The Louvre has been the centre of quite a lot of attention over the last few months, from the spontaneous strikes in June to the shocking (and very memeable) robbery of French crown jewels in October.
Now, the spotlight is once again back on the world’s biggest and busiest art museum, this time thanks to a significant hike in the entry fee. The change is being made from today (Wednesday, January 14), so we’ve rounded up everything you need to know.
There is now a two-tier ticketing system to enter the Louvre – one for Europeans and one for non-Europeans (yep, that includes Brits). The entry fee for non-Europeans already rose from €17 to €22 in January 2024, and has now shot up by 45 percent, to €32.
Specifically, that applies to every traveller who’s not from the EU or Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. US travellers make up the largest proportion of visitors to the Louvre, but it also applies to UK citizens visiting the museum.
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Why the increase? Well, significant renovations are planned for the Louvre, which French President Emmanuel Macron described as the ‘Louvre Nouvelle Renaissance’. These include a new home for the Mona Lisa as well as a brand-new entrance to increase visitor numbers even more. On top of that, the Independent reports that there are plans to increase funding for security. All in all, it’s pretty expensive work.
While you’ll still certainly get your money’s worth (the Louvre’s catalogue contains a staggering 500,000 pieces of art, around 35,000 of which are on display at a time), it’s not the best news if you’re in the category of travellers affected by the hike.
France’s CGT Culture Union has condemned the two-tier system, stating that it means access to culture has become a ‘commercial product’.
While you’re here, have a look at the 12 exhibitions worth travelling to Paris for in 2026.
Did you see that this major European art museum is getting a huge new sculpture garden?
Plus: Everything we know about the French hotel confirmed for ‘The White Lotus’ Season 4.
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