Skip the Long Lines - buy your Louvre Museum ticket online in advance. With your online ticket you will jump the lines at the ticket office which will save you a lot of precious time. An additional advantage of buying your ticket in advance is that tickets sell out, especially in high season. By purchasing your ticket in advance you secure your entry on the date and time you want to visit the museum.

Plan your visit in advance - the Louvre is huge and it would take days if not weeks to see the entire museum. So it’s impossible to see everything in one visit. For this reason, it’s a good idea to decide in advance what items and collections you absolutely want to see. Without planning in advance your visit might become overwhelming and you might risk not seeing everything you wanted to see in the first place. You should also get familiar with the layout of the Louvre. You can download a map of the Louvre from the official website.

Must see - especially during your first visit:

• Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci
• Venus de Milo
• Winged Victory of Samothrace
• Liberty Leading the People
• The Coronation of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David
• The Raft of the Medusa by Theodore Gericault

Best time to visit - the Louvre is the most visited museum in the world so avoiding visitors peak times is an absolute must to make your visit more enjoyable. Go early in the morning or in the afternoon, after 3pm. Or Wednesday and Friday at night, when the museum stays open until 9:45pm. Avoid weekends, especially the first Saturday of the month when admission is free for every visitor.

Take a Tour - While exploring the Louvre on your own or with an audio guide is great, nothing quite beats a guided tour. Your guide's expertise and passion for art will shine through as they point out the most famous exhibits, reveal hidden highlights and tell in-depth stories about the Louvre's (often scandalous) history. There is a range of different tours available - private tours, tours focusing on a thematic gallery, an artist, an artistic movement, collection highlights to name a few. There are also children and family tours available to make it fun learning experience for the entire family.

Download the Louvre app - “Try downloading the Louvre app (available on the App Store and Google Play); it works on Wi-Fi and can be used on a limited basis for free, but there is a charge if you want additional information (up to €4.99). Be sure not to download any unofficial Louvre app, which could contain inaccurate information, like incorrect locations for artworks.”

Wear comfortable shoes - during your visit in the “Museum you will spend a lot of time on your feet. Wearing comfortable walking shoes can make a big difference in the quality of your visit and to your overall experience when visiting places like the Louvre.”

Take a Coffee, snack and lunch breaks at the Louvre - “You’ll find a lot of cafes throughout the museum in different departments, all of them offering simple sandwiches, paninis, drinks and treats. These can be enough to keep you going without needing to exit the galleries”. But also bring some snacks and water from home.

Beware of pickpocket activity - “Unfortunately pickpocket activity inside and outside the museum has long been an issue at the Louvre. Thieves do prey upon unsuspecting visitors, particularly in crowded areas like the Mona Lisa painting or visitors waiting in line at the ticket office.”

Skip the Pyramid entrance - The Pyramid entrance is the most famous, and also the busiest. Use the Passage Richelieu and Galerie du Carrousel entrances to enter the museum, especially if you haven’t bought your ticket online as these are less crowded.

Don’t bring big bags bags bigger than 55 cm x 35 cm x 20 cm are not allowed into the Louvre. There are, however, free of charge self-service lockers beneath the Pyramid where you can store your bags.

Enjoy the free Wi-Fi - “The Wi-Fi works pretty well throughout the museum, except in the underground floors. There is no place to recharge your devices inside the museum, so bring a portable charger if you plan to stay awhile.”