Brits could be whacked with extra charges to visit top French tourist attractions such as the Louvre under plans unveiled by the country’s culture minister.
The surcharges for non-EU nationals of around €5 (£4.17) would apply to some national sites, with a proposed charge to visit the Notre Dame Cathedral for the first time.
Rachida Dati, the culture minister, said the money was needed for France to fund the upkeep of its crumbling national heritage sites.
“My position is very clear,” she told Le Figaro.
“I want visitors from outside the EU to pay more for their entrance ticket and for this supplement to finance the renovation of the national heritage.”
The proposed levy could come in 2026 at the Louvre, where tickets cost €22.
Non-EU visitors such as Britons could be expected to pay up to €30, with additional charges for Versailles and the Musée d’Orsay also suggested.
Staff at the Louvre have voiced concerns about the plan, according to French media reports, saying they fear having to “police” visitors to check whether they are from the EU or not.
But Ms Dati said: “Is it normal for a French visitor to pay the same price for entry to the Louvre as a Brazilian or Chinese visitor?
“The French people should not have to pay for everything on their own.”
The Louvre, which houses the Mona Lisa, has nearly nine million visitors a year, two thirds of them from abroad.
Plans to ask Notre Dame Cathedral to charge tourists a fee have proved particularly controversial, as entry was free before it closed for restoration work following the fire that partially destroyed it in 2019.
Ariel Weil, the mayor of Paris Centre where the cathedral is located, told French broadcaster BFM TV: “It’s morally shocking, there’s no question of making the faithful pay.”
But Ms Dati’s supporters have pointed out that other world-famous cathedrals charge tourists, such as London’s St Paul’s, which costs £25.
It comes as authorities in Venice, Italy announced on Thursday that next year they will almost double the number of days on which day trippers will have to pay €5 to enter the World Heritage city.
The entrance fee for day trippers to the city will increase to 59 days of the year.
It is intended to reduce the number of visitors who spend just a few hours in Venice, clogging up its streets and canal paths but without spending much money.
