I’ve always been a fan of experiencing places when they’re at their quietest—when the crowds haven’t yet arrived, and it feels like the world is yours alone. There’s something magical about being the first person in a very popular place, even if it means an early wake-up call and a bit of waiting in line. For me, it’s always been worth it.
Take the Mona Lisa, for example. Seeing this iconic masterpiece had been on my bucket list for years, but I wasn’t about to spend hours shuffling through a packed gallery just for a brief glimpse. That’s exactly what can happen if you don’t arrive at the Louvre early—especially during peak travel season. (Visiting during the off-season helps, but it’s still no guarantee of a hassle-free experience.)
If you’re like me and want to be the first—or one of the first—in the room, here is a step-by-step guide (and video) of how to get to the Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum in Paris!
Arrival:
During my most recent trip to the Louvre, we were third in line, but none of the other visitors in front of us knew how to get to the Mona Lisa. Luckily, we did! We struck up a friendship with the first two pairs in line, and before long, everyone was determined to follow our lead. Of course, the security check line we went through malfunctioned, and we watched as a wave of people went ahead of us while we waited for the machine to be fixed. Fortunately, most of them had no idea where they were going, so we still ended up being among the first to see the Mona Lisa!
Enter the museum
After passing through a security check, you’ll take an escalator down into the museum. As you descend, keep an eye out—you should see another escalator going up and a large photo of the Mona Lisa. That’s your destination. However, the route isn’t as straightforward as it might seem. Once you reach the bottom of the first escalator, the path will curve, leading you to a second escalator heading down. You’ll need to look behind you to find your way to the correct escalator and stay on track.
Up the escalator
(This is the view you should see as you come down the escalator.) Once you reach this point, you’ll need to scan your ticket before heading up the next escalator. After that, simply ride the escalator up.
Follow the hall
Once you come off the escalator, just keep moving straight ahead. At this stage, there’s really no other direction to go, so it’s straightforward from here. Although this area is typically blocked off as part of the museum’s usual flow, the route naturally directs you this way. Continue forward until you see a staircase in front of you—go up those stairs to proceed.
The route will curve and you'll head up the curved stairwell.
Take a left and a right
This photo is actually taken from the wrong angle—you’ll be approaching from the left side of the image. Once you reach this spot, walk up the small set of stairs, and then take an immediate right to stay on the correct path.
This is a better shot from the correct angle, but a bit blurry (sorry!).
The long hall
After taking that immediate right, you’ll see a long hallway with a grand stairwell at the far end. Walk straight down the hall and head toward the stairs.
Up the stairs - but not ALL the way up!
At this point, you’ll come across three sets of stairs: a smaller set, followed by a larger set, and then another smaller set. You’ll take the first two sets of stairs. Once you reach the top of the larger set of stairs, you’ll see the option to turn right—this is the direction you’ll take.
If you get to that statue at the top of the stairs, you've gone too far.
You can see there is another stairwell going up to the right here, this is where you'll go.
More stairs!
After making that right turn, you’ll see this stairway—don’t worry, it’s the last large stairway you’ll need to climb before reaching the Mona Lisa! Just keep going—you’re almost there, and you’re doing great! Notice at the top of these stairs on the left, there is a doorway so make your way there.
The door and another room
At the top of the stairs, you will come to this door and go all the way through this room. Be aware that this door opens both directions.
Continue straight through the room, all the way to the end. At the far end, the room will open up into another hallway at which point, you'll turn right.
Nearly there!
You’re so close! This is the final hallway before reaching the Mona Lisa room. Walk straight ahead. Just past the first set of pillars, you’ll see an opening to a room. Look for a chair often placed outside the door as a helpful marker. The room is located before the second set of pillars you can see in the distance.
The Room
Finally, you’ve made it to the room! There may be a designated line, but on this off-peak day, there was just a barrier in front of the Mona Lisa with no defined line to follow. Simply make your way to the front to get a closer look. When it’s time to leave, follow the signs—your exit will be behind the Mona Lisa.
Et Voilà!
There she is! Take a moment to enjoy and soak in this incredible piece of history.
Step-by-step guide video of how to get to the Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum in Paris!
Pictures are helpful, but this video walks you through each step (albeit at a sped-up pace). I could only get moving video from the point of the curved staircase after the tickets were checked.
Guided Tours
Want more from your visit to the Louvre? Here are some great tours available!
SueQ Travel:
Join me as we tour Paris in our "Timeless Paris: Reliving the Past" guided trip!
Viator:
I am a partner with them and make commission of what you book through my site. We would love your support of our small travel business!
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