The Louvre — Tickets, Entrances & How to Actually See It
The Louvre now costs €22 for EEA residents and €32 for everyone else (up 45% since 14 January 2026), capped at 30,000 visitors a day through the main Pyramid entrance — the once-faster Richelieu entrance is now restricted to visitors with a licensed guide. Book a timed slot online at ticket.louvre.fr up to three months ahead; reservations are mandatory every day from 1 July to 31 August. Budget 2-3 hours minimum, and pick 2-3 wings rather than trying to see all 35,000 works in one visit.
The Louvre is the most-visited museum on Earth by a wide margin, and 2026 made getting inside it a genuinely different exercise than it was a couple of years ago — a real price jump, a real daily cap, and a real entrance shuffle. None of it is complicated once you know the rules; all of it will ruin your morning if you don't.
What changed at the Louvre in 2026
Since 14 January 2026, standard admission costs €32 for non-EEA visitors and €22 for EEA residents and nationals — a roughly 45% jump for non-EEA travelers, explicitly earmarked for the museum's decade-long 'New Renaissance' overhaul (a new entrance pavilion and a dedicated Mona Lisa room are both part of the plan, still years from finished). At the same time, the museum introduced a hard cap of 30,000 visitors a day, which now routinely sells out in high season — showing up hoping for a same-day walk-in ticket is a real way to lose your Louvre morning entirely.
Which entrance should you use?
| Entrance | Who it's for | Status in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Pyramid (Cour Napoléon) | Everyone with a standard timed ticket | The main, only-guaranteed public entrance — expect a security-line wait even with a timed slot |
| Richelieu (Rue de Rivoli) | Guided groups with a licensed Guide Conférencier only | Restricted to professional guides since 14 January 2026 — no longer a general skip-the-line option |
| Carrousel du Louvre (underground mall) | Ticket holders, sometimes shorter security lines | Worth checking on arrival; access varies by day and isn't guaranteed |
If you booked a private guided tour specifically for 'Richelieu skip-the-line access,' make sure your guide is genuinely licensed (Guide Conférencier) — since the January 2026 change, that entrance is legally restricted to accredited professionals, and an unlicensed 'guide' can't get your group through it. If in doubt, book the standard Pyramid entrance and treat any Richelieu promise from an unverified operator with real skepticism.
How to actually book
Buy directly at the official ticket.louvre.fr — booking windows open roughly three months ahead, and popular summer dates and morning slots sell out weeks in advance. Reservations are mandatory for every visitor, every day, from 1 July through 31 August 2026 (the museum's busiest stretch); outside that window a same-day ticket occasionally exists but shouldn't be counted on.
| Ticket | Approx. price (2026) |
|---|---|
| Standard entry, EEA residents/nationals | €22 ($24) |
| Standard entry, non-EEA visitors | €32 ($35) |
| Under 18, and EU/EEA residents under 26 | Free (ID required) |
| Guided small-group tour (licensed guide, Richelieu entrance) | €28 ($30) + a €20 ($22) reservation fee, per person |
A realistic itinerary — don't try to see it all
The Louvre holds roughly 35,000 works on display across three wings (Denon, Sully, Richelieu) — genuinely impossible to cover properly in one visit, and trying to is the single most common way to leave exhausted and unhappy. Pick 2-3 wings and let the rest go.
- Denon wing — the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and Italian Renaissance painting; the busiest wing by far, so go first thing or in the last two hours before closing.
- Sully wing — Egyptian antiquities and the medieval Louvre's original moat foundations, visible in the basement.
- Richelieu wing — French sculpture and Napoleon III's lavishly preserved apartments, consistently the quietest of the three even in peak season.
When to go for the fewest crowds
Wednesday and Friday evenings (the museum stays open until 9:45pm on those two days) are the single best window — a fraction of the daytime crowd, and the Mona Lisa room without the usual scrum. First thing at opening (9am) is the next-best option; early-to-mid afternoon is consistently the worst.
The Louvre is closed every Tuesday, a detail that trips up a surprising number of first-time visitors who build it into a single free day between other Paris sights. Double-check the closure day against your specific dates before planning your Paris week around it.
Mistakes worth avoiding
- Assuming you can walk up and buy a ticket same-day in July or August — reservations are mandatory in that window and the daily cap sells out.
- Trying to see all three wings properly in one visit — pick 2-3 and accept you'll need a return trip for the rest.
- Booking a 'Richelieu skip-the-line' tour from an unverified reseller — since January 2026 that entrance only works with a genuinely licensed guide.
- Showing up on a Tuesday, when the museum is closed nationwide-holiday-style, every single week.