Paris sightseeing tickets: the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles

For the Musée d'Orsay and a Seine cruise, see our first Paris tickets guide.

When is the Louvre open?

The museum's official hours are:

• Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday: 09:00 to 18:00.
• Wednesday and Friday: 09:00 to 21:00.
• Closed every Tuesday, and on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.
• Last entry is an hour before closing, and rooms start clearing 30 minutes before closing.
• Entry is free for everyone on the first Friday of the month after 18:00 (except in July and August) and on 14 July.
• The museum recommends booking a time slot, including for visitors who get in free.

The same page posts day-specific notices, such as a later opening or closed rooms. Check it on the morning of your visit.

What do I need to know before entering the Louvre?

The museum's visitor rules include:

• Everyone goes through a security check.
• No suitcases or large bags. Anything over 55 × 35 × 20 cm isn't allowed in, including wheels and handles. Free self-service lockers take smaller items, and you have to collect them the same day.
• Leaving is final. Once you exit, you can't go back in on the same ticket.

The main entrance is the Pyramid. The museum's entrance map shows which entrances are open and who can use them.

You can book reserved entry with a guided tour. Be clear about what this is: a guided tour of the highlights, not a stand-alone entry ticket. Here's what the ticket page lists:

• Reserved entry, a live guide and a one-hour tour for groups of up to 20. The planned route covers the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, the Seated Scribe, the Galerie d'Apollon and other highlights. With that much in an hour, treat it as a quick orientation.
• Not included: temporary exhibitions, and a guided tour of the rest of the collection.
• Meeting point: the Arc du Carrousel, on the right-hand side of the arch with the Pyramid behind you. Arrive at least 20 minutes before the start.
• Don't go straight to the museum entrance. The page says your phone ticket won't be accepted there.
• At the time of checking, you could cancel or reschedule for free until 24 hours before your visit.

The Louvre warns visitors about lookalike ticket sites, street sellers and tickets that claim to let you jump the queue. The "priority access" wording on this ticket is not from the museum, so expect the same security check as everyone else.

When is the Palace of Versailles open?

The Palace's official hours depend on the season. For the low season (2 November to 31 March) they are:

• Palace: Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 17:30. Last admission 16:45; the ticket office closes at 16:30.
• Estate of Trianon (Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon): Tuesday to Sunday, 12:00 to 17:30. Last admission 16:45.
• Gardens and Park: Every day, 08:00 to 18:00, unless the weather is extreme. Some groves are closed in the low season.
• Closed on Mondays (Palace and Trianon), and on 25 December, 1 January and 1 May.

In the high season (1 April to 1 November) the Palace stays open until 18:30. The gardens are free to enter, except on Musical Fountains Show and Musical Gardens days, which ran from 1 April to 1 November in 2026.

What do I need to know before visiting Versailles?

• Passport vs a Palace-only ticket. The official Passport with timed entry covers the Palace (with a timed entry and an audio guide), the Estate of Trianon, temporary exhibitions, the gardens and Park, the fountain shows and the Gallery of Coaches. Palace slots start on the hour from 09:00 to 15:00 and are valid for 30 minutes. You get in once, at your booked time. Trianon has no timed entry.
• Distances: The Trianon estate is about 30 minutes on foot from the Palace, through the gardens and the Park. A little train and electric vehicles also run.
• Getting there: RER C to Versailles Château Rive Gauche, then about 10 minutes on foot. If you plan to drive, the official page warns that the A13 motorway is closed towards Versailles from 16 November 2026.

You can book this ticket for the Palace, the gardens and the Estate of Trianon. The included list on the ticket page names the Trianon estate (Petit and Grand Trianon) and a downloadable map. Checkout also offers a two-day version. The page doesn't say whether the Palace entry is timed or whether an audio guide comes with it, so check your voucher for the entry time before you travel. At the time of checking, the ticket was non-refundable and could not be rescheduled.

Mismatch to watch: At the time of checking, the opening hours box on the Tiqets page showed the gardens closed every day except Saturday. The Palace's official page says the gardens and Park are open every day. Go by the official hours.

A simple way to group these sights

Before you go

• Check closing days against your dates. The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays and Versailles on Mondays, and both close on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.
• Know what you're buying. The Louvre ticket here is a one-hour guided tour with reserved entry, not entry-only.
• Leave large bags at your hotel. The Louvre turns away anything over 55 × 35 × 20 cm.
• Plan Versailles around the Palace's 16:45 last admission in winter and the Trianon's 12:00 opening.
• Read each ticket's cancellation terms before you pay. The Louvre tour could be cancelled until 24 hours before when we checked. The Versailles ticket was non-refundable.
• Check the official pages the day before. Both sites post day-specific changes.

Need help with the rest of the trip?

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