5 tips to organize your visit to the Louvre museum

You are planning a trip to Paris soon and are definitely considering paying a visit to the Louvre museum? What a great idea! Le Louvre is an amazing museum for any art lover. But keep in mind that many others will have the same brillant idea as you. Your visit might end up in chaos unless you are well prepared. So here are my 5 tips for you to organize your visit and make the most of it!

1. Wednesday and Friday nights are the best time to go

Paris is always a good idea but you never know what the weather is going to be like! Whether you come in winter or summer time, rainy days may well be part of your trip! Check the weather forecast as you arrive and save your visit to the Louvre for the grey days.

That being said, keep in mind that the museum is closed on Tuesday. On Wednesday and Friday, it is open until 9:45 pm (vs 6pm on any other working days). This is definitely to best time to go as it is less crowded and the entrance fee is reduced.

Also, you might enter for free if you happen to be in Paris on the first Sunday of the month, from October, 1st to March, 31st. Large crowds and long waiting lines are to be anticipated on these days of course so it might actually be a day to avoid, depending on your budget…

2. Buy your ticket in advance

I’m sure that just like me you hate wasting some precious time standing in a line when you could actually start visiting a museum or monument! And lines do get very long in the Louvre. My next advice is to buy your ticket in advance. You can do so in any Fnac store or on the Louvre’s website.

3. Enter via a secret passage

Another tip to gain time: enter the Museum via a more discreet entrance! If you choose to enter via the pyramid like most visitors do, you will stand there for hours! My advice is to head for the little staircase next to the Carrousel Triumphal Arch (you can’t miss this arch, it marks the beginning of the Tuileries gardens, opposite the pyramid). There will be absolutely no line to enter. Once inside, you will have to go through security and then you will start your visit (providing you bought your ticket in advance)!

4. Grab a map

The Louvre Museum is huge. You won’t see everything in a day. The collections are displayed in a U-shape building and going from area to the other might take a lot of time, not to mention that it is not that easy to find your way around. Grab a map as you arrive. They are located next to the cash desks, under the pyramid. Study the map before your start your visit and decide what you want to see.

5. Forget about the Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa is what everyone wants to see. A few years ago I went on a guided tour of the Louvre and our guide told us that when they had to remove it for restauration, groups of tourists would cancel their visit to the Louvre! You can imagine the huge crowd standing in front of this tiny little painting. Good luck to you to try and look at the painting. You will have to force your way between the selfie-sticks and many tourists.

There are so many other amazing collections to discover, some are totally deserted! Did you know that there is a whole Impressionists aisle? For some reasons, noone goes there and you will enjoy it just to yourself!

And that’s it for today! I hope you find these tips useful! Let me know what you thought in the comment box! Do you have other tips to visit the Louvre Museum?