I understand the first Sunday of the month is free at the Louve.As it happens I will be in Paris the first Sunday in July. I have read that on free adys the Louve can be very crowded, but wouldn't the fact that nobody has to buy tickets to enter mean no lines to get in? Does anyone know how entry works on free days? Are the crowds on free days really all that bad?

On the first Sunday of the month, yes, entrance to the Louvre is free. Entry works the same as on any day - you go in, there's a cursory check of your bags, and you're through. Problem is, because it's free a zillion people show up, especially in July, THE prime tourist month. However, I've found that going mid-day (when Parisians are at lunch) seems to work well - there are plenty of tourists, but few locals entering between noon and 2 pm. You couls also wait until late in the afernoon, if you didn't intend to spend a huge amount of time there. I wouldn't recommend "being there when it opens." Lots and lots of other people have that same idea.

I believe other museums are free on that day, too. We went through the Rodin Museum on a similar Sunday. Inside, it was crowded. But outside, we could walk the gardens and enjoy those huge sculptures. <BR>You might want to schedule some of the private museums such as Musee Marmottan. <BR>It is my understanding that it is private. Someone will tell me if I am wrong.

Thanks for the info. <BR>

Bob: No, the musée Marmottan isn't private, except in the sense that it originally was a private home (of the art historian Paul Marmottan). It's open 10 am to 5:30 pm Tuesday to Sunday, closed on public holidays.

The Musee Marmottan is "private" only in that it is not one of the national museums or sites that, for example, is included on the carte musee (museum pass). It is of course open to the public though, with <BR>a paid admission.