Paris, Jan 14 (EFE). — Visitors from outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, or Norway have to pay more from this Wednesday for entry to several French museums and monuments, such as the Louvre, Versailles, Sainte-Chapelle, the Opera Garnier, or the Chambord Castle. The price increase for non-EU visitors has raised the Louvre's entry fee from 22 to 32 euros, while the Palace of Versailles has done the same, increasing from 22 to 25 euros, and Sainte-Chapelle from 16 to 22. Among those affected on the first day was a couple living in London who traveled to Paris. She is of Ukrainian origin but holds a British passport. He is from Hungary. Upon arriving at the Louvre, the world's largest and most visited museum, they were forced to pay different prices: 32 and 22 euros, respectively. "As a couple, we would like to pay the same, but my entry is more expensive because I am not from Europe, and I do not think that is fair," said Olga, a resident of the United Kingdom, which left the EU in 2020. The measure was announced at the end of 2025 by the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, with the aim of financing the maintenance of the national heritage, where major restoration projects are underway, such as the multi-decade restoration of the Sainte-Chapelle or the Opera Garnier, whose facade is still covered and whose main stages will have to close for renovations. "If they want to do that, perhaps they should divide the total increase and add it to all tickets, not separate us like this, because it is not fair," lamented Olga. Despite detractors of the initiative, there are also those who are in favor, such as the Frenchman Jaunet, who does not consider it unfair and said he agrees with "anything that can favor Europeans over the rest of the world," be they "Chinese, Russians, or Americans." A Mexican family touring Europe for several weeks understands the measure despite it costing them more, since, in the words of one of its members, Carlos Acosta, "they do not pay taxes in the European Union." His sister, Yocelyn Acosta, adds that a similar policy is applied in their country: "For tickets, attractions, museums, or various such places, they have a special rate for locals of 50%, so it doesn't seem so strange to me," she explains. While Carlos said he found the measure fair as long as the increase is not "astronomical," the price hike was particularly striking to him due to the caliber of the museums affected. "We knew that in certain tourist areas and certain attractions, tickets are more expensive for people who are not from the European Union, but I didn't imagine they would do it in a museum like this," he said, referring to the Louvre. The Ministry of Culture defends the initiative and ensures that the prices remain in line with those of other major museums in the world.
