How Long Does it Take to Visit the Paris Louvre

The Louvre Museum is a must-see attraction in Paris. It is an essential plan that you will enjoy a lot, especially if you love the world of art and archeology.

When planning the visit, you should not only know how to get tickets to the Louvre, the price of Louvre Museum tickets or how to get to the Louvre Museum but also the opening hours of the Louvre and how much time you will need to make a thorough visit that you will remember when you return home.

If you have any doubts about this, don't worry, because in this post I tell you everything you need to know about how to approach the museum route 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 in the end the length of your visit will depend on your passion for art and the time you want to dedicate to each collection of the museum.

Generally, a standard visit to the Louvre Museum with which you can get an overall idea of its collections usually lasts between 2 and 3 hours on average. However, if art and archeology is your thing, you will probably want to stay inside longer to try to take in as much as possible, especially if you are only spending a few days in Paris.

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 entire ty in a single day. In my opinion it is a very ambitious and almost unattainable plan.

My advice is not to go there with that goal because even if you start the route with momentum, after a while you will most likely feel stressed going from one room to another, barely noticing the works of art before you and you will end up with a considerable cultural indigestion. Museums should be enjoyed with tranquility!

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

This is the option chosen by most visitors. From 70 € you can buy in Hellotickets a ticket for a guided tour of the Louvre Museum.

It will allow you to make a very interesting approach to the Louvre Museum if it is the first time you visit it, to have 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 the queues and you can make a quick entrance to the building to start the tour without delay. 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.
• Erosand Psyche: Denon Wing, room 403.

2. Second 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.
• Officer of the Hunters on the Charge: 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.
• La Galerie Médicis: Richelieu Wing, room 801.

If you are planning to make the visit on your own because you have a pretty clear idea of the pieces you want to see, from 38 € you can get in Hellotickets a ticket with which you can design your own itinerary through its rooms while listening to the narration of the audio guide. It is the most basic option, perfect for those who visit Paris on a tight budget.

What works to see in the museum in one day?

1. Ground Zero

• The Venus de Milo: Denon Wing, room 345.
• Erosand 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. Second 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.
• Officer of the Hunters on the Charge: 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.
• The 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. 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.
• 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.
• 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 regain energy so you can continue on your tour. Inside the museum there are plenty of options to stay for lunch, from kiosks and stalls to cafes and restaurants.

Since you only have a day to see the Louvre, my advice is to opt for a light snack that allows you to kill your appetite and continue 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 Bakery-Pastry Shop: Floor -2. 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). It offers continuous service from 9:45 AM to 4:45 PM.

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

What to see at the exit?

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

Many tourists take advantage of the end of the visit to the Louvre to take some souvenir photos next to this imposing pyramid that has just the same proportions as Cheops in Egypt. In addition, inside you will find several souvenir stores and cafes where you can take a walk and take a break.

The visit to the Louvre Museum can be very intense but if you still have energy to continue sightseeing, around 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.

In case you are a lover of the art world you will surely want to make the most of your visit to the Louvre Museum and spend as much time as possible in each room admiring all his works. There are more than 35,000 works on display!

See all its collections in a morning or in one day is virtually impossible but if you plan to spend a week or a fortnight in Paris is more likely to be able to devote at least two days to the Louvre to calmly contemplate the bulk of the wings in which the museum is divided.

To see the Louvre Museum in two days, I recommend that the first day you take a guided tour of its facilities**(from 70 €** you can get a ticket on Hellotickets) to have a first approach to its most iconic artistic works.

On the second day you can complete the visit to the Louvre observing other types of pieces using the Paris Pass (from 111 €) because with this tourist card access to this museum is included along with many other tourist attractions of the French capital.

What to see in the museum in two days?

1. Ground Zero

• The Venus de Milo: Denon Wing, room 345.
• Erosand 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.
• The Sarcophagus of Cerveteri: Denon Wing, room 4.

2. Second 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.
• TheDeath of Sardanapalus: 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.
• The Raising of Lazarus: Denon Wing, room 712.

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: fruits 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, in addition to planning your route through its collections, you will also need to plan your meals. For a cultural immersion of this kind 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 mind.

In the museum there are several options where you can go to eat, from restaurants and cafes to stalls and kiosks. Since you have several days to explore the building, you can take advantage of the time to have a long lunch to review everything you have seen so far and what is still pending. Here are some places where you can eat at the Louvre Museum:

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

What to see at the exit?

At the end of your visit, before leaving the Louvre Museum, 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 an idea dating from the nineteenth century to commemorate the figure of 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 not leave without taking a souvenir photo next to it and without visiting its souvenir stores!

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.

It may seem a short time but don't worry, it is actually more than enough for you to get a general idea of the Louvre Museum if it is the first time you visit it.

In case you are passionate about the history of art you will probably want to stay longer among its rooms. If you want to be there for more than 3 hours, 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 enjoy the experience to the fullest.

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 is better to set goals and see it little by little, even if you have to dedicate more days or more visits if you are very interested in its collections.

Yes, it is! Even if during your stay in the city you have little time for cultural tourism in the museums of Paris, a visit to the Louvre Museum is one of the essential plans to do in the French capital because of the importance of its collections in the art world.

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

It is the best option for those travelers who do not want to leave Paris without visiting the Louvre but have a very tight schedule. It will save you a lot of time!