This post covers how much you should expect tickets to the Louvre Museum to cost.
We also include information about tours of the Louvre and notable exhibits you might want to see.
TICKET PRICES
Without a discount pass, general admission to the museum is €17 if reserved online in advance for timed entry and €15 if bought at the museum.
We go over which option is better below.
TIP: If you’re looking to visit the Louvre Museum, it’s worth noting that admission is included with multiple tourist passes.
Make sure to read our post on Louvre discounts for more information about how to save money
Prices
- General Admission: €17 online (€15 at the entrance)
- Free admission for visitors 18 and under
- Purchase tickets or learn more.
There is no additional charge for temporary exhibits. General admission guarantees access to all exhibitions in the Louvre Museum, as well as the Musée Eugène-Delacroix within 48 hours.
It is highly recommended to purchase admission ahead of time, as this museum uses timed tickets.
If you decide to get your tickets on-site during busy hours, you may be asked to wait for the next available time.
LOUVRE MUSEUM TOURS
Taking a guided tour of the Louvre is one of the best ways to make sure you see as much as you can.
The museum offers guided tours in English. Tickets are 12 (9 reduced) in addition to your entrance ticket.
They can be purchased online here or at the ticket desk. All tours depart from the Group Reception Area under the Pyramid.
There are three types of tours that are all 1.5 hours:
- Welcome to the Louvre (Highlights)
- My First Louvre (Family-friendly)
- Another Louvre (Hidden Treasures)
These DO NOT get you fast or skip the line entrance into the museum, however.
There are a number of tours that include entrance into the museum and a guided tour!
Take Walks
If you're looking for a guided walking tour that includes admission to the Louvre, this company offers several outings you may want to consider.
Their main options are a highlights tour, a more detailed service, and an after-hours trip to the museum.
In addition to these options, there are also Paris overviews which include a tour of the Louvre.
Whether you're looking for a simple tour that covers the basics or you want to see as many sites as possible in Paris, this company offers several different services to fit your itinerary.
- €64/Adults | €59/Children
- Fall/Winter Availability: Saturday and Sunday at 11 am
- Spring/Summer Availability: Wed - Mon at 11 am & 2 pm
- Duration: 2 hours
- Includes skip-the-line admission to the Louvre.
Closing Time at the Louvre Tour
- €84/Adults | €79/Children
- Fall/Winter Availability: Friday - Sunday at 3 pm
- Spring/Summer Availability: Wed - Mon at 3 pm, 6:45 pm
- Duration: 3 hours
- Includes after hours skip-the-line admission to the Louvre.
- €136/Adults | €132/Students | €126/Children
- Spring/Fall Availability: Thur, Sun at 10:30 am
- Summer Availability: Thur, Sat & Sun at 10:30 am
- Duration: 10 hours
- Includes skip-the-line admission to the Louvre.
- Not currently available.
- €165/Adults | €155/Children
- Winter Availability: Saturdays and Sundays at 9 am
- Summer Availability: Wed – Mon at 9 am
- Duration: 9 hours
- Includes admission to the Louvre.
- Includes admission to the Eiffel Tower.
- Includes Seine River Cruise.
NOTE: Some of these tours are not available as of Jan 2023, but they will likely be offered once again starting in the spring of 2023. If all else fails, consider one of the other options below.
Other Guided Tour Options
The following combo deals include both tickets to the Louvre and a guided tour of the museum. This is a great way to pay for everything all at once and avoid any hassle.
Skip-the-Line Tickets + Guided Tour in English
- €62/Adults | €57/Children
- Purchase tickets or learn more.
Skip-the-Line Tickets + Highlights Tour in English
- €99/Adults | €79/Children
- Purchase tickets or learn more.
Skip-the-Line Tickets + Private Guided Tour
- €164.30 per person
- Purchase tickets or learn more.
LOUVRE MUSEUM EXHIBITS
The Louvre is the world's largest art museum.
It is so large that they cannot open the whole museum at once and certain rooms are closed on certain days.
It would take someone 100 days (24 hours each day) to spend only 30 seconds at each item to see it all.
It is overwhelming to plan a visit to the Louvre, it's overwhelming just to write this.
We have a post on the 12 must-see items in the Louvre.
There are 3 wings (Denon, Richelieu, Sully) and 5 levels - not every wing is open on each level.
The collection is divided into 8 departments:
- Paintings (which are then subdivided into location)
- Decorative Arts
- Egyptian Antiquities
- Greek, Etruscan, Roman Antiquities
- Near Eastern Antiquities
- Sculptures
- Islamic Art
- Prints & Drawings
There are three best ways to explore the museum:
- Take a Guided Tour - read more below on these options.
- Get Lost - see what you see, go where the crowd takes you or where you end up trying to avoid the crowds.
- Pick a few "Must See" items - Look at a map in advance and know where they are. You can search the collection here or see our suggestions below.
LOUVRE MUSEUM HIGHLIGHTS
If you just want to see what everyone wants to see, here are some of the most popular items in the collection and where to find them.
WHERE IS THE MONA LISA?
The famous da Vinci painting is located in the Mona Lisa Room (Room 711) on the 1st Floor of the Denon Wing.
We have a post dedicated to visiting her.
There are signs everywhere to lead the way. In French, it is La Jaconde. It almost aways has a crowd around it.
While you're seeing the Mona Lisa, there are a number of other famous pieces nearby. So be sure to see these, too:
- LIBERTY LEADING THE PEOPLE: Delacriox famous painting can be found in Room 700 on the 1st Floor of the Denon Wing
- WINGED VICTORY OF SAMOTHRACE: You'll find this sculpture in a hallway at the top of the stairs (Room 703) on the 1st Floor of the Denon Wing
Other masterpieces that you should not miss:
- RUBENS ROOM: It is technically called the Galerie Medicis. 24 giant paintings by Paul Rubens painted for the palace of the French queen, Marie de Medicis. It is in Room 801 on Level 2 of the Richelieu Wing.
- LAW CODE OF HAMMURABI: This stele is located in Room 227 on the Ground Floor of the Richelieu Wing
- APHRODITE (VENUS DE MILO: This sculpture is located in the Partenon Room (Room 346) on the Ground Floor of the Sully Wing
MAP OF THE LOUVRE COLLECTION (click for larger version)
PLAN YOUR VISIT
In this section, we will provide information about the best times to visit, hours of operation, where you’ll find the museum and what you can expect upon arrival.
Make sure to check our ticket section for more details about when and how to purchase admission.
Hours of the Museum
The Louvre is open daily throughout the year from 9:00 am - 1800 (6 pm) EXCEPT TUESDAYS (closed)
It is also closed on the following holidays: January 1, May 1, December 25
While most people will want to visit earlier in the day, it’s worth noting that this is a location you can visit after dark.
The Musee de Louvre stays open until 2145 (945pm) on Wednesdays and Fridays and the first Saturday of every month (when it is free 1800 (6 pm) to closing)
TIP: EXHIBIT CLOSURES: The Louvre is too large to maintain all exhibits every day so certain exhibits are closed even though the museum is open.
Where is the Louvre?
This site is located in Central Paris on the River Seine and easily accessible by public transportation.
For more details on how to reach this location, please use this Google map for directions from anywhere in Paris.
There are several bus and Metro stations, so it should be pretty easy to get here from anywhere in the city.
There are also hop-on-hop-off bus and boat tour stops in the area, so you can use these services to reach the museum as well.
Some of the Paris tourist passes that offer free admission to the Louvre also include either free public transportation or a hop-on-hop-off service.
If you’re already planning to use one of these discount cards, keep this in mind and consider using one of their included transportation options to save money.
Can you Park at the Louvre? Yes, but we don't recommend it. The parking area is open every day from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., and is accessible from the Avenue du Général Lemonnier. There are different types of paid tickets and about 600 spots for cars.
WHICH LOUVRE ENTRANCE IS BEST?
There are a few entrances to get inside the Louvre. (It is very large!)
- Pyramid: This is the famous but also the most popular.
People begin lining up at this entrance sometimes before the museum opens. This is not the line to get into the museum itself, but rather to get into the ticket line to purchase tickets.
This is why we highly recommend getting tickets in advance to skip the line.
IF YOU ARE IN THE MAIN PYRAMID LINE: Make sure you stand in the right color aisle.
- YELLOW: No tickets
- ORANGE: Advance Tickets without Times (such as those with museum passes)
- GREEN: Advanced timed tickets
- BLUE: Visitors with Special Needs (handicap, strollers, pregnant)
There are other entrances that often have shorter lines. They are sometimes called secret entrances, but most travel guides write about them so there can still be lines.
- LE CARROUSEL DU LOUVRE - you can access this with or without an advance ticket.
It is basically a small underground entrance in a shopping mall. You can find it at the Metro stop on Lines 1, 7 - Louvre: ‘Palais Royale-Musee du Louvre’ or at street level at 99 Rue de Rivoli. Look for the awning that says Le Carrousel du Louvre.
- PORTE DE RICHELIEU - this entrance used to be reserved for tour groups but during the renovation of Porte De Lions, individual ticket holders may use this.
It is in what seems like an alleyway under the arches of the building between the courtyard with the Pyramid and the Rue de Rivoli.
Best Time to Visit
There’s never really a bad time to visit the Louvre Museum, but there are some hours that are less crowded than others.
As with most attractions, one of the best times to come is early in the morning when they first open, even on weekends.
If you get into the museum before the crowds start to pile up, you can avoid long lines at the ticket booth and enjoy all of their exhibits without having to weave in and out of large groups.
At this location, we recommend arriving between 9:00 am - 11:00 am, especially if you need to come on the weekend.
On the other side of the spectrum, people tend to start leaving the museum as it gets later in the day.
If you plan your trip for the later opening hours, you will probably avoid the biggest crowds of the day.
To take advantage of these quieter hours, consider coming when the museum is open late on Wednesdays and Fridays. 18:00 (6 pm) - 21:45 (945 pm).
TIP: Don't go on Monday at all! Because many of the other museums in Paris are closed on Monday, that makes Louvre one of the few that remain open - it becomes very crowded!
Security Details
There aren’t too many important factors to note when it comes to security at the Louvre Museum.
But, we’ll cover the most significant details to help you figure out what you can bring and what you should leave behind.
Luggage Storage
Although this museum does have self-service lockers, they cannot accommodate large bags, suitcases or rucksacks (Any items exceeding 55 x 35 x 20 cm are not permitted in the museum.)
We have some tips on where to store your luggage.
That said, the following items can be stored on site:
- Jackets
- Umbrellas
- Small bags
- Small rucksacks
Permitted Items
While they don’t allow visitors to enter the building with certain objects, the following items are permitted inside the Louvre Museum:
- Prams
- Buggies
- Wheelchairs
- Walking frames
- Other mobility devices
- Cellphones/Smartphones
Although you can bring your smartphone inside (and in fact, they offer free wi-fi), this museum requests that visitors limit the use of their phone whenever and wherever possible.
Other Rules
While flash photography is prohibited, you are allowed to take pictures and video inside the Louvre with the exception of temporary exhibits.
Photos of the artwork are not permitted and any pictures, videos, or film that is taken in the museum can only be used for non-commercial purposes.
You are not allowed to bring food or drink into the museum, but they have a café on-site where you can purchase refreshments.
Smoking is prohibited in the Louvre.
