What’s the number-one mistake tourists make when visiting the Louvre?

Showing up without a plan.

The Louvre in Paris is the largest museum in the world (measured by the area of its exhibition halls), with 403 rooms and 8.5 miles of corridors.¹ It’s also the world’s most visited museum, with close to 9 million guests per year.²

The upshot: If you go with only a vague idea of “seeing the best things in the Louvre,” you’ll waste a lot of time waiting in lines, fighting crowds, and getting lost. Try our tips for planning your trip, and don’t forget your travel insurance! It’s essential for protecting your nonrefundable, prepaid expenses—including museum tickets—on your trip to France.

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1. First, figure out if the Louvre’s really worth visiting (for you).

Visitors to Paris often assume they have to see the Louvre, along with the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. The truth: You don’t.

The Louvre is a must-see for people who enjoy European and global art from ancient times through the Renaissance. If you like the Impressionists, go to the Musée d’Orsay instead. If modern art is more your thing, explore the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris. If you’re not much of an art enthusiast, spend your time doing something else.  

2. Know the best days to visit the Louvre.

The Louvre is open every day of the week except Tuesday, usually from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Wednesdays and Fridays, the museum stays open until 9 p.m. It closes for only three holidays: Christmas, New Year's Day and May Day (May 1). Before you go, check the Louvre Museum's admissions page to make sure the galleries aren't closing early for a special occasion.

Don't go on the first Friday of the month after 6 p.m., or the first Sunday of the month from October to March, when admission is free. The Louvre generally tends to be crowded on weekends and on Mondays, when the Musée d'Orsay is closed. Wednesday afternoons, when local kids are out of school, also get hectic.

Is it better to go to the Louvre in the morning or afternoon? Surprisingly, getting there early is not a winning strategy. Instead of attempting to beat the rush in the morning, aim for an afternoon visit on Thursday or Friday, or go in the evening on Wednesday or Friday.

3. Always buy your Louvre tickets in advance.

Many visitors wonder: Can you just turn up at the Louvre and get in? You might get lucky... but there’s a good chance you’ll be turned away. The museum limits admissions to 30,000 people per day, and during some periods reservations are required.

A better strategy for visiting the Louvre: Buy tickets well in advance from the museum’s official site. The Louvre warns visitors not to get tricked by lookalike sites or hustlers: “Do not purchase any tickets that supposedly allow you to jump the queue, and never buy your tickets from illicit street vendors.”

You can get free admission to the Louvre if:

• You’re under the age of 18, or if you’re an 18-25 year-old resident of the European Economic Area (EU, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein)
• You’re a teacher of art, art history, or the applied arts (proof of subject taught required)
• You’re an artist affiliated with the Maison des Artistes (in France) or the IAA (International Association of Art)
• You have a valid ICOM or ICOMOS membership card
• You’re unemployed or on income support (proof required)
• You have a disability, or you’re accompanying a person with a disability (documentation required)

You still need to book a time slot in advance, even if you qualify for free admission.

Is the Louvre included in the Paris Museum Pass? Yes and no. If you have one of these passes, which gives you access to more than 50 sites for one price, you may be able to use it to get into the Louvre. Only a limited number of slots are available for pass holders each day, however.

4. Prepare for your visit—mentally and physically.

Eat and drink before you arrive, advises travel writer Elaine Sciolino, because the cafés within the Louvre aren’t that great. “Travel light, with a small backpack or the smallest handbag possible; leave the guidebook, the sketchbook, and the water bottle home,” she says.[iii] Comfortable footwear is a must. Make sure your shoes have a good tread, as some Louvre stairways can be slippery.

Most importantly, don’t go to the Louvre when you’re stressed, tired, or in a bad mood. You want to enjoy the experience, even when you’re walking a lot and contending with crowds.

5. Choose how much time you want to spend at the Louvre.

People often want to know: What is the most efficient way to visit the Louvre? However, the Louvre was never designed to be efficient.

It grew organically over time, beginning in 1190 as a medieval fortress built on the banks of the Seine. Over the centuries, that building was transformed into a sprawling palace. In 1793 it became the Muséum Central des Arts, the precursor of the modern Louvre.⁴ This complex architectural history means the Louvre is a rambling, often confusing place to visit—not one you can speed through.

How many hours do you need at the Louvre? If you enjoy wandering, give yourself an entire afternoon or evening to explore. If you don’t, then two to three hours is enough to see many of the highlights.

6. Decide what to see at the Louvre.

We're not going to say "Don't see the Mona Lisa," because it’s worth seeing. Just know that it’s smaller than you expect, it's encased in glass, and it’s almost always surrounded by a huge, shoving crowd taking selfies. (The Louvre has announced that this setup will change: As part of planned renovations, the Mona Lisa will get its own room.⁵)

Our best advice for visiting the Louvre Museum is this: Make it your own. You could...

• Start with 30 great masterpieces at the Louvre.
• Rent the official audio guide with commentary on 150 works, as well as information on the collections as a whole.
• Look at the Louvre map and decide what sounds most interesting.
• Book a guided tour around a theme, such as paintings of women or ancient Egypt.
• Kids love this one: Sign up for a scavenger hunt! Follow the clues to find specific pieces, and photograph your team in front of as many as possible within a given amount of time.

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