Go in the first 60–90 minutes after entering the Louvre, or after 6pm on Wednesday and Friday, for late openings. Denon Wing traffic builds late morning. If Apollo Gallery matters to you, don’t leave it for the middle of the day.
Included with The Louvre Museum tickets
Timings
RECOMMENDED DURATION
5 hours

Access: Included in all general admission Louvre Museum tickets
When you'll see it: Midway through the Denon Wing route (Level 1)
Visit duration: 15–20 mins self-guided/25–30 mins with guide
Best time: Wednesday or Friday evening slots, or right at morning opening
Restrictions: No flash photography. Normal museum dress code applies

Apollo Gallery is included with all Louvre Museum tickets. No separate ticket is needed. It sits in the Denon Wing on Level 1, and because the Louvre has no fixed route, you can reach it early from the Pyramid or later through the Italian painting rooms. Book reserved access with an audio guide if you’re exploring on your own, or choose a small-group guided tour if you want the ceiling, crown jewels, and royal symbolism explained clearly.

Go in the first 60–90 minutes after entering the Louvre, or after 6pm on Wednesday and Friday, for late openings. Denon Wing traffic builds late morning. If Apollo Gallery matters to you, don’t leave it for the middle of the day.

Plan 10–15 minutes self-guided, or 15–20 minutes with a guide or audio guide. That gives you enough time for the ceiling, the jewel cases, and the room’s full length. If you give it 5 minutes, you’ll only register gold.

Treat it as a Denon Wing stop, not a bonus room. It works well before or after the Italian painting circuit, especially if you’re already heading toward major Denon highlights. Visit before your final hour, when museum fatigue starts to flatten detail.

Apollo Gallery is calmer than the Mona Lisa rooms, but late morning and early afternoon bring spillover from nearby Denon highlights. The jewel cases crowd first, then the centre aisle. If you want a clean ceiling view, avoid roughly 11am–3pm.

Stand halfway down the gallery and look up the full ceiling first. Then move to the crown jewel cases for the Regent Diamond and Empress Eugénie’s tiara. Start overhead, not with the cases, or you’ll miss the room itself.

Most visitors focus only on the jewels and miss why the room matters. Others stay near the walls and never see the ceiling axis properly. Stand in the center, look up early, and don’t use the gallery as a passageway.
| Ticket type | Why choose it |
|---|---|
Reserved access | Reach Apollo Gallery without burning time in ticketing lines, and explore the Denon Wing at your own pace |
Guided tour | Best if you want the ceiling program, crown jewels, and royal symbolism explained rather than guessed |
Assisted entry | Useful if Louvre entry logistics stress you out and you want a smoother start before exploring independently |
Apollo Gallery (Galerie d’Apollon) is the Louvre room where the building feels most clearly like a royal palace, not just a museum. Most visitors come for the crown jewels, but the bigger surprise is overhead: the entire gallery was designed as a statement of royal power centred on Apollo, the sun god linked to Louis XIV. Start by reading the room as one composition, then zoom in on these three details:

Stand halfway down the room and look straight up the central axis before you approach any case. The painted vault, gilded frames, and sculpted sun motifs were designed to work as one long theatrical surface, not as separate ceiling panels.

The central cases hold the objects most people came for, including the Regent Diamond and jewels tied to the French court. Approach them after looking up first, or the gallery turns into a jewelry stop instead of a royal room.

Walk to one end of the gallery near the tall windows, then turn back toward the full length of the room. From here, you can see how the ceiling, gilded decoration, and display cases align in one ceremonial vista.
After a fire destroyed the earlier Petit Galerie in 1661, the Apollo Gallery was rebuilt as a ceremonial royal space celebrating Apollo, the sun god closely tied to Louis XIV’s image. Its decorative program later helped shape the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, and the room now displays the French Crown Jewels, turning royal power into public museum history. Today, it remains one of the clearest links between the Louvre’s palace past and museum present.
Used Apollo imagery to project royal power and helped make the gallery a model of French court taste.
Designed much of the 17th-century decorative program with sun imagery, movement, and unmistakably royal symbolism.
Oversaw the post-fire rebuilding that transformed the former passage into a grand ceremonial gallery.
Added the central 19th-century ceiling canvas, giving the gallery its final dramatic flourish.
Address: Louvre Museum, 99 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris
Yes. Entry to Apollo Gallery is included with every valid Louvre Museum ticket. No separate ticket exists.
No. Any Louvre ticket works. Reserved access gets you inside faster, and guided or audio-assisted options add context once you’re there.
No. Apollo Gallery has no separate entrance. You must enter the Louvre, clear security, and reach the Denon Wing from inside the museum.
Whenever you choose. It’s in the Denon Wing on Level 1, usually 10–15 minutes from the Pyramid if you head there directly.
Plan 10–15 minutes self-guided, or 15–20 minutes with a guide or audio guide. The ceiling and crown jewels reward a slower look.
Not always. Many highlights tours prioritise the Mona Lisa and major sculptures, so check the route before booking if the Apollo Gallery matters to you.
Yes. Non-flash photography is generally allowed, but flash, extra lighting, and selfie sticks are prohibited throughout the Louvre.
Yes. The gallery itself is flat, and lifts inside the Louvre can help you reach the Denon Wing without using major staircases.
Start with the ceiling from the center of the room. Then move to the crown jewel cases, especially the Regent Diamond and Empress Eugénie’s tiara.
Yes. Individual Louvre rooms sometimes close for conservation or operational reasons, so check the museum map or ask staff on the day.

Book a time that fits your schedule and explore at your own pace.
Inclusions #
Timed access to the Louvre
Access to the permanent and temporary collections
Audio-guide available in French, English, Italian, German and Spanish
2-hour small group guided tour [as per option selected]
1 – 1.5-hour Seine River cruise [as per option selected]

With more than 35,000 artworks at the Louvre, don't miss out on the most famous artworks with the help of a guide.
Inclusions #
Entry to the Louvre Museum
2 to 3-hour private guided tour of the Louvre
Timed access to the Louvre
Expert English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian or German-speaking guide [as per option selected]
Small group of up to 20 guests [as per option selected]
Semi-private group of 6 to 10 guests [as per option selected]
Private tour for your group of up to 6 guests [as per option selected]
Headsets when appropriate

Get escorted past Louvre ticket lines with a hosted intro, then explore on your own with smart tips to find the masterpieces faster.
Inclusions #
Reserved access to the Louvre Museum
Hosted introduction to the museum and its highlights
Accompaniment to the museum’s main highlights for orientation
1–1.5 hour Seine River sightseeing cruise [as per option selected]
Exclusions #

See Louvre masterpieces on a timed slot, then take in Paris lit up from the Seine.
Inclusions #
Louvre Museum
Timed access to the Louvre
Access to the permanent and temporary collections
Audio guide available in French, English, Italian, German, and Spanish
Seine River Cruise
1-hour Bateaux Parisiens sightseeing cruise
Choice of departure time (cruises depart every 1 hour)
Flexible ticket valid for 6 months
Audio guide in French, English, Hindi, Arabic, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Polish, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean
Louvre Museum
Louvre Museum
Seine River Cruise
Louvre Museum
Seine River Cruise
Louvre Museum
Seine River Cruise

Louvre Museum
Versailles Palace
Louvre Museum
Versailles Palace
Louvre Museum
Versailles Palace
Inclusions #
Louvre Museum
Timed access entry ticket
Access to temporary exhibitions
Audio guide available in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Polish & Japanese
Palace of Versailles
Passport ticket (access to the palace + estate + garden shows)
Entry to the temporary exhibitions


