Around the Louvre

Making the Most of Your Time

Try to devote two days or more—one alone for the Louvre—to these vastly different neighborhoods. The narrow sidewalks of the Faubourg St-Honoré are lined with some of the city's finest boutiques. The Place de la Concorde is the gateway to the Tuileries garden. At the eastern end, the old market district, Les Halles, is booming with trendy shops and restaurants popping up around cobbled Rue Montorgueil, where traffic is mercifully restricted.

If you're headed to the mammoth Musée du Louvre, it's best to have a game plan in mind. First step: avoid the lines at the main entrance under the pyramid by using the underground entrance in the Carrousel du Louvre, 99 rue de Rivoli. Buy your ticket at one of the machines.