The Louvre, France’s largest and best-known museum, is about to turn on a reservation-only admission system to better handle the growing crowds who visit each year.
The move had actually been planned for next year, but has been moved forward to October or November. A Louvre official told press that the existing voluntary system, which the museum has urged visitors to use, already helps smooth entry crowds during the week. He explained that “Until now a reservation system has not been obligatory (but) we will put in place an obligatory reservations system, as many other museums have done, and, by the end of the year, all visitors will have to reserve.”
Already the world’s most-visited museum, it’s been under extra pressure this summer with key exhibits including da Vinci’s Mona Lisa moved to new locations to allow renovations and a flock of visitors simply seeking relief from a blistering heat wave by visiting a cooler museum.
