MUSÉE DU LOUVRE · PARIS

The Complete Louvre Guide 2026

Tickets & booking See the 10 highlights
HOURS
Mon, Thu, Sat, Sun 09:00–18:00
CLOSED
Tuesdays, Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25
TIME NEEDED
3–5 hours
LOCATION
Right Bank, 1st arrondissement

What visitors ask before going to the Louvre

Practical basics, tickets, booking and route — everything you need before the visit, in order.

01 Opening hours
Open Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, 09:00–18:00, with late opening until 21:45 on Wednesdays and Fridays. Closed Tuesdays, January 1, May 1 and December 25.
02 Best time to visit
Right at opening (9:00) on a weekday, or Wednesday/Friday evening after 18:00 — a later alternative to the usual closing time.
03 Location
On the Right Bank in the 1st arrondissement, between the Seine and the Tuileries Garden — a short walk from the Musée d'Orsay across the river.
04 How long to stay
Most visitors spend 3–5 hours. A focused 4-hour route through the must-see masterpieces is the most rewarding way to see the museum without exhausting yourself.
05 Getting there
Metro Line 1 or 7 to Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre stops directly at the museum. RER A (Châtelet – Les Halles) is a 10-minute walk.
06 Facilities & accessibility
Wheelchair access and accessibility services are available at the museum — check official Louvre accessibility information for full details.
Read the full guides

Louvre tickets & prices

€32 per adult (non-EU visitors), free for under-18s, EU residents under 26, and disabled visitors plus one companion. Always book online in advance.

Read the full guide →

All 25 must-see artworks

Every must-see work in the Louvre with the exact room it hangs in — not just the 10 highlights above.

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Mona Lisa: exact location & crowds

Where it is, when to go, and what the experience is actually like — before you get there.

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Guided tour vs. audio guide

Both get you expert commentary in front of the art. Here's how cost, pace and coverage compare.

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Museum Pass & guided tours

The Louvre changed how group guided tours work — what your Museum Pass or regular ticket still gets you.

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2026 ticket price changes

Since January 14, 2026, a standard ticket costs more than it used to — what changed and who it affects.

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Highlights — the 10 must-see works

Every work on this list is from MuseCat's verified must-see selection, with the exact room it hangs in.

Mona Lisa — Leonardo da Vinci
LEONARDO DA VINCI

Mona Lisa

Denon Wing, Room 711
Winged Victory of Samothrace — Hellenistic Greek
HELLENISTIC GREEK

Winged Victory of Samothrace

Denon Wing, Daru Staircase
Venus de Milo — Ancient Greek
ANCIENT GREEK

Venus de Milo

Sully Wing, Room 345
Liberty Leading the People — Eugène Delacroix
EUGÈNE DELACROIX

Liberty Leading the People

Denon Wing, Room 700
The Coronation of Napoleon — Jacques-Louis David
JACQUES-LOUIS DAVID

The Coronation of Napoleon

Denon Wing, Room 702
The Raft of the Medusa — Théodore Géricault
THÉODORE GÉRICAULT

The Raft of the Medusa

Denon Wing, Room 700
Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss — Antonio Canova
ANTONIO CANOVA

Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss

Denon Wing, Room 403
The Wedding Feast at Cana — Paolo Veronese
PAOLO VERONESE

The Wedding Feast at Cana

Denon Wing, Room 711
The Seated Scribe — Ancient Egyptian
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN

The Seated Scribe

Sully Wing, Room 635
Code of Hammurabi — Babylonian
BABYLONIAN

Code of Hammurabi

Richelieu Wing, Room 227
Hear these works on the audio guide
AUDIO GUIDE

Don't walk past the paintings you came for

Hear the background and what to look for while standing in front of the work. Pick only the pieces you want and go at your own pace.

Explore the Louvre self-guided tour

Practical tips

Small things that save time once you are there.

You'll walk several kilometers on marble floors — comfortable shoes make a real difference.

Wi-Fi inside the museum is unreliable, so downloading the Louvre app's offline map before you go is worth doing.

Many visitors find that trying to cover all three wings in one visit is exhausting — focusing on Denon for the highlights, then adding Richelieu if time allows, works better.

Some rooms are only reachable by stairs, not escalators — and the staircases themselves are part of the building.

Food inside the museum is expensive; there’s a café in the Richelieu Wing if you need one.

Keep your ticket after you leave — same-day re-entry is allowed if you step out for lunch.

Nearby

Things to see and do nearby once you are done.

Musée d'Orsay
Musée d'Orsay ≈15-minute walk across the Seine

The world’s greatest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting, in a converted railway station.

Musée de l’Orangerie
Musée de l’Orangerie ≈10-minute walk through the Tuileries

Monet’s Water Lilies in two oval rooms lit only by daylight, at the edge of the Tuileries Garden.

Notre-Dame Cathedral Uoaei1 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Notre-Dame Cathedral ≈20-minute walk

Paris’s Gothic cathedral on the Île de la Cité, along the Seine from the Louvre.

Frequently asked questions

How much is admission to the Louvre?

€32 per adult (non-EU visitors). Free for under-18s, EU residents under 26, disabled visitors and one companion. Always book online in advance — queues at the door can be very long.

Do I have to book in advance?

Yes — online booking is strongly recommended, especially in summer, since queues at the pyramid entrance can be very long.

Which works should I not miss?

The Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and Winged Victory of Samothrace are the three most-visited works. The 25 highlights above set the full priorities.

How long does a visit take?

Most visitors spend 3–5 hours. A focused 4-hour route through the must-see masterpieces is the most rewarding way to see the museum without exhausting yourself.

Do I need an audio guide?

If you want the background and viewing points, an audio guide you can listen to in front of the work helps.