For almost every US visitor, the right Louvre ticket is the official timed-entry
ticket from ticket.louvre.fr: €32 for an adult (about $36), free for anyone under 18. Book the 9:00 AM slot
as soon as your date is fixed. One ticket covers the whole museum, and there's no reduced adult rate.
Prices 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. The current rates
took effect on January 14, 2026.
Opening Hours
The museum opens at 9:00 AM every day except Tuesday. Paris is six hours ahead of New
York, so the 9:00 AM opening is 3:00 AM Eastern and the 9:00 PM late close is 3:00 PM Eastern.
Monday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, last entry 5:00 PM
Wednesday, Friday: 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, last entry 8:00 PM
Closed: every Tuesday, January 1, May 1 and December 25
Hours checked November 7, 2026. Rooms are cleared 30 minutes before closing, and some galleries close on a
rota during the week. See full timings.
Note: the Louvre is closed on December 25 and January 1, and on the Tuesdays in between,
December 22 and 29. Last season it closed at 5:00 PM on December 24 and 31 and required a reservation from
every visitor between December 20 and January 4. If your dates fall in that window, book now.
Holiday hours.
Choose Your Ticket
The Louvre sells one admission ticket at two rates, a free ticket
for the people it lets in for nothing, and two add-ons: an audio guide and a guided tour. The rest of this
page is reseller bundles of that same entry with a guide, a cruise or a second museum, for more money. No
ticket skips the security line, and the official site calls "skip the queue" tickets a scam.
Our pick: the official timed-entry ticket for the first slot of the day, because the entry
time does more for your visit than anything a reseller adds.
Skip it if: you're tempted by a tour that starts at 11:00 AM or later. You pay two or three
times the ticket price to see the same works through the midday crowd.
Our pick
1. Official Timed-Entry Ticket
Adult, outside the EEA: €32 (about $36) | Adult, EEA resident or citizen:
€22 (about $25) | Under 18: free, slot recommended
Time needed: 3 to 4 hours
Includes: entry at your chosen time to the permanent collections and the temporary
exhibitions, with a dedicated line at the Pyramid or Carrousel entrance
Best for: almost everyone, and the only ticket most first visits need
Sold only at ticket.louvre.fr, up to six per order, fixed to
its date and time, no changes or refunds. Two US adults with two kids under 18 pay €64 (about $71).
Bring ID: the EEA rate and the free bands are checked.
Under 18: free | EEA residents 18 to 25: free |
Disabled visitor and one companion: free | Everyone, first Friday of the month
from 6:00 PM (not July or August) and July 14: free
Time needed: 3 to 4 hours, or 3 hours on a free Friday evening
Includes: the same entry as the paid ticket, booked as a "free admission" slot with
proof shown at the door
Best for: families with kids, students living in Europe, and anyone in Paris on a
first Friday
The museum recommends a slot even for free visitors, and the
free Friday slots are posted only a few days ahead. A forum regular warned in August 2026 that "not all
of the rooms are open in the evenings", so use the free night for the big three.
Per device: €6 (about $7), plus admission | Languages: nine, including
English
Time needed: adds about an hour if you follow the commentary
Includes: a handheld guide collected at the two counters under the Pyramid, up to
six per person
Best for: visitors who want the stories without a group or a fixed start time
Book it with your ticket online to skip the pickup line. With
admission, a US adult pays €38 (about $42), the number to beat when a reseller offers "entry plus audio
guide".
Adult: €12 (about $13), plus admission | Reduced: €9 (about $10), plus
admission
Time needed: about 1 hour 30 minutes
Includes: a museum guide through the palace and the big works, Mona Lisa and Winged
Victory included. English tours at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM daily, plus 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM on Fridays.
Best for: first-timers who want a guide at the lowest price
A US adult pays €44 (about $49) all in, against the $55 and up
that resellers charge before the ticket. The daytime tours run when the rooms are fullest, so the Friday
6:00 PM slot is the one we'd pick.
5. Louvre Entry Ticket with Audio Guide (GetYourGuide)
Time needed: 3 to 4 hours
Includes: a timed entry ticket and an audio guide app for your phone, from a reseller
Best for: travelers whose date is gone on the official site, or who want free
cancellation
Skip it if: the official site still has your
date. At about $56 per adult on November 7, 2026, this costs roughly $14 more than the official ticket
and audio guide together, and earns that only for a sold-out date or free cancellation.
Includes: timed Louvre entry and entry to the Musée d'Orsay across the river, booked
together
Best for: art-first trips that want both museums without two checkouts
The Orsay is 15 minutes on foot and closed on Mondays, so pair
it with the Louvre's closed Tuesday. Check the bundle price against the two official tickets first.
Includes: timed entry and an English-speaking guide for the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo
and Winged Victory, in a group
Best for: visitors who want a guide on a day the official tour or ticket is sold
out, with free cancellation
Skip it if: you hold a 9:00 AM official
ticket. Reseller tours listed on November 7, 2026 ran from about $55 to over $100 per person before the
ticket, against €12 for the official tour.
The official calendar runs out of morning slots first, then whole days in the reservation-only weeks. You
still have five ways in:
Keep checking the official site. The Louvre doesn't publish
when it releases dates. A poster on the
Rick Steves forum found every July day crossed out on May 23, 2026,
and another booked July 20 the next morning. Over Christmas 2023 a poster got tickets "about a week before
we arrived".
Take a Wednesday or Friday evening. The late slots sell out
last, and they're the quieter ones anyway.
Book the official guided tour. It's sold as an activity
ticket on the same site and comes with its own entry, for €12 (about $13) plus admission.
Buy a reseller bundle. GetYourGuide and others hold their
own allocations and sell tours and hosted entry for more than the official price. Read the cancellation
terms, and ignore any promise to skip security.
Try the ticket office on a quiet day. The official site
sells same-day tickets only when attendance is low, with no waiting list. Over Christmas and New Year that
door is shut: last season every visitor needed a reservation from December 20 to January 4, and the museum
is closed December 25 and January 1 anyway.
If your dates are set, book today. The 9:00 AM slots go first, the spring, summer and holiday peaks turn
into reservation-only weeks, and a sold-out date leaves you paying a reseller.
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
Tips Before You Visit the Louvre
Buy on ticket.louvre.fr and nowhere that looks like it. The
museum warns about copycat sites. If the account page rejects you, forum regulars say a plain Gmail
address and a phone number typed without spaces fix it.
Book the 9:00 AM slot and arrive by 8:40 AM. Everyone passes
security, and the official rules send anyone who misses their slot to the general line.
Bring passports. The €22 rate is for EEA residents and
citizens only, and the free bands are checked with photo ID.
Pack small. Bags over 55 by 35 by 20 centimeters (about 22
by 14 by 8 inches) are refused, the free lockers under the Pyramid take small items only, and once you exit
you can't come back in.
Don't plan around the Paris Museum Pass alone. Forum posters
say pass holders still need a Louvre time slot, and that there are fewer slots for passes than for
tickets.
Check the room list the night before. The official site
posts which galleries are closed each day, and a closed room is no grounds for a refund.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to buy Louvre tickets in advance?
Yes, if you want a set time. The official site recommends a timed slot for everyone, sells same-day
tickets only when attendance is low, and makes reservations compulsory in the busiest weeks, including
December 20 to January 4 last season.
Why do Americans pay more at the Louvre?
Since January 14, 2026, the museum charges €32, about $36, to visitors who aren't residents or citizens
of the European Economic Area, against €22 for EEA visitors. Expect to show your passport or ID with the
ticket.
Are reseller tickets official?
No. Only ticket.louvre.fr sells the official ticket, and the museum warns that tickets promising to skip
the queue are a scam. Pay a reseller when it adds a guide, a cruise or a slot the official site no longer
has, and expect to pay more.
Do children need a ticket?
Under-18s enter free, but the museum recommends booking them a free timed slot online and bringing photo
ID with a date of birth. EEA residents under 26 are free too, with proof of residence.
Can I change my Louvre ticket to another day?
No. Official tickets are fixed to the date and time you chose and can't be changed, exchanged or
refunded. The only refund is when the Louvre cancels or changes your slot, for example during a strike.
What happens if I arrive late for my slot?
The official rules treat anyone who misses their slot like a visitor without a ticket: you join the
general line at the Pyramid and wait. Arrive 20 to 30 minutes early instead.
Is the Louvre free on the first Sunday of the month?
No. The free slot is the first Friday evening of the month from 6:00 PM, except in July and August,
plus all day on July 14. Free slots are posted a few days ahead and go fast.
