Europe's scorching early-summer heatwave is beginning to take a toll on some of the continent's biggest tourist attractions, with landmark sites, museums and outdoor spectacles forced to close, shorten opening hours or cancel events as temperatures soar.
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From the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre in Paris to Buckingham Palace's Changing of the Guard in London, authorities are taking precautionary measures to protect visitors, staff and performers as record-breaking heat spreads across Europe.
Paris closes some of its most iconic attractions
France is suffering a severe heatwave, which has been ongoing since last week.
On Tuesday, the country experienced its hottest June day since records began, with an average temperature of 29.8C recorded, and highs in the 40s.
In Paris, authorities have taken steps to protect public health and made the decision to temporarily close some top attractions.
The Louvre, the world’s most visited museum, will close two hours early – at 4 pm – from Wednesday to Saturday.
The iconic Eiffel Tower also closed early on Tuesday and it was confirmed that due to the high temperatures it will close at 4 pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Last admission is at 12:15 pm.
At the two popular attractions, visitor refunds have been offered and further shortened hours are likely to occur if the heatwave doesn’t let up.
The Arc de Triomphe has also shortened its hours of opening, while exhibitions at the Palais de Tokyo have been closed, and some outdoor attractions have been shuttered at Disneyland Paris.
London shuts a number of popular sites
The traditional Changing of the Guard ceremonies at London’s Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle are must-sees for tourists to the UK, but they’ve been cancelled on Wednesday and Thursday.
Temperatures are expected to reach up to 39C in the UK capital and the ceremonies’ organisers chose to axe the spectacles to protect the soldiers and horses involved, as well as spectators.
The popular V&A museum has also temporarily closed several of its upper-floor galleries and specific exhibits across its sites due to the extreme heat. The affected areas are expected to remain closed until Friday.
In the UK and France, it's not just attractions that are being affected by the heat, but also transport services.
Network Rail, which operates Britain’s railway network, warned of “significant disruption” across England and Wales as it imposes speed restrictions to minimise the risk from heat-related issues such as buckled tracks and sagging overhead electric wires.
According to the Associated Press, Eurostar, which connects the UK to continental Europe under the English Channel, said it cancelled four trains planned between London and Paris on Wednesday and Thursday “due to expected adverse weather”.
Much of Europe is struggling with the heat
As the week goes on, the heatwave is expected to spread to other parts of western Europe, with warnings in place for the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, where temperatures are set to peak on Friday and into the weekend.
There have also been severe heat warnings issued for countries including Poland, Croatia and Hungary from Wednesday.
Further south, in Mediterranean countries like Greece, Italy and Spain, local authorities often implement extreme heat protocols which restrict visits to unshaded historical sites.
Last July in Athens, the ever-popular Acropolis was temporarily closed when the mercury hit 42C.