Louvre Museum

History of the Louvre Museum

The first Louvre has been commissioned by King Philippe Auguste in 1190 as a fortress. Since 1190, many French Kings, Emperors and Presidents have added their extensions and embellishments.

The Louvre Palace houses the Louvre Museum since 1793. President Mitterrand decided in 1981 the final restructuring of the Louvre Museum.

The collections of the Louvre Museum

One of the world's top art museums, the Louvre is the world's most visited with 8 million visitors/year.

The Louvre displays the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci and many other first class paintings from Italy, France, Flanders, Netherlands and England.

It also displays superb collections of Arabic, Egyptian, Greek and Roman art. See details.

Visit the Louvre Museum

The pyramid is the main entrance to the Louvre Museum.  To avoid the queue, enter through Carrousel du Louvre entrance, 99, rue de Rivoli or Porte des Lions, 14, Quai Francois Mitterand.

The Louvre is open 9am to 6pm all days except Tuesdays, January 1st, May 1st, November 11th, December 25th. It is open until 10 pm on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Plan your Louvre Museum visit

To get easy access to Paris museums and save on money, get your Paris Museum Pass. As the Louvre is quite large, we recommend you a guided tour. 

From the main entrance, access one of Paris top shopping malls, a nice complement to your visit.

The Tuileries Gardens close by are beautiful. We advise you to stay in that central Paris district.

Louvre Museum: facts and information

Musee du Louvre
75058 Paris Cedex 01
metro station Palais Royal on line 1

Full-day Louvre Museum entrance fee: 10 euros. Entrance fee with exhibitions : 14 euros.
Buy tickeys online.

Louvre Museum web site
Louvre interactive floor plan
Printable Louvre information plan
Locate Louvre Museum on Paris map