Louvre hikes ticket price for some visitors

Fixing a failed security system and restoring a crumbling building does not come cheap as visitors to the Louvre are about to find out.

The Paris museum led by Laurence des Cars just agreed to increase ticket prices for visitors from outside the European Economic Area by 45%.

That means tourists from as far afield as the US and China - and post Brexit the UK as well - will now pay around $37 - up from $25 - to see its collection from Da Vinci's Mona Lisa to Marlene Dumas.

Figures for 2024 show the Louvre attracted 8.7 million visitors that year with 77% from outside France.

The increase has been criticized by unions representing staff, with one describing the move as "discrimination" against foreign visitors.

A planned renovation of the building, announced before the headline-making heist which saw royal jewelry stolen from the museum, is predicted to cost as much as $924m.

Visitors have long complained of lengthy queues and creaking facilities unable to cope with the number of people wanting to see the museum. Earlier this month it closed one of its galleries after it was deemed unsafe because of structural weaknesses in the Denon wing.