Art Lovers Will Have to Dig Deeper into Their Pockets
As of Monday, January 15, the management of the Louvre Museum is raising the entrance fee. Fixed at 17 euros since 2017, it now goes up to 22 euros, an increase of five euros, which represents a rise of more than 30%.
The measure, which comes into effect on Monday, was announced by the museum on December 8 through a press release in which the museum boasted that more than half of French visitors enter the museum for free by the Seine and a stone’s throw from Place de la Concorde. To justify this increase, the management cited an 88% increase in energy costs. At the same time, it assured that this increase will support the effort to “open to nearby public” and “maintain satisfactory visitor reception”.
Free admission rules will not change. In parallel with this increase, the Louvre has decided not to change the conditions for free admission. It should be said that the audience eligible for free entry is extensive. Notably, all young Europeans under the age of 26, teachers, guides, job seekers, social welfare recipients, and persons with reduced mobility and their companion are eligible.
According to the museum, in 2023, more than 3.6 million people walked the alleys of the most famous Parisian museum for free. “This audience represents 40% of all visitors and 60% of the museum’s annual French visitors,” the museum assured in a statement.
In total, 8.9 million people visited the Louvre in 2023, a figure lower than in previous years (excluding the pandemic period), partly due to a decision by the museum’s management to reduce the number of daily visitors. A decision made in 2021 by President-Director Laurence des Cars to “maintain an equal quality of visit” and protect the monument and its collections.
