Museums of Paris: Tips for Visiting the Louvre

Hi, I’m Ana. I have been passionate about visiting museums for many years—exploring new exhibitions, discovering galleries, and learning about art wherever I travel. On this blog, I often share detailed museum guides based on my own experiences.

The Louvre (Musée du Louvre) is one of the most famous museums in the world, right up there with the Uffizi, Prado, the Met, the Hermitage, and the Vatican Museums. It is renowned for its vast collection spanning from antiquity to the 19th century, covering art from Western Europe, Greece, Egypt, the Middle East, and Iran. The museum houses masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Eugène Delacroix, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Johannes Vermeer, Théodore Géricault, and many others. Of course, its most famous painting is Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

The Louvre originally began as a medieval fortress at the end of the 12th century to protect Paris. Remnants of its walls and moat are still visible in the museum’s underground areas. It later became a royal palace and, following the French Revolution, was officially transformed into a public museum. Today, it is one of the most visited museums in the world, welcoming millions of visitors each year.

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The most reliable way to buy tickets is through the official Louvre website, where you can select your date, time slot, and ticket type.

I always recommend booking in advance. In my experience, booking ahead at museums like the Vatican allowed us to completely avoid long queues, and the same worked for the Eiffel Tower. Pre-booking is convenient, saves time, and is particularly important during peak seasons. Ideally, tickets should be booked shortly after securing flights and accommodation.

Ticket prices (as of February 2026):

• Entry for EEA residents: €22
• Entry for non-EEA residents: €32
• Museum Pass holders: free
• Audio guide: €6, available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

Certain visitors are eligible for free admission; the full list is available here. In addition, the Louvre offers free entry on Friday evenings: the museum is open until 21:45, with free access starting at 18:00. On Saturdays, Sundays, and other days, the museum closes at 18:00, and some exhibitions — particularly those farther from the main entrance — stop admitting visitors around 17:30.

The Paris Museum Pass grants access to more than 50 museums and monuments in Paris and the Île-de-France region, including the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Centre Pompidou, Sainte-Chapelle, the Panthéon, and Versailles.

Passes are available for 2, 4, or 6 days, with validity measured in hours from the first visit. Each site may be visited once, using either the paper or electronic pass.

It is important to note that the pass does not automatically guarantee skip-the-line access. For popular museums — especially the Louvre — it is necessary to reserve a time slot on the official website, even when using the pass.

From my perspective, the Louvre alone almost justifies the price of the pass. However, the pass becomes truly cost-effective for those planning an intensive museum itinerary over several days, visiting multiple major museums and monuments.

I recommend the pass if:

• You plan to visit the Louvre plus at least 2–3 other major museums (e.g., Orsay, Orangerie, Pompidou)
• You want to include architectural and historical landmarks (Sainte-Chapelle, Panthéon, Arc de Triomphe)
• You are prepared to visit museums on consecutive days rather than in a relaxed “one museum per day” pace

If your plan includes only the Louvre and perhaps one additional museum, buying individual tickets is usually more economical.

The Louvre’s collection consists of approximately 500,000 objects, but only about one-tenth are on display at any given time. Even so, a complete visit could take several weeks. During my visits, I have found that focusing on the most iconic works allows for a more manageable and memorable experience.

Here is my list of the top 10 must-see paintings at the Louvre:

• Leonardo da Vinci – Mona Lisa. 77 × 53 cm; much smaller than most visitors expect, but incredibly well guarded. Don’t linger too long in the crowd; take a moment to appreciate the details from a respectful distance.
• Eugène Delacroix – Liberty Leading the People. A powerful allegory of revolution and chaos; even if you’re not a fan of history paintings, the energy and composition are unforgettable.
• Jacques-Louis David –  The Coronation of Napoleon. A monumental canvas that literally draws you in; an excellent example of how painting can serve as a political statement.
• Théodore Géricault – The Raft of the Medusa. Emotionally intense and dramatic, depicting real tragedy with incredible realism.
• Jan van Eyck – The Madonna of Chancellor Rolin. A masterpiece of Northern Renaissance detail; notice the minute textures and the serene expressions.
• Johannes Vermeer – The Lacemaker. Small and intimate; a quiet, contemplative work where every detail feels almost alive.
• Raphael – La Belle Jardinière. Classic Italian Renaissance: soft, harmonious, and perfectly proportioned.
• Caravaggio – The Death of the Virgin. Dramatic and earthly; shocking even for contemporaries, with bold realism and lighting.
• Nicolas Poussin – The Rape of the Sabine Women. Frozen movement and chaos in a single frame; a superb example of French classical painting.
• Jacques-Louis David – The Oath of the Horatii. Neoclassical masterpiece: precise composition, intense tension, and the sense of inevitable choice.

• Watch the documentary series “Tresuaries of the Louvre”. This film guides you through the rooms, explain the museum’s history, and introduce the most important works. They provide a solid overview and help you decide which sections to prioritise during your visit.
• Download a museum map and select what interests you most. Seeing everything in one visit is impossible. Accept that you will only see a portion of the collection. Mark specific paintings, rooms, or periods you want to visit in advance; everything else is a bonus. Without a plan, the Louvre can feel like an endless corridor. For a first visit, 2.5 – 4 hours is ideal; after that, concentration drops and the art can blur together.
• Familiarise yourself with key artists and works such as Leonardo da Vinci, Delacroix, Ingres, as well as the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace—even a quick Wikipedia read is valuable.
• Venture off the main routes. Many visitors stick to the “main” paths, but the palace’s basements and less obvious floors often provide the most memorable experiences.
• Use an audio guide or take a professional guided tour to better understand the context of the artworks.
• If you don’t want to book a tour, at least get a guidebook. The Louvre’s books are the best resource for exploring the museum independently. Personally, we used “300 Masterpieces of the Louvre” and the official Louvre guidebook — one gave an overview of the main works, and the other provided detailed information on paintings, rooms, and history.
• Wear comfortable shoes. Even if you don’t plan on walking much, you will. A lot. The Louvre is merciless on unprepared feet.

• One visit — one department. Everything else is unnecessary noise. Experienced visitors are easy to spot: they don’t “go to the Louvre”, they go to a specific wing and a specific floor.
• Intentionally leave the top routes. If you see signs pointing to the “masterpieces”, turn the other way. The less popular the artworks, the higher the chance of being truly alone with something interesting.
• Visit Les Caves du Louvre. If after the museum you want to shift from visual overload to a sensory experience, Les Caves du Louvre is a perfect choice. These historic wine cellars, just a few minutes’ walk from the museum, were once used to store wine for the French court. It’s an ideal way to gently end a museum day when your head is full of paintings and you want a different kind of impression.
• Try a Night Louvre tour. If you have only seen the Louvre during the day, visit it in the evening—it becomes a completely different museum. Evening tours take place during late opening hours, when most crowds have already left, the galleries are quieter, and the space feels almost intimate.
• Join a botanical sketching workshop in the Tuileries Gardens. If you’re looking for a more creative activity after the Louvre, this workshop is a great find. Over 90 minutes, a professional artist teaches how to quickly and beautifully sketch plants, trees, and sculptures right in the heart of Paris, between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde.

The Louvre is located in the very centre of Paris, near the Seine, Palais Royal, and the Tuileries Gardens. The easiest way to reach the museum is by metro. The closest stations are Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre (lines 1 and 7) and Louvre-Rivoli (line 1). In addition, Hop-On Hop-Off buses stop near the Louvre.

The main entrance to the museum is located beneath the famous glass pyramid. Did you know that when the pyramid, designed by I. M. Pei and completed in 1989, was first built, many Parisians disliked it and considered it out of place? Today, it has become one of the city’s most recognisable landmarks.

For visitors with a reservation, there is a separate entrance lane under the pyramid, allowing you to pass security almost immediately and bypass the main queue. In most cases, the entire process takes no more than five minutes. This entrance is used by all visitors—those with pre-purchased tickets, Paris Museum Pass holders, and those planning to buy tickets on-site. It is also the most convenient option for visitors with reduced mobility. A special lift is available for wheelchair users. If you already have a ticket, this entrance is generally the fastest and most practical choice.

An alternative entrance is through the Carrousel du Louvre. It is often less crowded and helps avoid long outdoor queues near the pyramid.

The Richelieu entrance is primarily intended for group tours, museum activities, and special events. It closes after 17:30, and after 19:30 on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Another option is Porte des Lions, which is accessible only to visitors who already have a ticket, as there are no ticket offices there. This entrance closes daily at 18:00, with the last entry at 17:00. Audio guides are not distributed at this entrance, and the cloakroom operates only until 17:00. Porte des Lions is most commonly used when visiting specific sections of the museum, such as the Eastern antiquities and sculptures.

Museum address: Musée du Louvre, Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, France.

Visiting the Louvre can feel overwhelming — but it doesn’t have to be. In this guide, I’ve shared how to buy tickets wisely, when free entry is possible, whether the Paris Museum Pass makes sense, which masterpieces to prioritise, how to avoid crowds, and even how to experience the Louvre differently if you’ve already been there before.

Whether this is your very first visit or your fifth, the Louvre rewards those who come prepared, curious, and open to slowing down. You don’t need to see everything. Choose what truly speaks to you, allow space for discovery, and let the museum unfold at your own pace. With the right approach, the Louvre stops being just a famous attraction — and becomes a deeply personal experience you’ll remember long after you leave Paris.