🇫🇷Louvre

Plan your family visit to the Louvre with practical tips on what to see, how long to stay, and where to eat nearby.

Your family guide

Louvre with kids: art, history and practical tips

“The Louvre is not just a museum. It is a journey through the entire story of human creativity.”

— San & Jo

The Louvre is one of those places that genuinely lives up to the hype, and then some. With more than 35,000 works of art spread across three wings and nearly 73,000 square metres of exhibition space, this is the largest museum in the world. Families will not see everything in a single visit, and that is perfectly fine. The trick is knowing where to go first.

Kids are often more captivated here than parents expect. The ancient Egyptian mummies, the colossal winged bulls from Mesopotamia, and the dramatic staircase leading to the Winged Victory of Samothrace all have a way of stopping even the most screen-addicted teenager in their tracks. The Mona Lisa draws enormous crowds, with up to 20,000 visitors passing through that one room each day, so arriving early makes a real difference.

What makes the Louvre special for families is the sheer variety. You can move from ancient civilisations to Renaissance masterpieces to Napoleon's lavish apartments all in one morning. Pair your visit with a stroll through the adjacent Jardin des Tuileries and you have a full, memorable day in the heart of Paris.

Paris, France1st arrondissement

73,000 m²Largest museum in the world

~10 millionVisitors per year

Best things to do

What makes the Louvre work for families

See the Mona Lisa in person

Yes, she is smaller than you imagined. But standing in the same room as Leonardo da Vinci's most famous painting is genuinely thrilling. Her fame was supercharged when she was stolen in 1911, inspiring films, an opera, and an Oscar-winning song. Arrive when the museum opens to beat the crowd of up to 20,000 daily visitors in that single room.

Go straight there at opening time

15-30 min

Find the Winged Victory of Samothrace

Perched at the top of the Daru staircase in the Denon Wing, this ancient Greek sculpture is one of the most dramatic sights in the entire museum. The detail of the sea-sprayed clothing and wings is extraordinary. Kids who are into mythology or ancient history will be genuinely wowed.

Look up at the wings from the bottom of the stairs first

20-30 min

Meet the Lamassu of Mesopotamia

These colossal winged bulls with human heads are one of the Louvre's most underrated highlights and a guaranteed hit with younger visitors. They once guarded the palace of an Assyrian king, and they are enormous. Most tourists walk straight past them heading for the Mona Lisa, which means you often get them almost to yourselves.

Ask kids to count the legs. There are five.

20 min

Explore the Medieval Louvre Foundations

Beneath the museum lie the original foundations of the fortress built in 1190, before François I demolished and rebuilt it as a Renaissance palace in 1546. The underground moat and towers are atmospheric and genuinely ancient. It feels like a secret level of the museum that most visitors miss entirely.

Access is from the Sully Wing lower level

30 min

Walk through Napoleon III's apartments

These rooms are jaw-droppingly ornate and give a vivid sense of 19th-century imperial excess. Gilded ceilings, enormous chandeliers, and richly decorated furniture make this one of the most visually impressive sections of the museum. Older kids who have been studying French history will find real context here.

Located in the Richelieu Wing, often less crowded

30-45 min

Stand in front of Liberty Leading the People

Eugène Delacroix's iconic painting is large, powerful, and immediately recognisable even to kids who have never studied art. The scale and energy of the painting are striking in person in a way that reproductions never quite capture. It is one of those moments where a painting genuinely stops you.

Found in the Denon Wing, Room 700

15 min

Picnic in the Jardin des Tuileries

The Louvre sits right next to one of Paris's most beautiful public gardens. After a few hours inside, heading out here for a picnic or a rest is the perfect reset for tired legs and restless kids. In summer the garden hosts a funfair with rides, and in winter there is a Christmas market with hot chocolate and seasonal treats.

Grab supplies from a nearby boulangerie before you go in

1-2 hours

Our verdict

How the Louvre scores for families

Kids

Ancient sculptures, giant winged bulls, medieval dungeons, and mummies. There is more here to fire a child's imagination than almost anywhere else in the world, as long as you plan your route and keep the visit to a manageable length.

Culture

This is as good as it gets. The Louvre covers ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, the Renaissance, and beyond. It is the cultural symbol of Paris and one of the most important collections on the planet.

Food

Café Marly inside the palace has a terrace overlooking the pyramid and a solid French menu. The surrounding neighbourhood offers excellent options for every budget. Not the easiest area for a quick, cheap family lunch, but quality is high.

Nature

The Jardin des Tuileries next door is a genuine green escape. Inside the museum itself there is no outdoor space, so plan a garden break into your day if you are visiting with younger children who need to run around.

Budget

Museum entry is not cheap, though under-18s from the EU and under-26s from EU countries enter free. The surrounding area is one of the pricier parts of Paris for food and drinks. Budget carefully and pack snacks.

Planning your visit

How long should you spend at the Louvre?

2 hours

The highlights run

Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, Venus de Milo, and the pyramid. A fast but satisfying sweep of the greatest hits.

sweet spot

4 hours

The sweet spot

Enough time to see the major works, explore a wing or two in depth, and still leave with energy for the Tuileries garden.

1 day

The deep dive

A full day lets you explore the Medieval foundations, Napoleon's apartments, and the Mesopotamian galleries without feeling rushed.

Fun facts

Things to know about Louvre

14.5 kilometres of corridors

To see all 403 rooms of the Louvre you would need to walk 14.5 kilometres and climb 10,000 steps. That is roughly the same as hiking up the Eiffel Tower more than nine times.

The Mona Lisa was stolen

In 1911, a museum employee hid inside the Louvre overnight, removed the painting from the wall, and walked out with it under his coat. It was missing for two years before being recovered in Florence. The theft made her the most famous painting in the world.

It started as a fortress in 1190

The Louvre began as a defensive fortress built to protect Paris from northern invasions. It only became a royal palace in the 16th century when François I demolished the original building and rebuilt it in the Renaissance style.

Taste the Louvre

Where to eat with your family near the Louvre

Café Marly

Must try

Café Marly

Sitting on the covered terrace of Café Marly with a view of I.M. Pei's glass pyramid is one of those Paris moments you will not forget. The menu is contemporary French, the setting is inside the Louvre palace itself, and it works well for a mid-visit lunch break.

French onion soup

Local favourite

Au Pied de Cochon

Au Pied de Cochon is a legendary 24-hour brasserie a short walk from the Louvre, famous for its deeply flavoured French onion soup. It has been feeding Parisians around the clock for decades and is a brilliant option for an early dinner after a long museum day.

Fish dishes and salads

Safe choice

Le Fumoir

Le Fumoir is a stylish brasserie directly opposite the Louvre, popular for fresh fish dishes, generous salads, and relaxed lunches. The atmosphere is calm enough for families and the menu has plenty of options for less adventurous eaters.

Picnic from a boulangerie

Daily treat

Jardin des Tuileries (picnic)

The most practical and affordable family meal near the Louvre is a picnic assembled from one of the many boulangeries in the surrounding streets. Grab a baguette, some cheese, and a few pastries, then head to the Jardin des Tuileries for lunch on the grass.

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