PARIS (AP) 鈥� Long lines beneath I.M. Pei鈥檚 glass pyramid in Paris have become as much a part of the experience as the 鈥� 鈥� itself.
Now the is putting a higher price on that pilgrimage, raising admission prices on Wednesday for most non-European visitors by nearly half as it tries to shore up finances 鈥� and a that shook the institution.
The museum said the 45% price hike to 32 euros ($37) from 22 euros is part of a national 鈥渄ifferentiated pricing鈥� policy announced early last year that’s coming into force across major cultural sites, including the Versailles Palace, the Paris Opera and the Sainte-Chapelle.
But French worker unions have denounced the Louvre ticketing change, saying it undermines the universal mission of the world鈥檚 most visited museum 鈥� home to the 鈥淰enus de Milo鈥� and the 鈥淲inged Victory of Samothrace.”
Some visitors echoed those concerns outside the Louvre on Wednesday.
鈥淐ulture should be open to everyone 鈥� yes 鈥� at the same price,鈥� said Laurent Vallet, visiting Paris from Burgundy.
Despite the hike, workers again Monday in the latest strike over pay and working conditions, thrusting the museum鈥檚 internal strain back into public view.
‘We鈥檙e still going to go’
The change affects visitors from most non-EU countries, including the United States, which typically accounts for the majority of the Louvre鈥檚 foreign tourists.
Under the new structure, visitors who are neither citizens nor residents of the EU 鈥� or Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway 鈥� will pay the higher rate.
The new price applies to individual visitors outside Europe; guided groups will pay 28 euros, with tours capped at 20 people 鈥渢o maintain the quality of the visit,鈥� the museum said.
Still, some tourists questioned the logic of charging visitors more. 鈥淚n general, for tourists things should be a little bit cheaper than local people because we have to travel to come all the way here,鈥� said Darla Daniela Quiroz, visiting from Vancouver.
Others said they would pay anyway. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the main attractions here in Paris 鈥� We鈥檙e still going to go,鈥� said Allison Moore, a Canadian tourist from Newfoundland visiting with her mother. 鈥淗opefully it鈥檒l be all worth it in the end.鈥�
The CGT Culture union has denounced the policy, arguing it turns access to culture into a 鈥渃ommercial product鈥� and creates unequal access to national heritage
Some categories remain eligible for free admission, though, including visitors under the age of 18.
The last price hike was in January 2024, when the standard entry fee rose from 17 euros to 22 euros.
Not just the Mona Lisa
The Louvre says it is not alone. Versailles and other flagship tourist attractions are adopting similar two-tier pricing this month.
At Versailles, the 鈥淧assport鈥� ticket will cost 35 euros in high season for visitors from outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, compared to 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 those countries, versus 16 euros for those within them, according to heritage officials.
The Louvre said the new tariff will help finance investment under its 鈥淟ouvre 鈥� New Renaissance鈥� modernization project and could bring in as much as 20 million euros more per year.
A heist and an institution under scrutiny
French museums had already been considering higher fees for visitors from outside Europe before the Oct. 19 theft of from the Louvre, valued by investigators at about 88 million euros.
However, the robbery that was carried out in daylight, in minutes 鈥� was a speed and audacity that intensified scrutiny of how France protects its most prized cultural treasures.
It also fueled debate over how major landmarks should pay for upgrades and whether visitors should carry a bigger share of the cost.
Elsewhere in Europe, the standard entry to Rome鈥檚 Colosseum, along with the Forum and Palatine Hill, is 18 euros ($20), and an adult ticket for Athens鈥� Acropolis is 30 euros ($33).
Strike, strike 鈥� and strike again
The Louvre has repeatedly been forced to confront its internal stresses in public.
In June, a wildcat strike by gallery attendants, ticket agents and security staff delayed the museum鈥檚 daily opening, leaving thousands of visitors stranded beneath the pyramid.
Workers said the Louvre had buckled under mass tourism, citing unmanageable crowds, chronic understaffing and deteriorating working conditions.
By December, unions said the heist and the building鈥檚 condition had turned their long-running grievances into a national reckoning. Louvre workers voted to continue striking until what they consider real change comes to the aging former royal palace.
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Jeffrey Schaeffer in Paris contributed
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