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PARIS -- Long lines beneath I.M. Pei's glass pyramid in Paris have become as much a part of the experience as the "Mona Lisa" itself.
Now the Louvre is putting a higher price on that pilgrimage, raising admission prices for most non-European visitors by nearly half as it tries to shore up finances after repeated strikes, chronic overcrowding -- and a brazen French Crown Jewels heist that shook the institution.
The museum said the 45% price hike to $37 from $25.50 is part of a national "differentiated pricing" policy announced early last year that's coming into force across major cultural sites, including the Versailles Palace, the Paris Opera and the Sainte-Chapelle.
But French worker unions have denounced the Louvre ticketing change, saying it undermines the universal mission of the world's most visited museum -- home to the "Venus de Milo" and the "Winged Victory of Samothrace."
Some visitors echoed those concerns.
"Culture should be open to everyone -- yes -- at the same price," said Laurent Vallet, visiting Paris from Burgundy.
The change affects visitors from most non-EU countries, including the United States, which typically accounts for the majority of the Louvre's foreign tourists.
Under the new structure, visitors who are neither citizens nor residents of the EU -- or Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway -- will pay the higher rate.
While some tourists questioned the logic of charging visitors more, others said they would pay anyway. "It's one of the main attractions here in Paris ... We're still going to go," said Allison Moore, a Canadian tourist from Newfoundland visiting with her mother. "Hopefully it'll be all worth it in the end."