces of art are on display, the Louvre’s entire collection tops 460,000 artworks.

The Louvre is one of Europe’s most-visited museums, and rightly so: Its historical and cultural significance attracts historians, scholars and lovers of art from all over the world. Set aside a day or two to explore some of the world’s most-famous artworks.