Charge tourists to access Notre-Dame in Paris, French minister proposes
Non-EU visitors could also have to pay extra to enter the Louvre Museum, under proposals made by Rachida Dati.
PARIS — Emily Cooper might need to start forking out more cash to visit Paris’ iconic tourist attractions.
France’s right-wing Culture Minister Rachida Dati has put forward a proposal to charge entry to Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral and have non-EU citizens “pay more” to visit the Louvre Museum.
While the French culture ministry has been spared from the spending cuts proposed in new Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s tough austerity plan, Dati told conservative outlet Le Figaro that more funding is needed for innovation and to finance the conservation of France’s many monuments.
Dati suggested “that visitors from outside the EU pay more for their entry tickets” to the Louvre — home to some of the world’s most famous paintings, including the Mona Lisa — to secure funds to renovate other French attractions.
Likewise, she has “made the Archbishop of Paris a straightforward proposal: introduce a symbolic fee for all tourist visits to Notre-Dame, and devote the funds entirely to a major plan to safeguard our religious heritage.”
“With just €5 per visitor, we’d raise €75 million a year. Thus, Notre-Dame de Paris would save all the churches in Paris and France,” she added.
The reopening of Notre-Dame, which was closed to the public after a catastrophic fire in 2019, is scheduled for Dec. 8.
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