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Social mobilization against pension reform in France is affecting the main tourist attractions in Paris. This Tuesday (28), the Eiffel Tower, the Palace of Versailles and the Arc de Triomphe are closed. On Monday (27), employees blocked the Louvre Museum.
Tourists arriving in Paris on Tuesday found the Eiffel Tower closed due to the strike against pension reform. The main tourist spot in the French capital is not the only one to close due to the mobilization in France, the Arc de Triomphe and the Palace of Versailles also did not receive visitors.
“Due to a national strike movement, the Eiffel Tower is currently closed. Please excuse us for the inconvenience”, informs the monument’s website, noting that access to the esplanade, at the foot of the monument, remains open and free. The workers joined the strike, but there are no blocks on access to the monument.
Access to the space between the glass walls is provided by another service provider, so security checks at the entrance are guaranteed. According to the company, the Eiffel Tower should reopen on Wednesday (29).
exceptional closing
The same type of message can be read on the Arc de Triomphe website, which is “exceptionally” closed on Tuesday. The monument is open every day of the year, like the Eiffel Tower, with the exception of some holidays and special celebrations.
Another famous tourist spot that did not receive the public this Tuesday due to the strike is the Palace of Versailles, which is located near Paris. The trains that take you to the city of Versailles, where the monument is located, suffer major disruptions.
On Monday it was the turn of the Louvre Museum to close its doors for the same reason. Despite not being a national day of strikes and demonstrations, museum employees blocked access to the site and paraded with flags and posters through the corridors to protest against pension reform.
On March 8, the day after the great mobilization against the reform, more than a hundred strikers had already demonstrated in the museum, occupying the room where the Mona Lisa is located to “show their solidarity with the struggles of women around the world”.
On March 23, another day of mobilization, the Musée d’Orsay, which houses the largest collection of impressionist paintings in the world, the Musée National Picasso in Paris and the Petit Palais adapted schedules or spaces for visits to the stoppage. On the same day, the Louvre closed until 6 pm.
Many museums in the French capital are usually closed on Tuesdays.