How to Visit the Louvre Without Losing Your Mind: A Practical Guide
Everything you need to know before you go — tickets, entrances, hours, audio guides, food, and more.
Tickets | Hours | How Long to Spend There | Entrances | Audio Guides | Food & Drink | Other
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The Musée du Louvre is one of the greatest museums on earth (and the largest). It is also, depending on how you approach it, one of the most overwhelming experiences in travel. Nearly 9 miles of gallery space, tens of thousands of works, crowds that can stretch security lines by over an hour, and enough wings and levels to leave you genuinely lost for 20 minutes just trying to find a bathroom.
The good news: most of the chaos is avoidable with a little planning. This guide covers everything you need to know before you arrive so you can spend your time looking at art instead of figuring out logistics.
Tickets
Book timed entry tickets in advance. The Louvre sells, and walk-up availability is not guaranteed. This is not a museum where you show up and wing it.
Watch out for third-party sites and street vendors selling fake tickets. Buy directly from the official Louvre website only.
Admission is free for all visitors on the first Friday of each month after 6pm, except in July and August. Book in advance even for free entry, as spots fill up fast. It is also free for all visitors on July 14th (Bastille Day).
Tickets are €22 for EEA residents and €32 for non-EEA visitors as of 2026. Under 18s enter free. Check the Louvre website for the full list of admission categories.
Any exit is final. Think through everything you want to see before leaving a wing, because you cannot re-enter.
First-time visitor tip: a guided tour* is absolutely worth it. You skip the general entrance line, enter through the priority Richelieu entrance, and actually understand what you're looking at instead of wandering 9 miles of galleries hoping to stumble on the highlights.
Hours
Open 6 days a week: Monday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday from 9am-6pm. Open Wednesday and Friday from 9am-9pm. Check the Louvre website for latest info.
Closed Tuesdays.
Wednesday and Friday evenings are the best time to visit, with longer hours, thinner crowds, and a different atmosphere entirely.
Last entry is one hour before closing, and rooms begin clearing 30 minutes before close. Factor this into your timing.
The Louvre is closed on January 1st, May 1st, and December 25th.
How long to spend there
A first visit realistically needs a full day. 5 to 7 hours is a reasonable target, and you will still only scratch the surface.
If you only have 2 to 3 hours, pick one wing and one level and go deep rather than rushing across the whole museum. Trying to see everything is a recipe for leaving exhausted and having retained nothing.
Build breaks into your day to eat at one of the restaurants or sit and rest. Your feet will remind you if you don't.
Wear comfortable shoes, as you’ll be walking through a very large maze.
Not sure where to start? I put together this list of 19 specific works worth finding (with exact wing and level locations) so you can walk in with a plan.
Entrances
This matters more than most people realize. The entrance you choose can be the difference between a 5-minute wait and a 90-minute one.
Glass Pyramid: The main entrance, open to all visitors. The most iconic way to arrive, but consistently has the longest lines. Without a pre-booked ticket, wait times can stretch 30 to 90 minutes, especially during peak hours. If you're using this entrance, arrive right at opening.
Carrousel du Louvre (99 Rue de Rivoli): This underground entrance is accessible directly from the Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre metro station. It generally has significantly shorter lines than the Pyramid and is protected from weather. This is the best option for most individual visitors with a pre-booked ticket. Particularly efficient during peak Pyramid hours between 11am and 2pm.
Passage Richelieu: This is reserved for guided groups of up to 6 people with a licensed guide, or visitors with specific membership cards. Shortest wait times of all entrances, but eligibility is strict and checked at the door.
Porte des Lions (Quai François Mitterrand): Open to ticket holders, closes at 6pm daily, and is not always open without prior notice. It’s often very quiet when it is open, but check the Louvre website before counting on it. No coatroom is available at this entrance, so leave large bags behind.
General rule: for most visitors, the Carrousel entrance is the smartest choice. Skip the Pyramid unless you want the photo.
Audio guides
Audio guides are available to rent on-site for €6 in French, English, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
They can only be rented on the day of your visit at the distribution counters beneath the Pyramid. You cannot pre-book online.
Food and drink
Eat before you arrive if you can. The museum has lots of cafes and a full restaurant, but lines for food during peak hours of 12pm-2pm add significant time to your day and take you away from seeing the amazing art.
If you want a serious meal, Café Marly or Bistrot Benoit are the moves. For a quick break with a great view, Café Mollien or Café Richelieu Angelina win.
Museum food is more expensive than eating outside, so factor this into your budget.
Bring a water bottle. The galleries are enormous and there is a lot of walking.
Other things worth knowing
Free lockers are available inside the museum. All bags must be left open during your visit, and bags or suitcases larger than 55x35x20cm are not permitted inside. Leave the big backpack at the hotel.
Museum maps are available in 9 languages at the information desks near the entrance.
Some rooms close periodically for renovation without much advance notice. Check the Louvre website for open rooms.
All entrances are wheelchair accessible. The Pyramid entrance has a dedicated lift for visitors with disabilities and visitors with strollers.
Some links on this page marked with * are affiliate links. I earn a small commission if you purchase at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use. Thank you for supporting Traveling Berri!
