The Louvre, Paris
The best Louvre Museum tours
Mona Lisa and masterpieces tours, skip-the-line highlights in small groups, private guides and a full day with Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle: here is which visit fits you, with honest advice on the crowd at the Mona Lisa, lines and time slots, and whether a guide is worth the money.
See our 8 picks
The best way to see the Louvre Museum on a first visit is a guided highlights tour with reserved entry. It takes about two hours and starts from €49 a person.
A timed ticket alone costs €32 on the official site for visitors from outside the EEA (European Economic Area), US visitors included. The museum is closed on Tuesdays. GetYourGuide shows prices in your own currency.
Our 8 picks for the Louvre
Seven are guided visits with the entry ticket included. The last one is a wine tasting near the museum. All eight have free cancellation.
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from €49 per person Our top pick 2–2.5 hours 4.9 (426) reviews on GetYourGuide
Skip-the-line Louvre highlights tour
A licensed guide takes you to the highlights, the Mona Lisa included. The entry ticket is in the price. You can also book it as a private tour.
Best for First visit, small group or private
Check availability: Skip-the-line Louvre highlights tour on GetYourGuide -
from €65 per person 1–3.5 hours 4.6 (8,013) reviews on GetYourGuide
Mona Lisa and Louvre masterpieces tour
A guided tour with reserved access, a headset and an English-speaking guide. You see the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and Winged Victory. An option adds a wine and cheese tasting.
Best for Most first-time visitors
Check availability: Mona Lisa and Louvre masterpieces tour on GetYourGuide -
from €88 per person 2–3 hours 4.7 (7,079) reviews on GetYourGuide
Louvre tour: Mona Lisa and iconic masterpieces
A licensed guide tells the stories behind the famous works. You enter through the Pyramid with a reserved ticket. Guides speak five languages.
Best for Visitors who want a guide in another language
Check availability: Louvre tour: Mona Lisa and iconic masterpieces on GetYourGuide -
from €68 per person 2–2.5 hours 4.7 (1,670) reviews on GetYourGuide
Skip-the-line Louvre and Mona Lisa tour
An art historian guide follows a set route to the must-see works. It takes in the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and Liberty Leading the People. Private and small groups are offered.
Best for Art lovers who want depth
Check availability: Skip-the-line Louvre and Mona Lisa tour on GetYourGuide -
from €63 per person 2–4 hours 4.7 (1,225) reviews on GetYourGuide
Skip-the-line Louvre highlights with the Mona Lisa
A local guide covers Italian sculpture, Greek art and French painting. One option sees the Mona Lisa at closing time. Another adds a walking tour of Paris.
Best for Families who want a private guide
Check availability: Skip-the-line Louvre highlights with the Mona Lisa on GetYourGuide -
from €73 per person 1–2 hours 4.4 (1,339) reviews on GetYourGuide
Louvre highlights and Mona Lisa tour
A shorter guided route of one to two hours with a reserved ticket and a headset. It covers the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and Winged Victory.
Best for Visitors short on time
Check availability: Louvre highlights and Mona Lisa tour on GetYourGuide -
from €119 per person 9 hours 4.2 (8,065) reviews on GetYourGuide
Full day: Louvre, Sainte-Chapelle and Notre-Dame
A 9-hour day with tickets for the Louvre, Sainte-Chapelle, the Conciergerie and the Orangerie. It adds a Notre-Dame slot and an electric-car ride. The Louvre part is an orientation tour, and no guide comes along all day.
Best for Seeing a lot in one day
Check availability: Full day: Louvre, Sainte-Chapelle and Notre-Dame on GetYourGuide -
from €36 per person 1 hour 4.8 (1,148) reviews on GetYourGuide
Les Caves du Louvre wine tasting
Not a museum tour: a one-hour visit to old royal wine cellars near the Louvre, with French wines to taste. It is for adults only.
Best for After the museum
Check availability: Les Caves du Louvre wine tasting on GetYourGuide
Compare Louvre tours side by side
| Tour | From | Duration | Group size | Who it suits | Why we picked it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skip-the-line Louvre highlights tour | €49 per person | 2–2.5 hours | – | First visit, small group or private | The best rating on this page, 4.9 from 426 reviews, and the lowest price. |
| Mona Lisa and Louvre masterpieces tour | €65 per person | 1–3.5 hours | max 20 | Most first-time visitors | The most reviewed Louvre tour here: 4.6 from 8,013 reviews, in groups of up to 20. |
| Louvre tour: Mona Lisa and iconic masterpieces | €88 per person | 2–3 hours | max 20 | Visitors who want a guide in another language | Strong reviews, 4.7 from 7,079, and five tour languages. |
| Skip-the-line Louvre and Mona Lisa tour | €68 per person | 2–2.5 hours | – | Art lovers who want depth | An art historian guide, with 4.7 from 1,670 reviews. |
| Skip-the-line Louvre highlights with the Mona Lisa | €63 per person | 2–4 hours | Private, up to 6 | Families who want a private guide | A private option for up to 6 people, with 4.7 from 1,225 reviews. |
| Louvre highlights and Mona Lisa tour | €73 per person | 1–2 hours | max 20 | Visitors short on time | The shortest guided visit here, with 4.4 from 1,339 reviews. |
| Full day: Louvre, Sainte-Chapelle and Notre-Dame | €119 per person | 9 hours | – | Seeing a lot in one day | Four sights and a Notre-Dame slot in one booking, with 4.2 from 8,065 reviews. |
| Les Caves du Louvre wine tasting | €36 per person | 1 hour | Up to 12 | After the museum | An easy end to a Louvre day, with 4.8 from 1,148 reviews. |
Skip-the-line Louvre highlights tour
€49 per person2–2.5 hours 4.9 (426)
Details
- Group size
- Not stated
- Who it suits
- First visit, small group or private
- Why we picked it
- The best rating on this page, 4.9 from 426 reviews, and the lowest price.
Mona Lisa and Louvre masterpieces tour
€65 per person1–3.5 hours 4.6 (8,013)
Details
- Group size
- max 20
- Who it suits
- Most first-time visitors
- Why we picked it
- The most reviewed Louvre tour here: 4.6 from 8,013 reviews, in groups of up to 20.
Louvre tour: Mona Lisa and iconic masterpieces
€88 per person2–3 hours 4.7 (7,079)
Details
- Group size
- max 20
- Who it suits
- Visitors who want a guide in another language
- Why we picked it
- Strong reviews, 4.7 from 7,079, and five tour languages.
Skip-the-line Louvre and Mona Lisa tour
€68 per person2–2.5 hours 4.7 (1,670)
Details
- Group size
- Not stated
- Who it suits
- Art lovers who want depth
- Why we picked it
- An art historian guide, with 4.7 from 1,670 reviews.
Skip-the-line Louvre highlights with the Mona Lisa
€63 per person2–4 hours 4.7 (1,225)
Details
- Group size
- Private, up to 6
- Who it suits
- Families who want a private guide
- Why we picked it
- A private option for up to 6 people, with 4.7 from 1,225 reviews.
Louvre highlights and Mona Lisa tour
€73 per person1–2 hours 4.4 (1,339)
Details
- Group size
- max 20
- Who it suits
- Visitors short on time
- Why we picked it
- The shortest guided visit here, with 4.4 from 1,339 reviews.
Full day: Louvre, Sainte-Chapelle and Notre-Dame
€119 per person9 hours 4.2 (8,065)
Details
- Group size
- Not stated
- Who it suits
- Seeing a lot in one day
- Why we picked it
- Four sights and a Notre-Dame slot in one booking, with 4.2 from 8,065 reviews.
Les Caves du Louvre wine tasting
€36 per person1 hour 4.8 (1,148)
Details
- Group size
- Up to 12
- Who it suits
- After the museum
- Why we picked it
- An easy end to a Louvre day, with 4.8 from 1,148 reviews.
- None of the 8 includes hotel pickup: you meet on site.
- All 8 offer free cancellation.
- Group options: private option for 2 tours (Skip-the-line Louvre highlights tour and Skip-the-line Louvre and Mona Lisa tour).
- Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 24 October 2026. Prices are "from" prices in euros and can change; the booking page shows the live price.
Guided tour, timed ticket or museum pass: which fits you
Pick by how long you want to stay and how much you want explained. A guided tour suits a first visit of about two hours. A timed ticket suits you if you want to wander on your own.
A museum pass only pays off if you see many sights in a few days. The pass site says you save from about the 4th to 6th visit, by pass length. Pass holders still need to book a Louvre time slot.
Do not buy a pass for under-18s. Most of the big museums let them in free.
- Guided tour: from €49 here, entry included. A guide leads you to the famous works and tells their stories.
- Timed ticket: €32 on the official site for visitors from outside the EEA, €22 for EEA visitors. Under-18s go free.
- Paris Museum Pass: €85 for 2 days, €105 for 4 days or €125 for 6 days. You still book a Louvre slot.
How long to plan for the Louvre
The tours on this page take one to four hours. Most guided highlights tours last about two hours.
The last entry is one hour before closing. Rooms are cleared 30 minutes before closing. Any exit is final, so you cannot step out and come back.
Your ticket also covers the Musée Eugène-Delacroix on the same day or the next day.
Is a guided Louvre tour worth it?
Yes, if it is your first visit and you want the stories behind the art. A guide knows the way to the famous rooms. You spend less time looking at the map.
The Louvre sells its own guided tours for €12, on top of the entry ticket. Its audio guide costs €6 and covers more than 150 masterpieces in nine languages.
So a ticket plus the museum tour costs €44 for visitors from outside the EEA. The tours here start from €49 with the ticket included.
The Mona Lisa and the masterpieces
The Mona Lisa hangs in the Salle des États, room 711, in the Denon wing on level 1. The Louvre's own pages place it next to the Grande Galerie, room 710.
Expect a crowd in front of it. The painting has been behind protective glass since 2005. Veronese's huge Wedding Feast at Cana hangs in the same room.
Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace are in the Sully and Denon wings. Pick up the free map at the desks under the Pyramid to find them.
A simple route for a first visit
Start with the Mona Lisa in the Denon wing. Then walk the Grande Galerie next door. After that, look for the Winged Victory and Venus de Milo on your map.
Several galleries are closed for work. Check the museum's list of open galleries before you go.
Louvre hours, entrances and reservations
The Louvre opens at 9 am every day except Tuesday. It closes at 6 pm on Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. On Wednesday and Friday it stays open to 9 pm.
It is also closed on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Other public holidays are open unless they fall on a Tuesday.
Book online to be sure of entry on your day. The museum advises a time slot even for free visitors. Official tickets are tied to a date and time. They cannot be changed or refunded.
Everyone passes a security check under the government's Vigipirate plan. The Louvre warns that fake sites and street sellers offer "queue-jump" tickets that can get you turned away.
The Pyramid entrance and the others
The Pyramid is the main entrance. It has separate lines for people with tickets or passes, people without tickets and disabled visitors.
The Carrousel entrance is open to all visitors. The Richelieu entrance is for groups. The Porte des Lions takes ticket holders only, and it is closed on Tuesdays and from 6 pm.
The nearest metro stops are Palais-Royal–Musée du Louvre (lines 1 and 7) and Pyramides (line 14). Our guide to getting around Paris covers tickets and fares.
When to go to the Louvre
Go on a Wednesday or Friday evening if you like late visits. Those are the two days the Louvre stays open to 9 pm.
The museum is free for everyone on the first Friday of the month after 6 pm. This does not apply in July or August. It is also free on 14 July.
Under-18s go free every day. EEA citizens and residents under 26 go free too. US adults pay full price.
Pairing the Louvre with the rest of your day
The Tuileries Garden is right outside and free to enter. In June to August it is open from 7 am to 11 pm.
For a full day, the 9-hour tour adds Sainte-Chapelle, the Conciergerie, the Orangerie and a Notre-Dame slot. Entry to Notre-Dame is free; you can reserve a free time slot on the cathedral's own site, which says no other platform may sell its slots.
In the evening, a Seine river cruise is an easy way to end the day. The Batobus also has a "Louvre" stop.
Booking tips for the Louvre
Check the time-slot rule
The Louvre advises a time slot for everyone, and at busy times it makes one compulsory, as it did from 17 October to 1 November 2026. Check whether a slot is required for your date.
Know what you can cancel
Official Louvre tickets cannot be changed or refunded. All eight tours here offer free cancellation, as the listings show it.
Find your meeting point
Most tours meet near the Pyramid, the Carrousel or Place Colette. Two say the spot depends on your option, so check your booking.
Travel light
Bags over 55 × 35 × 20 cm and suitcases are not allowed. Free lockers under the Pyramid take small items for the day.
Walking and access
Most listings say the tours do not suit people with mobility issues or wheelchair users. Ask the operator before you book.
Check the day before
Big sights can close at short notice for strikes or ceremonies. Check the official site the day before.
Louvre tours: questions and answers
How long does a Louvre tour take?
How much is a private Louvre tour?
How should I tour the Louvre?
Is a guided tour of the Louvre worth it?
How much does it cost to visit the Louvre?
More Louvre tours, live
More options with live prices and availability, straight from GetYourGuide.
See today's prices on GetYourGuide.
All of these tours in one list, with times and availability.
Browse all on GetYourGuideSee today's prices on GetYourGuide.
All of these tours in one list, with times and availability.
Browse all on GetYourGuideSources (10), facts checked on 24 October 2026
- Louvre: hours and admission
- Louvre: FAQ
- Louvre: map, entrances and directions
- Louvre: museum rules
- Louvre: visitor amenities
- Louvre: list of available galleries
- Louvre collections: the Mona Lisa
- Louvre: from the Mona Lisa to the Wedding Feast at Cana
- Paris Museum Pass
- Paris Museum Pass: e-ticket and reservations
Written by the Best Things to Do in Paris editorial team.