Americans and other tourists from non-EU countries are going to have to pay a lot more to see the masterworks at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
On Thursday, the Louvre’s board announced it will hike prices for visitors from outside the European Economic Area (EEA), which includes American, British, and Russian visitors. The price hike is reportedly being undertaken to help raise funds for the institution, according to the New York Times.
The move follows a similar price hike for foreign tourists announced by the Trump administration for visitors to U.S. national parks.
Beginning on January 14, non-EEA tourists visiting the Louvre will have to pay 32 euros — about $37 — rather than the previous equivalent of $25 they formerly paid.
The price hike comes in the wake of a high profile art heist that saw thieves break into one of the museum’s galleries in October. The thieves stole approximately $100 million worth of jewelry in the middle of the day using a ladder and taking advantage of the Louvre’s lax security.
Five people have been charged in the robbery. The brazen heist has prompted emergency action by the museum, which said it will install approximately 100 new cameras, new anti-intrusion systems, and numerous other security measures.
The increased price to enter the museum is part of a new initiative called “Louvre — New Renaissance,” which will move the Mona Lisa to a new exhibition space to fight overcrowding, a security overhaul, and major renovations across the building. President Emmanuel Macron of France and the museum’s director, Laurence des Cars, announced the plan in January.
The price tag for the overhaul will cost about $1.3 billion, according to a highly critical audit of the plan released by Cour des Comptes, a French auditing institution, earlier this month.
A spokesperson for the museum said the price increase would help raise $23 million per year to help fund the renovations.
Approximately 9 million people visited the Louvre in 2024, with approximately 77 percent of the 8.7 million visitors being foreigners. Approximately 13 percent of visitors are Americans, according to the Associated Press.
Foreign visitors to the U.S. hoping to take in the nation’s national parks will also be paying more if they’re planning to make use of the America the Beautiful Pass. The Trump administration announced changes to the pass, which it describes as “America-first” pricing.
That pricing simply raises the rates for foreign visitors who buy the pass from $80 to $250. There are no price savings for Americans, who will still pay the $80 the pass typically costs. Foreign visitors traveling to the 11 most popular national parks in the U.S. will be charged an extra $100 if they don’t own the pass.
In addition to the price hike, President Donald Trump is also slapping his face on the physical pass, placing himself next to an image of George Washington.
