Paris Protests Shutter Louvre and Major Museums, Disrupting Tourists
Demonstrations on 24 October forced the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, and several other top Paris attractions to close, while 24 Metro stations suspended stops and 70,000 police were deployed nationwide.
On Saturday 24 October, demonstrations and precautionary security measures disrupted travel across France, with the most immediate impact felt in Paris. Authorities shut the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Musée de l'Orangerie, Musée national Picasso-Paris, and the Grand Palais for the day; the Louvre offered automatic refunds to ticketholders. Art Basel's Paris programme at the Grand Palais was also cancelled for the weekend after opening on Friday. Twenty-four Métro stations — including Concorde, Tuileries, and Charles de Gaulle–Étoile — closed from 9 am, and 110 Vélib' bicycle-sharing stations were taken offline in affected zones. Up to 70,000 police officers were deployed across France. The previous weekend had seen more than 500,000 demonstrators and approximately 3,000 shops damaged or looted nationwide. Overnight movement restrictions covering Place de la République and Les Halles were imposed through 26 October. Paris airports continued to operate normally. The disruption hit one of Europe's busiest tourism periods: Greater Paris had welcomed 6.4 million tourists during summer 2026, with hotel occupancy running at 80.9 percent.
