Planning Your Visit to the Louvre

The Louvre in Paris is the world's most visited art museum, and for good reason — it houses over 35,000 works of art spanning millennia of human civilisation. But its sheer scale can be overwhelming. With the right preparation, your visit becomes an unforgettable experience rather than an exhausting ordeal.

Getting Your Tickets

Always book tickets online in advance. Walk-up queues at the Louvre can stretch for hours, particularly during summer and school holidays. Timed-entry tickets are available through the official Louvre website, and they're essential if you want to enter smoothly.

  • Standard admission covers all permanent collections.
  • Under 18s and EU residents under 26 enter free.
  • Paris Museum Pass holders skip the ticket queue entirely.
  • The Louvre is free on the first Friday evening of each month (after 6pm) for visitors under 26.

Which Entrance to Use

Most visitors default to the famous glass pyramid entrance — but it's also the most crowded. Consider these alternatives:

  • Passage Richelieu (from Rue de Rivoli): quieter, especially with a pre-booked ticket.
  • Carrousel du Louvre (underground shopping mall entrance): convenient if arriving by metro.

What Not to Miss

With 35,000+ works on display, you need a game plan. Here are the absolute highlights across the museum's three wings — Denon, Richelieu, and Sully:

  1. The Mona Lisa (Denon Wing, Room 711) — arrive early; it draws enormous crowds by mid-morning.
  2. Venus de Milo (Sully Wing, Ground Floor) — one of the most celebrated sculptures in the world.
  3. Winged Victory of Samothrace (Denon Wing, Daru Staircase) — dramatically positioned at the top of the stairs.
  4. The Coronation of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David — vast and captivating.
  5. Code of Hammurabi (Richelieu Wing) — one of the earliest legal texts ever discovered.

How Much Time Do You Need?

Realistically, you cannot see everything in a single day. Most visitors spend between 3 and 5 hours. We recommend choosing one or two wings to explore in depth rather than rushing through everything superficially. The Louvre offers themed itineraries on its website lasting 1.5 hours, 3 hours, or a full day — these are worth downloading before you go.

Practical Tips

  • Arrive when the museum opens (9am) or in the last two hours before closing for smaller crowds.
  • Wear comfortable shoes — the marble floors are hard on feet after a few hours.
  • The museum has several cafés and a restaurant; alternatively, picnic in the Tuileries Garden next door.
  • Free guided tours in English are available — check the schedule at the information desk.
  • Photography is permitted in most areas, but tripods are not allowed.

Getting There

The Louvre is centrally located and easy to reach by public transport. The nearest metro stations are Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre (lines 1 and 7) and Pont Neuf (line 7). The RER A also stops at Châtelet–Les Halles, a short walk away.

With a little planning, a visit to the Louvre is one of the most rewarding cultural experiences in the world. Take your time, focus on what genuinely interests you, and don't feel pressure to see it all — the Louvre rewards return visits.