A visit to the Louvre Museum is one of the top things to do in Paris. With an incredible collection of more than 35,000 works of art that spans from ancient civilizations to the 19th century, there is never a bad time to visit the Louvre!
Are you planning to visit the Louvre Museum during your next trip to Paris? Here’s everything you need to know to skip the line at the Louvre, from the best day to visit the Louvre, the Louvre least crowded times, which ticket to buy, and other Louvre skip-the-line tips.
Plan your Visit to the Louvre Museum
The Louvre Museum is one of the top sights to visit in Paris. We recommend visiting the Louvre Museum in the following Paris itineraries:
- 2 days in Paris itinerary
- 3 days in Paris itinerary
- 4 days in Paris itinerary
- 5 days in Paris itinerary
- 6 days in Paris itinerary
- 7 days in Paris itinerary
When is the Louvre Museum Open?
The Louvre is open every day (except Tuesday) from 9 am to 6 pm. On Fridays, the Louvre Museum is open until 9.45 pm.
The Louvre Museum is closed on 1st January, 1st May, and 25 December.
Louvre Best Time to Visit and Least Crowded Times
In general, the best time to visit the Louvre to avoid the biggest crowds is during the low season. The low season in Paris is from 1st November to 31 March, except for Christmas in Paris and the days around New Year’s Eve in Paris.
Then, according to statistics, there are also better days and times to visit the Louvre with fewer crowds.
The table below shows the estimated visitor flow in the Louvre, and it is divided into days and time slots for low season and high season. The green color means the Louvre least crowded times while the red color shows when the Louvre waiting time is longer (=more crowds). The Louvre is closed every Tuesday.
In general, the Louvre is more crowded on the weekend and holidays. Since the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays see a higher number of visitors. Friday night sessions in the Louvre are also busy, as it is usually the beginning of many getaways to Paris.
Louvre Best Time to Visit: in our opinion, the best time to go to the Louvre is on Mondays and Thursdays, when it opens.
Once you are inside the Louvre, the crowds usually concentrate around the most famous artworks like the Mona Lisa, the Venus of Milos, or the Regent Diamond, while other areas in the Louvre are quiet most of the time.
How to Avoid Lines at the Louvre (Louvre Skip-the-Line Tips)
In the Louvre Museum (and in all the museums in Paris), there are always two waiting lines: a line to enter the museum and a line for security control.
The Louvre entrances have a scanner and a metal detector, and it is not possible to skip the line for security control. Therefore, this chapter will be focused on the first line at the Louvre.
A- Choose the Best Time to Visit the Louvre
If you’ve made it this far, you should know by now the most crowded days and time slots to visit the Louvre, when the Louvre lines are longer.
One of the best skip-the-line Louvre tips is to visit the museum when there are fewer visitors. Choose the Louvre least crowded times (best day and time slot) during your days in Paris, and you will see short or no lines. Well begun is half done!
B- Leave your Luggage and Large Bags at Home
There have always been lines at the Louvre, but the wait has become especially long because of security measures that were brought in recent years.
The Louvre entrances have a scanner and a metal detector. It is not possible to skip the line for the security check, but you can shorten the waiting time with some basic tips.
It is recommended not to come to visit the Louvre with luggage, suitcases, or bulky bags. First of all, the security check will take longer, and once you are inside, you will have to leave it in the museum’s free lockers under the pyramid (sometimes there’s a line also here).
C- Buy your Louvre Skip-the-Line Tickets Online in Advance
When you buy your Louvre skip-the-line tickets online, you choose a specific date and time slot, ensuring a quick entry to the museum (the Louvre line wait time should be less than 30 minutes).
Visitors with these Louvre tickets skip-the-line enter the museum via a special line at the Glass Pyramid (green line).
These Louvre skip-the-line tickets also give access to the Museum Delacroix (6 Rue de Fürstenberg, 75006 Paris).
Click here to book your Louvre tickets
All Louvre skip-the-line tickets purchased online are time-stamped and nominative. They are only valid for the date and time selected. Any holder of an online ticket who does not arrive within the allocated time slot for admission to the Glass Pyramid will be subject to the same admission and waiting conditions as visitors without tickets (orange line).
To avoid overcrowding, visitors entitled to free admission also need to use the online booking system. At the end of the process, the cost will be 0€.
D- Buy a Paris Tourist Pass
A Paris tourist pass or city card allows visitors to save lots of time and money thanks to their skip-the-line tickets and many other discounts.
Visitors with Louvre cards or a tourist pass can access the Louvre via a special line in the Glass Pyramid (yellow line) or through Passage Richelieu.
The Paris Museum Pass is the most popular tourist pass in Paris, but there are many more! Tourist pass holders also need to book a date and time slot for visiting the Louvre. At the end of the process, the cost will be 0€.
Check out our Paris Pass Comparison to get the full picture.
E- Take a Skip-the-Line Louvre Tour
If you want to visit only a few tourist places in Paris but still hate the idea of wasting your time waiting in line, then consider a skip-the-line guided tour to skip the line at the Louvre.
Guided tours enter through Passage Richelieu or through Porte des Lions (when it is open), which means less or no waiting time.
These two Louvre Guided Tours offered by Get Your Guide are very popular and they are fully refundable up to 24 hours in advance:
- Must-Sees of the Louvre skip the line 1.5 hr guided tour – free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance
- Louvre 3hr comprehensive skip-the-line guided tour – free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance
We recommend visiting the Louvre with a skip-the-line Louvre tour. The truth is that a guided tour with a knowledgeable guide is a temptation difficult to resist in one of the best museums in the world!
F- Book a Louvre Treasure Hunt
A Louvre treasure hunt is a fun way to visit the Louvre for families and people less interested in arts who still don’t want to miss one of Paris’ most iconic sites.
Louvre treasure hunts also allow skipping the lines at the Louvre thanks to skip-the-line tickets. The treasure hunt usually lasts 1.5 – 2 hours, and then you are free to stay to visit the rest of the museum.
We took a Louvre Treasure hunt in competition with a family from the US, and it was a great experience (despite they beat us). We had to locate certain Louvre artworks thanks to some hints and take a selfie to prove we had found them – Click here to book a fun Louvre Treasure Hunt
So there you have it, how to skip the line at the Louvre, at least the longest lines at the Louvre! Use our Louvre tips for visiting the Louvre smoothly and with lesser crowds.
