Louvre Museum for your Paris Holiday: Maps, tickets, history, photos, tips

I strongly suggest you buy tickets before you arrive at the Louvre Museum. I have used the FNAC department store in the Les Halles Shopping Center near the Louvre and then entered very quickly, avoiding all lines, through the Richelieu Entrance (see the map below). I don't know whether you can do this with all advance tickets bought in other places. You can ask, most of the people at the ticket counters know at least enough English to answer such questions. To find the FNAC at Les Halles just ask someone (even the adolescents with pierced everything-they are French and so fairly polite if you yourself are gentle). Just say: Where is the FNAC? = Ou (oo) se (ser) trouve (troove) le (le) FNAC (f-nac)?

Ticket sales outside of the Louvre

In France, you may purchase tickets in advance at the following outlets:

Department Stores: Fnac, Carrefour, Continent, Leclerc, Auchan, Extrapole, Le Bon Marché, Printemps, Galeries Lafayette, BHV, Samaritaine and Virgin Mégastore.

Tickets may also be ordered by phone: Fnac: 0 892 684 694 (€0.34 incl. VAT / minute) ; when dialing from abroad the number is 33 (0)1 41 57 32 28 http://louvre.fnacspectacles.com/

Ticketnet: 0 892 697 073 (€0.34 incl. VAT / minute) ; when dialing from abroad the number is 33 (0)1 46 91 57 57 www.ticketnet.fr

The combined RATP-Louvre ticket (€12.50) is available exclusively from the RATP (Département Commercial-Ventes Grands Comptes) through travel agents. The ticket consists of two RATP transport tickets (metro, bus, tramway, and RER) and admission to the museum's permanent collections. Holders of this ticket also receive a 10% discount at the Louvre's cafés and restaurants.

Tel.: 33 (0)1 58 76 09 21 Fax: 33 (0)1 58 76 09 22 www.parisvisite.tm.fr

Individual visitors can purchase tickets at the following Office de Tourisme and Office des Congrès outlets in Paris:

Office at 25, rue des Pyramides and 11 rue Scribe

at the railways stations: Gare de Lyon and Gare du Nord

at the Eiffel Tower (May to September).

or telephone Tel.: 0 892 683 000 (€0.34 euros incl. VAT / minute)

www.parisinfo.com