Is the Louvre worth it?
For art, yes: few museums let you walk from Egypt to Mesopotamia to Greece in an afternoon. The problem is size and crowds. Most visitors head straight for one painting and leave tired; the visit works when you choose a thread and follow it. This route follows the ancient world, the part of the collection that connects most directly with the art history guides on this site.
Which ticket, and when to go?
Since 14 January 2026, the ticket costs €22 for visitors from the European Economic Area and €32 for everyone else. Entry is free under 18, and for citizens and residents of the EEA under 26. Booking a time slot on ticket.louvre.fr is recommended for everyone, including those who enter free; tickets are sold on site only when the museum is quiet. The Louvre is free for all on the first Friday of the month after 18:00, except in July and August. It opens at 9:00 and closes at 18:00, or at 21:00 on Wednesdays and Fridays, with last entry an hour before closing. It is closed on Tuesdays.
The 3-hour route: six stops
1. The Great Sphinx of Tanis (Sully wing, Room 338, level -1)
Start below ground, in the crypt that opens the Egyptian collections. The sphinx is carved from pink granite and bears the name of the pharaoh Amenemhat II. Seen at eye level, in a low vaulted room, it feels less like a museum piece than a guardian at a door, which is what sphinxes were.
2. The Venus de Milo (Sully wing, Room 345, level 0)
Upstairs, among the Greek sculptures, the Venus de Milo stands in a room of her own. Walk all the way round her: the statue is made of two blocks of marble, and from behind you see how the twist of the body carries the drapery.
3. The Code of Hammurabi (Richelieu wing, Room 227, level 0)
Cross to the Richelieu wing for Mesopotamia. The basalt stele of the Babylonian king Hammurabi stands outside a case, so you can walk round it. At the top, the king stands before the sun god; below, the laws run in columns down the stone. The guide to the Stele of Hammurabi explains what they say.
4. The Khorsabad Court (Richelieu wing, Room 229, level 0)
Next door, the winged bulls with human heads that guarded the palace of the Assyrian king Sargon II. Count their legs: each has five, so from the front they stand still and from the side they walk. The five-leg illusion is one of the cleverest tricks in ancient sculpture.
5. The Winged Victory of Samothrace (Denon wing, Room 703, level 1)
Cross to the Denon wing and climb the Daru staircase. The Victory has stood at the top since 1883, landing on the prow of a ship with her wings spread and her dress pressed against her by the wind. Stop halfway up the stairs and look up: it is the best view of her. Hellenistic art explains why she looks so much more dramatic than earlier Greek sculpture.
6. The Seated Scribe (Sully wing, Room 635, level 1)
End back in the Egyptian galleries with the painted scribe sitting cross-legged, a papyrus on his knees. Look at his eyes, which are inlaid and catch the light. His base, which would have given his name, was never found, so he remains anonymous; the guide to Egyptian sculpture explains how to read a statue like this.
What can you skip?
Skip the Mona Lisa crush unless she is the reason you came: the painting is small, the crowd in front of it is large, and the time it takes is better spent on two or three of the stops above. If you do want to see her, go during the Wednesday or Friday evening opening, when the museum is usually calmer. Skip any plan to “see the Louvre” in a day; the collections cover far more than one visit can hold. And skip Tuesdays, when it is closed.
How long do you need?
Three hours for this route, including the walking between wings, which takes longer than you expect. With two hours, keep the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory and the Khorsabad Court. For the rest of the city’s museums, see art in Paris.
The Louvre in brief
- Ticket
- €22 for visitors from the European Economic Area; €32 for other visitors (since 14 January 2026)
- Booking
- Time slot recommended for everyone, on ticket.louvre.fr; on-site sales only when the museum is quiet
- Hours
- Monday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday 9:00-18:00; Wednesday and Friday 9:00-21:00; last entry one hour before closing; closed Tuesdays, 1 January, 1 May, 25 December
- Free
- Under 18; EEA citizens and residents under 26; everyone on the first Friday of the month after 18:00 (not July and August) and on 14 July
- Time
- 3 hours for this route; 2 hours for the short version
- Verified
- October 2026, on the official site. Prices and hours change: check before you go.
Questions
What can you see at the Louvre in 2 hours?
The Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Assyrian winged bulls of the Khorsabad Court, with a quick look at the Code of Hammurabi next to them.
Is the Louvre free?
For under-18s, for EEA citizens and residents under 26, and for everyone on the first Friday of the month after 18:00, except in July and August.
What day is the Louvre closed?
Tuesday, as well as 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.
How much is a Louvre ticket in 2026?
€22 for visitors from the European Economic Area and €32 for other visitors.
Sources
- Musée du Louvre, “Hours, admission and directions” (October 2026).
- Musée du Louvre, visitor trails and collection pages: “The Guardian of Egyptian Art”, “A stairway to Victory”, “Inside an Assyrian Palace”, Code of Hammurabi and Seated Scribe records.
