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Visiting the Louvre museum for the first time is a time-honored right of passage for any trip to Paris, France. And seeing the Mona Lisa tops the bucket list of many travel and art lovers. But is the Louvre worth it?

My family toured the Louvre recently during a three-week trip to Europe. I wanted to share my thoughts on this museum and provide some travel tips so you can decide whether to visit the Louvre.

The Louvre (Paris, France)

The Louvre is one of the world’s largest and most iconic museums, and its vast art collection is spectacular. Located in the heart of Paris, France, along the banks of the Seine River, this magnificent campus was once a royal palace. It’s lovely, for sure!

But is the time commitment and logistical hassle of seeing the Louvre worth it? Like any decision, it depends upon many factors, including your family’s interests. You also need to consider your travel schedule, when you are visiting, and your willingness to endure a little stress in order to lock eyes with the Mona Lisa.

Tickets For The Louvre and Scheduling Your Visit

Louvre tickets are available at the door at times and typically for off-peak hours. It’s strongly recommended to purchase tickets ahead of time online. You can purchase your Louvre tickets up to 90 days in advance.

I do highly recommend getting the first slot of the day, which was 9 am for us in June 2023. They let more people in twice an hour, so just at the end of that first hour, the number of museum visitors will triple. And after the second, it will double again! Since most people spend several hours, you won’t really notice a thinning of crowds again until the evening.

Prebooking Tickets: Is The Louvre Worth It?

Being locked into tickets for a particular time slot means your Paris trip itinerary that particular day will be highly contingent upon the date and time of your Louvre tickets. Some people enjoy spontaneity, and being committed to a pre-scheduled half-day or full-day visit may not be compatible with your vacation.

As I mentioned in our 4 Days in Paris Itinerary blog post, I planned both ticketed activities for day three, leaving other days wide open. I will note that it would be easier to stomach this time commitment in the chilly winter months. But it’s hard to be trapped inside on a warm early summer day.  Regardless, it is still always better to book your Louvre tickets in advance.

How Much Time Do You Need To Visit The Louvre?

The Louvre is enormous; at minimum, I recommend spending three hours at the Louvre. This would be the absolute minimum. It amounts to a speed run through just a portion of the total collection. This strategy limits you to seeing only the most famous works, like the Mona Lisa, while skipping many others. 

TIP: Always make sure to download the Louvre museum map from the website. Review it in advance to avoid backtracking.

The museum offers human-guided and audio-guided tours. A guided Louvre museum tour will move you through the museum at a pleasant pace and ensure you see many of the most prominent works. However, it will be much slower, and you still won’t put a dent in the total collection. 

Visiting The Louvre: People, People, Everywhere

The popularity of the Louvre draws visitors from all over the world. This means many people are jockeying for positions to move around the museum, see the art, buy concessions, and use the restrooms. Lines are the norm, so expect those. Despite getting there in the morning during the first available time slot, I felt like part of a herd when moving about the museum by midday.  There are many tour guide-led tours and groups using audio guide tours moving about the building. 

Most popular artworks will have several people standing before them, and you’ll need to be assertive to get a good vantage. Instagrammers are everywhere, and we spent a full five minutes watching a teenage girl take selfies of herself with the Code of Hammurabi before we could approach and enjoy it ourselves. Then we cried and took pictures of it. Just kidding! But it was something Abby was very excited to see after having recently learned about it at school.

Viewing The Mona Lisa At The Louvre

Can you go to Paris for the first time and not see the Mona Lisa? It’s a rite of passage for any first-time Paris visitor. It’s an item to check off a bucket list. But for tourists in Paris, which we all are on our first trip, what better tourist attraction is there, besides the Eiffel Tower or a Seine River Cruise, of course! 

Seeing the Mona Lisa will require a particular strategy and patience. Like purchasing your Louvre tickets in the first place, you need to have a game plan. The lines are long, reminiscent of a TSA security line at the airport. Honestly, this is why most people are here, and the crowd size is as large as the Mona Lisa’s big reputation.  

We entered the Louvre Museum at the start of the day with 9 a.m. entry tickets. After queuing outside, we made our way through an airport-like security checkpoint. Once inside, we literally ran, ok, tastefully jogged, toward the Mona Lisa from the main entrance of the museum first thing in the morning. Others were neck-and-neck with us, keeping pace through the contemplative halls. Everyone had phones in hand, ready to take a selfie with the famous lady.

The Mona Lisa

By the time we had wound our way to where the Mona Lisa hangs, the room had already filled about halfway up with people. The switch-back line will take you 10-30 minutes to get through. The piece itself was surprisingly small. Also unanticipated was that you can’t get anywhere near the actual Mona Lisa. Viewers are only allowed to get within maybe 30 feet. It’s also protected behind a thick protective casing. When you get to the front of the line, it’s bedlam with dozens of people shoulder to shoulder taking photos (mostly selfies) with no one keeping the outward flow organized. The long lines, stress, and limited viewing make this iconic painting the most overrated museum experience.  

I want to mention that Abby and I used the same “get there first” strategy when viewing Starry Night at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City this March. However, when we arrived there, we were standing face-to-face with this magnificent artwork, literally inches away. Other viewers respectfully took turns viewing it without the need for rope and stanchion.  It was a contrasting experience to what we encountered viewing the Mona Lisa.

Nevertheless, I get it. That wouldn’t be a feasible approach to managing tens of thousands of people who want to catch a glimpse of the Mona Lisa each and every day. It’s a necessary form of organized chaos if you ask me.  And just as it’s hard to go to Paris without seeing the Louvre, it’s hard to go to the Louvre without seeing the Mona Lisa.

Size and Layout of the Louvre Museum

The sheer immensity of the 72,735 square meter Louvre campus may be a deterrent for some people or a delight for others. The viewable art collection of 35,000 works is spread over eight departments. These are located across three wings on three different floors. There are a total of 9 miles of walkable corridors. It’s estimated if you spent a minute in front of every piece of art, it would take several months to see everything. It’s a lot to bite off, but that doesn’t mean you have to consume it all. Keep that in mind! 

I highly recommend studying the layout of the museum before arrival. You’ll want to map out which art pieces you want to see. Creating a prioritized list will be vital if you want to dedicate only a half day to the visit. You won’t be able to see everything, and in three hours, you may only be able to view about 10% of the collection. But it’s all about quality over quantity. Know what you want to see. Enjoy it, and don’t beat yourself up if you miss an entire wing in the process. 

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Is The Louvre Worth It? Tips and FAQ

Be sure to wear comfortable shoes. Snacks can be taken inside but cannot be eaten in the museum. Restaurants and cafes are located inside. And remember to pack some water.  

There are many iconic masterpieces at the Louvre. Making one single “best of the Louvre list” is impossible. Still, some of the more famous works include Mona Lisa, The Wedding at Cana, The Raft of the Medusa, Winged Victory of Samothrace, Venus de Milo, Liberty Leading the People, Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss, Lion and Serpent, Sleeping Hermaphroditus, The Rape of the Sabine Women, and Death of the Virgin. We couldn’t miss Matt’s favorite, “Pandemonium” by John Martin.

Other Considerations For Visiting The Louvre

Visiting the Louvre is not for everyone. You need to decide whether it’s worth going if you have young children. Kids under 14 may not be very interested in the classics. They will not be exposed to these works through traditional schooling until they reach middle school art classes. Abby knew some more famous works and enjoyed the visit, but Jake could have cared less.  

However, a museum tour might be the best education a young person can get, and I feel that exposing them to places like the Louvre is a magical way to educate and inspire a young mind!

The Louvre’s massive layout may also make it difficult for older people with mobility issues. In cases like this, you’ll probably want to organize your visit around specific departments and floors so you aren’t trying to see everything simultaneously.  

Alternatives Experiences to the Louvre

If navigating the world’s busiest art museum isn’t right for you, there are many other things to do in the City of Love. Believe it or not, there are dozens of other art museums and galleries to visit in Paris. These include the Petit Palais, Musee Marmatottan Money, Musee Jacquemart-Andres, Musee De Cluny, Centre Pompidou, Musee Bourdelle, Atelier des Lumieres, and many others. In addition, the Musée d’Orsay, which I want to talk specifically about for a minute.

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Should You Visit the Musée d’Orsay in Paris?

Near the Louvre is the Musée d’Orsay. This museum is the sixth most visited art museum in the world, yet overshadowed by its flashy neighbor.  

It houses the most extensive collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces anywhere. Famous artists include Berthe Morisot, Claude Monet, Édouard Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Seurat, Sisley, Gauguin, and Van Gogh. This museum is much smaller than the Louvre and easier to navigate.  It is here that your children may actually recognize pieces from books and their school art and history classes.

Tickets for the Musée d’Orsay can be purchased at the door or online in advance. During our 4 days in Paris, I tried to carve out time to visit. Each time I checked, tickets were still available. So, you won’t need to plan your visit months in advance like at the Louvre.   

The crowds are smaller, so you won’t have to overly stress about arriving early (or late) or racing to see a specific work of art. With 3,000 art pieces on display, you should spend between two and four hours at the museum. In a half day, you can see much of the collection, as opposed to just scratching the surface at the Louvre. If you enjoy Impressionist art, the Musée d’Orsay is a beautiful, and still very French, alternative to the Louvre.

So, Is The Louvre Worth It? Should You visit?

That’s a decision you and your family will have to make. The splendor of baroque architecture, the renowned works of art, and the iconic nature of the experience may mean you can’t pass it up. I couldn’t have visited Paris for the first time with my family and not planned a day at the Louvre. It’s an iconic museum and an impressive collection of art. After your first visit, you can decide whether or not to return on subsequent trips to view more of the Louvre.

But if you choose to skip it, don’t feel guilty. Great alternatives may offer more freedom, more time, and less stress during your Paris trip.  If you only have two days in Paris, I am not sure I would recommend spending a quarter to half of your visit stuck inside a museum. But I would recommend that you pick up my 10+ Europe Travel Essentials before your trip across the pond.

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