Louvre Museum guide
Here is a complete guide to the Louvre Museum so you can plan your visit as well as possible. A visit to the Louvre Museum is definitely the must-do in Paris. In the museum, you will discover and appreciate great works of art. The Louvre represents a great part of the city's tourist offer.
Plan your visit
Get all the information you need to organize your visit. Choose the most suitable day and time to avoid the crowd and the best route to reach the museum easily. Don't forget to book your tickets in advance to avoid waiting too long in line. More than 40,000 works of art are displayed at the Louvre. It used to be one of the French Kings residences and is now one of the most visited museums, holding one of the richest art collections in the city of Paris.
Tickets
Book your ticket to the Louvre Museum before your visit to avoid standing in line. You can also get a reserved access to the museum's collections or a ticket combining a visit to the Louvre Museum with a cruise on the Seine or a visit to Notre Dame Cathedral.
Opening hours
The Louvre is open to the public from 9AM to 6PM every day except on Tuesdays. You can also discover the works of art in the Louvre by night. The opening hours of the Louvre Museum make it possible for you to visit it at any time of the day, in the morning or during lunchtime.
When is the best time to visit the Louvre Museum?
It is good to know that the Louvre Museum is more crowded on weekends or during school holidays for example. If possible, plan your visit early in the morning and on weekdays to avoid crowds and enjoy the museum and its works of art as you should.
Visiting time
With over 40,000 works on display, it would take days to see everything in the Louvre. To admire some of the treasures the museum holds, you should give yourself two hours and a half. Four hours would be perfect to tour the different rooms and discover the rare works of art.
Address / Access
If you need to know the Louvre Museum address, it is located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris and is easily accessible on foot or by public transport. If you wish to go there by car, you will need to park in the underground pay car park located under the Louvre carrousel.
Map of the Louvre
To plan your visit and discover the works of art that you are interested in, take a look at the map of the Louvre. The main entrance is located at the level of the Pyramid. Each gallery, wing and level has rooms where the different departments are represented and where works of art are classified according to their period and type.
Visiting the Louvre with your family
Discover the works of art in the Louvre as a family with your children. The museum organizes workshops and themed tours to encourage the youngest to take an interest in art.
Louvre by night
Every Wednesday and Friday, the Louvre opens its doors for evening events. The museum is open until 9:45PM. At night you will enjoy a particular atmosphere when the museum is much less crowded than during the day.
Exhibitions
The Louvre Museum offers public and permanent exhibitions as well as temporary exhibitions that you can access to with the same admission ticket.
The must-dos and must-sees
The beauty of its architecture and its great number of famous works of art are two reasons why you should visit the Louvre Museum.
Departments of the Louvre
The collections of the Louvre Museum are divided into different departments. From ancient civilizations to Islamic art, including sculptures and decorative art, discover some of the world's best-known works of art.
- The Collections
- Egyptian Department
- Department of Islamic Art
- Department of Oriental Antiquities
- Greek Antiquities Department
- Department of decorative art
- Sculpture Department
- Paintings Department
The Museum
Beyond the spectacular works of art it houses, the museum is a monument in itself with an historical setting. From the auditorium to the Cour Napoléon, via the shop, the garden and the carousel, discover the different areas open to the public. You can even take a virtual tour of the premises.
- The carrousel of the Louvre
- The garden
- The auditorium
- The Napoleon court
- The shop
- Virtual tour
Exporting the Louvre
In order to open up to a wider public, the Louvre Museum family is expanding with the Louvre of Lens and the Louvre of Abu Dhabi. Some works of art that where located in Paris can now be admired throughout the world. Both museums also display works from their own collections the oldest of which date back from the Antiquities.
The Louvre as a subject of inspiration
Both fascinating and intriguing, the Louvre Museum houses historical works. This French history monument hides many secrets and has been a source of inspiration for Dan Brown, the author of the famous novel The Da Vinci Code. To find out more about some of the Louvre works, the “L'œuvre en scène” lecture (Works on stage lecture) unveils the secrets behind paintings, sculptures and decorative art objects from the museum.
- Louvre works of art in The Da Vinci Code
- The work on stage lecture
The major works
The Louvre Museum houses world-renowned masterpieces that neophytes and amateurs alike can appreciate. Here is a selection of the top masterpieces in the Louvre.
- The must-see paintings in the Louvre
- The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci
- The Egyptian Mummy
- Veronese's Wedding at Cana
- The Lacemaker by Johannes de Vermeer
- The birds of Braque
- Gabrielle d'Estrées and one of her sisters
- The raft of the Medusa by Géricault
- Ingres Turkish Bath
- Samothrace's victory
- Noli me tangere by Angelo del Cosimo
- Leonardo da Vinci's The Virgin, Saint Anne and the Child Jesus
- The Venus de Milo
- Leonardo da Vinci's Madonna of the Rocks
- The death of the Virgin of Caravaggio
- Liberty guiding the people by Eugène Delacroix
- Diane the Houdon Huntress
History and culture
Before it became a world-famous museum, the Louvre was a palace and also used to be a fortress, a castle and a residence for nobles, intellectuals and artists. The Louvre museum’s architecture and its famous transparent pyramid have become a true Paris symbol. Over the years, the museum has never ceased to attract covetousness and develop its collection.
