Paris's Louvre museum is to raise ticket prices by 45 percent for most non-EU visitors – meaning it will cost $37 for tourists from the US, UK and China, among other places.

From January 14, 2026, visitors from outside the European Economic Area – that is, the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway – will have to pay 32 euros, up from 22 euros. Non-EU visitors in groups with accredited guides will also have to pay 28 euros.

The price hike aims to boost annual revenues by up to $23 million to fund structural improvements at the world's most-visited art museum, which is reeling from the daylight theft of priceless treasures last month.

A 2024 report published by the Louvre showed it received 8.7 million visitors that year, of which 69 percent were foreigners. Americans were the most numerous with Chinese visitors in third place, it said.

The museum's security and management have faced criticism since a brazen heist in October, when a four-person gang stole jewellery worth $102m and fled within minutes.

An official audit of the museum published shortly after the heist highlighted the institution's inadequate security systems and ageing infrastructure. It also found the museum had spent significantly more on buying new artworks, but far less on maintenance and restoration.

There have been longstanding calls to address the museum's capacity to accommodate crowds, with visitors often complaining of congested galleries and long queues.

Other major French tourist attractions could soon follow suit. According to France's Minister of Culture Rachida Dati, a differentiated pricing structure will be in place in 2026 for "all national cultural operators." 

The price hike has been denounced by labour unions, which criticized the decision to scrap the universal entry fee for all nationalities. The CFDT, the largest national trade union federation in France, warned it would be perceived as "discrimination".

In January, French President Emmanuel Macron and the Louvre announced improvements to the museum, and suggested higher fees for non-EU residents in 2026. Macron also said the Mona Lisa would be moved to a new space to deal with overcrowding. 

The Louvre will also renovate other areas of the museum and add new amenities like toilets and restaurants – upgrades which are projected to cost several hundred million dollars.