Back door to the Louvre?
 

A friend of a friend who just returned from Paris told her to pass on to me that there is a back door entrance into the Louvre on the river side and if we go in that way we don't have to wait in line. Is this true and how do I get there?

That's the entrance for people using the museum pass, there is also an entance inside the Carousel de Louvre

The carosel entrance is also for passholders

Buy a passs to avoid the lines!

You have to pass through security before you can enter the main ticket area. The main entrance, in the pyramid has one security check point. That's the one with very long lines often. There is also a security check point downstairs, under the inverted pyramid. The lines there are usually much shorter. There are several ways to get there. You can go down the stairs next to the Arch du Triomph du Carousel, you can enter from the red awning on rue du Rivoli, or you can get off at the Louvre metro stop. All of those will put you in the downstairs shopping mall area/under the inverted pyramid. The line down there is usually quite reasonable. I would only buy a museum pass if you plan to go to enough museums to make it worth while. If you are also planning on going to the D'Orsay it might be worth it as the lines there can get pretty long too.

The Louvre's website has a plan that shows the location of the three entrances you can use if you have the museum pass, Passage Richelieu, Porte des Lions (on the river side) and Galerie du Carrousel : http://www.louvre.fr/llv/pratique/venir.jsp?acces=1 -

Thank you all, but I just want to make sure I know how this works, if I buy the pass I don't have to wait in line for any museums?

If you buy a museum/monuments pass, you skip the TICKET line at each museum and go straight to the entrance. At some, you must still wait in line at security.

The Porte des Lions entrance at the Louvre never has a line, and the Mona Lisa is nearby if you want to start with that (just follow the signs). This is the entrance on the river side.

The Richelieu entrance is for ticket and pass holders only, but anyone can use the Carousel entrances.

The only museum you really need the pass for skipping tickets lines would be Musee d'Orsay. But, you can pre-order tickets (with a small service charge) online at FNAC.

If you plan to visit a LOT of places included on the museum/monuments pass (keeping in mind that it is valid consective days), you can save quite a bit.