Louvre Museum Tickets

There's a large variety of Louvre tickets to choose from, with different costs attached. A basic e-ticket for the Louvre will only set you back around €17 – a steal for the amount of incredible artwork that's inside.

There's so much to see that you might want to take a guided tour with a group to hit all the highlights, and that will cost you between €50 and €70. If you really want to make the most of your time in the Louvre, a private tour of the museum with an expert guide is available.

Can you go to the Louvre without seeing the Mona Lisa? It would be like visiting Amsterdam without going on a canal boat, or visiting Pisa without taking hilarious photos.

But it's a fair question – is the Mona Lisa worth it? It's the most famous portrait ever painted, but the reality is that this 77 x 53 cm painting draws a gaggle of selfie-stick-wielding monsters. There are couples craning their necks, peering through the smallest gaps in the throng to catch a glimpse of Lisa Gherardini's timeless pose.

Yes, the security line to get within 15 feet of the painting is a chore. Yes, it will at times feel like a mosh pit as you bounce from shoulder to shoulder towards the back of the queue. But there's something about a fleeting audience with the Mona Lisa that makes you feel part of a very special club. It's a bucket-list exercise that you'll smugly complain about for the rest of your life.

There's so much to see at the Louvre, we wrote a blog about it. If you want the basic itinerary to make the most of your Louvre tickets, we've got you covered below.

• There's the Mona Lisa, obviously.

• Stand in front of Venus de Milo, the 2,000-year-old sculpture of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. It's one of the most famous statues in the world!

• Don't miss Winged Victory of Samothrace, the now headless celebration of a Greek military victory that takes pride of place at the top of one of the Louvre's many grand staircases.

• You can't visit the Louvre without gazing up at the ceiling of Galerie d’Apollon, the gold-lined corridor home to the French crown jewels.

• Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix is the artistic representation of the second French Revolution, a powerful image of liberty in human form leading her people to victory.

If you want to see everything and really soak up the atmosphere in the Louvre, you'll need a good amount of time. We recommend you devote at least three hours to your experience to see the most of your Louvre tickets. Got some spare time? You could easily spend all day at the Louvre. Why not take a Louvre guided tour and then explore on your own!

It wasn't always home to artistic treasures. The Louvre was built in the 12th century as a fortress, and has been remodeled and built around countless times by various kings and emperors over the last 800 years. Glass pyramids weren't a thing in medieval times, of course. This iconic addition was only constructed in 1989.

Visiting the Louvre Museum can be a unique adventure every time. With so much spellbinding art to see, it's bewildering even knowing where to begin!

If you're only here to see the Mona Lisa, simply follow the long, winding queues! But if you fancy delving into more Louvre highlights, here are some of the galleries you definitely shouldn't miss.

• The Cour Marly: This beautiful courtyard was designed in the late 17th century by Jules Hardouin-Mansart and houses an impressive collection of sculptures by masters such as Jean-Antoine Houdon, Antoine Coysevox, and François Girardon

• Lyre Room: Located in the Richelieu wing of the Louvre, this room features an impressive collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures and artifacts, including a bronze lyre from the 5th century BC

• The Cour Puget: This 17th-century courtyard, originally designed by Louis Le Vau, is home to the iconic Winged Victory of Samothrace sculpture and several other ancient sculptures.

• The Galerie d’Apollon: This spectacular gallery, originally designed by Charles Le Brun, is home to many of the most famous paintings in the Louvre, including works by Raphael, Rubens, and Poussin.

• The Pavillon de l’Horloge: Inside, there are interactive models, digital displays with archived documents, films, and artworks from the Louvre collections that help tell the story of the Louvre's former role as a royal palace, and its transition to the world's premier art museum.

• Napoleon's Apartments: Take a peek inside the lush lifestyle of one of France's most notorious rulers

As one of the most popular attractions in Paris, it always pays to buy in advance and save time waiting in line the day of. Or, squeeze more out of your Parisian holiday when you combine your ticket with other nearby attractions.

Depending on what type of experience you want while visiting the Louvre Museum, there are a number of ticket types to choose from.

Louvre Museum Tickets include:

• The standard Louvre Museum e-ticket, grants access to the museum's permanent and temporary exhibition spaces, and also to the Eugène Delacroix Museum

• If you prefer to visit with a guided tour, take a 2.5-hour tour of the Louvre's major masterpieces, or a 3-hour guided tour with skip-the-line entry

• See the Louvre from the inside, and then from the Seine on a river cruise through Paris

• Visit the Louvre, plus gain access to the Eiffel Tower, go on a Seine river cruise, and get a smartphone audio guide for all of it with a Paris City Card

• Prams/strollers are allowed in the museum. If the model you own is too large for the museum lifts, you can borrow a pram from the museum at the Pyramid. Only baby carriers worn on the front of the body, not on the back, are allowed. These can also be borrowed from the museum

• Regular photography/filming for personal use is allowed inside most areas of the museum, however flash photography and selfie sticks are not permitted. Certain exhibitions may prohibited all photography/filming

• Large bags or suitcases (any item exceeding 55 x 35 x 20 cm) are not permitted inside any areas of the museum. There are free onsite lockers available for smaller items (must be collected the same day)

• Special equipment is available for children and disabled visitors at the visitor assistance area (wheelchairs, prams, etc.)

• Official tour guides and teachers are afforded the "right to speak" in the museum. Please operate at a respectful volume within the museum and do not be offended if you are reminded to be quiet when tours are taking place