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The Only Guide You Need To Explore The Best of Louvre Museum Paris

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The Louvre Museum in Paris is the world's most-visited and largest art museum. Located on the right bank of the river Seine in the heart of Paris, it is the perfect example of French Baroque architecture. Best known as the home to the Mona Lisa, the museum has the most impressive art collection in the world.

When in Paris, it is impossible to not visit the Louvre and this guide will help you through navigating the most famous paintings, scoring the cheapest tickets, dining at the best restaurants nearby and more!

Louvre Museum in a Nutshell


Louvre Museum Paris
Louvre Museum Paris
Louvre Museum Paris

Know Before You Go

Best time to visit - Wednesday and Friday night
Suggested duration - 3 Hours
Louvre Museum Skip the Line Tickets starting price - €17
Closest subway station - Palais-Royal - Musée du Louvre
Ranked: 1st globally by National Geographic

Opening Hours

Wednesday to Monday: 9 am to 6 pm
Closed on Thursday

Must-see Exhibits

Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa
Venus de Milo
Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People
The Victory of Samothrace
Law Code of Hammurabi

Address

Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, France
Get Directions

Why Visit Louvre Museum Paris


Louvre Musuem Paris

The Louvre was first built as a fortress to protect Paris from Viking attacks in the 12th century. In 1546, it became home to the French monarchs. In 1789, during the French Revolution, it was decided that The Louvre would be home to the country’s art. Since then, the museum has become world-famous as the holy shrine of art.

The Louvre is home to over 3,80,000 artworks, of which only 35,000 make up the permanent exhibition. These exhibits are spread across eight departments - Egyptian Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Islamic Art; Decorative Arts; Sculpture; Paintings; Drawings and Prints.

Considered as the world's best and largest art museum, it is only natural to visit Louvre, Paris to experience and see the finest artworks. From paintings from centuries ago to the newest artworks from today's admirable artists, you can find all forms and styles of art in the Louvre Museum.

Inside Louvre
Inside Louvre Paris

Experience the Magic of Louvre from the inside!

The Louvre is housed in an old palace and exhibits some of the world's best-known art pieces. Learn more about why you should explore the Louvre from the insides!

Louvre Pyramid


Louvre Musuem Paris

Originally built as a fortress in the 13th century, the Louvre Pyramid has caught the eye of today’s generation for its modernism. The larger-than-life glass and metal pyramid were designed by the architect legend, I. M. Pei in 1981. It is accompanied by three smaller pyramids and is located in the main courtyard of the Louvre Palace, resting against the backdrop of its baroque neighbors. Inside the pyramid are a newer entrance, a web of rooms, an information center, and a cafeteria.

Yet, this iconic structure was not without controversy. It was thought that the style did not sit well with the rest of the monuments in the area, the people saw the pyramid as a symbol of Egyptian death, the French thought that the then-President, François Mitterrand, who commissioned the project was delusional and that the Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei was not fully aware of the French culture to restore such an important monument. It was no small undertaking to modernize a building with a great history of its own and make the project the talk of the century. Against all odds, the Louvre Pyramid became one of the most legendary landmarks in the world.

How To Plan The Perfect Louvre Visit


Louvre Musuem Paris

Because The Louvre Museum is one of the most popular museums in Paris -- and the world -- it is natural that a large number of people visit it every year. At peak tourist season during the summer, the Louvre can see as many as 60,000 people exploring the museum. It’s because of this very popularity of the landmark that the wait at the ticket line can range from 2 to 4 hours.

However, if you plan ahead, you can avoid the crowd, making your experience to the Louvre unforgettable. Here’s how:

1. Purchase Tickets Online

Ticket lines stretch all around the entrance, and it can take up to three hours for you to enter the museum if you decide to buy your ticket on site. This can be avoided if you purchase your Louvre Museum tickets in advance. By doing so, you can avoid the line of ticket buyers, and head straight to security check, cutting down your queuing time by up to 20-60 mins, depening on when you arrive. Online tickets are time-stamped and is valid only for the chosen date and time.

2. Choose the Right Time for Your Visit

The best time to visit the Louvre Museum is on a weekday. Parisians love visiting museums and they do so on weekends, mostly Sunday afternoons. If you’re visiting the museum during the weekdays, then Wednesday and Friday are perfect, as the museum stays open longer, and you can look around the museum in peace, as the crowds lessen considerably during the closing hours (9:45 PM).

During the summer, when the days are long and the weather is pleasant, the Louvre sees a large number of visitors. Approximately 7.4 million people visited the Musée du Louvre in 2016. To avoid the densest crowds, it is recommended you visit during fall and early winter.

3. Choose the Right Entrance Queue

There are 4 Louvre Museum entrances - the Pyramid entrance, Carrousel du Louvre, Richelieu Passage and Porte des Lions Entrance. Of these gates, the Pyramid is the entrance online ticket holders use to access the museum. The other entrances are dedicated to guided tours, school groups, members, etc.

For many years, the Louvre Pyramid was notorious for the queue of people outside waiting to get in. Today, timed ticket entry, along with better management of queues has relieved most of the wait and queueing time for online ticket holders has improved drastically.

At the Pyramid entrance, you will see 4 different queues marked with different colour markers. If you're buying ticket on-site, then you have to stand in the green line. After getting the ticket in the green queue, you have to wait again in the orange line in order to enter the museum. Online ticket holders on the other hand go directly to the yellow line and its the only time they have to queue up.

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Scoring The Best Louvre Tickets


Choosing the best Louvre Museum tickets for your needs can be a tedious task. Hence, we took it upon ourselves to ease the process for you. Here are the various options you can choose from.

On-site

Of course, you can buy the tickets at the ticket counter but beware of the never-ending lines and long waiting time. The tickets do sell out very fast and you may have to return home without seeing the museum. If you want to buy them over the counter, Wednesday mornings during the early opening hours will be the best time to get your hands on them.

Skip the line

For those who want to explore the museum at their own pace and time, Skip the line Louvre tickets are the best option. You can get timed entries and book them in advance to save your entry.

Louvre Museum Paris
Skipping The Lines at Louvre Museum

6 Tried & Tested Ways To Skip The Lines at Louvre Museum

Plan a well informed visit to the Louvre Museum Paris! Know how to save your time and get the fastest access into the museum with this guide.

Louvre Museum Tours

Guided tours provide you with skip-the-line access as well as a local guide who knows the museum like the back of their hand. You will also get to listen to the shocking secrets of the museum only the Parisians know of.

Combo Louvre Museum Tours

Cover all the major attractions of Paris along with the Louvre Museum tour by purchasing combo tickets. You will save time and dime by booking the tickets at once with exciting discounts by Headout.

Louvre Museum VIP Tour

If you are short on time and want to cover world famous artworks like Mona Lisa, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, Venus de Milo and more, then consider buying the VIP Small-Group tour. It'll give you skip the line access to the Louvre and you can opt for a small group of 6 to 10 people tour or a private tour for yourself. It's a 3 hour tour and an expert English speaking guide will acompany you.

Louvre At Night


Louvre At Night

Visiting Louvre at night is better than Louvre in the daytime. There are fewer people, you can explore the rooms without the anxiety of not getting a good look at the art, and most importantly, the Louvre pyramid shines like a beacon under the Parisian night sky. A night tour of the museum provides a serene atmosphere to soak in the art and the information that is given by the guide and leaves no room for the crowd’s noise to get the better of it.

Louvre At night
Visiting The Louvre At Night

What You Need To Know Before Visiting The Louvre At Night

Know inside-out about seeing Louvre at night and plan the perfect night visit to the world-class museum with this guide!

Understanding Louvre Museum Floor Plan


With a gallery space of 72,735 sq. m., the Louvre is the largest art museum in the world. Given that 35,000 permanent exhibits are spread across eight departments, it is best to plan ahead, so you can see as much of the artwork as possible.

You can find the detailed floor plan here. Given the sheer size of the museum, it is not possible to see all of it in one day. However, if you decide in advance with galleries and exhibits you want to visit, your experience will be much more fulfilling.

Floor Plan

The museum is spread over 5 levels, with 2 underground levels. The museum exhibitions are present on levels -1, 0, 1, and 2. Level -2 is dedicated to the museum shops, bookstores and the Richelieu and the Carrousel du Louvre entrances.


Level -2
• Richelieu and the Carrousel du Louvre entrances
• Bookshop
• Museum shops
• Entrances to the three wings that make up the Louvre - Richelieu, Denon and Sully.

Level -1
• Richelieu Wing: French Sculptures
• Sully Wing: The Pavillon de l’Horloge
• Denon Wing: Greek Antiquities, European Sculptures, Islamic Art, Near Eastern and Egyptian Art and a Touch Gallery

Level 0
• Richelieu Wing: French Sculptures and Near Eastern Antiquities
• Sully Wing: Near Eastern Antiquities, Egyptian Antiquities and Greek Antiquities
• Denon Wing: Greek Antiquities, Italian and Etruscan Antiquities, Roman Antiquities, European Sculptures and Arts of Africa, Asia, Oceania and Americas

Level 1
• Richelieu Wing: European Decorative Arts
• Sully Wing: Egyptian Antiquities and Greek and Roman Antiquities
• Denon Wing: French, Italian, Spanish, British and American Paintings

Level 2
• Richelieu Wing: Northern European Paintings
• Sully Wing: French Paintings

Inside Louvre Museum


The Eternal Louvre Paintings And Sculpture

Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa

Considered the most famous painting in the world, the Mona Lisa resides in the Louvre in the Department of Italian Paintings. The subject of the painting is thought to be Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a cloth merchant from Florence. Keeping this in mind, be warned that there is always a crowd to see the Mona Lisa, so keep your expectations low.

Venus de Milo

This 6’8” marble sculpture depicts Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. Venus de Milo is named after the Greek island of Milos, where it was discovered. The statue is most famous for the missing arms - under the right breast is a filled hole, which would originally have the metal tendon used to attach the arms. The statue can be found in the Department of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities.

Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People

This 6’8” marble sculpture depicts Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. Venus de Milo is named after the Greek island of Milos, where it was discovered. The statue is most famous for the missing arms - under the right breast is a filled hole, which would originally have the metal tendon used to attach the arms. The statue can be found in the Department of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities.

Winged Victory of Samothrace

This marble sculpture of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, was made in 2nd c. BC. Nearly 8 feet high, the Winged Victory of Samothrace statue is thought to have been created not just to honor the goddess, but also to celebrate a naval victory, as the base is like the prow of a ship.

Law Code of Hammurabi

Dating back to 1800 BC, the Code of Hammurabi is a Babylonian code of law from the Mesopotamian period. Exhibited in the Department of Near Eastern Antiquities, the Law Code has aover 200 laws inscribed on it. The Law Code of Hammurabi is very important as it helps us learn about the history and religion of this period.

Image Courtesy: Wikipedia

Read our complete blog on the 15 must see artworks at Louvre Paris.

Visitor Trails


Given the size of the Louvre, it is impossible to see the entire museum in a day. If you are interested in a specific theme or time period, the Louvre also offers visitor trails that take you to artwork based on specific themes and time periods.
Some of the trails are:

  1. The Da Vinci Code, Between Fiction and Fact: This trail is based on the popular novel (and film), The Da Vinci Code. Visitors can tour and see the art based on symbologist Robert Langdon’s time in the museum. On this tour, you will see The Wedding Feast at Cana, the Mona Lisa, and Virgin and Child with Saint Anne.
  2. From Palace to Museum, 800 Years of History: This trail takes visitors through the Louvre’s eight-centuries long journey. Constructed as one of the main residences for the French monarchy, the Louvre became a museum in 1793, after the French Revolution. Some exhibits include The Salon Denon, The Galerie Campana, and The Napoleon III Apartments’ Large Drawing Room.
  3. The Art of Eating, Rituals and Symbolism: This visitor trail takes you around the Louvre to see the depiction of meals and food in paintings from Antiquity to the 18th century. Some popular art seen in the trail include The Feast of the Gods, The Peasant Meal, and The Hunt Luncheon.

Find the complete list of trails here.

Louvre Museum Practical Information


Timings

Monday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday: 9 AM - 6 PM
Wednesday, Friday: 9 AM - 9:45 PM

The Louvre Museum is closed on Tuesdays and the following holidays: January 1, May 1, December 25.

Getting There

The Louvre Museum is situated in Paris’ 1st Arrondissement, on the right bank of the Seine. You have the following public transport options available to get to the museum:

Metro - The closest metro station to the museum, and the one where our ticket redemption center is located is the Palais-Royal–Musée du Louvre station on Line 1.
Bus - 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81, 95

Entrances

There are three entrances individual ticket holders can use to enter the museum:
1. Pyramid Entrance: This is the main entrance to the Louvre. Look for the sign “avec billet” (with ticket), and get into the line. You will be allowed to enter after a brief security check.
2. Richelieu Passage entrance: This is the closest entrance to the Headout ticket redemption center.
3. Carrousel du Louvre entrance: This entrance is past the underground shopping center, near the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel.

Louvre Museum Map


Tips on Visiting the Louvre Museum



  • The following people get free admission to the Louvre: Those under the age of 18, 18-25 year old residents of the EU, Visitors with disabilities and the person accompanying them, and teachers of art & art history. Find more information on this here.
  • You’ll never have the Louvre Museum all to yourself, but mornings and evenings will be the least crowded hours of the day - try going early in the morning or around 3 PM.
  • Always buy tickets in advance. This way, you can skip the line to purchase tickets, making your wait to enter the museum a short one.
  • Use the Passage Richelieu and Galerie du Carrousel entrances to enter the museum, as these are less crowded than the main Pyramid entrance.
  • Be sure to carry water and wear comfortable shoes. The Louvre is massive, and that involves a lot of walking. You can also borrow walking sticks and foldable chairs from the Museum Centre for free.
Best Safety
Louvre Museum: Skip the Line Tickets
Louvre Museum: Skip the Line Tickets
from
€17
Best Safety
Louvre Museum : Best of Louvre & Mona Lisa Guided Tour
Louvre Museum : Best of Louvre & Mona Lisa Guided ...
from
€54
Free Cancellation
Skip The Line Louvre Tickets with Audioguide
Skip The Line Louvre Tickets with Audioguide
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€43
Best Safety
Louvre Museum : Masterpieces & Royal Palace Guided Tour
Louvre Museum : Masterpieces & Royal Palace Guided...
from
€69
Free Cancellation
Small Group Guided Tour of the Louvre Museum
Small Group Guided Tour of the Louvre Museum
from
€69.95

10 Fun Louvre Museum Facts



  • The Louvre was originally built as a fortress to keep the Vikings out in 1190 AD. In the 16th century, it was converted into a palace.
  • Following the French Revolution, the Louvre was made a museum in 1793.
  • Napoleon expanded the collection of the museum by 5000, and even renamed it the Musée Napoleon. However, after the defeat at Waterloo, the pieces were returned to the original owners.
  • In 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre. The masterpiece was finally recovered two years later in December 1913.
  • During World War II, the Louvre was used by the Nazis as a storeroom to keep stolen art.
  • The glass pyramid was built in the 1980s based on the design of Chinese architect I. M. Pei. He was the first non-French architect to work on the Louvre, which created controversy at the time. However, today, the Louvre pyramid is one of the most iconic landmarks in Paris.
  • It will take 15 acres to house the 380,000 pieces properly.
  • It is the largest art musuem and the most visited museum on earth, with over 10.2 million people visiting it every year.
  • 66% of all artwork displayed inside the museum is made by French artists.
  • You can find a quarter of all Leonardo Da Vinci’s paintings in the Louvre Museum.

Restaurants Near Louvre Museum


Try the best French delicacies in these restaurants only a few minutes walk away from Louvre Museum. Check out more top rated restaurants near the Louvre and plan your visit to the Louvre.

sandwaich
Le Comptoir du Louvre - PAUL

If you are looking to spend some time at the perfect french cafe, look no further than Le Comptoir du Louvre. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner with vegetarian options to also choose from. Their quick service and tasty food have made it a frequently visited place by many tourists.
Must try:Quiche with ham and cheese, sandwiches

pasta
Brasserie du Louvre - Bocuse

The Michelin starred Brasserie du Louvre is a perfect French dining restaurant. The seating is elegant, the food is delicious and the service hospitable. Make sure to reserve a table before you go.
Must try: Gratin pasta, tartar

tandoori
Samsara

Samsara serves Indian and Pakistani food in the heart of Paris, just 500 meters from the Louvre Museum. Whether you are dining in or taking out, the food and service are always top-notch.
Must try: Tandoori chicken boneless, Lamb Curry, Biryani

donut
Golden Spoon

This is a fine dining restaurant located only 11 minutes from the museum. They serve everything from the Mediterranean, Japanese, French, Fusion, and healthy food. The ambiance and service stand out and make every guest visit again.
Must try: Cocktails, Corsican ZucchiniI Donuts

Hotels Near Louvre Museum


Here are a handfull of world-class hotel options located very close to Louvre Museum that you can stay in for the ultimate Parisian experience.

Hotel Verneuil Saint-Germain
Hotel Verneuil Saint-Germain

Hotel Verneuil Saint-Germain is a 17th-century building fully restored and modified into a grand hotel. It is surrounded by antique shops, art galleries, fashion boutiques, and cozy cafes.
Distance from Louvre: 0.6 km

Grand Hotel du Palais Royal
Grand Hotel du Palais Royal

This 5-star hotel is located in the center of Paris, close to the Louvre and the Royal Opera. There are 68 rooms and suites designed elegantly and offering spectacular views of Paris. The hotel includes a Turkish bath, a meeting room, a fitness center, and a spa.
Distance from Louvre: 0.3 km

Hotel du Louvre
Hotel du Louvre

Set in the heart of the Fashion district, Paris, Hotel du Louvre offers the best views and amenities. Make sure you visit the hotel bar and spend some time in their stylish lobby.
Distance from Louvre: 0.2 km

Hotel Les Jardins de la Villa
Hotel Les Jardins de la Villa

Located at a stone’s throw away from the most happening places in Paris, Hotel Les Jardins de la Villa is a 4-star hotel offering large private villas. Each room is created with attention to detail and offers tranquility amidst the bustling city life.
Distance from Louvre: 5.5 km

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