Louvre, mandatory reservations during Christmas week

Edited to remove incorrect information. Thanks for the correct information, Dutch traveler. Leaving second para as it may still be useful.

There are perhaps fewer reservation slots available for pass holders - maybe buying a separate ticket to the Louvre makes more reservation slots available ?

Here's some suggestion, Check back daily on the booking site as more slots sometimes open up as reservations are canceled. Early mornings tend to have the most availability. or you can try going to the Louvre as soon as it opens (9am) without a reservation to see if they have any no-show slots available.

Showing up at the Louvre and hoping someone has cancelled, as suggested by the above poster, is a lesson in futility. The security guards at the entrance aren't aware of who is showing up and who isn't.

If non-pass tickets are available, as Kim suggested, that may be your best option. And yes, reserved time slots are always required because it sells out nearly every day, not just Christmas week.

sammyclark1988 has the right guidance. BTW, we were there recently. The timed entry doesn't guarantee much of anything by way of a comfortable visiting experience, even in December. Total madhouse.

The Louvre says this on their website;
https://www.ticketlouvre.fr/louvre/b2c/index.cfm

“We strongly advise all visitors to book a time slot in advance to guarantee their admission to the museum in case of overcrowding.”

Strongly advise doesn’t mean it’s mandatory. If a certain timeslot still has tickets available, you can buy tickets at the museum without a prior reservation.
However the website also says this, in bold: “Reservations are required from 23 December to 7 January.”
This means that from December 23 to January 7, there will be no entry without a prior reservation.

The OP didn’t say when they want to visit the museum, but at this very moment there are still time slots available for December 22-24 and January 3-7.

I’ve been to Paris twice this year. I strongly that you book a reservation because if you don’t, you’re gonna be in the line that’s longer than you can possibly imagine and doesn’t move. And I was not there during the height of the summer. I was there, March and November. I talked to one couple who stood in line for three hours and figured at the rate the line was moving. It would be at least another three hours before they got into the museum and so they left. Paris is too wonderful to waste half a day standing online to possibly get in a museum so if you don’t get a reservation there are lots of other great places to see

I agree with Kim and Bets I think part of this is related to the limited number of Museum Pass tickets that are available. For instance, in looking at the 1st week of January, I see limited availability for Museum Pass reservations on some days and see MANY more times available for buying entry tickets. I do see some availability for Dec 30and 31 for timed entry purchases.

This is something forum posters have been warning those who go for a Museum Pass about for months and is one of the reasons some don't find the Museum Pass works for them.

Whatever you do, I'd book something today as things look like they will book out. Last April when I was in Paris the day I went to the Louvre there were big signs saying FULLY BOOKED and they were not even letting people stand in a purchase on the day ticket line.

BTW, even with a timed entry you will have to stand in line for security.

Welcome to the forum!

As a Louvre membre, I've been several times these past few months. It's full every day. One day after leaving for lunch, I couldn't get back in even using the card holders entrance. It's best to just buy whatever ticket you can.

Thanks for all the advice. I was lucky and found individual tickets (not museum pass) about a week before we arrived. The timing wasn’t optimal because the window was very close to our arrival by Eurostar, but it all worked out.

By the way, we visited on December 29.

Thanks for circling back with your experience. So it was related to the number of Museum Pass slots that were unavailable and not the general timed entry tickets for purchase. This is one of the issues with using the MP for the Louvre. I hope your visit was wonderful - both the Louvre and Paris!