Musée du Louvre
Your nearest metro station to the Louvre is:
Palais Royal/Musée du Louvre
As one of the most important and most visited ( 8M+ annually) museums in the world the Louvre Museum is obviously a very busy Paris attraction.
It is another 'must see' attraction of Paris but one which deserves a bit of pre-planning (buy a guide) before you venture into its 14 kilometres of galleries (that's eight miles!) spread over 4 levels. It can, as I have learned from personal experience, be quite exhausting.
With star exhibition pieces such as the 'Mona Lisa', the 'Venus de Milo' and the 'Winged Victory' it is not hard to understand why it is so popular. These particular favourites have now been placed in a more accessible area by forward thinking management as they are sometimes all some visitors want to see - which is a bit of a shame when you consider the museum is home to over 35,000 artefacts!
We won't go into too much detail here as to what else you can see, suffice to say there is something for everyone.
The museums official website is a great source of information. 
Most tourists enter the Louvre through the main entrance under the glass pyramid in the central courtyard (“Napoléon courtyard”) of the museum. What they do not know is that there are several entrances to the Louvre, all of which are far less busy.
You can wait up to two hours or so just to get past the security area at the front door of the pyramid, then you have to wait in line again inside to buy tickets. There is another entrance 'Porte des Lions'**,at street level,a short distance away, it allows you to get your tickets, enter the museum and reach the Mona Lisa in no time at all, with little or no waiting. You can also enter through the 'Carousel de Louvre' shopping centre on Rue de Rivoli. Just enter the shopping mall, go down the elevator and you'll see the Louvre entrance to the left. You'll find handy ticket machines and normally a very short security line. **This entrance is only open on Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Also if you’re going to the late night Louvre (open until 10pm on Wednesday and Friday nights) the Porte de Lion is closed on Friday and closes at 5:15pm on Wednesdays. Entrance is free on the first Sunday of the month although, as you can imagine, it is very busy! Tip: Consider visiting on a Wednesday or Friday evening or any day after 3.00pm to avoid the crowds. Entrance is free on the first Sunday of the month although, as you can imagine, it is very busy. |
Main entrance via 'Pyramid'.
Full price: € 15.00 (€ 17.00 online) Free to under 18s and EU residents 18 to 26 Open every day (except Tuesday) from 9 am to 6 pm Evening opening until 9:45 pm on Wednesdays and Fridays On the first Sunday of each month and Bastille Day (14 July), entry is free but for obvious reasons it can be very busy. The museum is closed on Tuesdays. Official website: www.louvre.fr/ 
Nos.21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 76, 81,9
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