The 30% increase in tickets does not deter most tourists at the Louvre

“I would be willing to pay double the price”: entering the Louvre costs 22 euros at full price since Monday morning, an increase of five euros which does not seem to repel foreign tourists. Around 10 a.m., in the cold surroundings, Janelle Manders and her daughter wait, like a hundred people, in front of the pyramid before the museum opens. This 59-year-old Australian tourist did not pay attention to this increase, attributed to inflation and the expanded opening of the museum six months before the Paris Olympic Games (from July 26 to August 11). “The collections are invaluable, it’s a fairly rare opportunity for us [...] and I understand that it is expensive to run such an institution,” reacts this accountant, who has already come to Paris five times and is impatient to see the statue of Venus de Milo.

This is the first price change in seven years for the largest museum in France and the most visited in the world, with 86,000 m² of spaces open to the public and 8.9 million visitors in 2023, including 68% foreign tourists. . This increase does not upset Janelle's vacation budget, already of several thousand euros, including 5,000 for the round trip by plane.

Same story for Benjamin Boudaud, French from Australia who came with his wife and son. “An increase of five euros does not disrupt our plans,” indicates this executive in a 33-year-old convention center. Especially since in Australia, cultural activities are more expensive than in France, he says before qualifying: “If the Louvre also charged for children, it would already be more difficult.”

In December, the museum highlighted that in 2023 40% of all visitors and 60% of French visitors had entered the Louvre for free. This concerns people under 25, the unemployed, beneficiaries of minimum social benefits, the disabled and their accompanying persons, teachers, cultural professionals and journalists.

Camped in front of the pyramid from 9 a.m., Ross is not offended by this increase either, “not really significant” nor discouraging for going to see Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. “It’s the first museum I wanted to see in Paris,” rejoices this 61-year-old American, who works in philanthropy. On the other hand, Andrea grinds her teeth. This 70-year-old Italian says he was surprised by the price of the ticket he booked the previous week. “This is too much of an increase for me. I find it too expensive for a cultural good,” sulks this employee in the world of theater, who already doubts whether he will ever return to the Louvre despite his regular trips to the French capital.

The increase in energy costs of 88% between 2021 and 2022 and the plan to extend opening hours (with a potential second night every Wednesday from April) justify a more expensive entry price, defended the establishment in a press release in December. The institution, which will maintain its daily capacity of 30,000 people during the Olympics, said in January “to count less on attendance records” (10.2 million in 2018) than on “improving the reception of the public and the quality of visits” to its collections. Other major cultural institutions have also recently reviewed their prices.

At the beginning of January, the visit to the Palace of Versailles increased from 19.50 to 21 euros and, in the establishments of the Center des monuments nationaux, the price increased by one euro. At the MoMa and the Guggenheim Museum in New York, you have to spend 30 dollars instead of 25 since the end of 2023.