The latest symbols of overtourism are two iconic Paris attractions known worldwide. Notre Dame Cathedral has been overwhelmed by visitors since reopening after a destructive fire and the Louvre museum, home of the “Mona Lisa,” is a crumbling gilded palace, forced to close its doors due to crowds.
Notre Dame Cathedral
Since the December 2024 re-opening of Notre Dame Cathedral, the visitor experience has changed. While always a popular attraction for visitors to Paris, visits were more manageable prior to the fire of 2019.
Crowds have grown considerably, creating long lines of people standing in the forecourt outside the entrance. The average number of daily visitors to Notre Dame currently stands at 29,000, a nearly 20% increase since the re-opening. Depending on the day of the week and time of day, wait times range from 15 minutes to more than two hours.
Strategies for shortening wait time include going first thing in the morning or booking a 30-minute free tour with a timed entry ticket reservation online or via the app. Slots for party sizes up to six people are only available a few hours prior to entry and sell out quickly. Opening times at Notre Dame are normally 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and until 10 p.m. on Thursdays. The Saturday and Sunday hours are 8:15 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Three daily masses are celebrated at 8 a.m., 12 p.m., and 6 p.m.
Louvre Museum
At Musée du Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum, the doors were shuttered on at least one day last week, prompted by exhausted staff refusing to take up their positions.
CNN reports, “The Louvre welcomed 8.7 million visitors last year — more than double what its infrastructure was designed to accommodate. Even with a daily cap of 30,000, staff say the experience has become a test of endurance, with too few rest areas, limited bathrooms, and summer heat magnified by the pyramid’s greenhouse effect.”
“Roughly 20,000 people a day squeeze into the Salle des États, the museum’s largest room, just to snap a selfie with Leonardo da Vinci’s enigmatic woman behind protective glass.”
Tickets are required. Tours ae available in Engish, French, Spanish, and Italian. The Louvre hours are Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Extended hours to 9 p.m. are on Wednesday and Friday. Ticket prices are 22 euros, with free admission offered with proof of I.D. to everyone under age 18 and those under age 26 as a resident of the EEA (EU countries plus Norway, Iceland, and Lichtenstein). Additional free admssions are extended to disabled persons plus one, certain art instructors, and journalists with required credentials. Free admission to all is offered on the first Friday of the month after 6 p.m., except during July and August.