Long lines beneath I.M. Pei’s glass pyramid in Paris have become as much a part of the experience for Louvre visitors as the “Mona Lisa” itself. Now, as the museum seeks to shore up finances amid internal strains, the Louvre is raising admission prices on Wednesday for most non-European visitors by nearly half.
The Louvre said the 45% increase will take the price to 32 euros ($37) from 22 euros. The museum said the change is part of a national “differentiated pricing” policy announced early last year that is coming into force across major cultural sites, including the Versailles Palace, the Paris Opera and the Sainte-Chapelle.
The change drew criticism from French worker unions, which denounced the move as undermining what they describe as the universal mission of the museum, the world’s most visited and home to works such as the “Venus de Milo” and the “Winged Victory of Samothrace.” Some visitors echoed those concerns outside the Louvre on Wednesday.
“Culture should be open to everyone — yes — at the same price,” said Laurent Vallet, visiting Paris from Burgundy. Others questioned the logic of charging visitors more, with Darla Daniela Quiroz saying: “In general, for tourists things should be a little bit cheaper than local people because we have to travel to come all the way here.”
Even with higher prices, some visitors said they would still go. Allison Moore, a Canadian tourist from Newfoundland visiting with her mother, said, “We’re still going to go,” adding: “Hopefully it’ll be all worth it in the end.”
Under the museum’s new structure, visitors who are neither citizens nor residents of the EU—or of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway—will pay the higher rate. The higher price is aimed at most non-EU countries, including the United States, which typically accounts for the majority of the Louvre’s foreign tourists, according to the report.
The Louvre said guided groups will pay 28 euros, and that tours will be capped at 20 people “to maintain the quality of the visit.” The museum also said some categories remain eligible for free admission, including visitors under the age of 18. The last Louvre price hike came in January 2024, when the standard entry fee rose from 17 euros to 22 euros.
The Louvre said it is not acting alone. Versailles and other flagship tourist attractions are adopting similar two-tier pricing this month, with Versailles’ “Passport” ticket set to cost 35 euros in high season for visitors from outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, compared with 32 euros for visitors who are citizens or residents of those countries. At Sainte-Chapelle, the ticket rises to 22 euros for visitors from outside the same countries versus 16 euros for those within them, according to heritage officials.
The Louvre said the tariff will help finance investment under its “Louvre — New Renaissance” modernization project and could bring in as much as 20 million euros more per year. The debate over what visitors should pay comes amid heightened scrutiny following the Oct. 19 theft of the French Crown Jewels from the Louvre, valued by investigators at about 88 million euros, and carried out in daylight in minutes.
The museum has also repeatedly faced public pressure tied to labor disputes. After a wildcat strike in June by gallery attendants, ticket agents and security staff delayed the Louvre’s daily opening and left thousands of visitors stranded beneath the pyramid, workers said they were responding to mass tourism, unmanageable crowds, chronic understaffing and deteriorating working conditions.
By December, unions said the heist and the building’s condition had turned their long-running grievances into a national reckoning. They said Louvre workers voted to continue striking until what they consider real change comes to the aging former royal palace, and the latest dispute flared again publicly when workers walked out Monday over pay and working conditions.