"At the start of 2026 France unveiled a new price structure for its national museums - including the Louvre and Versailles - that charges higher prices to non-EU visitors. Readers of The Local share their thoughts on this new law. Americans, UK citizens and Chinese nationals, who are some of the museum's most numerous foreign visitors, will be among those affected, as will tourists from poorer countries. This news has sparked a lot of controversy."
"Trade unions at the Louvre have denounced the policy as "shocking philosophically, socially and on a human level" and have called for strike action over the change, along with a raft of other complaints. While rejecting discriminatory pricing on principle, they are also worried for practical reasons, as staff will now need to check visitors' passports or ID cards. The French Culture Ministry clarified that non-EU citizens who live in France will not be affected by the higher ticket prices."
"The Local asked readers their views on how what they thought about the price hike and how this will affect their visits to French museums - the results revealed a fairly even split of views. Of the people who responded, slightly more than half disagreed with the changes, while the rest supported the idea. Many who responded were not personally affected by the change as they have either EU citizenship or EU residency,"
France implemented a new pricing scheme in early 2026 that increases admission fees for non-EU visitors at national museums including the Louvre and Versailles. The policy affects Americans, UK citizens, Chinese nationals and tourists from poorer countries. Louvre trade unions condemned the policy as shocking and have threatened strike action, citing ethical objections and practical concerns about staff having to check passports or ID cards. The Culture Ministry clarified that non-EU residents with a carte de sejour can purchase tickets at the EU rate and show documentation on entry. The government says the change aims to raise 20–30 million euros annually amid budget pressures, and public opinion is roughly evenly split.
Read at www.thelocal.fr
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