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Louvre in Paris
Photograph: Nattee Chalermtiragool / Shutterstock.com

It's about to get more difficult to visit the Louvre in Paris – here’s why

A new cap could see daily visitors numbers reduced by a third

Ed Cunningham
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Ed Cunningham
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Planning on visiting Paris’ world-renowned, totally-spectacular art museum the Louvre anytime soon? Well, you might have to be a bit more organised than in the past. The museum has announced it is limiting the number of daily entries to 30,000 in an effort to reduce overcrowding.

Louvre director Laurence des Cars justified the move by saying the Louvre wanted to ‘be a pleasurable experience, especially for first-timers to the museum’. Compared to pre-pandemic visitor numbers (which saw 45,000 daily attendees), the new policy reduces the museum’s visitors by a third.

It’s worth mentioning, however, that you’ve long been able to reserve an entry slot online at the Louvre. Plus, while the museum might have enjoyed 45,000 daily visitors back in 2019, since closing during the pandemic it has only seen about 30,000.

In other words, the new policy intends to maintain current crowd numbers and prevent them from increasing to previous levels – especially in anticipation of the Paris Olympics in 2024. You can find out how to get tickets for Olympic events with our handy guide.

All of which sounds... pretty great? Getting to gaze at the ‘Mona Lisa’ without feeling like you're a rugby scrum sounds like a dream come true. Being a little more organised seems like a very small price to pay for a much more pleasant viewing experience.

The Louvre’s visitor cap is already in action, so you can book tickets in advance to ensure entry here. Then check out our list of the best stuff to see and do in Paris.

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