The Louvre is about to change — dramatically. France's Ministry of Culture has unveiled plans for a €660 million renovation of the world's most visited museum, to be led by two architecture firms: STUDIOS Architecture Paris and Selldorf Architects.
This is the most ambitious transformation of the Louvre since I.M. Pei's glass pyramid opened in 1989. And for anyone planning to visit Paris in the next few years, it changes everything about how you'll experience the museum.
What's Changing — and Why
The Louvre receives nearly 10 million visitors a year. Most of them funnel through a single entrance — the Pyramid — creating bottlenecks that can mean hour-long queues before you've seen a single painting.
The new project completely rethinks visitor flow. A new dedicated entrance will be created specifically for visitors coming to see the Mona Lisa, separating the crowds and allowing the rest of the museum to breathe.
The Richelieu wing — currently accessible from the Rue de Rivoli — will be transformed into a major new public entrance, drawing visitors away from the Pyramid and spreading the flow across the building.
A Room Just for the Mona Lisa
Perhaps the most striking element of the plan: the Mona Lisa will get her own dedicated room.
Today, Leonardo's masterpiece hangs in the Salle des États — a large gallery shared with Veronese's monumental Wedding at Cana. Visitors crowd in front of a barrier, phones raised, standing 10 metres from a painting that is smaller than most people expect.
The new dedicated space will allow for a more intimate, considered encounter with the world's most famous painting. Details of the design have not yet been released, but the intention is clear: to transform a chaotic pilgrimage into a genuine experience.
What This Means If You Visit Now
The renovation is expected to begin in the coming years, with completion targeted for before the next major international events in Paris. During construction, parts of the museum will be affected — your guide will know exactly which galleries are open and how to plan your visit around the works.
For now, visiting the Louvre with a licensed guide is more valuable than ever. Knowing where to go, when to move, and how to position yourself in front of the Mona Lisa — before the crowds arrive — makes the difference between a frustrating visit and an unforgettable one.
Visit the Louvre Before It Changes Forever
The Louvre you can visit today — with the Pyramid, the Salle des États, the current flow of galleries — is about to become history. This is a rare moment to experience the museum as it has existed for 35 years, before the next chapter begins.
Our Louvre guided tour takes small groups of maximum 8 people through the museum's greatest masterpieces with skip-the-line access, in English, 7 days a week.
Book your Louvre tour — €89/person →
Hafid A. · Licensed Guide-Conférencier · Route33 Paris · Certified by the French Ministry of Culture