RPR-FRA-002 · FRANCE
Louvre Palace
Plan a visit
Regular public visits — Visit the palace through the Louvre museum route. Closed Tuesdays, 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Standard hours are 09:00–18:00, extended to 21:00 on Wednesdays and Fridays; last entry is one hour before closing. Gallery closures can restrict the route.
Booking: Reserve a dated museum ticket through the official Louvre ticket service; on-site sales depend on availability.
Official source / visitor information
Source review: 2026-10-12.
Royal / Imperial Palace
History & Character
The Louvre’s transformation from fortress to Renaissance residence accelerated under François I, who appointed Pierre Lescot in 1546. Work continued under Henri II. The Salle des Caryatides preserves this courtly phase: Jean Goujon’s sculpted figures supported a musicians’ gallery in a room designed for royal festivities.
The building’s later museum use adapted former ceremonial spaces for collections. Another major transformation came with the Grand Louvre project: I. M. Pei’s glass pyramid, inaugurated in 1989, created a central entrance to the museum wings. The Louvre therefore presents both a historic royal palace and the architecture of its successive adaptations.
Sources for this description
Description checked 9 October 2026.
French name: Palais du Louvre
Type: Royal / Imperial Palace
Dates: fortress from 1190; royal residence from 1364; Renaissance and later rebuilding
Status: Surviving / Musée du Louvre
Provenance: Royal palace transformed across Valois, Bourbon and imperial periods
Geography
Geographic Path: France → Île-de-France → Paris → Louvre–Tuileries Axis
Local Place: 1st arrondissement / Seine axis
Estate / Micro-location: Louvre–Tuileries royal and imperial complex
Browse France Palace Geography →
Rulers, Residents & Use by Reign
| Period | Ruler | Relationship | Notes | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1190 onward | Philip II Augustus | founder / fortress patron | Philippe Auguste founded the medieval Louvre fortress. | High |
| 1364–1380 | Charles V | royal residence / transformation patron | The Louvre became a sumptuous royal residence from 1364. | High |
| 1515–1547 | Francis I | royal residence / major patron | François I's Renaissance palace-building network. | High |
| 1547–1559 | Henry II | royal residence / patron | Henri II continued major Renaissance palace projects. | High |
| 1560–1574 | Charles IX | royal residence / court | Valois court used Paris and Fontainebleau residences. | High |
| 1574–1589 | Henry III | royal residence / court | Henri III's court used Blois and the Paris palace network. | High |
| 1589–1610 | Henry IV | royal residence / construction patron | Henri IV connected and enlarged the Paris and Saint-Germain palace networks. | High |
| 1610–1643 | Louis XIII | royal residence / patron | Louis XIII used the Louvre, Tuileries and Saint-Germain and founded the Versailles hunting lodge. | High |
| 1643–1682 | Louis XIV | royal residence before Versailles | Louis XIV's court moved among Saint-Germain, Vincennes, Louvre and Tuileries before 1682. | High |
Useful Links
Important Interiors
Can You Visit?
Access status: open_regularly
Open regularly as Musée du Louvre; weekly closure Tuesday. Verify live hours before travel.
Official visitor information →
Visitor Statistics
| Year | Value | Unit | Scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 9,594,837 | visitors | Musée du Louvre total attendance | |
| 2020 | 2,718,369 | visitors | Musée du Louvre total attendance | COVID-19 closures; museum closed around six months. |
| 2021 | 2,800,000 | visitors | Musée du Louvre total attendance | COVID-19 closures; reopened 19 May 2021. |
| 2022 | 7,800,000 | visitors | Musée du Louvre total attendance | |
| 2023 | 8,900,000 | visitors | Musée du Louvre total attendance | |
| 2024 | 8,700,000 | visitors | Musée du Louvre total attendance | Olympic security context. |
| 2025 | 9,000,000 | visitors | Musée du Louvre total attendance |
Furnishings from Other Palaces
Tuileries Throne Room: surviving furnishings and their later Louvre display
For the latest access review, see Plan Your Visit above.
Palace Profile & Official Website
Summary from the existing catalogue; the historical description has not been fully re-audited in this release.
Official source / visitor information
Access: Visit the palace through the Louvre museum route. Closed Tuesdays, 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Standard hours are 09:00–18:00, extended to 21:00 on Wednesdays and Fridays; last entry is one hour before closing. Gallery closures can restrict the route.
Sources
- The Palace — From the former palace of the French monarchs to the largest museum in the world
- The Musée du Louvre at a glance
- The Grande Galerie
- The Salle des Caryatides
Annual Visitor Statistics
| Year | Reported figure | What is counted / notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 9,594,837 | Musée du Louvre total attendance; Prior catalogue record; not reverified in this release. Precision: exact. | Source |
| 2020 | 2,718,369 | Musée du Louvre total attendance; COVID-19 closures; museum closed around six months. Prior catalogue record; not reverified in this release. Precision: exact. | Source |
| 2021 | 2,800,000 | Musée du Louvre total attendance; COVID-19 closures; reopened 19 May 2021. Prior catalogue record; not reverified in this release. Precision: rounded. | Source |
| 2022 | 7,800,000 | Musée du Louvre total attendance; Prior catalogue record; not reverified in this release. Precision: rounded. | Source |
| 2023 | 8,900,000 | Musée du Louvre total attendance; Prior catalogue record; not reverified in this release. Precision: rounded. | Source |
| 2024 | 8,700,000 | Musée du Louvre total attendance; Olympic security context. Prior catalogue record; not reverified in this release. Precision: rounded. | Source |
| 2025 | 9,000,000 | Musée du Louvre total attendance; Prior catalogue record; not reverified in this release. Precision: rounded. | Source |
Historical illustration
Jacques Callot · ca. 1630. An etched view of the Louvre and its riverside surroundings around 1630. This historical panorama records an earlier stage of the palace and city, not their present appearance.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 23.65.34; Gift of Theodore De Witt, 1923. Collection record · CC0.