Every day, over 30,000 tourists visit the Louvre Museum in Paris, contributing to its staggering 9 million visitors annually.
Among them, at least 25,000 people take the time to admire Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, the Mona Lisa and often spend over five minutes in front of this iconic painting.
As the most popular artwork in the museum, it draws massive attention from art lovers and casual tourists alike.
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know before your visit to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum – from securing tickets to finding the best time to view this legendary painting.
Top Tickets
# Louvre Museum general admission
# Guided tour with introduction to Mona Lisa
# Guided tour customized for childrenIt’s highly recommended that you book your Louvre Museum tickets in advance. These tickets sell out quickly, so securing your spot early ensures you get your preferred time and date.
What’s ahead
Mona Lisa: What to expect?
Many visitors are surprised that the Mona Lisa is not the large, imposing painting they expected. But rather a small, delicate masterpiece.
Measuring just 77 cm by 53 cm (2.5 ft by 1.7 ft), its size is modest compared to its global fame.
The Louvre has gone to great lengths to protect and preserve this iconic work of art. The painting is behind a thick, bulletproof glass barrier in a specially designed, climate-controlled room.
This protective measure has existed since the early 1950s, following an incident where a visitor damaged the painting with acid.
In 2019, the museum upgraded the glass to a more advanced, transparent, bulletproof version, enhancing the viewing experience by making the painting appear closer while ensuring its safety remains uncompromised.
Some visitors get disappointed
Some visitors feel disappointed after seeing the Mona Lisa for the first time.
Despite the immense anticipation—fueled by its status as the most famous painting in the world—many are surprised by its small size when they finally enter Room 711. It is also known as Salle des États and is the largest room of the Louvre.
Positioned behind protective glass and surrounded by crowds, the painting feels distant, making it hard to appreciate its finer details up close.
Yet, even those who feel let down agree that the Mona Lisa’s mysterious smile is captivating and worth seeing in person at least once.
Its modest size and the intrigue of Mona Lisa’s enigmatic expression have kept this artwork legendary for centuries.
To avoid disappointment, we recommend reading this article thoroughly so you’ll have the context and appreciation needed to truly enjoy Leonardo’s masterpiece when you see it up close.
How to get there
Grab a museum map at the entrance to find the fastest route to the painting. There are also signs throughout the museum pointing the way to the Mona Lisa.
Taking photographs of the Mona Lisa
Photography without flash is allowed, but be aware that taking the perfect shot can be difficult with the number of people vying for a front-row view.
Tickets to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre
Many visitors to the Louvre Museum wonder if they need to buy a separate Mona Lisa ticket to see the masterpiece.
Well, no.
The regular Louvre Museum ticket allows you to see all the exhibits on display in the art museum.
If your primary aim of visiting the Louvre Museum is to spend time with Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, it is best to book the Louvre entry ticket, which comes with guidance on Mona Lisa.
If you are an art lover, we recommend the guided tour of the Louvre Museum because of three reasons:
– You don’t waste your time trying to find the exhibits
– You don’t miss out on any of the masterpieces at The Louvre Museum
– Expert guides share in-depth knowledge, exciting stories, anecdotes, etc. about the artwork
If you visit with your young ones, we recommend this guided tour customized for children.
Where is the Mona Lisa located?
The Louvre displays the Mona Lisa in the Denon Wing, within the ‘Paintings’ section. To view this iconic masterpiece, make your way to Room 711 on the 1st floor of the Denon Wing.
See the map below to find out where’s the Mona Lisa (its exact location) –
The Denon Wing, home to some of the Louvre’s most famous exhibits, draws the largest crowds of tourists.
Alongside the Mona Lisa, you’ll find two other remarkable paintings on the first floor: Jacques-Louis David’s The Coronation of Napoleon and Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People.
On the same floor, don’t miss the chance to admire three stunning sculptures —Antonio Canova’s Psyche Revived by the Kiss of Love, Michelangelo’s Dying Slave, and the iconic Winged Victory of Samothrace.
Note: This tour is not suitable for tourists using wheelchairs and those with mobility impairments
Best time to see the Mona Lisa painting
The best time to see the Mona Lisa is right when the Louvre Museum opens at 9 am.
Head straight to Room 711 on the 1st floor of the Denon Wing to get a clear view of the painting before the crowds build up.
If a morning visit isn’t possible, your next best option is after 4 pm, when large tour groups and school crowds have left.
You can spend the afternoon exploring the rest of the museum and then time your visit to see the Mona Lisa later in the day.
For an even smoother experience, consider purchasing your Louvre Museum tickets online to skip the long ticket lines and be among the first to enter.
It can get crowded in front of Leonardo’s masterpiece during peak times. Check out the pics below –
On Wednesdays and Fridays, the Louvre stays open until 9:45 p.m., making it an ideal time to view the Mona Lisa with fewer crowds.
If you’re considering an evening visit, check out this guide on visiting the Louvre Museum at night for all the details.
Another highlight of a nighttime visit is the stunning sight of the Louvre Pyramid, beautifully illuminated against the Parisian sky.
Whether you’re a fan of the Mona Lisa or not, it’s a good idea to learn all about the Louvre Museum before purchasing your tickets.
History of Mona Lisa
Leonardo da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa around 1503 in Florence, Italy.
Experts believe the portrait depicts Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo, which is why the painting is also known as La Gioconda.
The merchant commissioned the portrait to honor his wife for giving him two children.
However, Leonardo never delivered the painting to the Giocondo family. Instead, he took it with him to France, keeping it by his side for over 15 years.
It wasn’t until he died in 1519 that he parted with the portrait, leaving it to his friend and patron, King Francois I of France. The King later hung the painting in the Appartement des Bains at the Palace of Fontainebleau.
Following the French Revolution, the Mona Lisa mostly resided in the Louvre Museum, except for a brief stint when Napoleon Bonaparte displayed it in his bedroom at the Tuileries Palace.
In 1911, the painting was stolen by an Italian nationalist who believed that since Leonardo was Italian, the masterpiece rightfully belonged in Italy, not France.
The Louvre or d’Orsay?
Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is one of the significant differences between Musee d’Orsay and The Louvre. If you aren’t sure which art gallery to visit, check out our comparison of the two Parisian landmarks.
FAQs about Mona Lisa
Here are some questions tourists planning to see the Mona Lisa usually ask.
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Who painted the Mona Lisa?
Perhaps one of the greatest geniuses of our times, Leonardo da Vinci, painted the Mona Lisa from 1503 to 1506. He was also an architect, an engineer, and a theatrical producer.
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What is Mona Lisa’s original size?
Mona Lisa’s original size is 77 cm × 53 cm (2.5 ft × 1.7 ft). In the Louvre Museum, the painting has a frame around it, which makes it seem a bit bigger.
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How long did Mona Lisa take to paint?
According to Leonardo da Vinci’s biographer, Giorgio Vasari, the painter started the Mona Lisa in 1503 and completed it in four years.
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Is Mona Lisa a real person?
Mona Lisa, from Leonardo da Vinci’s painting, was a real person.
She was a real Florentine woman, born and raised in Florence under the name of Lisa Gherardini. She died in 1542 at the age of 63. -
Is Mona Lisa a man?
Some art experts believe the Mona Lisa could have been Gian Giacomo Caprotti, Leonardo’s apprentice and probable gay lover. Gian, who was also known as Salai, may have modeled for the painting.
One can spot several striking similarities when one compares Mona Lisa’s painting to Salai’s available portraits. Especially Mona Lisa’s nose, her forehead, and her smile.
Interestingly, one can rearrange the letters that form ‘Mona Lisa’ to ‘Mon Salai.’ Mon in French means ‘My,’ suggesting Leonardo wanted to say ‘My Salai.’ -
Is Mona Lisa smiling?
Yes, Mona Lisa is smiling in the painting, and the mysteriousness of her smile has captivated people for generations. When Dutch researchers from the University of Amsterdam ran Mona Lisa through an ’emotion recognition’ software, they found that Mona Lisa’s famous smile was 83% happy, 9% disgusted, 6% fearful, 2% angry, less than 1% neutral, and 0% surprised.
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Why does the Mona Lisa have no eyebrows?
Art experts believe that Leonardo Da Vinci painted eyebrows on the Mona Lisa. However, restoration efforts made before better technologies were wiped them out. Parisian engineer Pascal Cotte used 240-megapixel scans to find traces of a left eyebrow long obscured from the naked eye by the restorers’ efforts.
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Is the real Mona Lisa in the Louvre?
Yes, the original Mona Lisa, painted by Leonardo da Vinci, has been part of the Louvre Museum’s collection for over two centuries. It was first installed in the Grand Gallery of the Louvre in 1804.
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Why is Mona Lisa in the Louvre?
When ace painter Leonardo da Vinci died in 1519, he passed on the Mona Lisa to his friend and art patron, King Francois I of France. The King hung the Mona Lisa in his Palace, but after the French Revolution from 1789 to 1799, most of the art owned by the Royals made it to public institutions.
Mona Lisa came to the Louvre Museum in 1804. -
Why is the Mona Lisa a masterpiece?
Art connoisseurs consider the Mona Lisa a masterpiece because of Leonardo da Vinci’s techniques while painting it. The almost forgotten painting technique called Sfumato (Italian for smoke) is a slow process in which the paint is applied in thin layers. Leonardo da Vinci painted one layer, let it dry, and then painted on top of it again. He repeated this procedure several times until the masterpiece was complete. Experts believe Leonardo took four years to complete the Mona Lisa because of this slow process.
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What is the message of the Mona Lisa?
Through his paintings, Leonardo Da Vinci has tried to convey the idea of happiness. It is no coincidence that the second name of the merchant who commissioned the painting was ‘Gioconda,’ meaning ‘joyous’ in Italian. That’s why there is so much emphasis on Mona Lisa’s smile. At the same level as the sitter’s chest are a winding road and a bridge in warm colors. This winding road represents the path between the ‘happy’ space where the sitter is currently and the distance represented by an uninhabited area of rocks and water stretching to the horizon.
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How much is Mona Lisa worth?
Museums generally own masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa for art lovers to view. Since they rarely sell them, they are considered priceless.
However, in 1962, Mona Lisa was assessed at US$100 million for insurance purposes. Considering inflation, that would mean US$850 million in 2019. Guinness World Records lists Mona Lisa as having the highest ever insurance value for a painting. -
When was Mona Lisa first displayed to the public?
The Mona Lisa was first displayed to the public in the 1530s by Francois I, the French King.
He put it up in a semi-public art gallery at Fontainebleau, his favorite chateau. -
Which is the best copy of Mona Lisa?
Mona Lisa’s best copy could be the one in Madrid’s Museo del Prado. Art experts believe it was painted simultaneously as the original and possibly by Leonardo Da Vinci’s gay lover, Gian Giacomo Caprotti.
Conservators say that Leonardo and the Mona Lisa replica painter made precisely the same changes simultaneously, using the latest technologies that allow one to see the different layers of paint.
They believe the two paintings were painted side by side in the same studio, maybe a few feet from each other.
Some tourists visit the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum on the same day. If you also plan to do the same, follow the link for directions:
– From the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre Museum
