Louvre Museum

The Museo del Louvre is France's most important museum — and the most visited art museum in the world.

Open to the public since 1793, it was the museum that changed the game, becoming the first in history to place the private collections of the aristocracy and monarchy in a gallery accessible to everyone.

It holds more than 470,000 works (7,000 of which are paintings) and is without question one of the must-see sights on your visit to Paris.

The Louvre Museum through history

The Royal Palace of the Louvre has dominated the heart of the city since the 12th century. In 1190, a fortified enclosure stood on this site, which later gave way to a medieval castle and eventually to a royal palace.

The building served several functions from its earliest days, undergoing numerous renovations and expansions to become what we see today.

It served as the residence of several monarchs, including the famous Sun King, Louis XIV, until the demolition of the Tuileries in 1882 devoted it almost entirely to culture.

During World War II, along with other Paris museums, it hid its most important pieces and, faced with the Nazi occupation, moved virtually all its works to other locations — except for the heaviest, which were concealed in the basement. After the liberation of France, the art returned to the Louvre.

Most Important Works

It houses collections of Western art spanning from the earliest civilizations and the Middle Ages up to 1850.

Divided into several sections: Antigüedades Orientales, Arte Islámico, Antigüedades Egipcias, Griegas, Etruscas y Romanas, y pinturas, esculturas, dibujos y grabados de la época moderna y hasta 1848, it also features a department on the history of the Louvre itself, and there are 21 new rooms dedicated to Italian and Spanish painting from the 16th and 17th centuries.

Here you can see true masterpieces such as the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace, as well as the famous Mona Lisa and other famous works by Leonardo da Vinci.

The glass pyramid (main entrance through the central courtyard), designed by architect I.M. Pei, was inaugurated in 1989 to mark the bicentennial of the French Revolution.

Napoleon III Apartments

In the Richelieu Wing you can visit the Apartamentos de Napoleón III. The reception rooms, sumptuously designed in the Louis XIV style and impossible to leave unmoved, have preserved their original décor and furnishings.

Useful Information About the Louvre

Here you'll find everything you need — updated opening hours and prices — to enjoy your visit without a hitch.

Prices

• €17 – You can buy tickets online with guaranteed fast-track access within 30 minutes. Download it to your phone and voilà.

Entrada gratis al Museo del Louvre

• Under 18: free
• European citizens or residents of Europe under 25: free
• You can get entrada gratuita al Museo del Louvre with the Paris Pass card
• On primeros sábados del mes from 6 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.
• Every Friday from 6 p.m. to 9:45 p.m., admission to the museum is free for visitors under 26, regardless of country of residence.
• Bastille Day (July 14).

Find out more about free admission to Paris museums.

Opening Hours

• Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday 9:00 am–6:00 pm; Wednesday and Friday 9:00 am–10:00 pm.
• Cierra los martes, January 1, May 1 and December 25.

Address

• Place du Louvre

Getting There

• Metro lines 1 and 7, Palais Royal Musée du Louvre and Louvre-Rivoli stations
• Buses: 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 76, 81, 95

See More Paris Museums.