Louvre Museum Tickets and How to Skip the Lines

Louvre museum tickets cost EUR 32 for adults from outside the European Economic Area, which includes visitors from India. Under-18s go free. The museum opens from 9am to 6pm, stays open until 9pm on Wednesdays and Fridays, and closes every Tuesday. The surest way to skip the worst of the queue is to book a timed slot on the Louvre’s own ticket site before you travel.

Louvre ticket prices

The Louvre charges different prices to European and non-European visitors. This is what the official admission page lists:

A ticket covers the permanent collections and the temporary exhibitions. It also gets you into the small Musée national Eugène-Delacroix the same day or the next day.

The museum is also free for all visitors on the first Friday of every month after 6pm, except in July and August, and on 14 July. Expect these free evenings to be busy.

Opening hours

Last entry is one hour before closing, and rooms start clearing 30 minutes before closing. The Louvre closes on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December, and stays open on other public holidays unless they fall on a Tuesday. The Cour Napoléon courtyard, where the pyramid stands, is open from 7:30am to 9pm.

How to book on the official website

Buy only at ticket.louvre.fr. The museum says time-slot bookings are recommended for every visitor, including people who go in free, and its warnings about copycat sites are worth taking seriously. Many third-party pages look official and charge much more.

1. Open ticket.louvre.fr and pick your date and time slot.
2. Choose the non-EEA rate for adults and add free tickets for children under 18.
3. Pay by card and keep the e-ticket on your phone, with a screenshot in case the signal is weak.
4. Arrive at your slot time. Security checks still apply, so leave a few minutes.

During very busy periods the Louvre can make reservations compulsory for everyone. It did so from 17 October to 1 November 2026. Check the website a week before your visit.

Skipping the lines

There is no true skip-the-line ticket at the Louvre. Everyone, including tour groups, goes through security. What a timed ticket does is let you skip the ticket queue and enter at a set time. To cut your waiting further:

• Book the first slot of the day, or an evening slot on Wednesday or Friday, when crowds thin out.
• Do not come on a Monday after the Tuesday closure, or on a Sunday, without a booking.
• Travel light. Large bags slow security and have to go to the cloakroom.
• Check the Louvre’s entrance map on the official site before you go. Besides the pyramid, there is an underground entrance through the Galerie du Carrousel, which connects to the car park, and the access rules for each entrance can change.
• Take the metro to Palais-Royal / Musée du Louvre (lines 1 and 7) or Pyramides (line 14).

Using the Paris Museum Pass

The Louvre is included in the Paris Museum Pass, which runs for 2, 4 or 6 consecutive days from your first visit. The pass site is clear that only a reserved time slot guarantees entry to the Louvre with the pass. Book that free slot on the Louvre ticket site under the pass holder option. Without it, you may have to queue on the day, and on very busy days you may not get in at all.

The pass makes sense if you will visit four or more of its sites, such as the Arc de Triomphe, Musée d’Orsay and Versailles. If the Louvre is your only big museum, a single ticket is simpler.

What to see in a short visit

The Louvre is huge, so pick a route. Most first visits focus on three famous works:

• The Mona Lisa, in the Denon wing, where the crowd is thickest. Go early or late, and do not expect to stand close for long.
• The Winged Victory of Samothrace, at the top of a grand staircase.
• The Venus de Milo, in the Greek antiquities rooms.

After that, follow what interests you. The Egyptian antiquities, the French and Italian painting galleries and the Napoleon III apartments are popular choices. Allow three to four hours for a first visit.

Fitting the Louvre into a Paris trip

Pair the Louvre with a walk through the Tuileries Garden, which is free, and on to the Champs-Élysées. Our Paris itinerary for 3 days shows how to plan around the Tuesday closure, and our list of things to do in Paris covers the rest of the city. Planning the Eiffel Tower on the same trip? See Eiffel Tower tickets for prices and booking tips.

FAQ

How much are Louvre museum tickets?

EUR 32 for adults from outside the EEA, including Indian visitors, and EUR 22 for EEA adults. Under-18s go free.

What is the official website for Louvre museum tickets?

ticket.louvre.fr, linked from louvre.fr. Avoid other sites that copy its look.

Can I buy Louvre tickets at the museum?

Tickets may be available on the day, but the museum recommends booking a time slot, and in busy periods booking can be compulsory. Booking online is the safer choice.

Is there a skip-the-line Louvre ticket?

Not in the sense of avoiding security. A timed ticket lets you skip the ticket queue and enter at your booked time.

Is the Louvre open on Tuesday?

No. The Louvre is closed every Tuesday.

Are Louvre Abu Dhabi tickets the same?

No. Louvre Abu Dhabi is a separate museum in the UAE with its own tickets.

Official resources: Louvre hours and admission; Louvre map, entrances and directions; Paris Museum Pass: Louvre

Photo credits

Featured image: Benh LIEU SONG (Flickr) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; Opening hours: Wellidontcare / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; Skipping the lines: Sn-wp78 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; Using the Paris Museum Pass: Nischay Mohan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0; What to see in a short visit: Julian Lupyan / Wikimedia Commons, CC0; What to see in a short visit: Erik Drost / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0; What to see in a short visit: Shonagon / Wikimedia Commons, CC0; Fitting the Louvre into a Paris trip: Wilfredor / Wikimedia Commons, CC0.