Main Hall at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France
It is also called the Napoleon Hall.

It was crowded but we were able to see everything we had planned on seeing. Emphasis on planned. This is one of those places where you will get much more enjoyment from visiting if you know what you want to see and how to get there.

Because of the museum’s size you need to understand how the museum is organized. One of the good things you will find on their website are “Visitor Trails.” If you are only going to visit the Louvre once, you must take the “Masterpiece” Trail. This will include the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and Venus de Milo. All on the must see list. You will start your tour in the “Denon Wing.”

Let’s Start with Getting There

If you are visiting you most likely will take the Metro – you want to go to the Palais-Royal–Musée du Louvre station. When you get off there are signs that will send you in the right direction. You will come to the bottom of the controversial glass pyramid. The entrance is there.

If it is a busy day you will have to stand in line possible for over half an hour (or more).  This entrance is actually a security check. Once you get through it you will walk forward to the Main Hall. That is where you will find the ticket booths. There are self service and manned ticket booths. Chose the one you are comfortable using.

My younger sister listening to the audio guide for the famous statue the Winged Victory of Samothrace.

Don’t forget to get a map at the information booth.

The entrance fee I think is reasonable – €11 (which is about $14.50.) This is for the main museum and does not included the “special exhibits.” Unless you have the entire day or if you know you want to go to the special exhibits you just need to pay the main entrance fee. Oh and for children under the age of 18 they are free!

One additional expense I would highly recommend is the Audio Guide. It is only an additional €5 (just under $7). The audio guides have so much information about the art pieces you are looking at that it would be a shame to not listen to the descriptions of these masterpieces. You also do not have to follow a specific route, you can wander and it is able to follow with you, because of its built in locators.

They also have guides that you can download onto your phone, but you need to do this before you leave the US. Check their website for more information.

Helpful Information

The Louvre is open every day (except Tuesday) from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
They are open late until 9:45 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays
The museum is closed on the following holidays: January 1, May 1, and December 25

Address –

Musée du Louvre, 75058 Paris – France
Métro: Palais-Royal Musée du Louvre (Lines 1 and 7)
Tel.: +33 (0)1 40 20 53 17

Seeing the Mona Lisa in person is amazing.

Why Go to the Louvre

After our visit my sister agrees with me. All the reproductions in the world are not as good as the original. Plus by having the headsets (Audio Guide) we learned a lot about the Mona Lisa that we had not heard before. Seeing many of the famous masterpieces in person is unforgettable.

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