A severe heatwave sweeping across Europe has prompted some of Paris’s best-known museums and landmarks to shorten their opening hours, just as the French capital enters one of its busiest tourist periods.
According to ARTnews, France recorded its highest average temperature for the month of June on Tuesday, with temperatures in several areas rising above 40°C. Similar conditions have been reported across parts of Europe, including Spain, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom.
The Palais de Tokyo will remain closed until at least Saturday, apart from its café, while the Eiffel Tower will close at 4pm instead of midnight, its usual summer closing time. The Arc de Triomphe has also reduced its schedule and will close at 2.30pm.
The Louvre, the world’s most visited museum with around nine million visitors a year, will close at 4pm, with last entry at 2pm. Advance booking is mandatory for as long as the heatwave measures remain in place.
The Musée d’Orsay, the Musée de l’Orangerie and the Musée Rodin are also among the cultural sites closing earlier than usual.
Other venues with modern air conditioning systems, or buildings that naturally stay cooler, are continuing to operate as normal and are presenting themselves as places where residents and visitors can seek relief from the heat.
So far, the Musée Picasso Paris, the Fondation Louis Vuitton, the Bourse de Commerce, Pinault Collection, and the Musée du Quai Branly, Jacques Chirac have not announced changes to their opening hours.
Source: ARTnews
