How to Beat the Long Lines – Choosing A Louvre Museum Tour

"Skip the line, go directly to the Mona Lisa." Those are the words we love to hear, especially since the Louvre is visited by nearly 10 million people every year. In our previous article about the Louvre we told you how we hated standing in lines and that one way to avoid that was by booking a Louvre Museum tour. Here we take a look at the best and most popular tours that let you skip the line.

On these tours you make a beeline to the three most famous artworks and get a quick Paris art history lesson from your English-speaking guide. You stop at the Venus di Milo, then over to Nike of Samothrace and of course, Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, Mona Lisa. Some of the tours end there and then you're free to discover the many other famous works of art for as long as you desire. Other tours cover more works of art and art periods. In either case, you've managed to skip the line. We'll say it again, being able to avoiding spending hours in long lines is worth the price of any tour. Here are the tours we recommend and that are liked by our readers…

The Most Popular Louvre Museum Tour

This tour is the favourite of our readers. It's 3-hour skip-the-line walking tour for a small group of about twenty people that's offered morning, afternoon, and evening at the Louvre.

On this tour you cover more than 2,000 years of the history of art, starting with the ancient Greeks. You are also introduced to masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance and have the opportunity to view the royal crowns of French emperors and kings. And, of course, you'll also spend time with the Big Three — Venus, Nike and Mona. This tour is an excellent value and runs every day except Tuesdays and holidays. Recommended.

Superb experience in the Louvre. One, the museum itself. Two, the guide who was well informed and she took us through the history of Louvre and covered the most important works of art. This museum can't be seen without the help of a guide, you will just miss the intricate details. Skipping the line was an added advantage as it helped save a lot of time without the hassles of waiting for our turn. It is a must for people who have limited time in Paris."
– 5-Star Traveler Review

Evening Louvre Tour + Wine Tasting Class

A Paris Insiders Guide Favourite

Art + wine — to us that makes for a perfect evening in Paris. So naturally, this is the Louvre tour that we'd choose. We like that the limited-size tour kicks off by skipping the lines at the Louvre, where your guide then takes you on fascinating a 2½-hour tour of the famous museum. We've found that we appreciate the artwork so much more when we have an expert showing it to us. But we also find it makes us develop a thirst!

So, saturated with art, you then stroll over to the nearby wine bar, Ô Chateau, for a guided wine tasting, complete with charcuterie and cheeses. Is it any wonder we love Paris? This tour may only available in the warmer months, so be sure to check.

We attended a Friday night tour, which was a wonderful time to visit the Louvre. No crowds, even in the salon with the Mona Lisa. Our guide was energetic and entertaining, providing knowledgeable perspectives on some of the Louvre's key masterpieces. And the wine tasting after? A brilliant way to finish the evening. Our only recommendation: make sure you have dinner before the evening tour, since you likely will want to hang around after the wine tasting well beyond closing time for most Paris restaurants."
– 5-Star Review

Another Skip-the-Line Louvre Guided Tour

This is another well-liked and well-reviewed tour. Like the others, it's a prioritized guided tour where you are guaranteed to skip the ticket line at the Louvre, get inside quickly, and go directly to the three most famous works of art. Once the 2½-hour tour concludes, you're able to continue exploring the Louvre Museum on your own.

The difference here is that you can choose from a small group tour with 15 people or save some money and sign up for the large group of 50 people. You could pay the lower price to get in with the larger group (and then wander off on your own if you felt like it), or pay the higher price to get more personal attention from a dedicated guide. As you can guess, we always opt for the personal attention. Runs most days in the warm months, Friday to Monday in the off season.

This tour was excellent! If only just to skip the lines it was well worth it, but the guide was fantastic. So much knowledge and passion…he really ensured we saw the best highlights of the museum – both the touristy and non-touristy ones. This was definitely the highlight of our trip and we will do the same again!"
– 5-Star Review

One More Option

• City Tour, Skip-the-line Louvre, Seine River Cruise with Lunch
  This full day activity includes a city tour, the Louvre, plus a Seine River lunch cruise.
  → Check Availability…