Closed early due to extreme weather: Attractions in Paris get heat-free

Paris – Tourists currently have to prepare for limited opening times for many attractions in Paris. The reason is the extreme weather. The French capital is giving its most popular attractions a break from the heat.

So the Eiffel Tower closes on Saturday and Sunday during the Heat wave as early as 4 p.m. instead of 12:45 a.m. as usual in summer. The Louvre Museum and the attached Eugène Delacroix National Museum also only open until 4 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. until Monday, while the Musée d’Orsay closes early at 5 p.m. until Wednesday. An hour earlier than usual.

This is the reason for the closures

“With rising temperatures, we can no longer guarantee the comfort of visitors and employees,” said the Louvre. The former palace, which also houses the Mona Lisa, is architecturally “not sufficiently adapted to climate change,” according to the museum.

The Musée d’Orsay explained that they wanted to avoid long waiting times outdoors during peak hours and also at the Wetter facilitate the working conditions of the employees who have to take care of the proper conservation of the works of art.

Due to the heat wave, the highest warning level applies

Temperatures around 35 degrees prevailed in Paris on Saturday. At the beginning of the The summer vacation The highest heat warning level, red, was in effect in 24 departments in the center and west of France, around a quarter of the country. The weather service Météo-France called for “absolute vigilance” due to the oppressive heat in the French capital. The second highest heat warning level, orange, was declared for 59 departments.

Even trains canceled due to heat

Because of the summer holidays and the French national holiday on Tuesday, a lot of people are currently traveling around the country. The French railway company SNCF assured that there would be “normal” express train traffic despite the heat. This means that 3,700 TGV trains should run on the weekend. During the hottest hours of the day, every third intercity connection will be canceled.

France was already particularly affected by the heat wave at the end of June. They were already closing there too Sightseeing features like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre earlier as a precaution. Now the new special measures.