The French government has decided to impose a 45% price hike on non-European tourists for the historical Louvre museum in Paris, France.
The Louvre Museum management has announced this latest addition only for non-European visitors for now.
Art lovers from U.S., China, and the UK can expect a price hike if they wish to visit Mona Lisa’s subtle smile at Louvre Museum starting from 2026.
From January 14, 2026, citizens hailing from outside the European Economic Area EEA, that includes EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway will have to pay extra €32 ($34.24) to visit the world’s most visited museum, which is €10 ($10.70) extra than the current admission price.
The price hike was approved by the Louvre’s board of directors, which will directly impact Americans, who account for the largest group of foreign tourists, and similarly Chinese visitors also, who rank third, as per the details issued by the museum’s 2024 activity report.
The Louvre Museum in Paris, had been visited by over 8.7 million tourists last year, 77% of whom were from outside of France.
The price hike aims to generate up to €20 million ($21.4 million) annually to tackle what the authorities termed as “structural problems” and fund revamp efforts of the world’s most visited art museum, which is struggling from the daylight robbery of priceless treasures last month.
The latest decision came right after one of the biggest heist in France, when the royal Napoleonic jewels had been stolen from the Louvre Museum.
On October 19, 2025 a four-person gang robbed the Louvre, taking only few minutes to steal jewelry worth an estimated €88 million ($102 million) before making their escape on scooters.
According to the official probe, that found major security flaws, it has been revealed that the museum had prioritized acquiring new art over funding maintenance and restoration.
