Eiffel Tower closes early as heat wave hits Europe


The Eiffel Tower closed early on Tuesday as a sweltering heat wave gripped parts of Europe.

The attraction closed at 4 p.m. local time — with last entry at 2:30 p.m. — as temperatures reached approximately 101 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a statement on the landmark’s website.

The tower will be closed all day on Wednesday, too, as a Red Warning for Extreme High Temperatures remains in effect through 12 a.m. Thursday.

A tourist wearing a hat and a face mask walks during a heatwave at the Trocadero square in front of the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, on June 30, 2025. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)

“Due to the current heat wave, the Eiffel Tower is taking measures to ensure the comfort and safety of our visitors and staff,” the statement reads.

Visitors whose tickets were affected by the closures will be automatically refunded, while those who haven’t purchased tickets were advised to try again on or after Thursday when temperatures in the region are expected to cool down.

Elsewhere in Europe, both Portugal and Spain broke heat records this week while London recorded the hottest opening day ever at Wimbledon (93 degrees Fahrenheit).

In Italy, a construction worker in Bologna collapsed while repaving a parking lot and died.

The conditions have also led to wildfires in Scotland’s Cairngorms mountains.

The UN’s World Meteorological Organization said the southern Spanish town of El Granado hit about 115 degrees Fahrenheit last Saturday, the highest temperature ever recorded in Spain.

A man cools off in the Trocadero Fountain, in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, on July 1, 2025, as temperatures in France are expected to hit a peak today, according to the Meteo France weather agency, with some areas expected to soar beyond 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Paris braced for blistering temperatures, with the French capital on red alert as an early summer heatwave spread into parts of northern Europe less accustomed to such extremes. Scientists say human-induced climate change is making such heatwave events more intense, frequent and widespread. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP) (Photo by DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)
A man cools off in the Trocadero Fountain, in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, on July 1, 2025, as temperatures in France are expected to hit a peak today, according to the Meteo France weather agency, with some areas expected to soar beyond 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP)

“Everybody is at risk,” said Clare Nullis, a spokesperson for the WMO. “If you go out without water in the middle of the day, to do jogging, have a bike ride, you will probably have health problems or even die.”

“What is exceptional — and I would stress exceptional but not unprecedented — is the time of year,” Nullis added. “We are July 1, and we are seeing episodes of extreme heat which normally we would see later on.”



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