Paris' famous Louvre Museum among monuments closing early due to heatwave

(24 Jun 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY ASSOCIATED PRESS Paris, France - 24 June 2026 1. Louvre Museum visitors exiting via escalator 2. Various of visitors exiting through shopping mall 3. Pan from Louvre Museum visitors exiting via escalator to sign reading: "Carrousel du Louvre" 4. Pharmacy sign showing temperature of 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit) 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Anna Forsgren, Swedish tourist: "It was very close that we didn't make it (inside the Louvre which closed due to heat wave) so we are very happy. I have been waiting 35 years to do this, so we were very scared that it would close. But they did actually close some parts of it, so we couldn't see everything that we wanted to see, but it's OK." 6. Visitors on escalator 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Dan Antonietti, American tourist from Spokane, Washington: "Well there's far fewer opportunities as far as time goes for seeing some of the sites. We were at the Eiffel Tower today, couldn't go to the top because it was closed because of heat. We're here today and they're closing at 4 o'clock, so yeah, it's had an impact." 8. Wide of Louvre pyramid 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Anna Forsgren, Swedish tourist: "But in this heat it's just too much. It was unbelievably hot inside, so we wonder if it's going to damage the art in some way. We are surprised it's so hot inside. I think they should do something about it." 10. Wide of Louvre Museum entrance 11. Various of tourists taking photos outside Louvre Museum STORYLINE: Several of Paris' most famous monuments cut their hours short on Wednesday as a punishing heatwave continued to grip France, forcing tourists to rearrange their plans during peak summer season. The Louvre, the world's most-visited museum, closed earlier than usual. The Eiffel Tower's upper levels were also closed to visitors, while much of the country remained under the weather service's highest alert as temperatures soared. The early closures left some travelers scrambling to fit in long-awaited visits. Swedish tourist Anna Forsgren, who said she had waited 35 years to see the Louvre, made it inside but found parts of the museum shut. "It was very close that we didn't make it so we are very happy," she said. "I have been waiting 35 years to do this, so we were very scared that it would close," she said. France recorded its hottest-ever day for the second day running. The Meteo France weather agency said the country's national thermal indicator — an average of temperatures measured at 30 weather stations — hit a new record of 30 C (86 F), the latest in a series of never-before-registered highs. Authorities warned people to take extra care when swimming in unsupervised areas, such as rivers or lakes, following the deaths of around 40 people in France over the past week. AP video shot by: Oleg Cetinic =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: [email protected]. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...