The Louvre Museum

It is one of the largest museums in the world with 60,000 m² of exhibition space and more than 460,000 works of which 35,000 are on display. With 30 seconds given to each work, it would take 36 days at a rate of 8 hours per day to get through it. What to see and how to organize your visit?

It is the most visited museum in the world with 8 to 9 million visitors per year. How do you find your way around and raise your head to “get above the crowd”?

Located opposite the Louvre, the Relais du Louvre has accumulated a wealth of experience based on the many testimonials of our clients. Here is a summary of the answers we can provide to the main questions our clients ask.

When to visit the Louvre?

The museum is open every day from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm with a night visit on Friday until 9:45 pm. To enjoy the museum in the best conditions, it is best to avoid weekends and Wednesday afternoons as well as the 11:00-16:00 period. It is better to visit in the morning, as soon as the museum opens at 9:00 am, especially on Mondays and Thursdays, or at night on Fridays between 6:00 and 9:45 pm. Avoid rainy afternoons and prefer beautiful sunny mornings.

Where to buy your tickets for the museum?

If you prefer to save 2€ per ticket, you can buy them on the spot, but you run the risk of waiting in line. The price of the ticket is 15€. Admission is free for visitors under 18 years old and for residents of European Union countries under 26 years old.

If you prefer to save time, you can buy your ticket online for an additional 2€.

Buy online: https://www.ticketlouvre.fr/louvre/b2c/index.cfm/calendar/eventCode/MusWeb

How do I get into the Louvre?

If the entrance by the Great Pyramid remains the most beautiful and offers a very pleasant view when descending by escalator under the glass roof of the pyramid, it is the one we recommend you to avoid because of a rather dissuasive queue. It is used by non-ticketed visitors.

3 other entrances are preferable:

  • Through the Richelieu passage, under the arcades of the rue de Rivoli, at exit 1 of the “Palais Royal” metro station
  • Through the Carrousel shopping center, 99 rue de Rivoli
  • By the Porte des Lions, further away from the Relais du Louvre, perpendicular to the Arch of Triumph, on the right, when you are facing the pyramid.
Three distinct doors, corresponding to the three wings of the museum: Denon, Sully and Richelieu.

Is there a locker room?

Avoid carrying a large suitcase or bag. You may not be allowed to enter the museum. Strollers are accepted.

A locker room with lockers and code-operated umbrella stands are available free of charge if needed.

Where can we eat in the museum?

Are you sure you need to take a food break during your visit?

If your answer is positive and motivated by logistical constraints, here is, for your information, a list of customer reviews of the different brands on TripAdvisor. 5 services are proposed to you with different price positioning. You should know that all the restaurants belong to the same group.

How to build your visit?

A first overview of the museum’s sections will allow you to select those that interest you most: https://www.louvre.fr/visiter/jours-d-acces-aux-collections

The maintenance and permanent renovation of the museum requires the temporary closure of some rooms. The link above will allow you to check if the section(s) you are interested in are open to the public on the day of your visit.

It is ambitious to expect to spend more than three hours visiting the museum, especially since the time spent examining each work will be short. The brain will inevitably be saturated by the quantity of views that will be suggested to it. The museum is an excellent opportunity to slow down the “speed of your internal processor”. Take the time, you will see better. It seems reasonable to plan a visit of two sections.

Don’t chase the Madonna, unless you visit the museum at night, you might be disappointed by what an excessive crowd around a 77cm by 53cm work might inspire.

If you are an art lover, read up before and after your visit, your memory will be enriched.

Enjoy your visit.

The little story: who bought the Mona Lisa?

Francis I receives the last breaths of Leonardo da Vinci – Ingres, 1818

King Francis I of France is said to have acquired the Mona Lisa probably in 1518 for the value of 4000 gold ecus. Not all historians agree on this statement, as some mention that Leonardo da Vinci offered the Mona Lisa and other works to the sovereign in exchange for a pension, making Francis I his new patron. The sum of 4000 gold ecus would therefore be an evaluation of the pension paid.

4000 gold ecus represent the current value of approximately one million six hundred and fifty thousand euros (https://convertisseur-monnaie-ancienne.fr/). The Mona Lisa is currently valued by experts at between 1 and 2 billion euros. A fine investment, Your Majesty!

LE MUSÉ DU LOUVRE
99, rue de Rivoli – 75001 Paris
http://www.louvre.fr/

See the floor plan :https://api-www.louvre.fr/sites/default/files/2023-02/POG%2013-02%20%20au%207-03-23%20%20.pdf

Learn more about the Louvre Museum: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mus%C3%A9e_du_Louvre

19, rue des Prêtres-Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois
75001 Paris

+33 (0)1 40 41 96 42

contact@relaisdulouvre.com

Become a subscriber

Stay informed about the hotel’s news by subscribing to the newsletter and benefiting from the exclusive offers reserved for subscribers.