Visiting the Louvre Museum in Paris in 2027: the complete guide
Begun as a fortress for King Philippe Auguste, later a royal palace and finally France’s first national museum, the Louvre is still, in 2027, the stop that no culture-minded trip to Paris can skip. Its nine departments span thousands of years of art history, from the Egypt of the pharaohs to nineteenth-century European painting. A guided tour turns this maze of galleries into a story that hangs together. Below you will find opening hours, official prices, how to get there, route suggestions and an explanation of how the availability calendar on this page works.
Why the Louvre Museum still captivates visitors
The palace grew out of a castle built around 1190 on the orders of Philippe Auguste, and its medieval foundations can still be explored below ground level. Enlarged by one monarch after another, it opened as a museum on 10 August 1793, in the middle of the Revolution, which makes it one of Europe’s oldest public institutions of its kind. In 1989 the glass pyramid designed by the architect Ieoh Ming Pei reshaped the way visitors are welcomed and quickly became a Parisian emblem in its own right.
The Louvre masterpieces people come to see
Three works draw most of the attention: Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace, standing proudly at the top of the Daru staircase. Yet much of the museum’s wealth lies in collections that make fewer headlines: Near Eastern antiquities, Islamic art, decorative arts, and French sculpture displayed beneath the glass roofs of the Cour Marly and Cour Puget.
A Louvre in the middle of a transformation
The “Louvre New Renaissance” project, announced in January 2025, plans a large new entrance and a redesigned space for the Mona Lisa. An international architecture competition was launched in June 2025 for building work expected to last several years. Following the theft of jewels from the Apollo Gallery on 19 October 2025, some rooms have occasionally been closed, so it is worth checking which galleries are open on the day you go.
Louvre Museum guided tour: what the booking includes
Two options can be booked from this page: a standard guided tour and a guided tour with priority access, designed to cut the queue at the entrance on busy days. Either way, a professional guide picks a thread through the roughly 36,000 works on display and leads you to the major pieces, explaining the context behind each one.
What a Louvre guide brings to your visit
- An efficient route through the Denon, Sully and Richelieu wings, with no pointless detours.
- Ways of reading the art: the sfumato technique, the symbolism of Greek sculpture, the conventions of history painting.
- Live answers to your questions, something no wall label can replace.
What a Louvre tour does not always cover
The exact content (language, length, group size, whether the entry ticket is included) depends on the option you choose, so read the description shown when you book. Once the tour is over, your ticket usually remains valid for the rest of the day, letting you carry on exploring alone, but bear in mind that leaving the building is final.
Louvre Museum opening hours and prices for 2026-2027
The museum opens every day except Tuesday. It welcomes visitors from 9am to 6pm on Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and until 9pm on Wednesday and Friday. Last admission is one hour before closing, and staff begin clearing the rooms thirty minutes before the doors shut.
| Visitor | Official price (indicative, checked October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Residents of the European Economic Area | €22 |
| Visitors from outside the European Economic Area (since 14 January 2026) | €32 |
| Under-18s, and under-26s resident in the EEA | Free |
Booking a time slot at the Louvre
The museum strongly recommends booking a timed slot online, including for visitors who are entitled to free entry. The price of a guided tour covers the guide’s services on top of admission, and the rate for each day appears directly in the calendar.
When to visit the Louvre Museum for calmer galleries
Crowds build up in the late morning and early afternoon, especially around the Salle des États, home of the Mona Lisa. The Wednesday and Friday late openings often bring a quieter mood to the far-flung wings, and the evening light over the Cour Napoléon is worth the trip by itself.
The Louvre through the seasons
Spring and summer bring large international crowds, while autumn and winter, outside the school holidays, lend themselves to a more relaxed visit. The Monday after the Tuesday closure can also be lively. Check the French school calendar and public holidays before settling on a date.
How long to allow for the Louvre
A guided tour generally lasts between an hour and a half and two and a half hours, depending on the option. To go beyond the essentials, set aside half a day; true enthusiasts come back several times, so vast are the galleries.
Getting to the Louvre Museum: metro, bus and entrances
The palace sits at the heart of the 1st arrondissement, between the Rue de Rivoli and the Seine. The handiest station is Palais-Royal – Musée du Louvre, served by metro lines 1 and 7. On foot, it takes around ten minutes from the Pont Neuf or the Tuileries Garden.
The three doors into the Louvre
- The Pyramid: the main entrance, in the centre of the Cour Napoléon.
- The Carrousel: an underground entrance through the shopping arcade, on the Rue de Rivoli and Arc du Carrousel side.
- The Porte des Lions: a secondary entrance on the Seine side, open at certain times of year.
Your guide’s meeting point is stated on your confirmation. Stick to it carefully, because the entrances are a long way from one another.
Practical tips for your Louvre Museum visit
A security check comes before you enter, so turn up a few minutes early and travel light. The cloakrooms take coats and small bags, but bulky suitcases are not accepted.
Photos and etiquette in the Louvre galleries
Photography is allowed in the permanent collections for private use, without flash or selfie sticks. Comfortable shoes are a must: you will cover a lot of ground and climb plenty of stairs.
Families and accessibility at the Louvre
Children get in free, and shorter guided routes suit younger visitors well. The museum offers facilities for visitors with reduced mobility or with sensory or cognitive disabilities; mention your needs when you book so that the guide can adapt the route. A paid audio guide is available in several languages if you want to keep exploring after the guide leaves.
Around the Louvre Museum: extending your stroll
On your way out, the Tuileries Garden leads towards the Place de la Concorde and the Musée de l’Orangerie. Across the Rue de Rivoli, the gardens of the Palais-Royal and Buren’s striped columns offer a quiet break. Cross the Pont des Arts to reach the Left Bank: the Musée d’Orsay is only a fifteen-minute walk away.
Pairing the Louvre with other visits
To the east, the Île de la Cité brings together the Sainte-Chapelle, the Conciergerie and Notre-Dame de Paris. In the evening, a Seine river cruise lets you see the palace façade again, lit up, from the water.
Booking the Louvre Museum for 2027 with this page’s calendar
The calendar on this page is simple to use: pick the date you are interested in, then click “Check availability”. We then query our booking partner and tell you whether guided tour places are still open that day, together with the current price. If the date is full or not yet on sale, leave your email address and you will be notified as soon as slots appear.
Paris in 2027 and the Louvre
Every year, the European Night of Museums in spring and the European Heritage Days in September bring Paris’s institutions to life; the exact 2027 dates will be announced by the organisers. For a trip in high season, booking several weeks ahead remains the best way to secure the time you want.
Louvre Museum: practical information
Louvre Museum ticket alert
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Louvre Museum FAQ
Which day is the Louvre Museum closed?
The museum closes every Tuesday. It is open on the other six days from 9am to 6pm, with extended opening until 9pm on Wednesday and Friday. Last admission is one hour before closing, so keep that in mind if you book a late-afternoon slot.
How much does entry to the Louvre Museum cost in 2026?
The official price is €22 for residents of the European Economic Area and, since 14 January 2026, €32 for all other visitors (indicative, checked October 2026). Under-18s, and under-26s resident in the EEA, get in free.
Do I need to book to visit the Louvre Museum?
The museum strongly recommends booking a time slot online, even for people entitled to free entry. For a guided tour, booking is essential because group sizes are limited: use the calendar on this page to see which dates are still open.
Which entrance should I use for the Louvre Museum?
The main entrance is the Pyramid, in the Cour Napoléon. There are two other ways in: the Carrousel, underground from the Rue de Rivoli, and the Porte des Lions on the Seine side, depending on the time of year. For a guided tour, head to the meeting point given on your confirmation.
Can I stay in the Louvre Museum after the guided tour?
As a rule, yes: the entry ticket is valid for the whole day, so you can carry on alone once the guide has left. Note that leaving the building is final. Check in your option’s description that the entry ticket is actually included.
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Louvre Museum calendar 2026-2027: pick your day
Tap a day to check availability and get the email alert. on sale · not open yet (we’ll alert you) · checked 13 October 2026.