How Long Does it Take to Visit the Paris Louvre

The Louvre Museum is a must-see attraction in Paris and is a must-see that you'll really enjoy, especially if you love art and archaeology. It's a must-see that you'll really enjoy, especially if you love art and archaeology.

When it comes to buying your ticket to the Louvre Museum and planning your visit, you'll need to know how to get tickets, how much they cost, how to get there, opening hours and how much time you'll need for a thorough visit. In this post I'll tell you everything you need to know to plan your route around the museum according to the time you have. Read on!

The million dollar question! It doesn't have a simple answer because the Louvre is huge and ultimately the length of your visit will depend on your passion for art and the time you want to devote to each collection in the museum.

In general, a standard visit that gives you an overview of the collections usually lasts between 2 and 3 hours on average. However, if art and archaeology is your thing, you'll probably want to make the most of your Louvre ticket and stay longer to try to take in as much as possible, especially if you're only in Paris for a few days.

How to approach a visit to the Louvre?

The size of the Louvre Museum is immense. With 160,000 m2, its more than 400 rooms display more than 35,000 works of art. It is therefore very difficult to visit the museum in its entirety in a single day. In my opinion, this is a very ambitious and almost unachievable plan.

My advice is not to go there with this goal in mind because, even if you start the tour with enthusiasm, after a while you will probably feel stressed, rushing from one room to another, barely noticing the works of art in front of you, and you will end up with considerable cultural indigestion. Museums should be enjoyed at your leisure!

If your goal is to see the Louvre Museum in its entirety, remember that you can always return to Paris to fulfil this and many other plans that await you in this beautiful city.

This is the option chosen by most visitors. The guided tour for the Louvre Museum is available from RM419 in Hellotickets. An ideal option to get a very interesting approach to this museum if it is the first time you visit it, as it will give you a general idea of its most emblematic works of art.

In addition, in general, with tickets for a guided tour of the Louvre Museum you will avoid queues and you will be able to make a quick entrance to the building to start the tour without delays. An advantage to take into account if you visit the Louvre with children.

What works in the museum in a morning?

1. Ground Floor

• The Venus de Milo: Denon wing, room 345.
• Eros and Psyche: Denon Wing, room 403.

2. First floor

• La Gioconda: Denon Wing, room 711.
• The Marriage at Cana: Denon Wing, room 711.
• Liberty Leading the People: Denon Wing, room 700.
• The Raft of the Medusa: Denon Wing, room 700.
• Hunter Officer Charging: Denon Wing, room 700.
• The death of Sardanapalus: Denon Wing, room 700.
• The Great Odalisque: Denon Wing, room 702.
• The consecration of Napoleon: Denon Wing, room 702.
• Oath of the Horatii: Denon Wing, room 702.
• The Victory of Samothrace: Denon Wing, room 703.
• The Seated Scribe: Sully Wing, room 635.

3. Second Floor

• Dürer's Self-Portrait: Richelieu Wing, room 809.
• The Lacemaker: Richelieu Wing, room 837.
• The Gambler: Sully Wing, room 912.
• The Medici Gallery: Richelieu Wing, room 801.

If you're planning to visit the Louvre Museum on your own because you have a pretty good idea of the pieces you want to see, you can get your tickets for the Louvre Museum, from RM130

This way, you can design your own itinerary through the rooms while listening to the audio guide's narration. This is the most basic option, perfect for those visiting Paris on a budget.

What can you see in the museum in a day?

1. Ground Floor

• Venus de Milo: Denon Wing, room 345.

• Eros and Psyche: Denon Wing, room 403.

• Sphinx of Tanis: Sully Wing, room 338. - Code of Hammurabi: Richelieu Wing, room 227. - The Winged Bulls of Khorsabad: Richelieu Wing, room 229. - Dying Slave: Denon Wing, room 403.

2. First floor

• The Mona Lisa: Denon Wing, room 711.

• The Marriage at Cana: Denon Wing, room 711.

• Liberty Leading the People: Denon Wing, room 700.

• The Raft of the Medusa: Denon Wing, room 700.

• Hunter Officer Charging: Denon Wing, room 700.

• The death of Sardanapalus: Denon Wing, room 700.

• The Great Odalisque: Denon Wing, room 702.

• The consecration of Napoleon: Denon Wing, room 702.

• Oath of the Horatii: Denon Wing, room 702.

• The Victory of Samothrace: Denon Wing, room 703.

• The Seated Scribe: Sully Wing, room 635.

• Joan of Arc at the coronation of Charles VII: Denon wing, room 700. - The Raising of Lazarus: Denon wing, room 712.

3. First floor

• La Galerie Medici: Richelieu wing, room 801.
• Dürer's Self-Portrait: Richelieu Wing, room 809.
• The Lacemaker: Richelieu Wing, room 837.
• The Gambler: Sully Wing, room 912.
• Portrait of Rubens and Van Dyck: Richelieu Wing, room 802.
• Jesus Driving the Merchants from the Temple: Richelieu Wing, room 800.
• The Resurrection of Christ: Richelieu Wing, room 800.
• The Virgin and Child: Richelieu Wing, room 835.
• Clio, Euterpe and Thalia: Sully Wing, Room 911.
• The Adoration of the Magi: Sully Wing, Room 915.
• The Magdalene: Sully Wing, Room 924.
• The Virgin, the Child and John the Baptist as a Child: Sully Wing, Room 908.

Where to eat?

If you are going to spend a whole day inside the Louvre Museum, at some point you will need to take a break to recover your energy so that you can continue your tour. Inside the museum there are plenty of options for eating, from kiosks and stalls to cafés and restaurants.

Since you only have a day to see the Louvre, my advice is to opt for a light snack to kill your appetite and get on with the tour as soon as possible. Here are some places where you can grab a quick bite to eat at the Louvre:

• Starbucks: Floor -1. Mezzanine Richelieu wing, under the Pyramid. Open every day from 11 AM to 5:30 PM except Tuesdays.
• Paul's Bakery: Floor -2. Under the Pyramid. Offers continuous service from 10:30 AM to 5:30 PM.
• Denon and Richelieu Bar: Floor -1. Mezzanine of the Richelieu wing and mezzanine of the Denon wing, under the Pyramid. Open from 9 AM to 5 PM.
• Le Café Mollien: Floor 1. Denon wing (French painting section). Offers continuous service from 9:45 AM to 4:45 PM.

However, if you prefer to wait until the end of your visit to have lunch, you can find more suggestions in the post Where to eat near the Louvre Museum.

What to see on the way out?

Once you have finished your tour of the Louvre, before continuing to explore Paris, go to the centre of the cour Napoléon to admire the Pyramid of Ieoh Ming Pei, a huge glass pyramid where the entrance to the museum is located.

Many tourists take advantage of the end of their visit to the Louvre to take some souvenir photos next to this imposing pyramid, which has exactly the same proportions as the pyramid of Cheops in Egypt. Inside, you will also find several souvenir shops and cafés where you can stroll around and take a break.

The visit to the Louvre Museum can be very intense, but if you still have some energy left for more sightseeing, in the surroundings of the museum there are some very cool tourist attractions such as the Tuileries Gardens, the Royal Palace of Paris, the Musée d'Orsay or the Place Vendome.

If you're an art lover, you'll want to make the most of your visit to the Louvre Museum and spend as much time as possible in each room admiring all the works on display - there are more than 35,000 works on show!

Seeing all its collections in one morning or in one day is practically impossible, but if you plan to spend a week in Paris or a fortnight in Paris, it is more feasible that you can dedicate at least two days to the Louvre to contemplate calmly the bulk of the wings into which the museum is divided.

To see the museum in two days, I recommend that the first day you take a guided tour of the Louvre Museum to have a first approach to its most iconic works of art. On the second day you can complete the visit by seeing other types of pieces by using the Paris Pass, from RM843, as with this tourist card access to this museum is included along with many other tourist attractions in the French capital.

What to see at the museum in two days?

1. Ground Floor

• The Venus de Milo: Denon Wing, room 345.

• Eros and Psyche: Denon Wing, room 403.

• Sphinx of Tanis: Sully Wing, room 338. - Code of Hammurabi: Richelieu Wing, room 227. - The Winged Bulls of Khorsabad: Richelieu Wing, room 229. - Dying Slave: Denon Wing, room 403.

2. First floor

• La Gioconda: Denon Wing, room 711.

• The Marriage at Cana: Denon Wing, room 711.

• Liberty Leading the People: Denon Wing, room 700.

• The Raft of the Medusa: Denon Wing, room 700.

• Hunter Officer Charging: Denon Wing, room 700.

• The death of Sardanapalus: Denon Wing, room 700.

• The Great Odalisque: Denon Wing, room 702.

• The consecration of Napoleon: Denon Wing, room 702.

• Oath of the Horatii: Denon Wing, room 702.

• The Victory of Samothrace: Denon Wing, room 703.

• The Seated Scribe: Sully Wing, room 635.

• Joan of Arc at the coronation of Charles VII: Denon wing, room 700. - A young tiger playing with his mother: Denon wing, room 700. - Dante's boat: Denon wing, room 700.

3. Second Floor

• La Galerie Medici: Richelieu Wing, room 801.
• Dürer's Self-Portrait: Richelieu Wing, room 809.
• The Lacemaker: Richelieu Wing, room 837.
• The Gambler: Sully Wing, room 912.
• Portrait of Rubens and Van Dyck: Richelieu Wing, room 802.
• Still Life: Fruit and Vegetables: Richelieu Wing, room 802.
• Jesus expelling the merchants from the temple: Richelieu Wing, room 800.
• The Resurrection of Christ: Richelieu Wing, room 800.
• The Virgin and Child: Richelieu Wing, room 835.
• Clio, Euterpe and Thalia: Sully Wing, Room 911.
• Alexander's Entry into Babylon: Sully Wing, Room 914.
• The Adoration of the Magi: Sully Wing, Room 915.
• The Magdalene: Sully Wing, Room 924.
• The Virgin, Child and John the Baptist as a Child: Sully Wing, Room 908.

Where to eat?

If you are planning to visit the Louvre Museum in two days, as well as planning your route through the collections, you will also need to plan your meals. For a cultural immersion of this nature you will need strength and also a place to take a break when you have been inside for a while and need to clear your head.

There are several dining options at the museum, from restaurants and cafes to stalls and kiosks. Since you have several days to explore the building, you can take the opportunity to take a long lunch break to review everything you've seen so far and what you still need to see. Here are some places to eat at the Louvre Museum:

• Goguette: Floor -1. Mezzanine in the Richelieu wing, under the Pyramid. It offers continuous service from 11am to 4:45pm.
• La Terrasse de Pomone: In the Tuileries Garden. Open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM.
• Bistrot Benoit: Floor -2. Under the Pyramid. From 11 AM to 4 PM.
• Café Richelieu- Angelina: Floor 1. Richelieu Wing (near Napoleon III's bedroom).

What to see on the way out?

At the end of your visit, before leaving the Louvre, return to the Pyramid of Ieoh Ming Pei (where the entrance to the museum is located) to take a closer look at another of Paris' icons and one of the most recent.

It was inaugurated in 1989 but is a 19th-century idea to commemorate Napoleon Bonaparte. It is likely that the architect Ieoh Ming Pei was aware of this project and took it up again when he was commissioned to renovate the museum.

This glass pyramid is now the main entrance to the Louvre and a meeting point for many visitors. You can't leave without taking a souvenir photo next to it and visiting the souvenir shops!

Guided tours of the Louvre Museum usually last between 2 hours and 2 hours and 30 minutes, depending on the guide's tour of the interior of the building, although all of them usually cover the most important collections. This may not seem like a long time, but don't worry, it's actually more than enough time to get a general idea of the Louvre Museum if you're a first-time visitor.

If you're an art history buff, you'll probably want to spend more time in the rooms. If you want to spend more than 3 hours there, which is the average length of a standard visit to the Louvre, my advice is to go with a clear idea of what you want to see, focus on that tour and make the most of the experience.

Given the sheer size of the building, don't try to see the entire Louvre Museum in a single day - it's an almost unmanageable task. It's better to set yourself goals and see it little by little, even if you have to spend more days there or visit more if you're really interested in its collections.

Yes, it is! Even if you don't have much time for all the tourist attractions to see in Paris during your stay, a visit to the Louvre Museum is a must among the museums of Paris because of the importance of its collections in the world of art.

To make the most of the little time you have there, I recommend you to take an express tour of the Louvre Museum where a guide will explain the masterpieces of its collection in detail in an itinerary of only 2 hours.

It is the best option for those travellers who don't want to leave Paris without visiting the Louvre, but have a very tight schedule. It will save you a lot of time!

When planning your visit, I recommend that you do some research:

• How to get tickets to the Louvre.
• The price of tickets to the Louvre Museum.
• How to get to the Louvre Museum.
• The opening hours of the Louvre.
• Where to eat near the Louvre Museum.