The world-famous Louvre museum in Paris will significantly increase ticket prices for tourists from most countries outside the EU starting in 2026.
This was decided by the museum’s board yesterday, as reported by local media outlets.
Starting on January 14, visitors from countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA) – which comprises the EU as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway – will have to pay €32 for a full-price ticket.
This is an increase of more than 45 per cent compared to the current entrance price of €22.
Visitors from EEA countries will still pay the old price – which had already been raised to €22 from €17 in January 2024.
The Louvre reportedly expects to rake in an extra €15 to €20 million in entrance fees from the new ticket regime.
The funds will be used to pay for additional security measures. The audacious break-in on October 19 in which four thieves stole jewellery valued at €88 million had previously revealed an “insufficient state of security systems” as bemoaned by the French Court of Auditors.
Louvre director Laurence des Cars announced the museum would install 100 new surveillance cameras by year-end and set up a mobile police station on the premises.
French trades unions have criticised the price hike, saying it goes against the Louvre’s spirit of “universalism” and “equal access”.
A spokesperson for union group Solidaires Unitaires Démocratiques (SUD) said: “We are not convinced by the argument that the renovation of the building justifies the destruction of two centuries of universalism at the Louvre.”
The unions are reportedly also concerned about the additional burden the new pricing structure will place on the museum’s staff who will be in charge of checking visitors’ nationalities.
The Louvre is the world’s most-visited museum, welcoming 8.7 million visitors in 2024, almost 70 per cent of them foreigners. The biggest visitor groups affected by the price hike will likely be US citizens, followed by tourists from China.
The museum is not the only French tourist attraction raising prices for non-EU visitors. A Versailles Palace ticket will be €35 from €32 starting in January, with management hoping to raise an extra €9 million in takings.
Similar plans have been revealed by Chambord Castle, the Sainte-Chapelle chapel and the Paris Opera Garnier.
