Ninety seconds on the Louvre Museum
Give it two hours on the ground and first floors with a route planned first; trying to see every room in one visit wears you out long before the end.
On Wednesdays and Fridays the museum stays open until nine, and a slot around half past five gives you three hours of steadily emptying galleries. At every door the security check comes first, and bags go through it open. Under the glass, the information desk hands out maps in nine languages and the week's schedule of closed rooms, so read it before you fix a route. Lockers under the Pyramid take bags and belongings, and must be emptied the same day. Three wings run off the lobby, Denon, Sully and Richelieu, and Denon takes the day's traffic: the Mona Lisa room reaches full density by half past ten, with the painting held back behind a red rope. Any exit ends the ticket, so settle the route before you leave the lobby.
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