Louvre Timings and Best Time to Visit
The Louvre opens at 9:00 AM every day except Tuesday and closes at 6:00 PM, or 9:00 PM on Wednesday and Friday. The best time to go is the 9:00 AM slot on a weekday, or after 6:00 PM on a Wednesday or Friday, in January to March or November. Book that slot the day you settle your date.
Hours checked November 7, 2026, on the official Louvre website.
Opening Hours
The schedule is the same all year. Last entry is one hour before closing, and staff start clearing the rooms 30 minutes before. The museum is closed every Tuesday and on January 1, May 1 and December 25.
Paris is six hours ahead of New York for most of the year. The 9:00 AM opening is 3:00 AM Eastern, the 6:00 PM close is noon, and the 9:00 PM late close is 3:00 PM Eastern.
Monday is busier than the other weekdays because the Musée d'Orsay is closed that day. Hours can change at short notice: for November 9, 2026, the official site warned of a late opening and closed rooms, and forum posters reported a strike closure from December 15, 2025. If the Louvre cancels your slot, you get a refund.
*Every month: 9:00 PM close on Wednesday and Friday, closed Tuesday. The museum has no seasonal hours. What changes with the season is the crowd, and the dates on which the official site makes reservations compulsory: April 1 to 19, October 17 to November 1, and December 20 to January 4 in the past year.
Christmas and New Year Hours (2026-27)
The Louvre closes on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, and on the two Tuesdays in between. The other days are open, with early closing on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve and extra late nights on some dates. The museum hasn't published its 2026-27 holiday schedule yet, so the times below follow last season's.
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December 1 to 23: regular hours. Reservations were compulsory for everyone from December 20 last season, and the official site hasn't said whether that repeats in 2026.
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December 22 and 29 (Tuesdays): closed. Last season the museum stayed shut on the holiday Tuesdays too.
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December 24 and December 31 (Thursdays): open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, last entry 4:00 PM, rooms cleared from 4:30 PM, if the museum repeats last season's times.
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December 25 and January 1 (Fridays): closed, as every year. There's no late night on those two Fridays.
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December 26 to 30 and January 2 to 3: regular hours, with the Wednesday late night on December 30. Last season the museum added 9:00 PM closes on two Mondays, one weekend and the Saturday after New Year; the 2026 extras aren't announced.
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No annual maintenance closure. Individual rooms close on a rota; the official "list of available galleries" shows which ones, by day of the week.
Holiday hours checked November 7, 2026, against the official site and last season's schedule (December 20, 2025 to January 4, 2026). Paris is six hours ahead of New York, so a 5:00 PM close on New Year's Eve is 11:00 AM Eastern.
There's no event at the Louvre itself over the holidays. The Tuileries Christmas market next door is listed for November 14, 2026 to January 3, 2027, dates still to be confirmed by the organizer, and the city's midnight countdown is on the Champs-Élysées.
Our pick: the 9:00 AM slot on Wednesday, December 23, or the Wednesday evening of December 30 after 6:00 PM. Both sit beside a closed Tuesday, so book them early.
Skip it if: your only free afternoon is December 24 or 31. With last entry at 4:00 PM, a 2:00 PM slot gives you two rushed hours. Use that afternoon for the Tuileries market instead.
If your dates fall between December 20 and January 4, book now. Last season every visitor needed a reservation in that window, and a December 2023 forum poster found tickets only "about a week before we arrived". Book your slot.
Timings for Specific Locations
The galleries in the Denon, Sully and Richelieu wings all keep the museum's hours. The courtyards and the side entrances run to their own clocks.
Cour Napoléon
The courtyard around the Pyramid is open 7:30 AM to 9:00 PM every day, Tuesdays included. You can line up for security from about 8:30 AM for the first slot, and the Pyramid is lit after dark for free.
Cour Carrée
The older square courtyard behind the Pyramid is closed, per the official hours page on November 7, 2026. The new Mona Lisa space is planned underneath it, so expect works here for years.
The side entrances close earlier than the museum. The Porte des Lions, on the Seine side, takes ticket holders until a last entry at 5:00 PM, closed Tuesdays, with lockers until 3:00 PM. The Richelieu passage, for groups and members, closes at 5:30 PM, or 7:30 PM on Wednesday and Friday. After that, use the Pyramid or the Carrousel entrance under the mall.
The Tuileries Garden next door is free and opens 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM from November to March, 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM in April, May, September and October, and 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM from June to August.
Best Time to Visit
Best Time of Day
Our pick is the 9:00 AM slot. You clear security before the lines build, and if you walk straight to Room 711 you see the Mona Lisa with a few dozen people instead of a few hundred. A January 2026 forum poster found the Venus de Milo already "6 people deep an hour after opening", so do the big three first.
The other good window is after 6:00 PM on Wednesday and Friday, when the tour groups have gone and you get three hours to closing. One catch, which Rick Steves forum regulars repeat: not every room is open in the evenings, and staff start moving people out 30 to 60 minutes before 9:00 PM.
Skip it if: you're thinking of a slot between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM. That's when the tour groups are inside, the Denon wing is shoulder to shoulder, and a March 2026 poster warned the museum "gets very hot in the afternoon" in summer.
Best Months
January to March and November are the quietest, with the same hours and the same ticket price. April, May, September and October are mild and manageable if you take the first slot. Winter highs in Paris sit around 45°F (7°C), which matters little indoors.
For a US family planning around school breaks, Thanksgiving week is the best fit: Paris is quiet and the museum keeps its full hours. Spring break landed in a reservation-only period in April 2026, the Christmas fortnight was reservation-only last season, and Memorial Day and July 4 both fall in the summer peak.
Peak Season and Crowded Days of the Week
June to August is the peak, with Easter and the Christmas fortnight close behind, and the official site makes reservations compulsory in those windows. Saturday and Sunday are the busiest days all year, then Monday, when the Orsay is closed. Wednesday and Thursday are the calmest full days.
Our pick: if your dates are fixed in July or August, book the 9:00 AM slot on a Wednesday or Thursday the day you settle your plans. Paying a reseller for "skip the line" doesn't help here, since no ticket skips security and the official ticket already has a set entry time.
How to Beat the Crowds
- Take the first slot and go to Room 711 first. The first half hour is the only calm look at the Mona Lisa; a January 2026 poster called her room "full of mobs" by the time the day crowd is in.
- Use a side entrance when the Pyramid line is long. The Carrousel entrance under the mall and the Porte des Lions (last entry 5:00 PM, closed Tuesdays) both take ticket holders at peak times.
- Pick a Wednesday or Friday evening. You trade a few closed rooms for three hours with the day crowd gone.
- Arrive 20 to 30 minutes before your slot. The official rules treat latecomers like visitors without a ticket, who wait in the longer line.
- Travel light. Bags over 55 by 35 by 20 centimeters (about 22 by 14 by 8 inches) are refused at the door, and the locker line is another stop.
Once you've picked your time, book it. The 9:00 AM slots and the Friday evenings go first, and in the reservation-only weeks there's no walking up.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Louvre open on Tuesdays?
No. It's closed every Tuesday of the year, including the Tuesdays over Christmas and New Year. Use that day for the Musée d'Orsay or the Eiffel Tower, which are both open.
What is the last entry time at the Louvre?
One hour before closing: 5:00 PM on a 6:00 PM day and 8:00 PM on Wednesday and Friday. Staff start clearing the rooms 30 minutes before closing, and forum posters say some rooms shut earlier in the evenings.
What time should I arrive to avoid the longest lines?
Be at the Pyramid by 8:40 AM for the 9:00 AM slot, or come after 6:00 PM on a Wednesday or Friday. Late morning to mid afternoon is the busiest stretch every day.
Does the Louvre close on public holidays?
It closes on January 1, May 1 and December 25. It stays open on other French holidays unless they fall on a Tuesday, as July 14 did in 2026.
Are the courtyards and gardens open before the museum?
Yes. The Cour Napoléon around the Pyramid is open 7:30 AM to 9:00 PM, and the Tuileries Garden opens at 7:00 AM or 7:30 AM depending on the month. The Cour Carrée is closed at the moment.
Do I still need a time slot if I get in free?
The official site recommends it for everyone, including under-18s, and makes reservations compulsory in the busiest periods. Free slots for the first Friday evenings are posted only a few days ahead and go fast. See the tickets page.
Is the Louvre open on New Year's Eve?
Yes, with early closing. Last season it closed at 5:00 PM on December 31 and December 24, with last entry at 4:00 PM. It's closed on January 1. Holiday hours.