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Paris is one of the most Instagrammable cities in Europe, and it's also home to Louvre, the most famous museum on earth, where visitors can also find the most impressive art collections. Although many visitors plan to visit the museum to see the Mona Lisa, the Louvre has countless other masterpieces spread over many departments.

Visiting the Louvre demands some planning, mainly to avoid the endless lines to enter the museum. Organizing things in advance can help visitors to save time and also guarantee they'll visit the departments that are interesting to them.

Buying The Tickets

The lines at Louvre are often too long, so the best way to avoid them is to buy the tickets online. According to the museum, the people who schedule their visit in advance often have to spend only ten minutes in line, while those who buy them at the museum wait nearly one hour.

The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m and closes on Tuesdays. The entrance is free for people under 18 or 25 years old if they are European residents. Other groups can visit the museum for free, including Louvre and Press members. One of the busiest days to see the Louvre is Bastille Day (July 14th), when the tickets are free for everybody.

  • Prices: €15 (at the museum) or €17 (online)

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Louvre Currently Has Four Entrances For The Public

The most known entrance is at the famous Pyramid, but most visitors ignore that the Louver has two other entries that can save a lot of time. In the past, they had a fourth entrance called Porte des Lions Entrance, which has been closed since 2019.

To closest station to the Louvre is the Palais Royal Musée du Louvre, and visitors should catch lines 1 and 7. Travelers going by bus should catch the buses 21, 69, 72, N11, and N24 stop at the Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre bus station.

Pyramid Entrance

It's the main entrance, and visitors are spread over four lines: those who still need to buy the tickets, those with tickets, membership cards, and priority visitors.

Carrousel du Louvre Entrance

The Carrousel du Louvre, also known as the mall entrance, is a lesser-known way to visit the museum. It's open to visitors with tickets, membership cards, disabled visitors, and groups. Waiting in line takes approximately 30 minutes.

Passage Richelieu Entrance

The Passage Richelieu Entrance is open for groups that made their reservation before or people holding a membership card. The waiting line is up to 15 minutes, so it's a great way to save time and skip the crowds before entering the Louvre.

Best Days And Time To Visit The Louvre

Tourists can expect long queues when visiting Louvre, especially between July and September, the busiest months in Paris. Travelers planning to visit Paris between January and April can spend less time in the waiting line. The best days to visit the museum are during the weekdays, except on Tuesday when the museum is closed.

Although the book guides recommend visiting the Louvre early on the day, there are fewer people after 3 p.m. On Wednesdays and Fridays, the Louvre is open until 9:45 p.m., so visiting the museum in the evening is a chance to see the museum without hundreds of other visitors.

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How Long Does It Take To Visit The Louvre?

The Louvre has an area of 72,735 square meters, and it's impossible to see everything in one day. According to the museum, if a person spends 30 seconds looking at each artwork in the museum, they'll need 200 days to see everything. Yet, spending two or three hours at Louvre can give a good overview of its collections.

There are 480,000 artworks spread over eight departments at Louvre. Choosing which one to visit can make the tour more enjoyable.

Painting Department

It's home to the Mona Lisa, but visitors will also find The Raft Of Medusa by Théodore Géricaul, the Coronation of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David, and The Wedding at Cana by Paolo Veronese. It's possible to spend hours looking at its 5,550 paintings, most of them created between the 13th and 19th centuries. It's the perfect chance to explore the masterpiece of some of the most prominent European artists in history.

Sculptures

This department brings together sculptures made by European artists, most of them from France, Italy, and northern Europe. There's a whole area of French sculptures, and most of them were created between the Medieval time and the 19th Century. Visitors will find the famous Venus de Milo, Winged Victory of Samothrace, and Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss. It's possible to combine this department with the paintings.

Egyptian Collection

Louvre is home to the largest collections of Egyptian Antiquities and is spread over two floors of the museum. The department was inaugurated in 1827, featuring thousands of years of Egyptian history. Among the highlights are the statue of Ramses II, the coffin of Pa Nesit Tawy, the Seated Scribe sculpture and a fragment of the Amon's Temple.

The Egyptian Collection is a paradise for archology fans, and it's possible to spend some hours just visiting this department.

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Near Eastern Antiques Department

The Near Eastern Antiquities Department preserves the origin of human writing. The department has the oldest legal documents ever found, dating back from the Neolithic Age when humans started to develop farming techniques. The papers are separated according to the region: the Black Sea, the Arabian peninsula, and Eastern Mediterranean.

Royal Furniture

The Louvre also preserves its history, featuring pieces of when the building served as a palace, and visitors can see the apartments that once belonged to Anne of Austria and Napoleon III. This department gives a perfect example of the luxurious lifestyle of the royal court when luxury was present in daily objects.

Islamic Arts

The most recent department at Louvre was inaugurated in 2003. The Islamic Arth Department brings together items from Spain, Egypt, and India that date back to the seventh century. Some historical pieces arrived in France during the Crusades in the Medieval Era, so It's a great chance to understand more about Islamic art through the centuries.

Art from Around the World

This department was created to bring together artwork from every continent. Visitors can find a statue from Easter Island, African sculptures, and items from Solomon Island. This department features only 120 pieces and demands less time compared to other areas at the Louvre.

Graphic Arts

Louvre has the most extensive graphic arts collection in the world, with 250,000 drawings, prints, pastels, and miniatures. Visitors can see part of them in the Graphic Arts department, a room with controlled lighting to preserve the artwork.

The department features pieces created by Delacroix, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and other prominent artists.