Louvre Backlash: Paris Museum To Make Non-european Visitors Pay 45% More From 2026

The Louvre is preparing for 1 of nan biggest shake-ups successful its modern history – and it’s already causing a large wind acold beyond nan museum’s solid pyramid. From January 14 2026, anyone visiting from extracurricular nan European Economic Area will spot their summons value jump by 45 per cent, a alteration nan French authorities claims is basal but that unions are calling downright discriminatory.

The caller tariff intends non-European visitors will salary €32 alternatively of €22, a determination approved this week by nan Louvre’s committee aft months of statement surrounding nan museum’s finances. It’s a important leap for a depository that has agelong championed cosmopolitan access, and nan timing — correct arsenic France faces soaring taste attraction costs — is nary coincidence.

A value emergence nan Louvre says it cannot avoid

Behind nan scenes, officials picture a depository successful urgent request of funds. According to nan Louvre, nan other 10 euros per non-European summons should bring successful €15 to €20 cardinal each year, money intended to tackle everything from ageing infrastructure to superior information gaps.

A caller study from France’s nationalist audit agency didn’t mince its words either. The Louvre, it said, faces “a wall of investments” it simply can’t finance nether its existent model. The break-in past October – which exposed anemic points successful nan museum’s information systems — only sharpened nan consciousness of urgency.

Culture Minister Rachida Dati has been pushing for a “differentiated pricing” strategy since January, arguing that nan Louvre, and different awesome taste sites, request caller gross streams if they are to stay world-class institutions.

“The conditions of activity and visiting are not up to nan Louvre’s standards,” she warned earlier this year, insisting nan costs would besides support President Emmanuel Macron’s monolithic renewal project, weighted astatine complete €1 billion.

It’s worthy remembering that successful January 2024, nan summons value for each visitors already roseate from €17 to €22. But this time, only non-EEA visitors will enarthrosis nan adjacent increase.

A Sign of What’s Coming for Other French Attractions

The Louvre won’t beryllium unsocial for long. Rachida Dati confirmed that, from 2026, each awesome nationalist taste institutions will present akin differentiated pricing. Versailles has already signalled it whitethorn raise its introduction interest for non-European visitors by €3, a alteration expected to bring successful complete €9 cardinal a twelvemonth – though thing has been officially approved.

For now, nan Musée d’Orsay says it has nary planned changes.

The Louvre remains, by far, nan world’s astir visited museum, pinch 8.7 cardinal visitors successful 2024, 69 per cent of them international. Whether this bold move boosts its finances aliases damages its image, 1 point is already clear: nan costs of seeing nan Mona Lisa is astir to dangle heavy connected wherever you travel from.

Stay tuned pinch Euro Weekly News for much news from France