Louvre Museum opening hours are straightforward on most weeks. The museum is open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Monday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, and it stays open later, from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., on Wednesday and Friday. The Louvre is closed every Tuesday.
Plan your arrival with the museum’s entry rules in mind: the last entry is one hour before closing, and visitors are asked to leave the galleries about 30 minutes before closing time. Also note that the Louvre is closed on January 1, May 1, and December 25, while other public holidays are generally open unless they fall on a Tuesday.
Closing time
If you’re planning your trip around the Louvre Museum closed days, the key point is simple: the Louvre’s regular weekly closure is Tuesday. That means if you show up on a Tuesday, the museum itself won’t be open, even in peak season, so it’s worth building your Paris itinerary with that one fixed rule in mind.
Beyond Tuesdays, the Louvre also has a few annual holiday closures that catch travelers off guard because they fall right in popular travel periods. The museum is closed on January 1, May 1, and December 25. On most other public holidays in France, the Louvre is generally open,
but there’s an important exception: if a public holiday lands on a Tuesday, it becomes a closed day because Tuesday is already the museum’s weekly closure. In practice, this means your best approach is to treat Tuesdays and those three dates as “no-go” days, then double-check the calendar when your travel dates overlap with a French holiday.
One more thing that matters for real-world planning is that “closed days” aren’t always only about the official schedule. Major museums can occasionally face exceptional closures or restricted operations due to unforeseen events, and the Louvre is no exception. For example, news reports in late 2025 described staff strike action that temporarily shut the museum and then led to partial reopening on subsequent days, which is exactly the kind of disruption travelers can’t predict from a standard timetable.
So if your visit is a once-in-a-lifetime moment, it’s smart to confirm the museum’s latest visitor information close to your visit date, especially if you’re traveling during busy periods.
Louvre Museum lastentry
For Louvre Museum last entry, the rule you need to remember is consistent: the last entry is 1 hour before the museum’s closing time. So on a normal day when the Louvre closes at 6:00 p.m., the last entry is 5:00 p.m. On late-opening days when it closes at 9:00 p.m., the last entry is 8:00 p.m. The museum also starts clearing visitors from the galleries about 30 minutes before closing, so entering near the end can feel rushed even if you make it through the doors.
This matters because the Louvre is huge, and real “viewing time” is always shorter than people expect once you include security checks and walking between wings. If you’re aiming to see highlights like the Mona Lisa area and a few must-see rooms, arriving well before the Louvre Museum last entry cutoff gives you a much smoother visit, especially during busy seasons.
Also keep in mind that the Louvre sometimes has special closing times on certain dates, such as shorter hours on December 24 and December 31 in some years, and the same last-entry rule still applies: it remains one hour before the published closing time for that day. Because these exceptional schedules can change, it’s smart to check the museum’s latest visitor information close to your visit date.
Louvre Museum packing
For Louvre Museum packing, it helps to think “light and hands-free.” The Louvre has airport-style security at the entrances, and the museum does not allow oversized items inside. As a practical rule, keep your bag small enough to stay under the museum’s size limit of 55 × 35 × 20 cm; anything bigger won’t be allowed into the welcome area or the galleries.
If you’re coming straight from a train station or airport, don’t count on bringing a suitcase into the building. The Louvre’s own guidance is clear that large bags and suitcases aren’t accepted, and while there are free self-service lockers for smaller belongings, everything stored must be collected the same day. Lockers are available beneath the Pyramid and at Porte des Lions, and one detail worth knowing is that the Lions Hall closes earlier, at 5:00 p.m.
Inside the museum, comfort matters more than people expect. You’ll spend a lot of time walking on hard floors, standing in front of masterpieces, and moving between wings, so comfortable shoes and a light layer you can take on and off will make your visit feel much easier. If you’re visiting in rainy weather, pack a compact umbrella that fits fully inside your bag; umbrellas that don’t fit have to be left in the cloakroom umbrella stands.
For drinks and snacks, the Louvre is strict around the artworks. Eating and drinking aren’t allowed in the galleries, and food and drinks should be kept in a closed bag. What most visitors do is bring a small bottle of still water and sip it away from the artworks when needed, then plan a proper break in a café area rather than trying to snack while viewing.
Louvre Museum admissiondays
For Louvre Museum admission days, the museum is open to visitors on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and it is closed every Tuesday. On open days, the regular schedule is 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for Monday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, with late opening until 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday. Last entry is one hour before closing, and the galleries start clearing about 30 minutes before closing, so “admission” near the end of the day can feel shorter than people expect.
There are also a few dates each year when the Louvre is closed even if it isn’t a Tuesday: January 1, May 1, and December 25. On other public holidays in France, the Louvre is generally open unless the holiday falls on a Tuesday. Around the year-end period, the museum can publish special schedules; for example, the Louvre’s own visitor updates have listed shortened hours on December 24 and December 31, and occasional extra late openings on specific dates, so it’s worth checking the official “Hours & admission” page if your trip sits right on holiday week.
If you meant “admission days” as in “when can I enter for free,” the Louvre also offers free admission on the first Friday of the month after 6:00 p.m. (except in July and August), and on July 14, but you still need to book a time slot when it’s offered.
