Any tips on getting tickets to the Louvre and Eiffel Tower less than 60 days in advance? We tried to book tickets online at exactly midnight Paris time 60 days out, without success. All tickets gone!
What are our best options for visiting these sites without timed entry tickets or standing in line for hours? We are willing to go early or late, or pay a reasonable fee for a "tour" just to get in. We will be there Saturday eve through Tuesday.
Thanks in advance!
Stacy
I got tickets to the top of the ET in May a few days out after none were available for weeks. Tickets are often released rather randomly so keep trying.
The Louvre doesn't sell out 60 days in advance. Currently there are plenty of tickets available on your dates.
Here is the official ticketing website for the Louvre. They are closed on July 14 which this year happens to be a Tuesday which is their regular closure day.
https://ticket.louvre.fr/en/billetterie/3313
For the Louvre, I'd book for as early as will work for you. To me the Louvre gets very hot in the afternoons once the sun is on the glass pyramid. It's not so bad once you get to some of the galleries that have fewer people but its too much for me in the main reception area and around the mezzanine area where there is seating (or actually "leaning benches").
For anyone else reading this, the Louvre is currently open for ticketing thru September.
FWIW. we walked into the Michelangelo/Rodin exhibit with no line -- often special exhibits do entail a longish wait.
I just checked the Louvre site again, at the correct address. All July dates crossed out. Am I doing something wrong?
stacyschwan I suspect the website for the Louvre is being updated (at this moment it is 11 p.m. Paris time), as it does show all of July blocked out and it is very slow loading the calendar. It is VERY unlikely that every single ticket in the month of July is sold out. Don't panic, try again tomorrow or later in the evening.
As for the Eiffel Tower, as noted just check back frequently. If you don't have your heart set on going to the very top, second floor views are just as lovely and you can usually get stairs tickets for those easier. You should keep at it though, as noted July 14 is a national holiday and people will make it into a long weekend.
Oh that is weird. I think CL is correct about some updating going on. When I posted the above link earlier it was for the direct page and yes there were plenty of times and dates available. I can't even get it to load.
Honestly, at this point, I'd just try again tomorrow!
The slow loading pages and crossed out dates have been that way every time we've tried in the past few days, but we'll continue checking. We didn't realize the 14th was a holiday, but our dates weren't flexible anyway so we'll deal with it. The second floor of the Eiffel Tower is exactly what we want, not so much for ourselves (been there) but for our grandson, who will be experiencing Europe for the first time. Thanks again!
We were able to reserve timed tickets to Louvre today for July 20th. Noticed one time slot was filled. We are purchasing the Paris Museum pass.
stacyschwan I would also try clearing out your browser cookies and perhaps a different browser too. But I just tried again and now July dates are open and available.
We didn't realize the 14th was a holiday, but our dates weren't
flexible anyway so we'll deal with it.
It's a rather big holiday actually so you may have some disruptions in plans due to parades and closures and such. https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/bastille-day-france
If you search the forum for "Bastille Day" you'll find some hints traveling in that time period. Here's just one recent post https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/bastille-day-in-paris-5fe3a2e0-4355-45bc-bf85-810d51e54646
Alas, we finally got in to reserve Louvre tickets, then spent another hour setting up an account to buy them! After waiting a half hour, clearing the cash, rebooting the browser, and using incognito mode, we were finally able to complete the purchase. Thank you for the links about Bastille Day. Now we're kind of excited to be there for it! 🙏🏼
museums don't close for Fete Nationale generally and the Louvre is free BUT this year July 14 falls on its regular closing day so it isn't open that day because it is never open on Tuesdays. Many other museums also close on Tuesdays. Monday and Tuesday are the two most common days for weekly museum closure. Some smaller places may be open for shorter stints e.g. the Marie Curie Museum is open Weds-Saturday.
Bastille Day is obviously a huge holiday in France.
If you are into a parade (and into crowds), the military parade down the Champs Elysees
is cool to watch (political and historical comments left unsaid).
The fireworks show at the Eiffel Tower is not to be missed if you can stay up that late.
Everything else about Paris applies to most days of the year, but Bastille Day is unique,
so do what you can to experience it.
