British tourists could be forced to pay more to see Mona Lisa as part of Louvre revamp

British tourists will have to pay more to enter the Louvre in Paris amid a new crackdown at the museum that will also see the Here is Lisa now displayed in its own special room.

Emmanuel Macron announced at the museum on Tuesday that he is seeking measures to renovate the Louvre, which has been subject to overcrowding, water leaks and other damage.

As part of the works, the Louvre will move the Mona Lisa to a newly created exhibition space, as well as build a new entrance near the River Seine to try to ease the swarming visitors that crowd into the museum.

The famous museum and its artworks are visited by nearly nine million visitors every year, but was not initially designed to withstand the high volume of people pouring in.

The renovations are to be completed by 2031, Mr Macron said at a speech at the Louvre, in the room where the Leonardo DaVinci masterpiece is displayed.

While the president did not disclose how much the project will cost, he said the plans for a “redesigned, restored, enlarged Louvre” will become “the epicentre of the history of art for our country and beyond”.

He added that the new entrance would “rebalance the way of visiting” the museum and “reopen it, give it back to Parisians in terms of access”.

“I believe that what we are thinking about, what we want, is to allow many other Cézannes to learn to read here, to find for some the truth in painting, for others, a passion for FranceEurope,” he said.

Mr Macron went on to say that he also had plans for creating different pricing for EU and non-EU visitors to the museum.

He told culture minister Rachina Dati to “prepare a higher, differentiated pricing for foreign visitors from non-EU countries” from 2026, The Guardian reported.

For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast

British tourists will have to pay more to enter the Louvre in Paris amid a new crackdown at the museum that will also see the Here is Lisa now displayed in its own special room.

Emmanuel Macron announced at the museum on Tuesday that he is seeking measures to renovate the Louvre, which has been subject to overcrowding, water leaks and other damage.

As part of the works, the Louvre will move the Mona Lisa to a newly created exhibition space, as well as build a new entrance near the River Seine to try to ease the swarming visitors that crowd into the museum.

The famous museum and its artworks are visited by nearly nine million visitors every year, but was not initially designed to withstand the high volume of people pouring in.

The renovations are to be completed by 2031, Mr Macron said at a speech at the Louvre, in the room where the Leonardo DaVinci masterpiece is displayed.

While the president did not disclose how much the project will cost, he said the plans for a “redesigned, restored, enlarged Louvre” will become “the epicentre of the history of art for our country and beyond”.

He added that the new entrance would “rebalance the way of visiting” the museum and “reopen it, give it back to Parisians in terms of access”.

“I believe that what we are thinking about, what we want, is to allow many other Cézannes to learn to read here, to find for some the truth in painting, for others, a passion for FranceEurope,” he said.

Mr Macron went on to say that he also had plans for creating different pricing for EU and non-EU visitors to the museum.

He told culture minister Rachina Dati to “prepare a higher, differentiated pricing for foreign visitors from non-EU countries” from 2026, The Guardian reported.

For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast