How to Visit the Louvre in Paris: Tips, Tickets & What to See First

The Louvre: The World's Largest Art Museum

With over 35,000 works of art spread across 72,735 square metres, the Louvre Museum is the most visited museum on the planet — welcoming nearly 9 million people every year. Yet most visitors leave feeling overwhelmed rather than enlightened, having spent their entire visit queuing and navigating confusing wings in search of the Mona Lisa.

This guide — written by ElysiaGo's team of Paris-certified, licensed guides — tells you exactly how to make the most of your visit, whether you go independently or join a small-group guided tour.

Best Time to Visit the Louvre

Timing is everything at the Louvre. The museum is open Wednesday to Monday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with late opening until 9:45 PM on Wednesdays and Fridays — a well-kept secret that dramatically reduces crowd levels.

• Best days: Tuesday is closing day. Wednesday and Friday evenings are the least crowded.
• Worst times: Saturday mornings and any afternoon between 11 AM and 3 PM in peak season (June–August).
• Pro tip: Arrive at 9:00 AM sharp via the Richelieu entrance on the Rue de Rivoli — not the glass pyramid — and you'll beat 80% of the crowd.

How to Buy Louvre Tickets and Skip the Line

The biggest mistake tourists make is arriving without a pre-booked ticket. The queues at the pyramid can reach 2 to 3 hours during peak season.

Option 1 — Book Online in Advance

Purchase your timed-entry ticket directly on the official Louvre website. Tickets cost €22 for adults (under 18 is free). Always choose a morning time slot.

Option 2 — Join a Guided Tour with Skip-the-Line Access

A licensed guide doesn't just explain the art — they also grant you priority access through dedicated group entrances, saving you hours. ElysiaGo's Louvre Guided Tour with a Licensed Guide includes skip-the-line entry and a curated two-hour journey through the museum's greatest masterpieces, in groups of maximum 6 people.

The 10 Must-See Works at the Louvre

You cannot see everything — and trying to is a recipe for sensory overload. Focus your visit on these iconic pieces, spread across three wings:

Denon Wing (Ground & First Floor)

1. The Mona Lisa (La Joconde) — Room 711, Salle des États. Arrive early; by mid-morning the room is packed 10 people deep.
2. The Wedding at Cana — Directly opposite the Mona Lisa, yet almost always ignored. It's the largest painting in the Louvre.
3. The Winged Victory of Samothrace — At the top of the Daru staircase. One of antiquity's most breathtaking sculptures.
4. The Venus de Milo — Salle 16, Sully Wing. Carved around 100 BC, her identity and pose remain a mystery.
5. Liberty Leading the People — Delacroix's masterpiece in Room 700.

Richelieu Wing (Upper Floors)

6. Vermeer's The Lacemaker — Small but extraordinary. Find it in Room 837.
7. The Code of Hammurabi — One of the oldest written legal documents in human history, carved in black basalt.
8. Napoleon III Apartments — The most opulent rooms in the building, frozen in 19th-century grandeur.

Sully Wing (Medieval Louvre)

9. The Seated Scribe — An Egyptian masterpiece from 2600 BC, painted limestone that still holds vivid colour.
10. The Moat of the Medieval Louvre — In the basement, you can walk along the original 12th-century moat of the Louvre fortress. Completely free with your ticket and almost always uncrowded.

Practical Tips for Your Louvre Visit

• Wear comfortable shoes. Even a curated 2-hour visit involves several kilometres of walking on stone floors.
• Download the Louvre app before you arrive — the offline map is a lifesaver.
• Eat before or after, not during. The museum's café is overpriced and crowded. The nearby Café Marly has a legendary terrace view of the pyramid.
• Check for temporary exhibitions. These are included with your ticket and are often world-class.
• Photography is allowed everywhere except for temporary exhibitions and a few specific rooms. Flash and tripods are prohibited.

Is a Guided Tour Worth It at the Louvre?

The Louvre's collection spans 9,000 years of human civilisation across 403 rooms. Without context, the most extraordinary objects can appear meaningless. A licensed guide transforms what would be an exhausting visual buffet into a coherent, emotional narrative.

ElysiaGo guides are officially licensed by the French Ministry of Tourism and limit groups to a maximum of 6 people — the legal limit for guided tours inside the museum — ensuring you actually see and hear everything without fighting through crowds.

Our Louvre Guided Tour runs daily and covers the museum's three defining collections: Ancient Egypt, Greek and Roman Antiquity, and French & Italian painting from the Renaissance to the 19th century.

Getting to the Louvre

• Metro: Line 1 or 7, Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre station. Exit directly into the Carrousel du Louvre mall to avoid the main queue.
• By bike or scooter: There are multiple Vélib' stations around the museum perimeter.
• On foot from central Paris: The Tuileries Garden connects the Louvre to Place de la Concorde — a 10-minute walk through one of Paris's most beautiful green spaces.