We’re only a few days into summer, and there is seemingly no end in sight to the heatwave smothering much of Europe. On Tuesday, France recorded its highest average temperature ever, about 86 degrees Fahrenheit, with highs in some places reaching 104 degrees. It’s not just France that is sweltering in late June; England, Italy, Spain, Germany, and many other countries unaccustomed to oppressive heat are, too, especially this early in the season.
Many top museums and tourist sites in Paris will remain closed, or with reduced hours, throughout the rest of the week and into the weekend, while others (mostly newer buildings equipped with air conditioning, or stone buildings that are better at staying cool) are able to remain open, even promoting themselves as high-culture cooling centers.
The Palais de Tokyo, a contemporary art museum located between the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, is closed entirely through at least Saturday. (It’s café, however, is open.) The Eiffel Tower is closing at 4 pm today and tomorrow, with the last entry at 12:15 pm; during peak tourist season from June through September, it is typically open until midnight. The Arc de Triomphe also has a limited schedule through Friday, closing at 2:30 pm rather than 11 pm.
The Louvre usually closes at 6 pm most days, and stays open until 9:45 pm on Fridays. But the most visited museum in the world, with some 9 million annual visitors, will instead close at 4 pm, with admissions ending at 2 pm. Advance booking during the heatwave is mandatory.
The Musée de l’Orangerie, the Musée d’Orsay, and the Musée Rodin are also all closing early for the next few days.
Other popular museums in Paris, including the Musée Picasso Paris, the Fondazione Louis Vuitton, the Bourse de Commerce—Pinault Collection, and the Musée du Quai Branly—Jacques Chirac, have not, as of press time, limited their operating hours.
