Following last October’s spectacular heist at the Louvre, the museum announced that ticket prices for most non-EU tourists would rise by 45%. This increase is said to be essential in order to finance large-scale renovations and strengthen security in an effort to prevent future thefts.
The increase only applies to non-EU and non-EEA visitors. Visitors from the European Economic Area (EEA), including Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, will continue to pay the same rate as EU residents. From 14 January 2026, standard admission for non-EEA visitors will increase from €22 to €32. Those visiting with accredited guides will pay €28. According to the museum, the surcharge is intended to help cover the €20 million cost of urgent security upgrades launched following the robbery.
These new measures and entrance fees were prompted by the heist that occurred last October, when four thieves entered the premises through a second-floor window in barely 8 minutes, using a truck-mounted basket lift. They stole eight pieces from the Crown Jewels collection, worth an estimated €88 million, and escaped on mopeds. This exposed serious vulnerabilities in the museum’s security system.
In response, Louvre director Laurence des Cars announced that more than twenty emergency measures are already being implemented, including installing 100 additional exterior cameras by the end of 2026. Des Cars described the last major security overhaul, which dates back to the 1980s, as ‘obsolete’.
These measures form part of a much broader €800 million development plan unveiled this year, which includes modernised visitor routes, upgraded equipment, and the long-planned relocation of the Mona Lisa to a new, purpose-built viewing suite, and is scheduled for completion in 2031.
One can only hope that the renovation plan includes an AI specialist solely responsible for passwords, if only to prevent a repeat of the post-heist revelation that the museum’s password was simply “Louvre.”
It is worth noting that the price increase was already underway well before the robbery. When the renovation plans were presented in June, the government said that increased ticket revenue would contribute to a long-term self-financing model. A few months earlier, President Emmanuel Macron had announced that the funding strategy was designed to avoid burdening French taxpayers. The project relies on a mix of ticket sales, revenue from the Louvre Abu Dhabi, private donations, and the newly formalised non-EU surcharge.
In 2024, the Louvre welcomed close to nine million visitors, the vast majority of whom were foreign tourists. Americans represented around 13%, Chinese visitors around 6%, and Britons around 5%. According to the museum, the new pricing structure is expected to generate an additional €15–20 million a year.
8,7 millions de visiteurs au Louvre en 2024 ✨
— Musée du Louvre (@MuseeLouvre) January 6, 2025
Le musée maintient sa fréquentation au niveau de celle de 2023 (8,9 millions de visiteurs) dans le contexte très singulier des Jeux Olympiques et Paralympiques de Paris 2024. Un événement planétaire qui a offert au Louvre une… pic.twitter.com/P3buC4aLdd
The Louvre’s board approved the increase last Thursday.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the robbery continues. Last week, police arrested four additional suspects: two men aged 38 and 39, and two women aged 31 and 40. They can be held until Saturday, when a judge will decide whether to bring preliminary charges. The four suspects arrested on 29 October and 1 November have already been placed under formal investigation.
Trade unions have criticised the new pricing system and the decision to scrap the universal admission fee for all nationalities, describing the measure as ‘discriminatory’.
Following the Louvre’s initial announcement earlier this year, several other French tourist sites have since indicated that they are considering similar nationality-based pricing.
