Eiffel Tower, Paris museums to close early amid severe heatwave and fire risk

Paris is implementing early closures for iconic sites like the Eiffel Tower and major museums this weekend as the city grapples with a severe heatwave. The Eiffel Tower operator announced the monument will close exceptionally at 4:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday due to forecast high temperatures. Typically open late into the summer night, the tower will shut much earlier.

The Louvre and Musée d'Orsay, two of France's most famous museums, are adopting similar measures. The Louvre will close at 4:00 PM until Monday, while the Musée d'Orsay will close at 5:00 PM until Wednesday. These closures affect millions of people, as 24 departments, including Paris and its metropolitan area, are under the highest level of alert issued by national weather service Météo-France. An additional 59 departments are on orange alert.

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will exceptionally close this Saturday and Sunday at 4:00 PM (2:00 PM GMT) due to the 'high temperatures forecast'.

France is experiencing its third heatwave since May, with previous events breaking temperature records. June alone saw over 2,000 heat-related deaths, following around 300 in late May. The government has faced criticism for its preparedness in the face of increasingly frequent extreme heat, which scientists attribute to human-caused climate change.

The extreme heat has exacerbated fire risks across the country. Over 25,000 hectares have burned since the beginning of the year, nearly double the figure for the same period in 2025. President Emmanuel Macron urged citizens to remain vigilant, noting that nine out of ten fires are caused by human activity. "A single second of distraction can put families at risk, endanger those who protect us, and destroy our countryside," he stated.

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A single second of distraction can put families at risk, endanger those who protect us, and destroy our countryside.