Louvre Museum, Paris

Buy the official timed-entry ticket from the Louvre's own site and take the first slot of the day. For a US visitor it costs €32 (about $36), the higher rate for non-European visitors that started on January 14, 2026. Children under 18 are free with ID.

The Louvre is a former royal palace with about 30,000 works on show in 403 rooms, and nobody sees it in a day. Pick a wing or a handful of works, go when the doors open at 9:00 AM, and leave before the midday crush. Wednesday and Friday evenings, when it stays open to 9:00 PM, are the other quiet window.

In our experience the entry time matters more than the ticket type. The museum counted 9 million visitors in 2025, 11 percent of them from the US, and the official site now makes reservations compulsory in the busiest weeks. A guided tour costs more and doesn't skip security.

Snapshot

  • Our pick: the official timed-entry ticket for the 9:00 AM slot, €32 (about $36) per non-European adult
  • Location: Rue de Rivoli, 1st arrondissement, Paris, between the Tuileries Garden and the Seine
  • Annual visitors: 9 million in 2025, per the museum's press office, with 11 percent from the US and 30 percent entering free
  • Busiest times: late morning to mid afternoon every day, weekends and Mondays, June to August, and the Christmas fortnight
  • Opening hours: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday; 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM Wednesday and Friday; closed Tuesdays. Last entry one hour before closing.
  • Time needed: 3 to 4 hours for the highlights
  • Cheapest ticket: free for under-18s, EEA residents under 26, and everyone on the first Friday evening of the month (not July or August). Adults pay €22 (about $25) from the EEA or €32 (about $36) from anywhere else.

Prices and hours checked November 7, 2026, on the official Louvre website. Dollar amounts use the European Central Bank rate of November 6, 2026 (1 euro = 1.1165 dollars), rounded to the nearest dollar.

Why Visit the Louvre

You can see the Pyramid and the palace courtyards for free. Going inside gets you the three works most people cross the Atlantic for, plus a building that was a fortress before it was a museum.

The three things we wouldn't skip:

Also worth your time: Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People in the French paintings rooms, the medieval moat and keep under the Sully wing, the Egyptian rooms, and the Cour Marly, a glass-roofed courtyard of French sculpture in the Richelieu wing. The Galerie d'Apollon, the gilded hall that held the French Crown Jewels, reopened on July 22, 2026, after the theft of October 19, 2025. The jewels are no longer shown there, so visit it for the painted ceiling.

Plan Your Visit

Louvre Pyramid and Cour Napoléon in daylight

Opening Hours

The museum opens at 9:00 AM every day except Tuesday. It closes at 6:00 PM on Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and at 9:00 PM on Wednesday and Friday. Last entry is an hour before closing, and staff clear the rooms 30 minutes before. It's closed January 1, May 1 and December 25. Paris is six hours ahead of New York, so 9:00 AM is 3:00 AM Eastern. Hours checked November 7, 2026. See full timings.

Grande Galerie of paintings in the Denon wing

Duration

Plan three to four hours: 15 to 30 minutes for security and the ticket scan, an hour for the three big works, and the rest for one wing. Add time if you're renting the audio guide or eating inside. The galleries cover about 750,000 square feet (70,000 square meters), so a full day still leaves most of it unseen.

Louvre Pyramid lit at night

Best Time to Visit

The 9:00 AM slot and the Wednesday and Friday evenings after 6:00 PM are the quiet windows. January to March and November are the quiet months. June to August, spring break, Memorial Day week and the Christmas to New Year stretch are the busy ones, and the museum required reservations over the holidays last season and closes December 25 and January 1. Best times by month and day.

Cour Marly sculpture courtyard in the Richelieu wing

Tickets & Prices

Buy on the official site, ticket.louvre.fr. One ticket covers the permanent collections and the temporary exhibitions: €32 (about $36) for visitors from outside the European Economic Area, €22 (about $25) for EEA residents, free under 18. There are no reduced adult rates. Tickets are tied to a date and time and can't be changed or refunded. Compare all the options.

Our pick: two official timed tickets for the first slot, because the museum fills from the Mona Lisa outward and the first hour is the only calm one. For two US adults with two kids under 18 that's €64 (about $71). The official guided tour adds €12 (about $13) per adult and starts later in the day.

How to Reach, Entrances & Accessibility

Take Metro line 1 or 7 to Palais-Royal Musée du Louvre, or line 14 to Pyramides. Line 1 connects straight into the Carrousel du Louvre mall under the museum. Buses 21, 27, 39, 67, 68, 69, 72, 74, 85 and 95 stop nearby, and the Batobus river boat stops at the Louvre quay. Count on about 10 minutes from the Metro platform to the Pyramid.

The Pyramid in the Cour Napoléon is the main entrance, with its own line for timed-ticket holders. Ticket holders can also use the Carrousel entrance at 99 Rue de Rivoli, reached from the mall, or the Porte des Lions on the Seine side, which has last entry at 5:00 PM and is closed Tuesdays. The Richelieu passage is for groups and members. Everyone passes a security check, and the museum says no ticket of any kind skips it. Bags over 55 by 35 by 20 centimeters (about 22 by 14 by 8 inches) are refused; free lockers under the Pyramid take smaller items for the day. Once you leave, you can't re-enter.

Disabled visitors and one companion enter free, with proof, and get priority access at the entrances. Wheelchairs and folding stools can be borrowed free under the Pyramid against an ID. The official site warns that visiting by elevator takes longer than usual during the current renovations, and that strollers can't go on the escalators.

Tours & Experiences

Most first-time visitors don't need a tour. The official timed ticket gets you in, the free map and the room numbers get you to the big three, and no tour skips the security line.

A guide earns the money if you want the stories told as you walk, or if the official calendar is empty for your date. The museum's own "Welcome to the Louvre" tour runs about 90 minutes in English every day at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM, plus 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM on Fridays, for €12 (about $13) on top of admission. The official audio guide is €6 (about $7). Resellers such as GetYourGuide sell tours and hosted entry with their own time slots, for more than the official price. Read the cancellation terms before you pay.

Skip it if: you already hold a 9:00 AM official ticket. The tours start later, when the rooms are full, and you'd pay more to see the same works through a bigger crowd.

Don't leave this until you land in Paris. The 9:00 AM slots go first, the official site sells same-day tickets only when attendance is low, and reservations become compulsory from December 20 to January 4 and in other busy weeks. Pick your date and lock in a time today.

We may earn a commission if you book through the links on this page. It doesn't change the price you pay.

Buy Tickets Now

History

King Philippe Auguste built the Louvre around 1190 as a fortress on the city wall, facing the English threat from Normandy. Charles V made it a royal residence in 1364. The foundations of the medieval keep are still there, under the Sully wing, and you walk past them on the way in.

Henri IV added the Grande Galerie along the Seine between 1595 and 1610. The Revolution turned the palace over to the arts by a decree of 1791, and the Muséum Central des Arts opened on August 10, 1793, the first museum in France open to the general public.

The Grand Louvre project ran from 1981 to 1989. I. M. Pei's glass Pyramid, made of 603 diamond-shaped and 70 triangular panes, was inaugurated on March 30, 1989, and became the main entrance. The Islamic Art rooms opened in 2012.

The next rebuild is under way. On May 26, 2026, the museum named STUDIOS Architecture Paris and Selldorf Architects to design a new entrance in front of the Colonnade and a larger space for the Mona Lisa beneath the Cour Carrée. No opening dates have been published. New Byzantine and Eastern Christian art rooms are due in 2028.

Visitor Reviews

We read the recent Louvre threads on the Rick Steves travel forum, where American travelers compare notes. Three points come up again and again: go early, go to the Mona Lisa first, and expect the official website to fight you.

On January 6, 2026, a regular named Pam wrote: "I would go for opening time and head for the Mona Lisa first thing." The next day heather added: "The Venus de Milo had a ring of visitors 6 people deep an hour after opening" (Paris in March).

On March 9, 2026, mbosteder reported from a recent visit: "it seemed to get real busy when we left around noon." (Louvre: which part of the day to visit?).

On October 3, 2026, after a poster couldn't open an account on the official ticket site, Pam replied: "It may be your email address as they suggest." Her fix, which several regulars repeat, is a plain Gmail or Yahoo address and a second browser (Louvre Tickets).

The fix for the crowds is the same every time. Book the first slot the day you settle your date, walk to Room 711 before anything else, and keep the rest of the visit to one wing. Compare the tickets.

Nearby Attractions

Everything below is on foot from the Pyramid.

The Eiffel Tower is about 30 minutes away by Metro, and its tickets sell out sooner than the Louvre's, so book that one first. A Seine river cruise leaves from the quays a few minutes from the Porte des Lions and passes both.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to book Louvre tickets in advance?

Yes, in practice. The official site says a timed slot is recommended, same-day tickets are sold only when attendance is low, and for busy periods such as December 20 to January 4 the museum makes reservations compulsory. See the tickets page.

How much does the Louvre cost for Americans?

Since January 14, 2026, visitors from outside the European Economic Area pay €32, about $36. EEA residents pay €22. Under-18s of any nationality are free.

Is the Louvre open on Christmas and New Year's Day?

No. It closes on December 25 and January 1 every year, and on the Tuesdays in between (December 22 and 29 in 2026). Last season it closed early, at 5:00 PM, on December 24 and 31 and required reservations from December 20 to January 4. Holiday hours.

Can I take photos inside the Louvre?

Yes, for personal use in the permanent collections, without flash. Selfie sticks are banned, and some works in temporary exhibitions are off limits to cameras.

How long does it take to see the Mona Lisa?

The painting hangs behind glass in Room 711 of the Denon wing. If you go straight there at 9:00 AM you can be in front of it in about 15 minutes. By late morning forum posters describe the room as full of mobs, and you see her from behind a crowd.

Can I bring a backpack or suitcase?

A small bag, yes, after the security check. Anything larger than 55 by 35 by 20 centimeters, about 22 by 14 by 8 inches, isn't allowed in, and free lockers under the Pyramid take small items only.

Is the Louvre closed on Tuesdays?

Yes, every Tuesday, all year. It's also closed on January 1, May 1 and December 25. It stays open on other French holidays unless they fall on a Tuesday.