News From France That's On My Radar This Week

....from an ailing Louvre Museum raising entry fees for non-EU citizens, to year-of-the-Snake celebrations & French filmmakers potentially breaking Oscar records

This week, there are a few France-related stories that are capturing my wayward attention. I thought you might find them interesting, too— so let’s get to it.

Some big changes are afoot at the Louvre, including on the visitor entry-fee front. Image by Benh LIEU SONG – CC BY-SA 3.0

Late last year, French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati announced a controversial new policy that would be rolled out over the next couple of years: one that would see non European-Union citizens charged higher entrance fees to popular attractions in France, including museums such as the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay. I found the announcement dismaying, not least because such a policy would make these treasured cultural institutions less accessible for visitors with modest or low incomes.

Now it looks as if the Louvre, which is desperately in need of renovations in part due to the strains of over-tourism, will serve as a pilot for the new fees policy.