The biggest art museum in the world, and three hours is the minimum. Here is how to spend them.
The short version
- Book a timed ticket at louvre.fr before you go: €22 if you live in the EEA, €32 if you don’t, free under 18. Through November 1, 2026 a slot is required for everyone; the rest of the year you want one anyway.
- Closed Tuesdays. Open until 21:00 on Wednesday and Friday, and those two evenings are the quietest hours of the week.
- Enter at the Pyramid, in the timed-ticket line. If it is long, the Carrousel entrance under the shopping arcade takes ticket holders too.
- See the Mona Lisa first or last. The room is full by mid-morning.
- Pick one wing and do it properly. Three hours is one wing.
- Once you leave, you’re out. Eat before, or at the cafés inside.
Getting in
Everyone under 18 gets in free, and so does anyone under 26 who lives in the EEA. Bring ID either way. The €22 rate also needs proof you live in the EEA; without it you pay €32. The first Friday of the month is free for everyone after 18:00, except in July and August, and so is July 14.
- Pyramid. The main entrance, with its own line for timed tickets.
- Carrousel. Under the shopping arcade, reached from the Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre metro. Takes ticket holders when the Pyramid line is long.
- Porte des Lions. On the river side of the Denon wing. Same deal at busy times.
- Passage Richelieu. Groups and members only.
There is a cloakroom, but leave the suitcase at the hotel. Buy tickets at ticket.louvre.fr and nowhere else; the museum turns away tickets from resale sites. Or let us handle it: our private Louvre tour includes the timed tickets and a licensed guide, two and a half hours from the Pyramid, any day but Tuesday.
The visit
Three hours is one wing done properly. Denon for the paintings everyone came for, Sully for the Venus de Milo and the Egyptian rooms, Richelieu for the Napoleon III apartments and the quietest rooms in the building.
The Mona Lisa is on the first floor of Denon, opposite Veronese’s Wedding Feast at Cana. The room is full by mid-morning. Go there first from the Pyramid, or save it for the last hour. The Winged Victory stands at the top of the Daru staircase on the way, and the Raft of the Medusa and Liberty Leading the People hang in the long gallery next door.
The Galerie d’Apollon reopened on July 22, 2026, without its jewels, nine months after the theft. It is a ceremonial room now; give it ten minutes for the ceiling.
Renovation closes some rooms on weekdays. The day’s list is on louvre.fr. Check it if one room is the reason you came.
When to go
Wednesday or Friday evening. From 18:00 to the 21:00 close the museum is as quiet as it gets, and the ticket costs the same. If evenings don’t work, be at the Pyramid for the 9:00 opening on a Monday or Thursday.
Skip the free first Friday evening unless free is the point. From October 17 to November 1, 2026 every visitor needs a timed slot. In July and August, book a 9:00 slot or an evening; midday is the hard part.
Closed January 1, May 1 and December 25. Open on other holidays unless they fall on a Tuesday.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a timed ticket for the Louvre?
Through November 1, 2026, yes, everyone does. After that the museum recommends one, and so do we: without it you join the general line at the Pyramid. Book at ticket.louvre.fr and nowhere else.
How long does the Louvre take?
Three hours for one wing done properly. A full day is possible on Wednesday and Friday, when it is open until 21:00. Once you leave you can’t come back in, so plan lunch inside or at the end.
Which entrance is fastest?
The Pyramid, in the timed-ticket line. If it is long, try the Carrousel entrance under the shopping arcade or the Porte des Lions on the river side; both take ticket holders at busy times. The Passage Richelieu is for groups and members only.
Is the Louvre free?
For under-18s and EEA residents under 26, for everyone after 18:00 on the first Friday of the month except July and August, and all day on July 14. Otherwise €22 if you live in the EEA and €32 if you don’t.
Do I need a guide?
Not to get in. On a first visit a guide saves you the hour you’d spend lost between wings and gets you to the Mona Lisa before the room fills. Our private Louvre tour is two and a half hours, tickets included, and the guide knows how to time that room.
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