How to Visit the Louvre Without the Crowds (Local Secrets)

The Louvre is the largest art museum in the world, housing over 35,000 works of art across 60,000 square meters. It is also the most visited, with nearly 10 million people walking through its doors annually. If you don't have a strategy, the Louvre can quickly turn from an artistic pilgrimage into a claustrophobic nightmare. Here are our expert tips for visiting the Louvre like a pro.

Rule #1: Never Use the Main Pyramid Entrance

The iconic glass pyramid designed by I.M. Pei is beautiful, but the line to enter beneath it can stretch for hours. Instead, use the secret entrances:

• The Carrousel du Louvre: Access this underground shopping mall directly from the Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre metro station. It leads straight to the security checkpoint under the pyramid.
• Porte des Lions: Located in the southwestern wing (closest to the Tuileries), this entrance is often completely empty. Note: It is occasionally closed, so check the official website beforehand.

Rule #2: Timing is Everything

Most tourists visit the Louvre between 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM. If you want to avoid the crowds, you have two options:

The Evening Openings: On Fridays, the museum stays open until 9:45 PM. If you arrive around 6:00 PM, you will notice a massive shift. The large tour groups have left, the lighting in the galleries becomes dramatic, and you can actually walk right up to the Mona Lisa without fighting for space.

Rule #3: The Strategic Mona Lisa Run

If you are arriving at 9:00 AM when the doors open and your primary goal is the Mona Lisa (La Joconde), do not stop to look at anything else. Walk briskly through the Denon Wing. See her first, while the room is relatively empty, and then backtrack to enjoy the rest of the Italian Renaissance collection in peace.

Rule #4: Explore the Empty Wings

Everyone rushes to the Denon Wing (Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, Venus de Milo). As a result, the Richelieu Wing is often delightfully empty. Here you will find:

• The Napoleon III Apartments: An absurdly opulent set of rooms showing how French royalty lived in the 19th century. Chandelier-filled, velvet-draped, and gilded beyond belief.
• The Mesopotamian Antiquities: Stand before the Code of Hammurabi and massive winged bulls from ancient Assyrian palaces.

The Ultimate Tip: Hire a Local Guide

The Louvre has almost zero explanatory plaques in English. Booking a guided tour not only gives you skip-the-line access, but your guide will navigate the labyrinthian halls, bypassing dead ends and massive crowds, to show you the history and context that makes these artworks truly come alive.