Louvre Nocturne
When the day visitors leave and the galleries grow quiet, the Louvre becomes a different museum entirely.
The Louvre opens late on Wednesday and Friday evenings, and for those who know, this is the best time to come. The daytime crowds have gone, the galleries are calm, and the works can finally be seen as they were meant to be, in relative quiet.
The atmosphere is wholly different. The light is softer, the pace more contemplative, and the conversations that happen in front of great art tend to go further. An evening at the Louvre is a rare and genuinely beautiful thing.
What you will see
As on all our tours, the evening route is built around the three icons, the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory. With far fewer people around them, you can finally stand close, take your time, and see them as they were meant to be seen.
The evening runs two or three hours: two for the icons and the essentials at an unhurried pace, three to add the quieter departments around them. We help you choose when you enquire. Either way, an evening visit leaves your whole day free for the rest of Paris.
It suits couples, those who have visited by day and want another side of the collection, and anyone drawn to having the galleries almost to themselves.
Wednesday · and Friday · after dark
Pépin's advice
Choose your evening early. The late openings are Wednesday and Friday only, and the best slots go first. The earlier you enquire, the more the timing is yours.
Come a little early. The evening entrance is calmer than the daytime queues, so arriving with a few minutes to spare means the tour can begin just as the galleries fall quiet.
Good to know
The evening openings are on Wednesdays and Fridays, and the museum is closed on Tuesdays. During these late hours the Louvre keeps its major galleries open, but some smaller or more specialised rooms stay closed for the evening. If there is a particular work you are set on seeing, tell us when you enquire and we will choose the evening that suits it best. Otherwise, the finest way to experience the Louvre after dark is to let the evening carry you, and a private guide can shape the route around whatever is open and whatever moves you. The Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace remain on view throughout.
