Tips for Visiting the Louvre: get in quickly and avoid the lines

The Louvre is the most famous and most visited museum in Paris and the world. Unfortunately, its popularity means that it’s almost impossible to escape waiting in long entry lines. Sometimes it takes hours to get in the door! If you want to get inside the Louvre quickly and not spend half your day in line, take our advice.

The Louvre box offices no longer sell tickets to the museum. You can only buy them online and they sell out 1-2 weeks before your visit. You can buy tickets for the date of your choice here.

Louvre tickets

Previously, we recommended buying a ticket to the Louvre in advance to avoid standing in line at the ticket office. But from January 2020, to visit the museum you must book your visit online, i.e. buy a ticket for a specific date and time.

Another option is to book a separate tour. Free entrance is also included on discount tourist cards in Paris (Paris City Card and Museum Pass).

We suggest you buy tickets right here. Just choose a date and time:

How to use a ticket?

Pick a good date, time and number of tickets. We accept Visa and Mastercard.

• You ticket will arrive within 24 hours in your email. It usually only takes 15 minutes, but sometimes there are delays due to time zones and holidays.
• Print out your ticket or download it on your smartphone.
• Show your ticket at the entrance.
• Download the audioguide for the Louvre in advance here.

Entrance for children up to 18 years old is free, but you need to book this free ticket.

Louvre audioguides

We have prepared a tour of the world’s most famous museum. You’ll be able to see all the main pieces in just two hours. You can learn about Leonardo da Vinci and Venus de Milo, Raphael and Michelangelo, all without getting too tired. How did Venus lose her arms, why does Liberty have her breast uncovered, what kind of complexes did Freud find in Leonardo, was Dan Brown right, and where in the museum can you hunt foxes? We will tell you the history of the Louvre and show you how the palace looked in the days of the monarchy. Do you just want a selfie with Mona Lisa, or do you want to learn some interesting history? Download it if you do!

What’s the best time to go to the Louvre?

Unlike the Eiffel Tower, it’s best to visit the Louvre in the morning. If you go early enough, you can easily get into the glass pyramid (great place for a photo!) and then go into the underground part. Other than that, you’ll have enough time to see everything. You can stay inside the museum for a whole day.

If you don’t like to get up early, then buy a ticket to the Louvre for the afternoon, for 3:00 or 4:00 pm. There won’t be much time, but enough to see the main things. Don’t forget to take our audioguide. With it, you’ll quickly see all the main things in two hours.

Free entrance to the Louvre

Beginning in January 2019, the museum is open free to all visitors on the first Saturday of each month, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. You can visit the Denon and Sully wings freely.

Entrance is free on 14 of july, national holyday of France.

» See more – What do I need to see in the Louvre: paintings and other masterpieces

Entrances other than the pyramid

The main entrance to the Louvre is through a glass pyramid. It decorates the entrance to the underground space with cashiers, checkrooms and other things. The pyramid was built specifically to facilitate access to the Louvre for tourists. From the underground hall you can quickly get to any section of the museum.

The pyramid isn’t the only entrance to the museum. It’s the most famous and most remembered by tourists, but there are other entrances as well, and they often have much shorter lines. You can get into the Louvre through the mall Carrousel du Louvre, one level above the museum’s ticket booths. Across from the upside-down pyramid you’ll find entrances to the Louvre.

There’s another entrance to Carrousel across from metro station Palais Royal. You can also get into Carrousel by going down from Tuileries Garden. On the square in front of the Carrousel’s arch (on the left and right of the Arch), you will see two inconspicuous underground entrances.

Book a hotel near the Louvre Museum 

The Louvre is of course the most famous museum in Paris, but it’s not the only one, and you can find some information about other museums here.

Have a nice visit to the Louvre!