PARIS TRAVEL NEWS

The European Union's Entry/Exit System (EES) is no longer in its rollout phase. The European Commission confirmed that it became fully operational across Schengen external border crossing points on 10 April 2026. For short-stay non-EU nationals, the system replaces routine manual passport stamping with digital entry/exit records and records passport details plus biometric information such as facial image and fingerprints.

Travellers do not make an EES application before departure. Registration occurs as part of the external-border process. That means the practical advice is to allow time at passport control and follow the instructions at the airport, port or rail terminal where you first cross the Schengen external border. Paris may not be your EES registration point if you enter Schengen somewhere else first.

ETIAS is separate from EES. It is a pre-travel authorisation that will apply to eligible visa-exempt travellers once it launches. On 28 April 2026, the European Commission said ETIAS was scheduled to start in the last quarter of 2026 and that the exact start date would be communicated later in the year.

As of this 29 August review, do not pay a third party claiming that every visa-exempt Paris visitor already needs ETIAS. Use the official EU Travel to Europe/ETIAS service when the system becomes operational. The launch has shifted before, so this is exactly the type of fact to verify close to departure rather than trusting a cached travel article.

The Louvre's differentiated adult pricing took effect on 14 January 2026. The current official general-admission rates are €22 for EEA residents and/or citizens and €32 for visitors who are neither EEA residents nor citizens. Under-18s and several other categories remain eligible for free admission, including qualifying EEA visitors under 26.

The museum recommends timed reservations, and summer 2026 demonstrated that booking rules can become stricter: from 1 July to 31 August, reservations were required for almost all visitors, subject to listed exemptions. If visiting later, check the Louvre's current booking page rather than assuming the summer rule still applies.

The Louvre reopened the Galerie d'Apollon on 22 July 2026 after it had been closed for months following the 19 October 2025 burglary. Eight pieces from the crown-jewel display were stolen in that incident; the Crown of Empress Eugénie was recovered at the scene and no injuries were reported.

The reopened gallery is not simply back to its pre-theft display. The Louvre said the precious-object collection had been removed and the gallery reopened as a ceremonial passage while the aftermath and collection arrangements continued. Visitors specifically interested in the crown jewels should therefore check current gallery information before assuming every former display is visible.

The cathedral's main interior reopened in December 2024, but the towers followed later: the Centre des monuments nationaux reopened the tower circuit on 20 September 2025. In 2026 the towers are a separate €16 adult visit with compulsory reservation and no on-site ticket sales. The circuit involves 424 steps.

Main-cathedral entry remains free. Notre-Dame recommends an official free reservation for individual visitors but does not require one; visitors can also queue without a reservation. Be wary of paid third-party offers claiming to sell priority admission to the free cathedral interior.

Paris's fare system changed enough that older travel articles can now produce the wrong ticket. In 2026 the ordinary Metro-Train-RER ticket costs €2.55 full fare and the Bus-Tram ticket €2.05. Rail/Metro travel to Charles de Gaulle or Orly uses the dedicated Paris Region <> Airports ticket at €14 full fare.

Orly's direct Metro Line 14 connection is particularly important because many older airport guides still lead with Orlyval. Use current RATP or Île-de-France Mobilités journey planning before arrival.

The previous edition contained future-facing wording that had gone stale, describing EES as still targeting full deployment on 10 April 2026. That date has passed and the system is fully operational. It also described ETIAS as having no current timetable; the Commission now says the final quarter of 2026, while still withholding an exact launch date.

That earlier claim was later confirmed by official Paris sources on 11 September 2026. The current Pope Leo XIV update now records the verified Notre-Dame, Île de la Cité and Concorde restrictions with direct source links. This is why fast-moving travel news is dated and re-checked rather than left as an undated prediction.