Hi! Ugh! I went to book our tickets to the Louvre for a last minute trip to Paris next week (July 5) and they are gone! Does anyone know if they take standbys or if there is another way to find tickets? There are 5 of us ages 16-53.

This is probably a situation to use Viator or other re-sellers. You'll pay extra but they may have availability.

I just checked the website and tickets are available July 7. Will that work?

here's a suggestion - do something else. There are a huge number of museums in Paris and unless you are desperate to spend half a day slogging through the crowds all shuffling towards the Mona Lisa, why waste your valuable time like that? Of course there may be something there that you are longing to see which is not the Mona Lisa, in which case feel free to ignore that advice.

Under 29 can become Friends of the Museum for almost the same price as a regular adult ticket. Can't help with the adults though.

If I may join this thread:
I never book tickets to museums in advance and always buy on the spot including the Louvre D'Orsay ect, but concerning Paris, since COVID I keep reading that bookind in advance is quite obligatory. Is this really what happens now? Has anything changed in those 3 years? I plan to be in Paris on October and would like a good advice on the subject.
And while I at it: I'm planing to visit the Hotel de la Marine for the first time and they offer 2 themes of the audio-guide: "Travelling through time" and "Siecle de Lumieres". Can someone explain the difference?
Thanks

Zvi,

Yes, this is the new reality. I visited Paris many times in the pre-covid world and I never booked anything in advance. Things have changed as I've never seen the kind of crowds I saw in May 2023. And that's not even the high season.

Another thing Zvi,

We had a week in Paris. When we first arrived I went on the website for the Louvre, foolishly thinking I could book a ticket for the next day. They were sold out for the next 5 days. We were still there in 5 days so we went, but I should have booked sooner. Even with the capacity limits it was still jam packed.

Thanks PM I just talked to a friend who visited Paris last week. He said the same thing.

Le Louvre has required reservations for some time, even just before Covid. Ste Chapelle and la Conciergerie have only required reservations since Covid, or for the last several years. Musée d´Orsay does not require reservations. Tourist crowds in Paris are bigger than ever, and with the number of special events scheduled here over the next couple of years, people should reserve for everything they can, as early as they can; restaurants included.

If you did not reserve in time for le Louvre, and you still want to go, there is a line, the orange line, where those without tickets may wait for an opening. The orange line is long and moves slowly.

I'd put the D'orsay and even the https://www.musee-moyenage.fr/en/ over the Louvre any day, especially when the Louvre will be crowded with selfie sticks attached people

Presumably the first covers a larger period of time, going back to Egyptian times for recorded history? The latter show would cover only the 18th century. That's my guess.

Reserving time slots in advance seems to be the new normal, not just in Paris. My daughter and her boyfriend were in both London and Amsterdam during their recent spring break and had reserved time slot for the Vermeer exhibit at the Rijks as well as a time slot for the museum, a time slot for the Stedjelik and in London for the Tate Modern and Tate Britain. Last summer they were in Italy and had time slots booked in advance for virtually every place that they went

Some landmarks in Venice had timed entries, or at least the option of them as far back as 2015. And I believe Neuschwanstein did in 2013.

I may be in a minority here, but I prefer having the timed entries. With how crowded it has gotten in major cities, the timed entries allows me to have things planned at a schedule I can work around. There is nothing worse than getting to a landmark only to have to wait in line for hours. I leave the spontaneity for when I do not have anything in mind for a particular day, and usually not spontaneously thinking to go to a museum anyway.

For the OP, if the Louvre is absolutely essential, I would look into a tour. Not sure if there are official options through the Louvre or if you might need to book something through Viator. They get you in the building at least.

just a comment about Tate Modern/Britain. Neither gallery needs pre-booking and entry is free. However pre-booking for particular exhibitions is required/recommended. https://www.tate.org.uk/about-us/fre...ions/ticketing

You took the words right out of my mouth, Annhig! There are so many great museums in Paris, I still have a list of those I haven't seen yet. People think that if they go to Paris, they have to visit the Louvre, if they go to Florence, they have to visit the Uffizi, and so on.

What type of art do you most enjoy? Which is your favourite museum in your home country? We can offer some alternatives that you might even enjoy more.