Paris Best Kept Secret: How To Louvre Like A Pro (For Free)

#summervacay ✅ When: First Sunday of the month (Oct 1–Mar 31 ONLY) ⏰ Hours: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM (last entry 5:00 PM) 🎟️ Cost: FREE (permanent collections + temporary exhibits!) ⚠️ Non-Negotiable: BOOK A TIMED SLOT ONLINE — even though it’s free. Book here 2–3 months early. My Battle Plan: How I Survived (and Won) 📍 6:30 AM – The Queue Begins "I arrived at the Carrousel du Louvre entrance (undoor mall at 99 Rue de Rivoli) at dawn. Ahead of me: 200 shivering art guerrillas wrapped in scarves, clutching thermoses. Behind me: a growing army. Tip: Bring a foldable stool — this is war." 📍 8:45 AM – The Gates Open "Security waved me through at 8:55 AM. I SPRINTED past Roman statues (sorry, Caesar), up the Escalator du Monde — no time for the Pyramid selfie. Goal: Beat the tour buses to Room 711." 📍 9:05 AM – Victory at the Mona Lisa "For 90 glorious seconds, it was just me, La Gioconda, and an armed guard. Her smile felt like a secret just for us. By 9:15 AM? A roaring scrum. Worth the sprint." 📍 10:00 AM – Crowd Evasion Tactics "I fled to the Sully Wing’s Egyptian tombs (Room 633). Pro move: Louvre crowds cluster like atoms in Denon. Sully feels like your private museum." Quiet Havens: Moat ruins (Lower Ground Sully) Islamic Art Gallery (Denon Ground) Napoleon III Apartments (Richelieu) 📍 1:00 PM – The Great Louvre Lunch Hack *"Café queues were 45-min nightmares. I picnicked on a bench in Cour Carrée (hidden courtyard) with a baguette from Boulangerie Paul (5 min walk)."* 📍 4:00 PM – Golden Hour Glory "As crowds thinned, I wandered the Grand Gallery — Vermeer’s Lacemaker glowing in sunset light. The Louvre’s soul emerges when the masses leave." Your Pro Survival Kit TICKET: Booked, printed, and screenshot. ENTRANCE: Carrousel du Louvre >>> Pyramid. ROUTE: Mona Lisa → Winged Victory → Sully Wing → Richelieu. Avoid Denon at noon! GEAR: Power bank, water bottle, protein bars, comfy shoes (I walked 8km!). MAPS: Offline Google Maps + Louvre App. Brutal Truths (No Sugarcoating) 🚫 You WILL face: 2-hour lines if you arrive after 9:30 AM. Jostling crowds at the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. Sensory overload (prioritize 3 exhibits max!). 💡 But you’ll GAIN: Bragging rights for seeing €17M of art for free. That magical dawn moment when the Louvre feels yours. Epic photos with 90% fewer tourists. Is It Worth It? The Real Talk Table Scenario Verdict Arriving at 7:30 AM ✅ DO IT! Life-changing. Arriving at 11:00 AM ❌ Skip it. You’ll see only backs of heads. Hate crowds? 🎟️ Pay €17 on a Wednesday night. Serenity > free. Final Takeaway "The Louvre’s free Sunday isn’t ‘easy’ — it’s an art heist. You’ll need caffeine, cunning, and killer calves. But when you lock eyes with Delacroix’s Liberty in a rare pocket of silence… you’ll feel like a thief of beauty. And that’s priceless."