Louvre visiting guide

The museum occupies a former royal palace, and its collections range from antiquity to the 19th century. Its glass Pyramid in the Cour Napoléon is the best-known entrance. Visitors usually go for a handful of famous works, including the Mona Lisa, but the building holds far more than most people can take in during one visit.

Because the scale is the main difficulty, the question to answer before you go is not what to see, but what to leave out.

According to the official site (checked 2026-10-31):

• The museum is open daily except Tuesdays.
• Opening hours vary by weekday and can change with the season; read the current hours on the official site and plan around the later closing days if you want a longer visit.
• The official site states that last entry comes before closing and that rooms start to empty before closing, so do not plan to arrive close to closing time.
• Time-slot booking is recommended, including for visitors entitled to free admission.
• Tickets are valid for the date and time chosen and cannot be changed or exchanged.
• Some rooms may be closed during the week for renovation; the museum suggests checking the closure schedule.

1. 1Pick your priorities: for example antiquities, paintings, or one named work.
2. 2Check the official room schedule for those works before you go.
3. 3Book a time slot and arrive a little early, since entry is by slot.
4. 4Go to your first priority directly, then explore nearby rooms.
5. 5Stop when you tire; a second short visit beats a long exhausted one.

A half-day is a realistic aim for a first visit. If you add the Musée d’Orsay or the Eiffel Tower on the same day, expect to rush at least one of them.

The Louvre sits beside the Tuileries Garden, so a morning visit can be followed by a walk west through the garden to Place de la Concorde, or east and across the Seine to the Île de la Cité. For a fuller route, see our two-day plan. Leave the Eiffel Tower for another half-day rather than squeezing it in.

The Louvre is central, so most visitors walk or take the metro. We could not read the official transport pages on 2026-10-31 and so name no lines or fares; use the transport operator’s journey planner. For arrival from the airports, see our Paris transport pages.

• Turning up on a Tuesday, when the museum is closed.
• Arriving without a timed ticket when the museum recommends booking one.
• Trying to see everything and leaving exhausted.
• Assuming a room is open without checking the closure schedule.
• Buying through an unofficial seller without checking who operates the visit and what the ticket includes.

We did not check ticket prices, security rules, bag restrictions, or accessibility details. Notices about access or closures appear on the official site from time to time, so read the current banner before you travel.