Visiting the Louvre: tickets, opening hours and suggested routes

Visiting the Louvre requires booking a time slot: the entry ticket costs €22 for residents and nationals of the European Economic Area (EEA) and €32 for other visitors, and it is free for under-18s. The museum is closed on Tuesdays, open until 9 pm on Wednesdays and Fridays, and only tickets bought online guarantee entry, according to the museum.

This guide gathers the official rules recorded on louvre.fr on 15 October 2026, two routes (2 hours and half a day) and a cross-table of the opening days of the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay so you can see both on the same day. For the rest of the city, see our guide to visiting Paris.

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Louvre tickets: official or resellers?

The official ticket office is ticket.louvre.fr. The museum publishes a fraud alert: beware of « skip-the-line » tickets, mirror sites and unauthorized street sellers, which risk a refusal of entry. There is no reduced rate for admission: the price is single and gives access to the permanent collections, to the temporary exhibitions and, on the same day or the next opening day, to the Musée national Eugène-Delacroix.

Visitor	Price recorded on 15 October 2026
Residents or nationals of France / the EEA	€22
Visitors from outside the EEA (including the US and UK)	€32
Under 18 (all nationalities)	Free
18–25-year-olds who are residents or nationals of the EEA (US and UK visitors do not qualify)	Free
Visitor with a disability and one companion	Free
Everyone, on the 1st Friday of the month after 6 pm (except July–August) and on 14 July	Free

The ticket is non-changeable, non-exchangeable and non-refundable, valid only on the date and slot chosen, and any exit is final. Paris Museum Pass holders enter free but, like everyone, are encouraged to book a slot. Not to be confused with the Go City Paris Pass: our Paris Pass page compares the two.

Day	Museum hours
Monday	9 am – 6 pm
Tuesday	Closed
Wednesday	9 am – 9 pm
Thursday	9 am – 6 pm
Friday	9 am – 9 pm
Saturday	9 am – 6 pm
Sunday	9 am – 6 pm

Beware of closed rooms: the museum is carrying out major works and publishes an up-to-date room opening plan. On 15 October 2026, several areas were closed (including the Campana gallery of Greek antiquities, the Roman antiquities, the Arts of Islam and the Napoleon III apartments). On Wednesdays and Fridays before 10:30 am, the second-floor rooms are not open. Check the « Collection access days » page the day before your visit.

Best time to visit the Louvre

The Louvre does not publish a crowd level by month, so we do not give one. Two official rules help you choose: the Wednesday and Friday late openings (until 9 pm) and the free first Friday of the month after 6 pm (except July–August). The museum also states that on-site purchase is only possible when it is quiet: during school holiday periods, book ahead.

Our Louvre + Orsay cross-table: the two museums do not share the same closing day or the same late openings. Here are the possible combinations in one day (official hours recorded on 15 October 2026):

Day	Louvre	Orsay	Both on the same day?
Monday	9 am – 6 pm	Closed	❌ No
Tuesday	Closed	9:30 am – 6 pm	❌ No
Wednesday	9 am – 9 pm	9:30 am – 6 pm	✅ Orsay in the morning, Louvre in the afternoon and evening
Thursday	9 am – 6 pm	9:30 am – 9:45 pm	✅ Louvre in the morning, Orsay in the afternoon and at the late opening
Friday	9 am – 9 pm	9:30 am – 6 pm	✅ Orsay in the morning, Louvre at the late opening
Saturday	9 am – 6 pm	9:30 am – 6 pm	⚠️ Possible but short
Sunday	9 am – 6 pm	9:30 am – 6 pm	⚠️ Possible but short; Orsay free on the 1st Sunday (booking mandatory)

Weather matters little for a museum visit, but it affects the wait outside in front of the Pyramid: Paris normals and our month-by-month view are in our Paris guide.

Suggested routes: 2 hours or half a day

The museum offers online routes, including « Masterpieces of the Louvre » in 1.5 hours and « Discovering the Richelieu wing » in 1 hour. Some works may be absent (loan, restoration): the museum then advises moving on to the next stop.

• In 2 hours: the official Masterpieces route, first checking the day’s room opening plan;
• In half a day: the Masterpieces route, then a department open that day (for example the Egyptian antiquities of the thematic route or the Galerie d’Apollon, open on 15 October 2026);
• At a late opening: arrive before the last admission (8 pm); the second floor opens at 10:30 am on Wednesdays and Fridays, so it is accessible in the evening.

Getting to the Louvre

• Metro 1 and 7: Palais-Royal – Musée du Louvre; metro 14: Pyramides;
• Bus: 21, 27, 39, 67, 68, 69, 72, 74, 85, 95;
• Entrances: the Pyramid is the main entrance (dedicated queue for timed tickets); the Carrousel gallery (99, rue de Rivoli) and the Porte des Lions are open to visitors with a ticket;
• Batobus (river shuttle): Louvre stop, quai François-Mitterrand.

Accessibility, luggage and visitor rules

At the Pyramid, the elevator (« the tube ») is reserved for people with reduced mobility, wheelchairs and strollers, and a blue priority queue is provided for visitors with disabilities. The museum lends wheelchairs, canes and folding stools, and provides self-service mobile seats in the galleries. Luggage larger than 55 × 35 × 20 cm (21.7 × 13.8 × 7.9 in) is not accepted; cloakrooms are free but items must be collected the same day. Photos and videos are allowed in the permanent collections, but without flash or selfie sticks.

On-site services: audio guide, cloakrooms, restaurants

The museum provides information points under the Pyramid, where the museum map is handed out free (it can also be downloaded from louvre.fr), cloakrooms and lockers, equipment loans, restrooms and free Wi-Fi.

• Audio guide: €6 to rent, in 9 languages (French, English, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Japanese); it can also be rented at the desks on the day of your visit, subject to available devices;
• Restaurants and cafés: brasseries, cafés and takeaway are spread around the museum and its gardens; the free Tuileries garden is good for an open-air break;
• Closed rooms: some rooms close on weekdays for maintenance; check the room closure plan on louvre.fr before you come, or call +33 1 40 20 53 17 on the day;
• Families: admission is free for under-18s and for EEA residents under 26; guided tours and workshops for children are scheduled, notably during school holidays.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Coming on a Tuesday: the museum is closed;
• Buying a « skip-the-line » ticket or one on a mirror site: the museum warns of a risk of refused entry;
• Forgetting proof for free admission (photo ID with date of birth for under-18s);
• Stepping out for lunch: any exit is final;
• Arriving late in the day: last admission is 1 hour before closing;
• Not checking the room opening plan: some wings are closed for works.

What to see nearby

The free Tuileries garden extends the Louvre toward the Place de la Concorde. Across the Seine, the Musée d’Orsay completes the visit with 19th-century painting. The Eiffel Tower can be reached on foot along the quays, and the Palace of Versailles needs a day of its own. The full program is in our guide to visiting Paris.

Frequently asked questions

Our sources

• louvre.fr: Hours & prices, F.A.Q., Map, access & transport, Collection access days, Visitor rules, Accessibility, Visit routes — consulted on 15 October 2026
• musee-orsay.fr: Visit (hours) and Prices — consulted on 15 October 2026 (cross-table)
• louvre.fr, « Visit » pages (on-site services, audio guide, room closure plan) and home page — consulted on 16 October 2026
• Our methodology

Updated November 2026.