Louvre closed to visitors after workers vote to strike

The Musée du Louvre in Paris was unable to open today after many of its workers voted in favour of strike action.

The walk-out, voted for by about 400 museum employees, was prompted by workers’ discontent regarding general working conditions and security weaknesses in the museum’s infrastructure, as well as in protest against an increase in ticket prices for non-European visitors.

A note on the museum’s website currently reads: “Due to public strikes, the museum is currently closed. We apologise for the inconvenience.”

In a letter announcing the strike action, addressed to France’s culture minister, a coalition of three labour unions asserted that the Louvre is in “crisis” with “increasingly deteriorated working conditions”.

The letter added that “visiting the Louvre has become a real obstacle course” for visitors, citing rundown infrastructure and closures of exhibition spaces.

The contested 45% price hike, affecting visitors from outside the European economic area, will raise entry costs to €32 (about £28) from January. The increase is expected to raise between €15m (£13.16m) and €20m (£17.55m) in revenue, which will be used to support the museum's modernisation plans, but workers describe it as “discriminatory”.

The Louvre has had a difficult 2025, having made headlines around the world in October when a “smash and grab” raid saw robbers steal artefacts worth an estimated €88 million euros (£76m) in less than eight minutes.

Then, on 26 November, the museum had to close due to a water leak that damaged between 300 and 400 books identified as “Egyptology journals” and “scientific documentation” from the 19th and 20th century.

The museum employs more than 2,000 people and welcomed 8.7 million visitors last year.