Some of Europe’s most visited landmarks are cutting their hours as a brutal heat wave strains cities built for crowds, not 104-degree Fahrenheit. In Paris, the heat upended peak tourist season, forcing the Louvre to close two hours early, the Eiffel Tower to shut ahead of schedule, and other major attractions to shorten hours or close sections, Euronews reported.The Louvre said it would close at 4 p.m.from Wednesday through Saturday, with final admissions at 2 p.m.
and automatic refunds for visitors holding later reservations.POPULAR CITY BANS PUBLIC ALCOHOL AMID HEAT WAVE AS PEOPLE TAKE RISKS TO COOL DOWNUnder its usual schedule, the Louvre opens at 9 a.m.and closes at 6 p.m.
on most days, with a late closing at 9 p.m.on Wednesdays and Fridays.
The museum says it received nine million visitors in 2025, roughly 25,000 per day on average.Tourists still lined up outside the iconic museum, as visitors shielded themselves with parasols and umbrellas.Far fewer guests lingered outside to admire the Louvre’s glass pyramid, with many hurrying past the sun-baked plaza.People cool off in the Trocadero Fountain next to the Eiffel Tower as temperatures rise during a heatwave affecting much of France in Paris on June 22, 2026.
(Abdul Saboor/Reuters)The Eiffel Tower’s reduced hours cut into a summer schedule that normally runs well into the night.During peak season, the monument is typically open from 9 a.m.
until 12:45 a.m., but it closed to visitors at 4 p.m.on Tuesday, with last entries at 12:15 p.m., Reuters reported. The decision affected one of the world’s busiest paid landmarks.
The tower’s operator said more than 6.75 million people visited its upper levels in 2025.POPULAR TOURIST HOT SPOT MOVES TO STRIP BEACHES OF SUNBEDS AND UMBRELLAS IN TOUGH NEW BANSwimmers sought refuge in the Trocadéro fountain, which sits across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower and is a popular viewing spot.The disruption also hit schools, with France closing 845 of them on Monday...