25 Minutes vs. 2 Hours: Why You Should Enter the Louvre from Underground
Entering from the lower level mall is a far shorter line for the main entrance outside, even if you have timed entry tickets.
On our last visit to Paris in 2015, we made the very dumb decision to book our tickets for the Louvre on the same day we landed. This resulted in a zombie like experience walking around unbelievable works of art and not being able to appreciate it all.
On this 36 hour stay in Paris, we elected to book the Louvre for the day after our arrival. Giving us some time to sleep in and get acclimated with the timezones before going to the best art museum in the world.
We purchased our tickets online a few weeks prior to arrival. The Louvre has timed tickets, meaning you are supposed to arrive during those windows. While I will say it is important to follow, if you are running late, or get stuck in the long security lines, there tended to be some flexibility.
We took the Metro from our hotel to the Louvre and started standing in the main line by the pyramid. Our tickets were for 11am and we arrived about 15 minutes before then -- but the line was very long and very slow moving outdoors by the pyramid.
As a result, we remembered that there is another entrance below the Louvre in the underground shopping mall and decided to try that option. We walked around the corner and down an escalator to find this entrance. You can also enter it straight from the Metro if you know where you are going. This line was still long, but moved faster and we were through security in about 25 minutes. Once you are through security, the ticket lines are not long at all, taking a minute or two to bypass and enter the museum.
Once in the museum, we spent about two hours seeing incredible art. From Egyptian to Renaissance to Napoleon’s apartment, there really is something for everyone. Two hours is by no means enough time, but for our short trip it was all we could accommodate.
Be sure to buy your ticket in advance and give yourself plenty of time to get through security.
