Museum Guide · Updated February 2026

The Louvre & the Paris Museum Pass

How to use the pass at the Louvre — which entrance to use, how to book your free timed slot, and what to see in 2 hours.

Individual ticket
€32
With Museum Pass
Included
Timed slot
Required
Open
Mon, Wed–Sun
Hours
9am–6pm (9:45pm Fri)
Last updated: February 2026 · Prices and booking requirements verified

Quick Answer

Yes — the Paris Museum Pass covers full entry to the Louvre (saving you €32 per person). You still need to book a free timed entry slot in advance at louvre.fr. Use the Pyramid priority line — Museum Pass holders join the green or pink priority queue, not the general orange line. The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays.

Is the Louvre Included in the Paris Museum Pass?

Yes — the Louvre is one of the flagship venues covered by the Paris Museum Pass. Entry is included with the pass, saving you €32 per person at 2026 prices (up from €22 in 2024 — a significant increase). For a family of four adults, that’s €128 saved on the Louvre alone.

The pass covers the permanent collection across all wings of the museum. It does not cover temporary special exhibitions, which have separate paid ticketing regardless of whether you hold a pass.

Louvre — Fast Facts

AddressRue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris
Nearest MetroPalais Royal–Musée du Louvre (lines 1 & 7)
Opening hoursMonday, Wednesday–Sunday: 9am–6pm
Friday: 9am–9:45pm (late opening)
Closed Tuesday
Last admission1 hour before closing
Room evacuation30 minutes before closing
Public holidaysClosed 1 January, 1 May, 25 December
Open all other public holidays unless they fall on a Tuesday
Individual ticket€32 (2026 price)
With Museum PassFree
Timed slot requiredYes — book free at louvre.fr
Recommended entrancePyramid — use the priority line (green or pink)
Carrousel du Louvre (Rivoli) also open to pass holders
Porte des Lions — closes 6pm, last admission 5pm
Suggested visit duration2–4 hours minimum
Free entry daysFirst Friday of the month after 6pm (except July & August) · 14 July (Bastille Day)
Booking still required — slots posted a few days before

The Most Important Thing to Know: Book Your Timed Slot

Having the Museum Pass does not automatically let you walk into the Louvre. You must book a free timed entry slot in advance — this is a mandatory requirement introduced in 2021 that remains in place for 2026.

The booking is free to make and takes about two minutes. Without it, you will be turned away at the entrance regardless of whether you have a pass. The Louvre is one of three venues that make reservations mandatory — see our mandatory reservations guide for the full list and booking instructions. Many visitors discover this at the door — don’t let it happen to you.

Do not arrive at the Louvre without a timed slot. Pass holders who show up without a reservation will be turned away. Book at louvre.fr before your trip. Slots for popular dates (especially weekends and school holidays) can fill up 2–3 weeks in advance.
1

Go to louvre.fr

Click “Book a Ticket”, then select “Paris Museum Pass ticket (I have a Paris Museum Pass)”. Do not pay for a standard ticket — the timed slot reservation itself is free.

2

Choose your date and time slot

Slots are available in 30-minute windows. Morning slots run from 9:00 to 12:30. Afternoon slots run from 13:00 to 16:30. On Fridays only, additional late-night slots are available: 17:00, 17:30, and evening slots at 18:00, 18:30, 19:00, and 19:30. The 9:00am slot is the best choice on any day — the museum is at its quietest and the Mona Lisa room least crowded.

3

Save your booking confirmation

You’ll receive a confirmation email. Save it to your phone. You’ll need to show this alongside your Museum Pass at the entrance.

4

Arrive at the Pyramid and join the priority line

The Pyramid is the main entrance for Museum Pass holders. Look for the green or pink priority line (not the orange line, which is for visitors without reservations). Pass holders can also enter via the Carrousel du Louvre (99 Rue de Rivoli) or the Porte des Lions (closes 6pm, last admission 5pm).

Book as early as possible. The Louvre’s timed slots fill up fast, particularly on weekends from April to October and during French school holidays. If you’re visiting in peak season, book your slot the moment you decide on your travel dates — not the day before.

Which Entrance to Use with the Museum Pass

Louvre Entrances — Map

The Louvre’s U-shaped footprint has multiple entrances. Use this map to find the right one before you arrive.

RUE DE RIVOLI SEINE RIVER Quai François Mitterrand TUILERIES GARDEN RICHELIEU WING SULLY WING DENON WING COUR NAPOLÉON PYRAMID 1 PYRAMID Priority line for pass holders 2 CARROUSEL DU LOUVRE 99 Rue de Rivoli · Underground 3 PORTE DES LIONS Closes 6pm · Last entry 5pm 4 PASSAGE RICHELIEU Groups & members only ↑ N
1 Pyramid Main entrance for Museum Pass holders — join the green or pink priority line
2 Carrousel du Louvre Alternative — 99 Rue de Rivoli, enter via underground shopping gallery
3 Porte des Lions Alternative — Seine side, closes 6pm, last admission 5pm
4 Passage Richelieu Not available to standard Museum Pass holders — groups and members only

How the Pass Compares to Buying a Louvre Ticket

Feature Museum Pass Individual Ticket
Louvre entryIncluded (€32 value)€32
Timed slot requiredYes — free to bookYes — included in ticket price
Also covers50+ other museumsLouvre only
CancellationFree cancellation (if bought online)Varies by seller
Skip ticket queueYes — dedicated entranceYes
Special exhibitionsNot includedNot included
Break-evenSaves money if visiting 3+ venues totalOnly worth it for 1–2 venues total

What to See at the Louvre: 2-Hour Highlights

The Louvre has over 35,000 works across 60,000 square metres. You cannot see it all. Don’t try. A focused 2-hour visit to the highlights is far more enjoyable than an exhausted full-day march through every wing.

The museum is divided into three wings — Richelieu (north), Sully (east), and Denon (south) — across three floors. The highlights below are clustered to minimise walking time.

9:00
Arrive via Passage Richelieu
Book the 9:00am slot for the quietest experience. Collect your orientation map from the information desk in the main hall beneath the Pyramid.
9:15
Winged Victory of Samothrace — Denon, 1st floor
Start with the Winged Victory at the top of the Daru staircase. At opening time, you’ll often have this breathtaking sculpture nearly to yourself.
11:00
Italian Paintings — Denon, 1st floor
Walk through the Grande Galerie — 300 metres of Italian masterpieces. Raphael, Caravaggio, Leonardo. The Mona Lisa is in the Salle des États at the end. Arrive early before the crowds build up around her.
10:00
Venus de Milo — Sully, ground floor
Cross to the Sully wing for the Venus de Milo in the Salle 346. One of the most immediately recognisable sculptures in the world.
10:20
Medieval Louvre — Sully, lower ground floor
Take the stairs down to see the excavated foundations of the original 12th-century Louvre fortress. Atmospheric and rarely crowded — a completely different side of the museum.
9:15
Vermeer & Dutch Masters — Richelieu, 2nd floor
Head to the Richelieu wing for Rembrandt, Vermeer and the Northern European masters. The galleries here are beautiful and consistently less crowded than the Denon wing.
11:00
Exit & next museum
Two hours well spent. If you’re on a 2-day pass, the Musée d’Orsay or Orangerie are both walkable along the Seine — or take Metro line 1 to your next destination.

Top Highlights Not to Miss

Denon · Salle des États
Mona Lisa
Smaller than expected, behind bulletproof glass — but unmissable. Go early or late in the day.
Denon · Daru Staircase
Winged Victory of Samothrace
The most dramatic sculpture in the museum — a 2nd-century BC marble Nike at the top of the great staircase.
Sully · Salle 346
Venus de Milo
The 2nd-century BC Greek masterpiece. Arrive before 10am for a relatively crowd-free encounter.
Denon · Grande Galerie
Raphael’s La Belle Jardinière
One of the Renaissance’s most tender paintings — often overlooked in the rush to reach the Mona Lisa.
Richelieu · 1st floor
Vermeer’s The Lacemaker
A tiny, exquisite masterpiece. Usually calm and uncrowded — a wonderful counterpoint to the Mona Lisa circus.
Sully · Lower ground floor
Medieval Louvre Moat
The excavated 12th-century fortress beneath the museum. Eerie, beautiful, and almost always quiet.

Practical Tips for Pass Holders

  • Book your timed slot immediately when you decide your travel dates — not the day before. Weekend slots in peak season go fast.
  • Book the 9:00am slot if at all possible — it’s the earliest available. The difference in crowd levels between 9am and early afternoon is significant.
  • Friday evenings are underrated. The Louvre stays open until 9:45pm on Fridays, with dedicated late-night slots at 18:00, 18:30, 19:00 and 19:30. The crowds thin dramatically after 6pm — book an evening slot for a genuinely atmospheric experience.
  • Wear comfortable shoes. The marble floors are unforgiving. The museum is enormous — even a focused 2-hour visit involves considerable walking.
  • Download the Louvre app before you go. It has offline maps, audio guides, and artwork information — essential for navigating without getting lost.
  • At the Pyramid, find the priority line — Museum Pass holders join the green or pink queue, not the orange walk-up line. The priority line moves significantly faster.
  • The first Friday of the month after 6pm is free for everyone (except July and August) — no pass needed. Bastille Day (14 July) is also free. Booking is still required for both, with slots released a few days beforehand.
  • Special exhibitions require a separate paid ticket even with the pass. These are usually advertised prominently at the entrance — don’t be surprised by the extra charge.
Closed on Tuesdays. The Louvre is closed every Tuesday — one of only a handful of museums in Paris that does this. If Tuesday falls in the middle of your pass window, plan your itinerary around it. Don’t activate your pass on a Monday if Tuesday is one of your planned Louvre days.

Getting There

The Louvre is centrally located in the heart of Paris, easily reached from most of the city.

  • Metro: Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre (lines 1 and 7) — exit directly below the museum
  • RER A: Châtelet–Les Halles — 10-minute walk
  • Bus: Lines 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81, 95
  • On foot: 15 minutes from Notre-Dame; 20 minutes from the Orsay along the Seine

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes and no. The pass lets you skip the ticket purchasing queue — but you still need a timed entry slot booked in advance. With a slot booked, you use the Passage Richelieu dedicated entrance, which has a much shorter queue than the main Pyramid entrance. Without a timed slot, you will be turned away regardless of your pass.
As early as possible — ideally the moment you confirm your travel dates. In peak season (April–October) and during French school holidays, popular morning slots on weekends can fill up 2–3 weeks in advance. If you’re visiting in January or February, a few days’ notice is usually fine. When in doubt, book early and rebook if your plans change.
No — each venue can only be visited once per pass activation. Once you’ve scanned your pass at the Louvre, that venue is used up. If you want to visit the Louvre twice, you’d need to purchase an individual ticket for the second visit (€32). This is why we recommend booking a morning slot early in your trip and giving yourself adequate time.
Absolutely — two focused hours spent on the highlights is far more rewarding than six exhausted hours trying to see everything. The Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, and Venus de Milo are all within walking distance of each other. Following our 2-hour itinerary above, you’ll leave having genuinely experienced the museum rather than just survived it.
Yes — the Mona Lisa is part of the Louvre’s permanent collection, which is fully covered by the Museum Pass. There is no extra charge to see it. Note that the Salle des États (where the Mona Lisa is displayed) can become very crowded by mid-morning. Visit as early as possible for a better experience.
Check back daily — cancellations release new slots regularly. Also check early morning (when new slots are often added) and try less popular time windows like Friday evenings (open until 9:45pm) or very early morning slots. If you genuinely cannot get a slot, first Friday of the month after 6pm is free for all (except July and August) — booking is still required, with slots released a few days before the date — though it will be busy.

Need to Book Your Timed Entry Slot?

The timed slot is free but essential — book at louvre.fr before your trip. Then pair it with the Museum Pass — 50+ more venues are all included.

Buy the Museum Pass → Book Louvre Ticket Only →

Combine the Louvre With These Museums

The Louvre is best visited early in your trip — on day 1 or 2 of your pass. These nearby venues pair well with a morning at the Louvre.

Art Museum
Musée d’Orsay
The Impressionists — a 20-minute walk along the Seine from the Louvre. Perfect afternoon pairing. €16 individual.
Art Museum
Musée de l’Orangerie
Monet’s Water Lilies — 15 minutes on foot through the Tuileries Garden. Shorter queues than the Orsay. €15 individual.
Decorative Arts
Musée des Arts Décoratifs
In the same building as the Louvre on Rue de Rivoli. Fashion, design, and decorative arts. €14 individual.

See all 50+ pass venues in our complete museum list → or check the 2-day itinerary and 4-day itinerary for suggested visit orders.

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