How to Buy Official Louvre Tickets: Step-by-Step Guide

How Much Do Louvre Tickets Cost in 2026?

The standard adult admission to the Louvre in 2026 is €22, purchased through the official ticketing portal at tickets.louvre.fr. That single price covers access to the entire permanent collection across all three wings — Denon, Sully, and Richelieu — plus most temporary exhibitions on the standard circuit. Certain special exhibitions in the Hall Napoléon may carry an additional fee, listed clearly at the time of booking.

One important detail: the Louvre does not use dynamic or surge pricing. The €22 ticket costs the same whether you book six weeks ahead or the morning of your visit. What changes with timing is availability, not price. In peak season, popular slots sell out days or weeks in advance — but the ticket itself never gets more expensive.

Buying through a third-party platform like GetYourGuide or Viator is legitimate and reliable, but typically adds a service fee above the €22 base in exchange for bundled convenience or a hosted entry experience. If you are visiting without a guide and budget matters, booking directly at tickets.louvre.fr is always the most cost-effective option.

Who Gets In Free (and How to Claim It)

Free admission at the Louvre applies to a clearly defined set of visitors, but "free" does not mean "walk up without a reservation." Every free-entry visitor must still book a timed slot online and bring valid proof of eligibility to the entrance. Arriving without documentation risks being turned away even with a confirmed reservation.

Permanent free-entry categories:

Visitors under 18 of any nationality (valid photo ID or passport with date of birth required). EU and European Economic Area residents aged 18 to 25 (valid photo ID with proof of residency). Visitors with a certified disability and one accompanying person. Registered job seekers with a valid certificate dated less than 6 months. Holders of certain professional credentials in art, education, and museum work.

Free-entry dates in 2026:

The first Friday evening of each month (6:00 to 9:45 p.m.) is free for all visitors — not just under-26s — except in July and August. On July 14 (Bastille Day), entry is free for everyone all day. Both require an online reservation in advance, and demand is high.

How to claim it: Go to tickets.louvre.fr, select your date and time slot, choose the "Free Admission" ticket type that matches your category, and complete the booking. You will receive a QR code just like paying visitors. Bring the QR code plus a valid photo ID or proof document that matches your category. The check happens at the entrance — if your ID does not match, you will be asked to purchase a standard ticket or leave the queue.

How to Buy Official Louvre Tickets Step by Step

The only official source for Louvre tickets is tickets.louvre.fr. Buying there guarantees a valid timed-entry ticket at the correct price, with no risk of counterfeit tickets or inflated markups. The process works with any major international credit or debit card — Visa, Mastercard, and American Express are all accepted. No European bank account or French card is required.

Step 1: Go to tickets.louvre.fr and select "Buy tickets."

Step 2: Choose your visit date. A calendar shows available dates. Dates that are sold out or closed (every Tuesday, plus January 1, May 1, and December 25) are grayed out.

Step 3: Select a timed-entry slot. Slots are offered in 30-minute windows throughout the day (for example, 9:00–9:30, 9:30–10:00). Green means available, gray means sold out. On Wednesday and Friday, evening slots until 9:45 p.m. are included.

Step 4: Select the number of tickets and visitor categories. Choose "Admission to the Louvre Museum" for standard entry at €22, or "Free Admission Ticket" if you qualify. Select the correct category — choosing the wrong one causes problems at the entrance.

Step 5: Complete payment. Enter your card details and confirm. The site is secure and processes international cards without issue. Be aware of any foreign transaction fees your bank may charge.

Step 6: Receive your tickets by email. You will get a PDF with a QR code for each ticket. The QR code can be shown directly from your phone at the entrance — no printing required.

Step 7: Download the QR code before you leave your hotel. Mobile signal near the Pyramid entrance can be unreliable during busy periods. Save the QR code to your camera roll or screenshots as a precaution.

Step 8: Arrive 10 to 15 minutes before your slot. This gives you time to find the correct entrance and clear security. Arriving significantly late may result in being asked to rebook for a later window if your slot's capacity is full.

Paris Museum Pass and the Louvre: What You Need to Know

The Paris Museum Pass covers Louvre admission and is a solid value if you are visiting multiple major sites across two to six consecutive days. However, there is one critical detail that trips up thousands of pass holders every year: the Museum Pass does not replace a timed-entry reservation.

Since the Louvre introduced its mandatory reservation system, pass holders must book a timed slot at tickets.louvre.fr before arriving, selecting "Museum Pass" as their ticket type during the booking process. Showing up at the door with a pass but no reservation — especially in high season — means being turned away or joining a long standby line with no guarantee of entry.

Once you have reserved your slot, entry is seamless. You scan your pass at the dedicated lane and go straight through security. The pass itself is available in 2-day (€62), 4-day (€82), and 6-day (€104) consecutive formats. With the Louvre alone worth €22, the pass typically pays for itself within two or three museum visits. If your Paris itinerary includes the Louvre, Orsay, Versailles, and two or three other major sites within a few days, the pass is almost certainly worth buying.

What to Do If Your Date Is Sold Out

Sold-out dates happen regularly in peak season, around holidays, and on weekends. If the official site shows no availability for your target date, you have two immediate options before giving up.

First, keep checking. The official portal releases canceled and returned slots on a rolling basis, often within 24 to 48 hours of the visit date. A date that appears fully booked on Monday may show openings by Wednesday morning. Check first thing in the morning (7:00–10:00 a.m. Paris time) and again in the late afternoon — these are the windows when cancellations are most likely to appear.

Second, book a guided tour with admission included. Reputable operators on platforms like GetYourGuide and Viator hold their own ticket allocations and frequently have availability on dates when the public portal shows nothing. This costs more than a standalone €22 ticket (expect €45–€70 for a small-group tour), but it solves the problem completely and adds a guide, skip-the-line access, and a structured highlights route.

For a full breakdown of strategies, alternative museums, and timing tactics, see our dedicated guide on what to do when Louvre tickets are sold out.

Quick Checklist Before You Buy

Run through these six points before you complete your purchase:

1. Ticket includes museum entry. Some third-party listings price tours separately from admission. Confirm your booking covers the €22 entry or that you have a valid Museum Pass reservation alongside it.

2. Your date is not a Tuesday. The Louvre is closed every Tuesday year-round, plus January 1, May 1, and December 25.

3. Correct visitor category selected. Free and reduced-price categories require proof at the entrance. Selecting "standard adult" when you qualify for free entry wastes €22. Selecting "free" when you do not qualify causes delays or refusal.

4. QR code downloaded offline. Save it to your camera roll or screenshots before leaving your hotel. Mobile signal near the entrances can be unreliable.

5. Photo ID matches the name on the ticket. The Louvre may verify identity, especially for free admissions, group bookings, and children's tickets.

6. Arrival planned for 10–15 minutes before your slot. Timed slots are 30 minutes wide. The museum operates near its daily cap of roughly 30,000 visitors, so arriving on time keeps entry smooth.