The Louvre is among the finest art museums in the world. Enhance your visit with a little help skipping the queue and navigating the huge interior on these top tours.
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There is much about the Louvre (the Mona Lisa, for example) that draws visitors in their droves. Located inside the elegant Louvre Palace, which was started life as the Louvre Castle in the late 12th century, the museum took over in the 18th century, continuing to expand until architect I.M. Pei added the landmark glass pyramids in the main courtyard in 1987. Despite the crowds, it is possible to buy skip-the-queue tickets. And being the world’s largest art museum, a good tour guide will get you to the main artworks with a minimum of fuss.
Louvre Museum Timed-entrance Ticket
One system used by the Louvre to mediate the masses of visitors is to have a timed entry ticket. Enter the museum during a narrow, strict window of time, then spend as long as you want (opening hours-permitting) among the treasures of human creativity once you’re through the doors. There is no guide provided in this option, so it suits those who prefer to experience things at their own pace using the museum’s insightful information panels to add context to the visuals. From €20 per person.
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Louvre Masterpieces Tour with Pre-reserved Tickets
See highlights of the Louvre collection, such as the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, in two hours, which includes a bypass of the queues, allowing you to enter quickly. Although there are roughly 35,000 artworks on display, your guide will lead you straight to the masterpieces, including Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People and the Winged Victory of Samothrace, a fascinating sculpture from Ancient Greece, among many others. As with the other guided tours, you’re also free to remain in the Louvre and explore at your leisure, after the highlights tour has ended. From €58 per person.
Louvre Museum Entry Ticket with Guidance to Mona Lisa
The Mona Lisa is synonymous with the Louvre Museum, having been the star of its collection since first going on display in the late 18th century. For many who visit the museum, with an urge to experience the best artworks but suffering from a lack of time, this tour is the best way to experience Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece. Skip the line with your ticket then meet a member of the museum’s staff to get a valuable insight into the history of the Louvre as you navigate its galleries on your way to the room where the Mona Lisa resides. From €50 per person.
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Louvre 3-hour Guided Tour with Skip the Line Entrance
If you have a little more time to spare your guide can provide far more insight into the subtler details of the art. You’ll also have the chance to discover some of the more oft-overlooked treasures inside the gallery, such as the Great Sphinx of Tanis, which might be bypassed on shorter tours in favor of the big hitters like the Mona Lisa. The tour is particularly great for understanding the Renaissance riches of the Louvre, with works from preeminent artists including Caravaggio, Raphael, Michelangelo, as well as Leonardo da Vinci. From €63 per person.
Paris: Louvre Museum Guided Tour
An alternative tour option incorporates a walk through the Tuileries Gardens, with their topiary bushes, statuary and vast fountains. Then skip-the-line on your way into the Louvre, where your guide will highlight the various galleries, such as the Medieval section, and lead you on a 90-minute tour through the cavernous rooms to see the classics, as well as the sublime Winged Victory of Samothrace statue, which has been in the Louvre for many years. From €80 per person.