Musée du Louvre

Currency converter and weather

> Currency converter
>
5°C / 41°F

You are here : Home > Museums & monuments

Good to know

>>	Museum opening times?
>>	Any reductions?

>FAQ

Musée du Louvre

Museum

District : Champs-Elysées / Louvre

Member of the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau

This establishment is certified "Tourism & Handicap"

Description :

Today, the Louvre is one of the most important and most visited museums in the world. It is also the biggest museum in Paris, extending over 210,000 m². This former royal palace, residence of the Kings of France has a long history from the Capetian kings of the 12th century to the present day. During the French Revolution, in 1793, it was transformed into a national museum. In 1988, President François Mitterrand decided to make the Louvre the greatest museum in the world and commissioned the architect Ieoh Ming Pei. The latter built the 20-metre-high glass pyramid which forms the entrance to the museum.
The museum presents 35,000 works, in eight different departments: Oriental Antiquities, Egyptian Antiquities, Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquities, Islamic arts, Sculpture, Art Objects, Paintings, and Graphic Arts. Among the most famous works on show are The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, La Liberté Guidant le Peuple by Eugène Delacroix, The Venus de Milo, or the Code d’Hammurabi.

Current events

Opened in May 2011: tactile galleriy for the blind and sight-impaired: 18 moulds of works from Antiquity to the present to discover.

Informations :

Visite audio gratuite avec ZeVisit

Formerly the residence of the Kings of France, the Louvre has, for two centuries, been one of the world’s greatest museums. Its collections are divided into 8 departments: Oriental, Egyptian, Greek, Etrucscan and Roman Antiquities, Paintings, Sculptures, Art items, Islamic Art, and graphic art from the Middle Ages until 1848.
Open since April 2000, the "Pavillon des Sessions" displays 120 sculptures dedicated to the arts of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, complementing the collections at the Musée du Quai Branly which opened in 2006 (www.quaibranly.fr).
The Louvre in a few figures: 35,000 works spread over 60,600 m² of rooms dedicated to permanent collections, 2,410 windows, 3,000 locks, and 10,000 steps.

The rooms in the Islamic Arts department are closed from January 2008. New areas will open into the Cour Visconti around 2010.

Others informations

Architecturals styles :

Second empire style

List of collections :

Jewellery, Archaeology, Sculpture, Painting, Decorative Arts, Furniture, Antiques, Islamic arts, Graphic arts, Objets d'art

Collections period :

17th century, 19th century, 16th century

Garden :

The Tuileries gardens have been linked to the Louvre since January 2005.

Opening days and times

Open/Closed :

9am to 6pm.
A weekly schedule details which collections will be closed, with the exception of rare modifications (renovation works, transport strikes, etc.). In order to check which galleries will be opened during your visit, check the calendar on the website: www.louvre.fr or by phone on: 00 33 1 40 20 53 17.

Times details :

14 July: free entrance, closing time 6pm. 24 and 31 December, closes at 5pm.
24 and 31 December: closing time 5pm

Cash desk closes at :

5.15pm or 9.15pm during late openings. The rooms start closing at 5.30pm or 9.30pm.

Days of week :

Open on those public holidays :

Horaire nocturne :

Wednesday and Friday: 9am-10pm.

Individual tours

Independant tour :

To avoid queues, buy your ticket in advance on www.louvre.fr

PERMANENT COLLECTIONS: €11: ticket valid on the same day, for the Louvre (excludes exhibitions in the Napoléon hall) and the Eugène-Delacroix museum.
EXHIBITIONS IN THE NAPOLEON HALL: €12
COMBINED TICKET: €15: Access to permanent collections and all temporary exhibitions at the Louvre and the Eugène-Delacroix museum.

MULTIMEDIA GUIDE: Selection of works and choice of route in French, English, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, French sign language. Available at the Denon, Sully and Richelieu entrances. Prices: €2, €4, €6.

Guided tour :

Information on visits for adults, children and families: 01 40 20 52 63.
Conference visits and workshops from 4 to 99 years: €13, €9, €6, €4.
General discovery visit "The great masterpieces": €9, €6 (reduced price). Museum entry excluded. Meet at the group reception, under the pyramid.

Free :

On presentation of evidence, for under-18s, jobseekers and disabled visitors with companion.
Also (excludes exhibitions in the Napoléon hall) for under 26s from the EU and teachers with an Education pass, as well as everyone the first Sunday of each month. Plus, under 26s during late openings on Fridays, from 6pm.

Free for children :

under 18s

Group tours

Group tour :

Booking necessary. 25 people maximum per group (see terms and conditions at www.louvre.fr).

To book a group tour guide from the museum:
- by post: Musée du Louvre - Direction des publics - Activités avec conférenciers - 75058 Paris cedex 01.
- By telephone: 01 40 20 51 77.
- By fax: 01 40 20 84 58.

Self-guided group tour with a leader or outside tour guide:
. By post: Musée du Louvre - Direction des publics - Groupes autonomes - 75058 Paris Cedex 01
. By telephone: 01 40 20 57 60
. By fax: 01 40 20 58 24

Services

Foreign language tour :

English. Spanish on request.

Foreign language information :

English, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Korean.

Educational activities.

Combined ticket :

Since 2004 the Musée Eugène-Delacroix has been linked to the Musée du Louvre. The entry ticket to the Musée du Louvre also allows you to visit the collections and temporary exhibitions at the Musée Eugène-Delacroix on the same day.

Wheelchair hire.

Viewpoint :

View through the Carrousel du Louvre to Champs-Elysées, Arc de Triomphe. The hundreds of windows give a variety of viewpoints over the Seine, the Cour Napoleon, the Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois Church, the Pont-Neuf and rue de Rivoli.

Restaurant :

Le Grand Louvre

Gifts shop :

Réunion des Musées Nationaux

Room hire :

Contact the communication department: 01 40 20 53 89 / nathalie.cuisinier@louvre.fr

Other services :

Bookshop

Miscellaneous :

Taking film and photos in any of the exhibition spaces of the museum is strictly forbidden as is the use of cell phones. Eating and drinking is not allowed in the museum areas. Payment methods accepted: American Express, Eurocard-Mastercard, Visa, postal and banc cheques, cash, travellers cheques, ANCV holiday vouchers.
Free luggage check service (under the Pyramide) for visitors with luggage.

Accessibility disabled persons

Priority access without queueing for disabled people (on presenting a disability card) Tel: 0140 205990; handicap@louvre.fr Activities and visits: - For the sight impaired: descriptive visits "around a piece of art" (1hr 30 mins) using raised drawings and architectural walks (2 hrs) - For the mobility impaired: video guide with adapted tour. Adapted maps and loan of wheelchairs available. - For the hearing impaired: Video guide in French sign language. Visit and talk, and activities in French sign language. - For the mentally disabled: Visit and talk, and adapted activities. Contact for disabled visitors: Tel: 0140 205990, handicap@louvre.fr More information on current adapted cultural events around Paris: http://www.arianeinfo.org/ Adapted parking in 2 car parks nearby (accessible walkways) Free entrance for disabled person upon presentation of proof.