5 Hacks for Visiting The Louvre - 2024
The Louvre is usually at the top of the list for anyone visiting Paris, whether it’s your first time or even your tenth. The museum is so big that it usually requires a follow up visit to feel like you’ve scratched the surface. In an action-packed weekend, you only have a short window of time to see the highlights in the world’s largest art museum. Because of that, I’ve gathered 4 quick hacks to help make your time as smooth as possible and make sure you get the most out of it.
In my most recent trip to Paris, I had less than 48 hours to show my husband around the City of Lights. He hadn’t visited Paris since he was a child, and he had never been to the Louvre, so that was quickly number one or list. Because we wanted to see other areas of the city, we didn’t have a ton of time so that put us into efficiency mode. The goal: How do we get in and get out, see what we want, but also not feel completely exhausted?
We went in with the intent of keeping our visit to 2 hours, but by the time we saw everything we wanted it ended up being more like 3.5 hours. In hindsight we have some lessons learned that we’d change for next time and some things we’d do the same over, and all of that is captured here. Some these tips I learned from experience, others I learned from the Rick Steves Paris Travel Guide.
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1 - Buy Your Louvre Tickets in Advance
When visiting the Louvre through the main entrance underneath the big pyramid, there is a queue just to enter the lobby like area. Luckily if you buy your tickets in advance, you’re given the privilege of entering through a separate line that is shorter than the one for those without tickets. In this first case, having tickets gets you into the museum quicker. Once you’re in the museum, no matter which entrance you use, if you don’t have tickets already, you have to wait in another line to purchase the tickets. So buying your tickets in advance is also one less step you have to take and one less line you have to wait in before actually experiencing the museum.
Why this matters, and what the actual flow is for entering the museum:
Without advance tickets: 1. Longer line to enter the museum, 2. line to buy the tickets, 3. line to enter the areas with art
With advance tickets: 1. Shorter line to enter the museum, 2. Line to enter the areas with art
2 - Start Your Day at the Louvre
As the world’s largest art museum and one of the top destinations when in Paris, it only gets busier as the day goes on. I’m not sure of the exact time it hits its maximum number of visitors, but we noticed a difference from 10 am to when we left at 1 pm. Not just the museum itself, but even the lines to enter the museum get longer and longer as the day continues. We bought tickets for 10 am, but I would recommend getting there even earlier with the first tickets at 9 am. The goal is to have less of a crowd as you move through the rooms but also less people to work around if you want to take photos and spend more time with different artwork. Additionally, the earlier you start here, the more time it leaves you for other destinations on your list.
3 - Enter Through the Carrousel Du Louvre (Accessed in the Tuileries)
In the Tuileries Garden, at the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, and facing the Louvre, you’ll notice to the left and to the right stairs down. These stairs will take you into the Carrousel du Louvre which is basically an indoor mall and food court with shops and even a McDonalds. After waiting in a short line for a metal detector you’ll go through a long wide hallway flanked by shops and eventually find yourself at the inverted pyramid. Not too much further from here you’ll arrive in the main hall with the gallery wing entrances. Not the most direct to find, but one of the easiest places with a shorter line to enter.
4 - Plan Your Louvre Exhibits in Advance
The museum is massive. Did I mention it was the world’s largest art museum? With 35,000 artworks on display, planning what to see for yourself is difficult and also providing a detailed map of what specific artworks are where is even difficult for the Louvre. Even armed with the free map (don’t forget to ask for one at the information desk in the main entrance hall) and the free Rick Steves audio guide, we had a hard time finding where we needed to go and what we wanted to see.
To plan, read a few different guides and blogs posts on the top items to see.
Check out my top 10 to see at the Louvre
Look through the Louvre section in the Rick Steves Paris Travel Guide
Peruse the Louvre Visitor Trails for their recommended paths
Take a quick glance at the Louvre map to get an understanding of where your top items are on display in the museum
Those must-see pieces will be at the top of your list and many others, but what about seeing some of the equally interesting, but less crowded and less famous pieces? Those areas end up being some of my favorite. The Louvre website also offers an interactive map, but again, there are so many pieces that not everything is shown here.
As you plan, I’d recommend taking a glance at the schedule of room closures. On the day we visited, we were sad to find out that the Napoleon III Apartments as well as the Gallery of Apollo were closed. Checking the list helps you prepare for what you might not get a chance to see, but it also helps in planning your path. Had I checked the list, I could have at least mentally prepared I’d miss some of my favorites, but I also would have saved the time and steps I spent backtracking on detours.
5 - Pick a Guided Tour that Fits for You
A guide, whether in-person or audio, will make your visit a better experience. You won’t waste time wondering where to go and how to get there, and you’ll find more meaning in the beautiful, historical pieces of art you view. Guided tours come in different styles and price points. Pick what’s right for your budget and what you want to get out of your time at the Louvre. Here are some options I recommend:
Louvre Audio Guide Options
Rick Steves Louvre Audio Guide and Corresponding Map Cost: Free - For many visits, I’ve continued to return to this audio guide. Alex and I will share airpods and walk around the museum together. It’s good for saving money and getting to the most important sights. The downside is that I don’t know how often this audio guide is updated. It may not reflect location changes.
Louvre Museum Audio Guide Cost: €6 - More advanced technology, they lend you a Nintendo 3DS that allow you to hear about the history of pieces, a live map that shows you where you are, and information on temporary exhibits. You can save time as well by reserving your audio guide in advance when buying your ticket in advance.
Louvre Tour Guide Options
Louvre Museum Guided Tours Cost: €12 pp (in addition to ticket price) - They offer a variety of different tour options including a general Louvre tour, a family focused tour, and a behind the scenes Louvre tour. You can book this through their site.
Book a Small Group Louvre Tour Cost: €60 pp(includes ticket) - The guide handles everything for you. They buy the ticket, you meet them at a location outside the museum and you enter together. In this case, you’re in a smaller group, potentially smaller than what you would experience in the official museum tour.
Book a private Louvre Tour Cost: €100+ pp (includes ticket) - I always notice other people in museums on private tours. They have a guide walking closely with them, describing the details of the pieces, and it always looks like a calm, lux experience. I imagine it is like having the information added at the right time any time I’d have interest in a specific piece. These tours are fantastic for focusing on what matters to you the most. They’ll tailor the experience to meet your interests, but yes it comes with a higher price tag.
Continue Exploring Paris
Maximize your time in the City of Lights with this helpful Paris itinerary. Follow this loose plan to see important Parisian sights while living like a Parisian with pastries, cafe culture, and French food.