One Evening at the Louvre: A Plan from 5:30pm to 9pm
A Louvre late night gives you from about 6pm to 9pm on a Wednesday or Friday. Three hours is enough for the three wings if you move with a plan, which is what the Louvre private night tours sell and what you can copy on your own. Here is that plan, hour by hour, with the rooms, the doors and the rules that shape it.
5:30pm: how do you get to the Pyramid?
Take metro line 1 or 7 to Palais-Royal – Musée du Louvre, or line 14 to Pyramides. Buses 21, 27, 39, 67, 68, 69, 72, 74, 85 and 95 stop nearby, and taxis drop off at the Carrousel roundabout. The museum says to allow 10 minutes from the metro to the Pyramid. If you drive, the car park at 1 avenue du Général Lemonnier leads into the Galerie du Carrousel. The Batobus river shuttle stops at quai François-Mitterrand, on the Seine side.
If you have booked a tour, check where you meet. The private evenings start at the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel or at the horse statue beside the Pyramid, and one group of six meets at the metro exit on rue de Rivoli. All of them are on the map of the entrances and meeting points.
6pm: which door, and how long is security?
On a late night two entrances stay open until closing: the Pyramid and the Carrousel entrance at 99 rue de Rivoli. The Passage Richelieu shuts after 7:30pm on Wednesdays and Fridays, and the Porte des Lions shuts at 6pm every day.
The Pyramid has three queues: one for visitors with a ticket, one for visitors without, and priority access for disabled visitors. Everyone passes a security check. Allow 15 more minutes for the lockers and toilets, and bring nothing larger than 55 × 35 × 20 cm.
6:15pm: Denon first, or last?
First, for most people. The Mona Lisa hangs in room 711 on level 1 of Denon, the largest room in the palace. The Wedding Feast at Cana hangs in the same room, and it is the biggest painting in the museum.
A short walk takes you to the Daru staircase and the Winged Victory of Samothrace, carved in Parian marble around 190 BC. Seeing Denon first means you meet the famous works while your legs are fresh. The crowd at the portrait never disappears, so do not wait for it to.
7pm: what is in Sully and the medieval moat?
Go down to Sully. On level 0 stands the Venus de Milo, found in 1820. Nearby, the Salle des Caryatides takes its name from the stone figures Jean Goujon carved in 1550 to hold up a musicians' gallery.
One level down is the calmest hour of the evening. The Great Sphinx of Tanis guards the Egyptian crypt in room 338. Beyond it, the foundations of the medieval fortress still show, with its moat, under the modern museum.
7:45pm: how do you reach Richelieu in time?
Cross into Richelieu by 7:45pm. On level 0 the Cour Khorsabad holds the winged bulls of Sargon II's palace, each weighing about 28 tonnes. On level 1, the Napoleon III apartments show the state rooms of the Second Empire, open to the public since 1993.
The apartments sometimes close in bad weather, like several other rooms. If they are shut, spend the time on the Assyrian rooms instead.
8pm: why does last entry matter?
Last entry on a late night is at 8pm, an hour before closing. From then on nobody new comes in, and any exit is final. If you step out for air, you cannot come back.
That is why the tours that end inside are worth knowing about. The late-opening private tour and the family evening both let you stay on after the guide leaves, so your last hour is free.
8:30pm: when do the rooms clear?
From 8:30pm, staff start asking visitors to leave the galleries. Plan your last stop near the Pyramid hall rather than at the far end of Richelieu. If you are in the Egyptian crypt at 8:30pm, you are a long walk from the door.
The three-hour private evening is timed for this: it starts at 6pm and brings you back out as the museum closes.
9pm: is the Pyramid lit when you come out?
From about October to March, yes. The sun has set by 7pm in October and earlier through the winter, so you walk out into the dark with the Pyramid lit. From April to August the sun sets around or after 9pm, and you leave in daylight or dusk.
The Cour Napoléon stays open until 9pm, so take a minute there before you go. The Tuileries Garden stays open until 9pm in April, May, September and October, and until 11pm from June to August.
Where can you eat after 9pm?
Not inside: food and drink are banned in the exhibition rooms, so eat before the evening or after it. Leave by the Pyramid and the streets north of the museum are a short walk away. If you are hungry at 6pm, eat something before you queue; three hours is a long time to go hungry.
What if your evening is a Wednesday?
A Wednesday avoids the two things that fill Friday evenings: the free first Friday and the museum's own Friday tours at 6pm and 7pm. Two exhibition spaces may close on a Wednesday: rooms 227 to 230 of Primeval Waters, and the Affinities rooms.
Some Wednesdays and Fridays have a concert at 8pm in the Auditorium Michel Laclotte. The dates are on the evening events page. The Wednesday or Friday question gets its own post.
What should you carry for the evening?
As little as you can. Bags larger than 55 × 35 × 20 cm are not allowed, and suitcases are refused. The lockers under the Pyramid are free, but they cost you minutes, and everything must be collected the same evening. An umbrella that does not fit in your bag goes in the self-service stands.
- Your phone, charged: tickets and tour bookings arrive as mobile tickets.
- Photos are allowed in the permanent collections for personal use, with no flash, no selfie stick and no lighting.
- Some exhibition works may not be photographed; the signs say which.
- Water for the queue: food and drink stay out of the exhibition rooms.
How does the plan change with children?
Cut it in half. The museum's own advice for families is to keep the visit short, and three wings in three hours is a lot for a child. Pick Denon and the Egyptian crypt, and let the children choose the rest.
Allow more time at the start, too. The museum reckons on 10 minutes from the metro to the Pyramid and 15 more for the lockers and toilets. Pushchairs and baby carriers are lent free under the Pyramid. Under-18s enter free, and the family evening at 5:30pm is built around games and quizzes. The post on the museum at night with children has more.
What if a room on your route is closed?
The museum publishes its open and closed rooms week by week, and they change with staffing and the weather. Check the list the day before if one work matters to you, or call +33 (0)1 40 20 53 17. A guide will reroute on the spot; on your own, swap the closed room for the next wing. The what to see in two hours lists alternatives in every wing.
The evening as a timetable
The plan above, in one table. Move each line by a quarter of an hour if your tour starts at 5:30pm.
| Time | Where | What to see |
|---|---|---|
| 5:30pm | Metro or taxi to the Pyramid | The courtyard and the glass in daylight or dusk |
| 6pm | Pyramid or Carrousel entrance | Security, lockers, the hall under the glass |
| 6:15pm | Denon, level 1 | The portrait room and the great staircase |
| 7pm | Sully, levels 0 and -1 | Greek sculpture, the sphinx crypt, the old moat |
| 7:45pm | Richelieu, levels 0 and 1 | Assyrian winged bulls, the Second Empire rooms |
| 8pm | Anywhere inside | Last entry: nobody new comes in |
| 8:30pm | Heading for the Pyramid hall | Rooms clear from here |
| 9pm | The courtyard outside | The Pyramid lit, from October to March |
What happens at the meeting point and in the queue is in what to expect on the night. The wing-by-wing post, the museum at night wing by wing, covers the rooms in more depth.
Frequently asked questions
Which wing should I see if I only have an hour?
Can I leave the museum and come back in?
Where can I sit down during the evening?
When is the last entry on a late night?
What bag can I bring into the Louvre?
What if a room on the route is closed?
Can I stay in the museum after the tour?
Evenings that fit this plan
Private tour Louvre By night
Three private hours from 6:00pm at the foot of the arch facing the Pyramid, through the Sully, Denon and Richelieu wings and back out as the museum closes. Two travellers minimum; the timed ticket is in the fare.
From $336 per person For a party of two; the per-person fare falls as your group grows
Check Availability
Louvre Late Opening Private Tour – Fewer Crowds & Highlights
Two private hours from the horse statue by the Pyramid, on a Napoleon thread from Denon to Richelieu. Your guide leaves you inside, free to stay on until the rooms clear.
From $346 per person For a party of two; the per-person fare falls as your group grows
Check Availability
Louvre Private Tour by Night for Kids
A private family evening from 5:30pm at the arch, with games and quizzes for the children along the way. Under-18s enter free, and the guide leaves you inside to keep exploring.
From $360 per person Quoted for two adults and one child; children 6 to 17 book at a lower rate
Check AvailabilityNext: Before you pay, the guide to what an evening costs works through every fare. Every evening fare sits side by side on Louvre Tours.