By the BeatTheCrowd team · Updated 20 October 2026 · 5 min read
Quick answer
Book a timed ticket on the official site (ticket.louvre.fr), then skip the Pyramid and use the Carrousel du Louvre entrance underground, where the security line is usually far shorter. Go at the 9 am opening (heading straight for the Mona Lisa) or on a Wednesday or Friday evening. And remember: it's closed on Tuesdays.
At a glance
Ticket price
€32 for non-EEA visitors, €22 for EEA citizens and residents
Book on
ticket.louvre.fr. Museum Pass holders must book a free slot too
Best time
9 am opening, or Wednesday and Friday evenings
Busiest time
11 am to 3 pm, weekends, Mondays and summer
Shortest way in
Carrousel du Louvre entrance (underground, off Rue de Rivoli)
Closed
Every Tuesday
Free
Under 18s, EEA under 26s, and first Friday evenings (except July and August)
How long is the line at the Louvre?
The famous line is the one snaking around the glass Pyramid. Most of that wait is security, which everyone goes through, ticket or not. Booking a timed ticket skips the ticket desk, but the real trick at the Louvre is choosing a smarter door.
Entrance
Typical wait at busy times
Pyramid
30-60+ minutes in peak season
Carrousel du Louvre
Often 5-20 minutes
Porte des Lions (when open)
Often 5-15 minutes
🔑 The free skip-the-line hack
Before you book your slot, check how busy the Louvre is expected to be. BeatTheCrowd shows the live crowd level and an hourly forecast for any date, adjusted for holidays, school breaks and weather, so you can pick the calmest time to go.
Residence counts, not just your passport, so bring proof
Under 18 (any nationality)
Free
Still book a time slot
EEA under 26
Free
Bring ID
Paris Museum Pass holders
Covered by the pass
You must still book a free time slot, and they run out in busy periods
Only book on the official site
There are plenty of lookalike sites with Louvre-style names charging more for the same ticket. The official ticketing site is ticket.louvre.fr.
First Friday evenings are free for everyone from 6 pm (except in July and August), but you still need to reserve, and those evenings are understandably busy.
The entrance that beats the Pyramid queue
Entrance
Where
Notes
Pyramid
Cour Napoléon, the main courtyard
The iconic one, and the busiest. Take your photo, then walk on
Carrousel du Louvre
Underground, via 99 Rue de Rivoli or straight from Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre metro
Covered, step-free and great in rain or heat
Porte des Lions
Seine side, west end of the Denon wing
Ticket holders only. Often closed or on shorter hours, so check before walking there
For most people the Carrousel du Louvre is the sweet spot: the same security, a fraction of the wait. Allow 15-30 minutes for security whichever door you use, and don't turn up much earlier than your slot, because you won't be let in sooner.
Best (and worst) times to go
9 am opening: the calmest hour. Go straight to the Mona Lisa in the Denon wing before the room fills. It gets steadily busier from about 10 am.
Wednesday and Friday evenings: the museum stays open late, and the galleries thin out noticeably after 6 pm.
Worst: 11 am to 3 pm, especially at weekends.
Day of the week: Mondays are busy because many other Paris museums close that day, and the Tuesday closure pushes people into Monday and Wednesday.
Season: November to March is the quietest. Summer and school holidays are the busiest.
🔑 The free skip-the-line hack
Deciding between a morning slot and an evening session? Our hourly forecast for the Louvre shows how busy each hour is expected to be on the date you choose.
The Mona Lisa hangs in the Salle des États (Room 711) in the Denon wing, and it's the most crowded room in the building. Your best chances are the first half hour after opening or an evening session.
Once you've seen her, turn around: Veronese's enormous *Wedding Feast at Cana* is on the opposite wall, and most people walk straight past it. Then head for quieter wings like Richelieu, where you'll often have whole rooms almost to yourself.
Coming in a few years
The Louvre plans to give the Mona Lisa her own room with a separate entrance and ticket as part of a major renovation expected around 2031. Until then, she stays in the Denon wing.
Insider tips that actually save time
Check it's not a Tuesday. The Louvre is closed every Tuesday, and a surprising number of people only find out at the door.
Book your slot early in summer. Slots, including free ones for pass holders, can sell out days in advance.
Keep metal and liquids easy to reach so you're through the scanners quickly.
Pick two or three wings, not all of them. The Louvre is enormous, and trying to see everything means spending half your day in corridors.
Download the museum map before you go. Signal inside can be weak, and the layout is famously confusing.
Practical info
Getting there
Metro lines 1 and 7 to Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre, which connects underground to the Carrousel entrance.
How long to allow
2 to 4 hours for the highlights. Art lovers can easily spend 5 or 6.
Accessibility
Largely step-free, with lifts in every wing. The Carrousel entrance is step-free, and wheelchairs are lent free under the Pyramid (bring photo ID).
Bags
Bags over 55 × 35 × 20 cm aren't allowed in the galleries. There's a free cloakroom and free lockers under the Pyramid.
Hours
9 am to 6 pm, with late opening on Wednesdays and Fridays. Closed Tuesdays.
Mistakes that cost you an hour
Queueing at the Pyramid when the Carrousel entrance is a few minutes away.
Turning up on a Tuesday.
Assuming the Museum Pass gets you in without a reservation.
Arriving at 11 am and heading for the Mona Lisa with everyone else.
Walking to the Porte des Lions without checking whether it's open.
Is skip-the-line worth paying extra for?
Not usually. The official timed ticket already skips the ticket desk, and the Carrousel entrance takes care of most of the security wait for free. A guided tour is worth it if you want someone to steer you through the highlights, not just for the line.
It's strongly recommended. Entry is by timed slot and popular slots sell out, especially in summer. At busy times the museum also requires a reservation, including for free and Museum Pass visitors.
Which Louvre entrance has the shortest line?
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Usually the Carrousel du Louvre entrance, underground off Rue de Rivoli. The Porte des Lions can be even quicker when it's open, but its hours are unreliable.
How much is a Louvre ticket?
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€32 for visitors from outside the European Economic Area and €22 for EEA citizens and residents. Under-18s, and EEA residents under 26, get in free.
What day is the Louvre closed?
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Every Tuesday, plus a few public holidays. Check the official site before you go.
When is the best time to see the Mona Lisa?
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Heading to the Louvre Museum?
See how busy it is right now and the quietest hours for your date, then walk in when the line is short.
How we research: every guide is written by the BeatTheCrowd team from official sources and recent traveller reports, cross-checked against each other, and dated so you know how fresh it is. Last checked 20 October 2026. Prices and rules change, so always confirm on the official site before you book.
Straight after the 9 am opening, or during the Wednesday and Friday evening sessions. Check our live crowd tracker for your date.
Do Paris Museum Pass holders need a reservation at the Louvre?
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Yes. The pass covers admission, but you still have to book a free time slot on the official site, and slots can run out in busy periods.
