Louvre Museum Entrances

The Louvre has four entrances and visitors must pick the entrance based on their ticket type and group size. The general waiting time at the entrance ranges from 15 minutes to over an hour. During peak summer, the waiting time can increase from 45 minutes to two hours. You will be denied entry and might waste a lot of time finding the right entrance if you reach the wrong one. This article shares all the details about the Louvre Museum entrance, who should enter where, how to reach the entrance, their timings, and more to ensure smooth entry.

I.M Pei Pyramid

I.M. Pei Pyramid is the Louvre Museum’s main entrance. The Pyramid entrance is for visitors with online tickets, Paris museum passes, membership card holders, and visitors without tickets. Visitors with disabilities and staff members with priority entry can also take the Pyramid entrance. 

The pyramid entrance has four different queues for the following types of visitors:

• Orange Queue: Visitors without tickets.
• Green Priority Queue: Visitors with a ticket or the Paris pass holders.
• Priority Access: Visitors with disabilities and the museum’s staff members.
• Membership Card Holders: Visitors from the following categories- Amis du Louvre, Carte Louvre Education et Formation, Ministere de la Pass Education, ICOM, etc.

Please note: The Pyramid Entrance also has a tube lift. However, it is reserved for visitors with disabilities, wheelchairs and prams.

Timings: 9 am to 6 pm on all days except Tuesdays and 9 am to 9.45 pm on Fridays. 

Average waiting time: 10 minutes for ticket holders and over an hour for visitors without tickets. 

Closest Metro station: Palais Royal Musee de Louvre Station 

Carrousel

The Louvre Museum’s Carrousel Entrance is located at 99, rue de Rivoli, 75001, Paris. The Carrousel Entrance to the Louvre is under the Museum’s Pyramid and provides direct access to Carrousel du Louvre, a shopping mall. Therefore, the Caroussel Entrance is also sometimes called the mall entrance to the Louvre. The Carrousel Entrance to the Louvre is accessible to all visitors, including those with disabilities, groups, and visitors with membership cards and tickets. 

Timings: 9 am to 6 pm throughout the week

Average waiting time: 30 minutes

Closest Metro Station: Palais Royal Musee de Louvre Station 

Richelieu

The Richelieu Entrance to the Louvre is located on the north side of the Museum. This entrance offers access to the Richelieu Wing. In case you are unaware, the Louvre Museum has three internal wings where collections are displayed: the Richelieu, the Sully, and the Denon. The Richelieu Wing, the wing that this entrance is named after, houses collections of decorative arts, paintings, and sculptures. 

The Richelieu Entrance at the Louvre Museum is reserved for visitors with membership cards, that is, visitors from the following categories:

• Amis du Louvre
• Ministere de la Pass Education,
• Carte Louvre Education et Formation
• ICOM, etc.

Timings: 9 am to 5.30 pm

Average waiting time: 10 to 15 minutes

Closest metro station: Palais Royal Musee de Louvre Station (leave the metro station and walk to the entrance on Rue de Rivoli).

Porte Des Lions

The Porte Des Lions Entrance to the Museum is located at Quai Francois Mitterrand, 75001, Paris. The Porte Des Lions entrance is on the museum’s northern side and is closed on Fridays. The Porte Des Lions Louvre Museum Entrance does not offer locker facilities, so visitors with large bags or luggage will be refused admission at this entrance. If the ticket office at the Porte Des Lions entrance is closed, only visitors already possessing a ticket will be allowed to enter.

Timings: 9 am to 6 pm, except Tuesdays and Fridays

Average waiting time: 30 minutes

Closest metro station:  Palais Royal Musee de Louvre Station (leave the metro station and walk to the entrance on Place du Carrousel).

Which Entrance Should You Take?

Picking the correct Louvre Museum entrance is extremely important for a comfortable and enriching experience at the Louvre Museum. If you need help deciding which entrance to pick, read further to learn more about Louvre Museum entrances.

• Pyramid Entrance: This Louvre Museum entrance is for ticket holders, Paris Museum Pass holders and visitors with special needs. Head to the Pyramid Entrance early morning to click pictures by the glass pyramid. Since the Pyramid entrance is the main entrance to the Louvre, it gets crowded quickly, so arrive before 9 am to click pictures.
• Carousel Entrance: the Carrousel entrance is usually less crowded as most tourists pick the Pyramid Entrance. You can take the Carrousel entrance if you wish to shop at the mall or skip the Pyramid pictures. You may head to the Pyramid later at night or after exploring the Louvre Museum alone for pictures, as the Carrousel entrance ensures a more comfortable entry.
• Richelieu Entrance: This Louvre entrance is best for visitors who are uninterested in shopping and do not bother with the Pyramid pictures. The Richelieu Entrance to the Louvre Museum entrance is reserved for membership card holders interested in the paintings and sculptures.
• Porte Des Lions: The Porte Des Lions entrance is the best for visitors who have purchased the Louvre Museum tickets in advance and are interested in artworks. If you wish to shop at the Carrousel, you can do so without pictures near the Pyramid, and if you need items to store, this is the best entrance. The Porte Des Lions entrance is also ideal if you arrive at the museum a little late and it’s already crowded. However, if you do not already have a Louvre Museum ticket, ensure the ticket office is open before arriving.

FAQs About Louvre Museum Entrance

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