Editing Louvre (section)

== Location and visiting ==
[[File:Paris - Orthophotographie - 2018 - Palais du Louvre 02.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the Louvre Palace and Tuileries Park]]

The Louvre museum is located inside the [[Louvre Palace]], in the center of Paris, adjacent to the [[Tuileries Gardens]]. The two nearest [[Paris Metro|Métro]] stations are [[Louvre - Rivoli (Paris Métro)|Louvre-Rivoli]] and [[Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre (Paris Métro)|Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre]], the latter having a direct underground access to the [[Carrousel du Louvre]] commercial mall.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.louvre.fr/llv/pratique/venir.jsp |title=How to get here |work=Louvre Museum |access-date=28 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080921232331/http://www.louvre.fr/llv/pratique/venir.jsp |archive-date=21 September 2008 }}</ref>

Before the [[Grand Louvre]] overhaul of the late 1980s and 1990s, the Louvre had several street-level entrances, most of which are now permanently closed. Since 1993, the museum's main entrance has been the underground space under the [[Louvre Pyramid]], or ''Hall Napoléon'', which can be accessed from the Pyramid itself, from the underground Carrousel du Louvre, or (for authorized visitors) from the {{lang|fr|passage Richelieu}} connecting to the nearby [[rue de Rivoli]]. A secondary entrance at the {{lang|fr|Porte des Lions}}, near the western end of the Denon Wing, was created in 1999 but is not permanently open.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Menon |first=Lakshmi |date=22 July 2019 |title=Which Louvre Entrance Suits You Best {{!}} All About The 4 Louvre Entrances |url=https://www.headout.com/blog/louvre-entrances/ |access-date=6 July 2023 |website=Headout Blog |language=en-US}}</ref>

The museum's entrance conditions have varied over time. Prior to the 1850s, artists and foreign visitors had privileged access. At the time of initial opening in 1793, the [[French Republican calendar]] had imposed ten-day "weeks" ({{langx|fr|link=no|décades}}), the first six days of which were reserved for visits by artists and foreigners and the last three for visits by the general public.{{R|Rosenberg|page=37}} In the early 1800s, after the seven-day week had been reinstated, the general public had only four hours of museum access per weeks, between 2pm and 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.<ref name=Malgouyres>{{cite book|author=Philippe Malgouyres |publisher=Réunion des Musées Nationaux |title=Le Musée Napoléon |date=1999}}</ref>{{rp|8}} In 1824, a new regulation allowed public access only on Sundays and holidays; the other days the museum was open only to artists and foreigners, except for closure on Mondays.{{R|Rosenberg|page=39}} That changed in 1855 when the museum became open to the public all days except Mondays.{{R|Rosenberg|page=40}} It was free until 1922, when an entrance fee was introduced except on Sundays.{{R|Rosenberg|page=42}} Since its post-[[World War II]] reopening in 1946,<ref name=Rosenberg>{{cite book|author=Pierre Rosenberg |title=Dictionnaire amoureux du Louvre |publisher=Plon |location=Paris |date=2007}}</ref>{{rp|43}} the Louvre has been closed on Tuesdays, and habitually open to the public the rest of the week except for some holidays.

The use of cameras and video recorders is permitted inside, but flash photography is forbidden.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Museum rules |url=https://www.louvre.fr/en/visit/museum-rules |access-date=7 December 2022 |website=Le Louvre |language=en}}</ref>

Beginning in 2012, [[Nintendo 3DS]] portable video game systems were used as the official museum audio guides. The following year, the museum contracted Nintendo to create a 3DS-based audiovisual visitor guide.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Phillips |first=Tom |date=2013-11-27 |title=Nintendo's 3DS Louvre guide released on eShop |language=en-gb |work=[[Eurogamer]] |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-11-27-nintendos-3ds-louvre-guide-released-on-eshop |access-date=2023-06-30 |archive-date=September 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907183929/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-11-27-nintendos-3ds-louvre-guide-released-on-eshop |url-status=live }}</ref> Entitled ''Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre'', it contains over 30 hours of audio and over 1,000 photographs of artwork and the museum itself, including 3D views,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Louvre Guide for Nintendo 3DS |url=http://louvreguide.nintendo.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160220023445/http://louvreguide.nintendo.com/ |archive-date=February 20, 2016 |website=Nintendo}}</ref> and also provides navigation thanks to [[differential GPS]] transmitters installed within the museum.<ref name="netburn">{{Cite news |last=Netburn |first=Deborah |date=April 16, 2012 |title=How the Louvre and Nintendo are reinventing the museum audio tour |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2012-apr-16-la-fi-tn-louvre-nintendo-3ds-audiotour-20120416-story.html |access-date=June 30, 2023 |archive-date=June 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630211748/https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2012-apr-16-la-fi-tn-louvre-nintendo-3ds-audiotour-20120416-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The upgraded 2013 Louvre guide was also announced in a special [[Nintendo Direct]] featuring [[Satoru Iwata]] and [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] demonstrating it at the museum,<ref>{{cite AV media |first1=Satoru |last1=Iwata |author-link1=Satoru Iwata |first2=Shigeru |last2=Miyamoto |author-link2=Shigeru Miyamoto |title=Nintendo Direct – Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WavLP_3ew-A |type=Video presentation |location=Louvre, Paris|via=[[YouTube]] |publisher=[[Nintendo]] |access-date=9 July 2023 |date=27 November 2013 |language=ja, en}}</ref> and 3DS XLs pre-loaded with the guide are available to rent at the museum.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Warr |first=Philippa |date=December 2, 2013 |title=Nintendo 3DS Louvre guide escapes region locking |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-12/02/louvre-3ds-guide |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425111028/http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-12/02/louvre-3ds-guide |archive-date=April 25, 2016 |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]}}</ref> The 3DS Louvre guide is scheduled to be retired in September 2025 and will be replaced by a different guide system.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hagues |first=Alana |date=2025-05-02 |title=Louvre Says Au Revoir To Nintendo 3DS Audio Guides |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/05/louvre-says-au-revoir-to-nintendo-3ds-audio-guides |access-date=2025-05-02 |website=Nintendo Life |language=en-GB}}</ref> As of August 2023, there are virtual tours through rooms and galleries accessible online.