One of the world’s great museums, it seems presumptuous to comment on the Louvre. But several helpful hints can be made about visiting it. Possibly the most important is to enter from the Rue de Rivoli at the Carrousel entrance. This ensures a shorter wait—and one potentially out of the rain. Nothing is quite so poignant as to look down on a shuffling line of visitors huddled under their umbrellas, patiently waiting at the Pyramid entrance. Accept the fact that the Museum simply is too large be seen in a single day. Even two days might just be enough for the Sully and Richelieu galleries. A Paris Museum Pass makes repeated visits more practical but will not get you to the head of the queue. Once inside, do try to avoid the madness of Room 711, where there is a scrum to see the Mona Lisa. Even when you come to a point where there is nothing between you and the painting, it still is ten feet in front of you. Before then, all you will see are those looking in the other direction as they preen and pout for an endless number of selfies. It truly is a dispiriting moment. Fortunately, Leonardo’s “The Virgin of the Rocks,” “Saint Anne,” and “Portrait of a Woman of the Court of Milan” are as beautiful and can be enjoyed in Room 710. Then, at some point, wend your way to the paintings of Northern Europe, where in Room 837 you will see Vermeer’s “The Lacemaker” and, next to it, “The Astronomer.” Finally, back down on the ground floor, note that Roman Antiquities are closed and the permanent collection replaced (until January 2025) by “Masterpieces from the Torlonia Collection.” In Greek Antiquites, there is, of course, “The Venus de Milo.” If one hurries to Room 345 upon opening, it may be contemplated in peace for a few minutes before others arrive. Don’t overlook the case nearby where the apple awarded to the goddess in the Judgement of Paris is displayed.