Visiting Louvre Museum: what you need to know

There is so much to see in the Louvre. Visiting the entire thing will take weeks. So good preparation is essential if you come to the Louvre museum for a day during your city trip to Paris. If you only have a few hours in the museum, you want to ensure not to miss the highlights. And what those highlights are, differs for each person. The Louvre offers something for everyone, as long as you know what you want to see. So how do you prepare as best as possible?

  • Plan your day and time
    It is best to enter the Louvre when it is at its quietest. This gives you more space in the museum to walk around, and you don’t have to queue as long. Check out our tips to see which days and times are the smartest.

    Once you have made a choice, it is crucial to buy your ticket in advance. The price is the same as a ticket at the door but saves you standing in line. Tickets cost 17 euros and can be bought online here. You can enter for free if you come from the EU and are under 25. Bring a valid ID to prove you are as young as you say you are.

    Also, read more about the different Louvre tickets to skip the line.
  • Decide in advance what you really want to see
    The Louvre has many departments with art collections from specific periods or areas. There are also several temporary exhibitions. Here you can see an overview of the collection of the Louvre. You can choose to visit certain departments or consider only seeing the highlights, like the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo.
  • Prepare your route well. Now that you know which collections you want to see and which department you want to visit, you can plan your course. The Louvre museum is enormous, so it’s wise to determine which route is the most efficient. The Louvre also has prepared several themed itineraries that might suit your preferences.
  • Find a floor plan. Floor plans can be found at the ticket office at the entrance. You can also download it from the Louvre website [pdf] and print it or save it on your phone. A map is helpful because you can get lost in the elaborate building without it. Plus, on the map, you can clearly see the route you have already determined for yourself, getting you around the museum easier. 
  • Also, note the rooms that may be closed for renovation. In the extensive museum, a few rooms will inevitably be under maintenance. It would be a shame if you just included these in your route.