Place du Louvre Plaza

Address: Place du Louvre, 75001 Paris, France

Website: https://www.louvre.fr/

Hours: Open daily (public space)

Admission: Free (public square)

Place du Louvre is the open area adjoining the Louvre Palace in central Paris, forming part of the urban ensemble around the museum and providing direct pedestrian links to the Tuileries Gardens and the Seine. It is integrated with the museum’s forecourts and approaches.

The space serves as an arrival and circulation area for museum visitors and as part of a larger sequence of historic façades and gardens that stretch west from the palace. It is used by sightseers moving between the Louvre, the Tuileries and riverfront promenades.

The palace and its surrounding squares evolved over many centuries as the medieval fortress and royal residence were transformed into a monumental Renaissance and later state complex. Major works continued through the 17th to 19th centuries, shaping the façades that face the square today.

The place sits on the right bank of the Seine in Paris’s 1st arrondissement, immediately adjacent to the Louvre Museum and a short walk from the Tuileries Gardens and Pont du Carrousel.

• Peak visitor times: The area is busiest mid-morning to late afternoon when the Louvre museum is open; early mornings provide clearer sightlines for photography with fewer tourists.

What to See#

• Palais du Louvre / Cour Napoléon: The Louvre Palace complex which includes the Cour Napoléon, the glass pyramid entrance, and extensive museum galleries; the square forms one of the open spaces adjacent to the palace façades.
• Riverfront and Tuileries approach: A pedestrian area and thoroughfare that links the Louvre facades to the Tuileries gardens and the Seine riverfront, used by museum visitors and sightseers.

The square in front of the Louvre is adjacent to Palais-Royal-Musée du Louvre station (Paris Métro lines 1 and 7); exit the station and it’s a 1-3 minute walk to the Place du Louvre along rue de Rivoli. From Châtelet-Les Halles (RER A/B/D) it’s about an 8-10 minute walk northwest along pedestrian streets and Rue de Rivoli.

• Arrive before the Louvre opening hours (early morning) to photograph the pyramid and courtyard with far fewer people.
• If you have a timed ticket, use the Carrousel du Louvre (underground) entrance to avoid long outdoor security queues at the pyramid on busy days.
• Walk the perimeter around the Cour Napoléon and peek into the smaller arcades and the Inverted Pyramid area in the Carrousel - these indoor viewpoints are often overlooked by quick visitors.