PARIS — Visitors to the Louvre are accustomed to seeing long queues stretching beneath the iconic glass pyramid designed by I.M. Pei, as much a hallmark of the museum as the “Mona Lisa” itself.

In an effort to address financial challenges, the Louvre has announced a significant increase in admission fees for most non-European tourists, effective Wednesday. The price hike, elevating tickets from 22 euros ($26) to 32 euros ($37), aims to bolster the museum’s finances after a series of disruptions, including frequent strikes, persistent overcrowding, and a recent audacious theft of the French Crown Jewels.

This move is part of a broader “differentiated pricing” strategy introduced last year, which is being implemented across major French cultural landmarks such as the Palace of Versailles, the Paris Opera, and Sainte-Chapelle.

The decision has faced criticism from French labor unions, who argue that it compromises the Louvre’s mission of universal accessibility. Known for housing masterpieces like the “Venus de Milo” and the “Winged Victory of Samothrace,” the Louvre is the world’s most visited museum, drawing millions each year.

Amid this controversy, museum employees staged another walkout on Monday, highlighting ongoing disputes over pay and working conditions and bringing the Louvre’s internal challenges back into the spotlight.

The change affects visitors from most non-EU countries, including the United States, which typically accounts for the lion’s share of the Louvre’s foreign tourists.

Who pays for the higher rate

Under the new structure, visitors who are neither citizens nor residents of the EU – nor Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway – will pay the higher rate, the Louvre said.

The 32-euro price applies to individual visitors outside Europe; guided groups will pay 28 euros, with tours capped at 20 people “to maintain the quality of the visit,” the museum said.

Some categories remain eligible for free admission, including visitors under 18.

The last price hike was in January 2024, when the standard entry fee rose from 17 euros ($19) to 22 euros ($24).

The CGT Culture union has denounced the policy, arguing it turns access to culture into a “commercial product” and creates unequal access to national heritage.

Not just the Mona Lisa

The Louvre says it is not alone. Versailles and other flagship tourist attractions are adopting similar two-tier pricing this month.

At Versailles, the “Passport” ticket will cost 35 euros in high season for visitors from outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, compared to 32 euros for visitors who are citizens or residents of those countries. At Sainte-Chapelle, the ticket rises to 22 euros for visitors from outside those countries, versus 16 euros for those within them, according to heritage officials.

The Louvre said the new tariff will help finance investment under its “Louvre – New Renaissance” modernization project and could bring in 15 million to 20 million euros ($16 million to $22 million) more per year.

A heist and an institution under scrutiny

French museums had already been considering higher fees for visitors from outside Europe before the Oct. 19 theft of French Crown Jewels from the Louvre, valued by investigators at about 88 million euros ($102 million).

However, the robbery that was carried out in daylight, in minutes – was a speed and audacity that intensified scrutiny of how France protects its most prized cultural treasures.

It also fueled debate over how major landmarks should pay for upgrades and whether visitors should carry a bigger share of the cost.

Elsewhere in Europe, the standard entry to Rome’s Colosseum, along with the Forum and Palatine Hill, is 18 euros ($20), and an adult ticket for Athens’ Acropolis is 30 euros ($33).

Strike, strike – and strike again

The Louvre has repeatedly been forced to confront its internal stresses in public.

In June, a wildcat strike by gallery attendants, ticket agents and security staff delayed the museum’s daily opening, leaving thousands of visitors stranded beneath the pyramid.

Workers said the Louvre had buckled under mass tourism, citing unmanageable crowds, chronic understaffing and deteriorating working conditions.

By December, unions said the heist and the building’s condition had turned their long-running grievances into a national reckoning. Louvre workers voted to continue striking until what they consider real change comes to the aging former royal palace.