Free permanent collections, Olympic passes… Paris museums save themselves from rising prices

In 2024, the Paris Museums will house the permanent collections of the capital’s 12 municipal museums free of charge. “Even if free access does not solve all problems, prices can be a barrier to visiting for many people,” says Karine Rolland, deputy (PS) of the Paris City Hall responsible for culture. “This is why maintaining free access to collections is a strong and permanent political choice for the city of Paris. »

Proof of this commitment is the subsidy provided by the city for the management of 14 network sites, which will reach 56.2 million euros in 2024, 1 million more than in 2023.

The pass costs 24 euros and is sold from June to September.

This Olympic year, Parisian museums will be offering a special Olympic Collector’s Pass from June to September. Priced at €24, it will be valid for two weeks and will give access to temporary exhibitions. The public institution also chose not to increase the price of the latter, the total cost of which ranges from 9 to 15 euros depending on the size of the museums.

This does not mean that their price has not increased. At the Museum of Modern Art in Paris (16th century), one of the busiest, the ticket price at the box office, for example, has increased by 4 euros since 2013, including by 2 euros since 2019.

Catacombs “help fund other museums in the network”

According to the Paris Museums, the increase is justified by “the economic consequences following the pandemic, which have led to a sharp increase in costs, especially for liquids, raw materials and the transport of works,” as well as renovation work.

Pricing, on the other hand, is significantly steeper for the Catacombs, one of two sites managed by the Paris museums, whose ticket prices have jumped 140% in ten years. “This is one of Must see Paris, which attracts an international audience,” explains Agnès Benayer, Director of Audience Development, Partnerships and Communications. The strength of the Parisian museum network is the pooling of income, so the catacombs make it possible to finance museums in our network that have fewer visitors. »