Paris Museum Opening Hours and Closing Days
The single most useful piece of Paris museum trivia is this: most national museums close one day a week, and the day is not the same. Showing up on the wrong day is the number one reason itineraries collapse.
This guide lists 2026 opening hours, closing days and late nights for the top 10 Paris museums, plus the late opening rules for the Louvre, the Orsay and the Pompidou. Save it and check before you book transport.
Weekly closures by museum
The Louvre is closed on Tuesday. The Musee d'Orsay is closed on Monday. The Orangerie is closed on Tuesday. The Centre Pompidou is closed on Tuesday. The Musee Rodin is closed on Monday. The Musee Picasso is closed on Monday.
The Musee de Cluny is closed on Monday. The Musee du Quai Branly is closed on Monday. The Marmottan Monet is closed on Monday. The Paris Museum Pass covers all of these but still respects the closing day of each venue.
Standard opening hours
The Louvre opens 9:00 to 18:00 from Wednesday to Monday, with a late night until 21:45 on Wednesday and Friday. The Orsay opens 9:30 to 18:00 Tuesday to Sunday, with a late night until 21:45 on Thursday.
The Orangerie opens 9:00 to 18:00 Wednesday to Monday. The Pompidou opens 11:00 to 21:00 every day except Tuesday, with a late night until 23:00 on Thursday for selected shows.
Last entry rule
Every Paris museum stops admitting visitors 45 to 60 minutes before official closing. If the Louvre closes at 18:00, last entry is 17:00. If the Orsay closes at 21:45 on Thursday, last entry is 21:00.
Your timed slot must therefore start no later than that cutoff. Book the earliest slot of the day for the calmest experience and the longest visit window.
Holidays and annual closures
All national museums close on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. The Louvre closes one extra day per year for staff training, usually in mid-March. The Orsay rotates a similar maintenance day each year.
On 14 July, Bastille Day, most national museums are free and have normal hours, but smaller venues like the Marmottan close. Always check the official site of the museum 48 hours before your visit.
How to plan around closures
If your trip lands on a Monday and a Tuesday, build the itinerary around them. Monday should be the Louvre, the Pompidou, the Orangerie or Versailles. Tuesday should be the Orsay, the Rodin, the Cluny or the Picasso.
Avoid sandwiching two closure days back to back if possible. Three consecutive useful museum days is the minimum to feel relaxed in Paris.
The opening calendar is the silent infrastructure of a Paris trip. Plan around the Monday and Tuesday closures first, book timed slots second, and only then decide which restaurant to walk to between visits.