Not Living in the European Union? French Museums Have Bad News for You

From January 1, 2026, the most important French cultural institutions, such as the Louvre, will have higher ticket prices for tourists from outside the European Union. For an entry ticket to the most famous Parisian museum, they will pay 30 euros (128 zlotys), which is 8 euros more than the previous price, as reported by the newspaper "Le Monde".

Following the Louvre , which has been a pioneer in the changes, the authorities of the Palace of Versailles and the Arc de Triomphe have followed suit. They have welcomed the idea of ​​a differentiated fee depending on the tourist's place of origin. The move is intended to give these institutions a cash injection after the cuts in the French cultural sector announced earlier this year.

Palace of Versailles/photo Unsplash XAVIER PHOTOGRAPHY

According to calculations, the Louvre alone could earn €20 million (PLN 85 million) more than if the previous entry fee had been maintained . This will help with the necessary renovation work planned by the museum over the next 15 years, which is expected to cost €400 million (PLN 1.8 billion) . The museum's decaying building poses a threat to the exhibits it houses, making the renovation work necessary. The government has agreed to contribute to the costs, but is only offering a fraction of the amount needed.

Not all Louvre employees like the idea of ​​a higher fee for non-EU citizens.

"Let's think about what this change symbolizes. Can you imagine an Iraqi having to pay more than a Belgian to see the Code of Hammurabi from Iraq? We'll charge more to Africans, and then the Africans will ask us to return the exhibits from there," says one of them, who wishes to remain anonymous.