Free admission to Paris museums
Oh la la! It’s one of the few occasions when the French have brazenly imitated the British. Starting January 1, many French museums and monuments will test a new admission policy: They’ll be free.
But don’t expect to waltz up to the Louvre with an empty wallet — at least not initially; most of the eligible attractions are small (and yet it’s a start). In Paris, the free museums will include Cluny’s medieval goodies and Guimet’s Asian art, where admission is usually $10 a pop. Those aren’t normally on the first-time visitor’s wish list, but they will please true fans of antiquities. And in a lesser concession, the esteemed Musée d’Orsay, stuffed with impressionist wonders, and the Centre Pompidou, famous for modern art, will now be open free of charge for one evening a week to visitors aged 18 to 25.
The ultimate goal, of course, is to spread culture to the general public. After six months, the French government will decide whether to continue or expand the plan.
London long ago made free admission a priority, and the gift continues to reward the public. It’s estimated that some 30 million additional visits were made after the government eliminated admission fees starting in 2001 at major attractions like the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Tate Modern, National Portrait Gallery, Victoria and Albert Museum, and a great many more.