Long lines beneath I.M. Pei’s glass pyramid have become as much a part of the experience as the “ Mona Lisa ” itself.
Now the Louvre is putting a higher price on that pilgrimage, raising admission prices on Wednesday for most non-European visitors by 45% as it tries to shore up finances after repeated strikes, chronic overcrowding — and a brazen French Crown Jewels heist that shook the institution.
The museum said the price hike, from 22 euros ($26) to 32 euros ($37), is part of a national “differentiated pricing” policy announced early last year that’s coming into force across major cultural sites, including the Versailles Palace, the Paris Opera and the Sainte-Chapelle.
French worker unions have denounced the Louvre ticketing change, saying it undermines the universal mission of the world’s most visited museum — home to the “Venus de Milo” and the “Winged Victory of Samothrace.”
Workers walked out again Monday in the latest strike over pay and working conditions, thrusting the Louvre’s internal strain back into public view.
