Visiting Paris or Barcelona this spring? Budget differently. Since January 14, 2026, the Louvre charges €32 for most adult visitors from outside the EU — up from €22 — while EU and EEA residents keep the old rate, per the museum's differentiated-pricing policy reported by BBC and French media in late 2025. In Barcelona, Sagrada Família tickets for its centenary year start from €26, with timed slots selling out weeks ahead.
Daily News Voyage publishes information, not travel-agent advice; prices below are as reported in May 2026 and can move again next season.
What exactly changed at the Louvre?
Admission for adults from outside the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway rose 45%, from €22 to €32, effective January 14, 2026. Residents of the EU and EEA continue to pay €22. Visitors under 18 — and EU residents under 26 — remain free. The move is part of France's national differentiated-pricing push, with revenue earmarked for renovation and security costs.
Related stories: Paying your way around Europe just got faster in the background — and a big cash change is coming · Venice has published its 2026 access fee calendar, and it is much longer than last year's.
And at Sagrada Família?
Standard 2026 tickets start from €26, a price the basilica ties to its centenary year, which marks the completion of the temple's structure. There is an offset worth knowing: from January 1 to December 31, 2026, anyone proving Barcelona residency gets 50% off any ticket type, per the basilica's own site. Tourists pay full price; locals get the anniversary discount.
How far ahead should you book?
For Sagrada Família, weeks — the basilica releases slots gradually rather than all at once, and spring and summer timed entries plus tower access go first. The Louvre requires timed-entry booking online; the afternoon after 3 p.m. is traditionally the softest window, but no time of day exempts you from the new price.
Is differentiated pricing spreading?
It is the pattern to watch. Venice's access fee targets day trippers, Edinburgh's levy taxes overnight guests from July 2026, and now the Louvre's non-EU surcharge formalizes two-tier museum pricing. Non-EU passport holders should assume the sticker price at major European landmarks may not be the one locals pay.
The practical takeaway
In Paris, an EU passport or residence permit is worth €10 at the Louvre door; in Barcelona, planning ahead is worth more than any discount — a sold-out Sagrada Família slot has no price, because you cannot buy it.