Should I Buy Louvre Tickets In Advance? Louvre Ticket FAQ

As the most popular museum on earth, you might be wondering if you need to get advance tickets to The Louvre. In 2023, The Louvre received 8.9 million visitors, sure to be more this year with the Paris Olympics that will push visitor numbers to new records. It’s pretty safe to say that yes, you need to buy your tickets in advance if you don’t want to end up in a long queue or risk that tickets are sold out once you arrive in Paris.

Personally, having been to The Louvre several times over the last decade, I wouldn’t just cross your fingers and hope for the best. Purchasing in advance is going to be your best bet. When I arrived in Paris in 2023, I thought “eh, it’s off-season, how busy can it be?” Well, it turns out that there were three days pre-sales were completely sold out even in March. That problem only gets worse in peak months. Even on the day I was able to get tickets for, I could only get in three hours after opening.

So take my advice seriously when I say to pre-book in advance. Don’t leave it to chance.

How to get tickets for The Louvre Museum

Where can I get tickets for the Louvre?

Right now, trying to get tickets on The Louvre’s website is crazy. You get put into a queue first where you can wait up to 15-20 minutes just to access the purchase page, and you have a very limited window. So I prefer to purchase tickets for The Louvre from Tiqets. I use Tiqets to get admission to all of my desired attractions in one place, and that makes it easy instead of having to put a bunch of emails in a folder or hope you can find it.

You can also get tickets to The Louvre as part of the Paris Museum Pass, which is a 2-day or 4-day museum pass option.

How much are tickets to the Louvre?

The base ticket for The Louvre is going to run you about $28USD.

Are there Skip the Line tickets to the Louvre?

Yes, there are priority entrance tickets to The Louvre that include direct access to The Mona Lisa. You can get a priority entrance ticket that includes a guide who will take you straight to The Mona Lisa so you can see what you came to see and get out if museums aren’t your thing, but you don’t want to miss Leonardo Da Vinci’s most coveted masterpiece.

Book a self-guided tour to The Louvre

Self-guided tours of The Louvre have to booked through The Louvre directly. According to the museum’s website, it’s best to book a few weeks in advance.

How long is the line at The Louvre?

The line to get in with a timed ticket is pretty quick. You can pass the security and main checkpoints in 20-30 minutes, which is fast considering The Louvre receives tens of thousands of visitors every single day.

What is the best time of day to go to the Louvre?

I recommend going to The Louvre as early in the morning as possible. That way, you can see whatever highlights you want to see without there being too many crowds. Things get busy at The Mona Lisa and you want time to be able to look at her for longer than 10 seconds. Napoleon’s apartments also get very busy, so make sure to go there next if you’re planning on seeing them.

Is The Louvre free for people with disabilities?

Yes, with a doctor’s note, it’s free for you and a guest. You still have to book in advance though on The Louvre’s booking website and there’s a small processing fee.

Do you have to buy Louvre tickets in advance? I certainly recommend it. This is an artwork in the French Sculpture gallery at The Louvre.

Do you have to buy Louvre tickets in advance?

Technically, you don’t have to buy them in advance but it would be unwise to take the risk. As a person who’s been there multiple times, you don’t want to be glib about tickets. Even if you don’t buy anything else in advance, this or the Eiffel Tower would be the two things I’d book asap. Do not wait to get to France.

Can you buy tickets for the Louvre on the day?

I don’t recommend waiting. First of all, you’ll lose a lot of time — it’s normal for the ticket queue to be an hour long if you don’t reserve in advance at a minimum. That’s time you simply do not have when visiting The Louvre because there are over 30,000 objects on display and it’s physically impossible to see them all in one day. It’s also possible that especially during peak months, they will sell out of tickets for the hour window you want to go or for the entire day.

Do Louvre tickets sell out?

Yes. Tickets to The Louvre regularly sell out so buy Louvre tickets in advance if you can. The Louvre usually has several months of advance availability on its calendar.

How far in advance do you need to book Louvre tickets?

To be safe, I would recommend buying at least 2-3 months in advance, more if you can manage it. If you think you might want to go to The Louvre, purchase your tickets in advance. As I said before, I wasn’t able to get the day I originally wanted because it was completely sold out and that definitely mucks things up, especially if you’re only in Paris for a few days.

Where can I buy Louvre tickets in advance?

You can pre-purchase your tickets to The Louvre at Tiqets.

Can you go to The Louvre shop without a ticket?

Yes, you can! The Louvre isn’t dumb—they want your money in whatever way you’re willing to give it to them haha. Several shops sell merch from The Louvre in the Carousel du Louvre, and there are plenty of shops with Mona Lisa merch, so don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of chances to grab some Louvre-themed souvenirs!

Tickets to Louvre are sold out, how else can I get access to the museum?

I’d look at third-party vendors. You can often get into The Louvre with a guided tour as they usually have same-day passes available. What you can do if you don’t care about the guided tour is purchase (at a premium) and then ditch the tour in the first five minutes. Just give the guide a heads-up because if they expect to have 10 people and suddenly they only have 5, they might go looking for you and it’ll be disappointing for people who did want the tour.

You can get into The Louvre through the pyramid.