France’s third major heatwave since May has forced some of Paris’ most iconic tourist attractions to shorten operating hours, as large parts of the country remain under the highest heat alert and temperatures continue to soar.
The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum and the Musée d’Orsay have all announced early closures over the weekend amid forecasts of extreme heat across the French capital.
The operator of the Eiffel Tower said the landmark would “exceptionally close” at 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday because of the high temperatures.
The 324-metre iron monument, one of the world’s most visited tourist attractions with around seven million visitors annually, normally remains open until after midnight during the peak summer season.
Paris’ leading museums have also adjusted their schedules to protect visitors and staff from the extreme weather.
The Louvre, the world’s most visited museum, said it would close at 4 p.m. from Friday through Monday.
Meanwhile, the Musée d’Orsay announced it would shut its doors at 5 p.m. from Saturday through Wednesday, citing the ongoing heatwave.
The closures come as France faces its third spell of extreme heat since May, with around a quarter of mainland France placed under the highest red heat alert by the national weather service, Météo-France.
Millions under highest heat alert
France’s national weather agency, Météo-France, placed 24 departments—home to more than 22 million people—under its highest red alert, with another 59 departments under orange warnings.
The heatwave coincides with one of the country’s busiest holiday travel weekends ahead of Bastille Day, leading to crowded roads and rail networks.
Authorities expect temperatures to exceed 40 degrees Celsius in several regions, with the extreme weather forecast to persist through the national holiday.
Macron urges vigilance as wildfire threat grows
President Emmanuel Macron warned that most wildfires are caused by human activity, urging the public to exercise caution.
“A single second of inattention can put families at risk, endanger those who protect us and destroy our countryside,” he wrote on X.
Several towns have cancelled Bastille Day fireworks because of the heightened fire danger.
According to France’s civil security agency, more than 8,000 fires have broken out since the beginning of the year, burning over 25,000 hectares—roughly double the area affected during the same period in 2025.
Heatwave linked to rising death toll
French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said the June heatwave resulted in 2,025 excess deaths, while another 300 deaths were recorded during the late-May heatwave.
French Sports Minister Marina Ferrari also said 131 people have died from drowning since June 19, when the latest spell of extreme heat began driving people to rivers, lakes and beaches.
The government has opened cooling centres for vulnerable residents, including elderly people and the homeless, while continuing to install air-conditioning units across hospitals.
So far, 6,000 of the planned 30,000 cooling units have been installed in healthcare facilities nationwide.
Nuclear power output reduced
The prolonged heat has also affected France’s electricity generation.
EDF reduced output by 4.4 gigawatts across five nuclear reactors on Friday as high river temperatures limited the availability of cooling water required for plant operations.
Golfech 2 and Bugey 3 reactors were taken fully offline, while Saint-Alban 2 and Blayais units 1 and 3 continued operating at reduced capacity.
EDF also warned that high temperatures in the Seine River could limit production at the 2.6-gigawatt Nogent nuclear power plant from July 14.
French environmental regulations require reactor output to be reduced when river temperatures exceed ecological safety thresholds, though EDF stressed the measures do not affect reactor safety.
Despite the reductions, France remained a net exporter of electricity, supplying power to Italy, Britain and Switzerland while temporarily importing electricity from Belgium, Germany and Spain.
(With AFP, Reuters inputs)
