The world's most-visited museum shuts down with staff sounding the alarm on mass tourism

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By THOMAS ADAMSON
Updated 12:26 PM CDT, June 16, 2025

PARIS (AP) — The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum and a global symbol of art, beauty and endurance, has withstood war, terror, and pandemic — but on Monday, it was brought to a halt by its own striking staff, who say the institution is crumbling under the weight of mass tourism.

It was an almost unthinkable sight: the home to works by Leonardo da Vinci and millennia of civilization’s greatest treasures — paralyzed by the very people tasked with welcoming the world to its galleries.

Thousands of stranded and confused visitors, tickets in hand, were corralled into unmoving lines by I.M. Pei’s glass pyramid.

“It’s the Mona Lisa moan out here,” said Kevin Ward, 62, from Milwaukee. “Thousands of people waiting, no communication, no explanation. I guess even she needs a day off.”



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/louvre-museum-paris-closed-lines-delay-2bbf9be4f49de739fd14dd4d908e4d72

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FULL story and video at link.

[hlthe2b]

1. I was so fortunate to have visited before the absolute unyielding onslaught of crowds...

Ditto Notre Dame and so many other Parisian treasured sites... I can appreciate how difficult (and yes, damaging) it must be today. Seeing the footage of those clueless tourists in a Venetian museum, sitting on and destroying a priceless "Van Gogh" crystal chair, was just emblematic of how clueless many can be.

Limiting numbers by hour and daily may be the only answer--if they are not doing so already.

[moonscape]

11. I have a fond memory of being

at the new Musee d’Orsay several months after they opened in the 80’s. My sister lives in Paris so I had been there a number of times before, but she told me about the new museum and that I must go. So I was there early, waiting for it to open, and was one of the first in. I made a beeline for the upper floor (2nd? Don’t recall) where the Impressionists were and for some almost 30 minutes I had the area to myself. Well, okay, the guard but he was discrete .

Those were the days.

[wolfie001]

2. They should just handle all ticket requests online

That way they can control the crowd AND flow. Derp f6cking derp.

[Lucky Luciano]

4. I think they do that already.

Can’t remember the Louvre, but most places in Europe do that. Covid was a big trigger I think to limit crowd sizes and they manage it more carefully now. I think being able to buy online forces it to be managed too. In the old days, you had to wait on a queue for a ticket. If you can buy it from your phone and everyone converges there at the same time, it’s a nightmare.

It’s a shame though. My first time traveling through Europe in the mid 90s, we could just go with the flow and visit where we wanted with no trouble…walked right to the Colosseum, the Vatican, the main Ancient Roman ruins including The Forum…just show up and enter. A couple years ago we went to Rome for a week during the Christmas break and couldn’t get entry to the Colosseum or the main ruins until the last day because it was all booked in advance. Good thing I reserved as soon as we arrived or we would have missed it. Never got into the Vatican museums so I couldn’t show my son the Sistine chapel (not that he really cared!). Hard to be an explorer when you need to reserve so much.

[GJGCA]

3. As Yogi might say...

... pretty soon nobody will go there because it's too crowded...

https://en.m.wikiquote.org/wiki/Yogi_Berra

[pecosbob]

5. There was a story on Reuters about locals protesting mass-tourism in Barcelona today.

BNBs pricing everyone out of their own home towns.

[PufPuf23]

6. Another example of humans fouling their own nest.

Too many humans is the base cause of strife and decline in the sanctity and quality of lives.

Maybe only rich people should have the opportunity to see human culture? This is sarcasm.

Spent 5 days in Paris in 1981; visited the Louvre at leisure with no crowd nor wait.

[thought crime]

7. Vive La France, where workers have some say.

The power of labor in France helps to maintain the spirit of "Liberté, égalité, fraternité".

[Wonder Why]

8. My museum is not overcrowded. Visitors are welcome. I'm not greedy like Paris - they want all the

good pictures then complain about the crowds. I've simplified it. I have only one picture of Donald Trump and nobody has bothered to overcrowd me. Perhaps the Louvre should replace Moaner Leaser with a photo of Donnie. We Americans are so much smarter - we elected him.

Well, skip the part about being smart.

[Mz Pip]

9. It's nuts in the summer

We went in June and the crowds were huge. Spent most of our time in the ancient art section where it was pretty quiet.

December is a great time to visit. Practically empty. We were the only people in some of the galleries.

I’ll never travel in high season again.

[GenThePerservering]

10. I'm a confirmed winter traveler nt