Paris: The Louvre was forced to close its doors on Monday after staff launched a rolling strike over working conditions and long-delayed renovations, shutting down access to the world’s most visited museum during one of its busiest periods.
The walkout comes at a difficult moment for the Paris landmark, which is still dealing with the fallout from a high-profile jewellery theft in October worth 88 million euros and a series of infrastructure problems, including a recent water leak that damaged ancient books.
The Louvre typically welcomes around 30,000 visitors a day. With the museum routinely closed on Tuesdays, it will not reopen before Wednesday at the earliest, when workers are expected to decide whether to continue the strike. The museum remained closed at its usual opening time on Monday morning, following a staff vote confirming the action. About 400 of the Louvre’s 2,200 employees supported the strike, according to unions.
Unions representing staff said working conditions had steadily deteriorated, citing staff shortages, growing workloads, and unclear instructions that made it harder for employees to carry out their duties. They are calling for the hiring of more permanent workers, particularly in security and visitor services, and for urgent improvements to working conditions.
🇫🇷 En raison d’un mouvement social, le musée est fermé pour la journée.
Nous vous prions de nous excuser de la gêne occasionnée
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🌎 Due to a strike, the museum is closed for the day.
We apologize for any inconvenience. pic.twitter.com/dnjptnLwaW— Musée du Louvre (@MuseeLouvre) December 15, 2025
The unions have also criticised plans to raise ticket prices for non-European Union visitors by 45 percent from mid-January, a move intended to help fund renovation work.
The strike left many tourists disappointed, with some arriving early on Monday only to find the museum closed. Visitors said staff were removing opening-time signs and informing people that the Louvre would not open in the morning.
Despite the disruption, several tourists expressed understanding, saying they respected the workers’ decision to strike even though it disrupted long-planned visits.
The closure adds to increasing pressure on museum management as the Louvre grapples with security concerns, ageing infrastructure, and the challenge of managing record visitor numbers while maintaining safe and workable conditions for staff.
