Louvre Museum: Tickets, What to Expect & Our Tips

What Do You Need to Know About the Louvre Paris?

The Louvre sits right in the heart of Paris, inside a massive, formerly royal palace, and is one of the most famous museums in the world — and one of the top highlights in Paris.

Maybe you’ve already spotted the glass pyramid? That’s part of the Louvre too — it’s the main entrance to the museum.

So the building itself is already something special. An absolutely worthy home for some of the most significant works of art in the world — including the Mona Lisa.

But beyond the Mona Lisa, the Louvre holds around 35,000 additional exhibits.

You can see why it’s worth your time.

Louvre Tickets & Admission

Getting your Louvre museum tickets is easier than it looks. Really! Here’s how to sort it out.

You have two options for purchasing tickets:

• Online via the Louvre website
• On-site at the Louvre (though we strongly advise against this)

Very important: Whether you have an online ticket or plan to buy on-site, expect a wait. With an online ticket, you’ll wait a maximum of 30 minutes within your entry time slot. If you buy on-site, expect wait times of two to four hours.

Note that you can book your tickets no more than three months in advance.

Louvre Tickets Online via the Louvre Website

The Louvre website is a bit dated and unfortunately only available in English and French. Payment is only possible by credit card and doesn’t always go smoothly.

But don’t let that put you off — this is still the way to go.

Louvre Tickets Online via Third-Party Providers

Since January 2026, Louvre tickets are only sold directly through the Louvre Museum — online and on-site.

Buying Louvre Tickets On-Site

You can also buy tickets at the door. However, we really advise against it because of the long wait times.

There’s a separate line for visitors without tickets. Depending on how many people are waiting, you’ll have to queue before even getting through security. Only then do you join the line at the ticket counter.

In July and August, as well as on weekends and around public holidays, you should expect to wait two to four hours. You could spend that time so much better elsewhere in Paris.

Louvre Audio Guide, App, or Neither?

You can skip the audio guide for €6 available on-site. It’s confusingly laid out, and we honestly find it pretty hard to follow.

A solid alternative is this Louvre ticket that includes an audio guide app, which you can easily download on your phone.

Our tip: Our absolute favorite, though, is the Louvre Chatbot Guide. It’s free and available for Android and for Apple.

The Louvre Chatbot Guide covers many of the works you’ll encounter in the museum. Select whichever piece catches your eye, and a cute little owl will walk you through the details via an interactive chat.

Super charming and really easy to follow — though it’s only available in English!

Visiting the Louvre with a Paris City Pass

There are several discount passes for Paris that get you into a whole range of attractions. The Louvre Museum is included in all Paris passes.

So if you pick up one of these passes, you won’t need to buy a separate Louvre museum ticket. Our personal favorite is the Paris Turbopass.

We explain more about it here:

Visiting the Louvre

Where is the Louvre located?

The Louvre is right in the center of the city, in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, along the Seine. You really can’t miss it.

Louvre on Google Maps

How Do You Get to the Louvre Paris?

Several metro and bus lines will take you straight to the Louvre. The hop-on/hop-off buses and the Batobus also stop here.

The closest metro station to the entrance is Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre.

Buses 27, 39, 68, 69, and 95 and the hop-on/hop-off buses stop right in front of the pyramid. The Batobus pulls up on the riverbank directly in front of the museum.

Louvre Opening Hours

• Monday: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
• Tuesday: Closed
• Wednesday: 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM
• Thursday: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
• Friday: 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM
• Saturday: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM (1st Saturday of the month until 9:45 PM — free admission from 6:00 PM)
• Sunday: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM

If you’re planning an early-morning or late-evening visit, a centrally located hotel makes a big difference. Our hotel recommendations for Paris will help you find the right spot.

When Is the Best Time to Visit the Louvre?

The Louvre gets seriously crowded on weekends, around public holidays, and in July and August. Avoid those times if you can.

If you’re in Paris during peak season, your best bet is to get there early — aim to be at the Louvre by 8:30 AM, ideally with a 9:00 AM time-slot ticket booked online in advance, or with a Paris pass.

Outside of peak times, weekdays are generally quieter than weekends. Right at opening time — 9:00 AM — it’s still relatively calm.

From 10:00 AM to around 2:00 PM is the busiest stretch. Things settle down again in the afternoon.

Wait Times at the Louvre

If you want to get in with as little waiting as possible, buy a ticket with a fixed date and time online. The time you save can be enormous.

Otherwise, you could easily end up standing in the ticket line for several hours — which is nobody’s idea of a good start to a museum visit.

Buy your Louvre ticket on the Louvre website

Which Louvre Entrance Is the Right One?

The main entrance to the Louvre is through the glass pyramid in the courtyard. There are four lines here:

• Visitors without a ticket (orange line)
• Visitors with a ticket or museum pass (green line)
• Cardholders — members, Ministry of Culture, education pass, ICOM, etc.
• Priority access — PRM, staff, etc.

When it’s very busy, the Carrousel entrance also opens, but only for ticket holders. On the Louvre’s website, you can check at the bottom which entrance is currently open. The Richelieu and Porte des Lions entrances were long considered insider tips for skipping the crowds, but they are now only open to groups or visitors with membership cards.

Your help: Unfortunately, the information about the entrances changes constantly. If you’re currently on-site and have an up-to-date tip for us, we’d love to hear it in the comments.

How Much Time Should You Plan for the Louvre?

In about two hours, you can already see a lot — especially the top highlights.

Since you should generally count on around one to two hours of waiting at the entrance, plan on at least four hours total for the Louvre.

If you want to spend more time with individual works, budget at least four hours inside plus one to two hours of waiting time.

What Can You Bring Into the Louvre and What Can't You?

These items are not allowed inside the Louvre:

• Explosives or flammable materials (one lighter per person is fine)
• Knives or pocket knives
• Weapons and ammunition
• Tools
• Large amounts of food or drinks (food & drinks for personal consumption are allowed)
• Nail scissors and nail files
• Packages, suitcases, or large bags (larger than 55x35x20cm)
• Cans, glass bottles, or jars
• Animals (except guide dogs with appropriate documentation)

There’s a large room with lockers where you can store your belongings during your visit.

For families: Strollers are allowed in the Louvre.

Our tip: Visiting with a small child but no stroller and not sure whether little legs will hold out? Head to the “Assistance” desk in the entrance area — you can borrow a stroller there.
If you’re visiting Paris with kids, make sure to also read:

Is the Louvre Accessible?

Yes, the Louvre is fully accessible. For visitors with limited mobility, there are dedicated entrances and elevators. Visitors with a disability pass plus one companion receive free admission and don’t need to wait in line. Your first point of contact is the pyramid; your second option, if open, is the Carrousel entrance.

To make sure you can get in without any issues, we recommend booking a free ticket with an entry time slot through the official Louvre website.

If you’re not sure whether you qualify for free admission, you can find more detailed information here.

The Louvre also offers wheelchair rentals and Visioguides for areas that are otherwise harder to reach.

Watch Out for Pickpockets!

Unfortunately, the lines in front of the Louvre are a magnet for pickpockets. So: move your backpack to the front of your body and stay alert!

It can also happen that someone approaches you wanting to sell you a ticket — supposedly a great deal at a bargain price. No matter how convincing the story, don’t touch it!

The Top 5 Louvre Highlights

Art has been collected at the Louvre since the 14th century. Over the past 600 years, one of the largest and most significant collections in the world has come together here.

These are the must-sees of the Louvre — sorted by the route through the museum:

Sphinx of Tanis

In the Egyptian antiquities section stands the nearly 5-meter-tall Sphinx of Tanis. It was discovered in 1825 among the ruins of the Temple of Amun at Tanis.

How they got it from Egypt to France? No idea.

Sully Wing, ground floor, Room 1

Venus de Milo

The Venus de Milo is a more than 2-meter-tall statue of the goddess Venus — also known as Aphrodite — created toward the end of the 2nd century BC. The artist remains unknown.

It was found in 1820 by a farmer on the island of Milos in the Aegean Sea. He was just looking for stones and had no idea what he’d stumbled upon. He got a few coins. That was it. Today, the Venus de Milo is valued at 150 million euros.

Sully Wing, ground floor, Room 7

Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss

Antonio Canova’s sculpture of Cupid, the god of love, and the beautiful Psyche is relatively modern as far as ancient-looking art goes. Created between 1787 and 1793, it depicts the love between a god and a mortal.

The goddess Venus — you remember the Venus de Milo? — was jealous of Psyche’s beauty. So Venus sent her son Cupid to shoot a love arrow and make sure a terrible man would fall for Psyche.

But the arrow struck Cupid’s own foot, and Cupid fell hopelessly in love with Psyche. Karma, we’d say.

Denon Wing, ground floor, Room 4

Winged Victory of Samothrace

This dramatically striking statue of Nike, the goddess of victory, was found in pieces 150 years ago on the Greek island of Samothrace.

The head and arms are still missing to this day; the rest was carefully reassembled and given a new home in the Louvre. It’s one of the works with the greatest emotional impact in the entire museum.

Denon Wing, ground floor, at the staircase

Mona Lisa

By far the most famous piece in the Louvre is Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. At just 77×55 cm, it’s actually quite small.

You won’t miss it, though — thanks to the crowd of people and the flurry of camera flashes. Many visitors come to the museum just to see the smiling lady.

And don’t be surprised: the Mona Lisa is displayed behind thick bulletproof glass to protect it and its estimated value of 843 million euros.

Denon Wing, ground floor, Room 6

Finding Your Way Around the Louvre Museum

Want to get your bearings before you go? No problem.

The rooms in the Louvre are all numbered and divided into three wings: Richelieu, Sully, and Denon. Each wing covers different eras and themes.

Richelieu Wing

• French paintings from the 14th to 17th century
• German, Flemish, and Dutch paintings
• Artworks from the Middle Ages, Renaissance, 17th and 19th centuries
• Napoleon III Apartments
• French sculptures
• Mesopotamia, ancient Iran

Sully Wing

• French paintings from the 17th to 19th century
• Drawings and pastels from the 17th to 19th century
• Artworks from the 17th and 18th centuries
• Greece, Etruria, Rome, Pharaonic Egypt
• Ancient Iran, Arabia, the Middle East
• Medieval Louvre

Denon Wing

• Islamic art, the Mediterranean East in the Roman Empire
• Italian and Spanish paintings
• French paintings from the 19th century
• English paintings
• Apollo Gallery, Crown Jewels
• Italian, Spanish, and Northern European sculptures
• Greece, Etruria, Rome
• Art from Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas

Is the Louvre Worth It? Our Experience

Absolutely! You really shouldn’t miss the Louvre in Paris if you have time for a museum visit.

After all, the Louvre isn’t just any museum — it’s a significant Paris landmark with even more significant exhibits. And that goes for art lovers and non-art lovers alike.

There’s something genuinely cool about being able to say: “The Mona Lisa? Oh yeah, I’ve seen it in person in Paris.”

But even setting the Mona Lisa aside, the Louvre delivers such stunning art and architecture that you’ll be in constant awe. One wing after another will blow you away.

That’s why we say: don’t go to the Louvre just for the Mona Lisa. Give yourself plenty of time — around four hours — and explore as much as you can at your own pace.

You’ll get so much more out of it that way, and the ticket price will feel absolutely worth it.

And while we’re on the subject of tickets: please buy yours online in advance. We can’t say it enough. It saves time and stress, and makes visiting the Louvre so much more enjoyable.

The History of the Louvre

The history of the Louvre dates back to 1190, when Philip II Augustus, then King of France, commissioned a wall with towers and gates — a fortress — on the site.

And so the Louvre was born.

Less than 200 years later, Paris had grown so much that a new city wall was needed. The Louvre lost its strategic role and was promptly converted into a royal residence.

King Charles V had the Louvre expanded and gardens laid out, and ruled from there. After his death, the royal family largely ignored the building. The kings preferred to stay in the châteaux of Berry and along the Loire.

It wasn’t until 1528, after the Louvre had temporarily served as quarters for the English army, that Francis I moved back in and had it renovated in the Renaissance style.

From that point on, the Louvre was repeatedly expanded and remodeled — with many construction stops due to wars and uprisings.

In the 1660s, the famous Sun King, Louis XIV, entered the picture. He wanted to transform the Louvre into a magnificent fairy-tale palace — but felt too confined in Paris and moved his court to Versailles.

This move left the Louvre empty — until the Academy of Painting and Sculpture and the Academy of Sciences took up residence in the building.

Artists were allowed to display their works in the halls, and almost inadvertently laid the groundwork for what would become the Musée du Louvre.

In 1793, a year after the fall of the French monarchy, the Central Museum of the Arts of the Republic was established in the Louvre. In a spirit of rebellion, the collection consisted of artworks confiscated from the royal family and the Church.

And then the next well-known figure in French history steps onto the scene: Napoleon Bonaparte. He gave the museum — as you might expect — the name Musée Napoléon and wanted to make it the “most beautiful museum in the universe.” Though not entirely by fair means — there is talk, among other things, of looted art.

Fortunately, the end of Napoleon’s rule did not mean the end of the museum. The collection was preserved and steadily expanded.

The museum weathered world wars and financial hardships, and today, with an average of 9 million visitors per year, it is the most visited museum in the world.