Athens Acropolis to partially close Wednesday amid heatwave

The Acropolis is shrouded in haze, as southerly winds carry clouds of Saharan dust, in Athens, on April 24, 2024. Clouds of dust blown in from the Sahara desert covered Athens and other Greek cities on April 23, one of the worst such episodes to hit the country since 2018, officials said. Agence France-Presse

ATHENS — The Athens Acropolis, Greece’s most visited tourist site, will close to the public during the hottest hours of Wednesday as a heatwave bakes the country, the culture ministry said.

The ministry said the UNESCO-listed archaeological site would close from midday to 5:00 pm (0900 to 1400 GMT), with temperatures expected to reach 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday and Thursday.

The first heatwave of the year in Greece, regularly hit by searing summer temperatures, is due to peak over those two days, and the ministry said the measure could be extended.

READ: Early fires an ominous Greek summer warning–experts

The climate crisis and civil protection ministry has warned of a very high risk of fires in the Attica region that surrounds Athens.

Schools will remain closed in several regions of the country on Wednesday and Thursday, including in the capital, while the work ministry has advised public sector employees to work from home.

READ: Europe logs record number of ‘extreme heat stress’ days in 2023

The Acropolis was also forced to close in July last year during a two-week heatwave unprecedented in its duration.

A record number of almost four million visitors flocked to the site last year, with its popularity boosted in part due to tourists arriving on cruise ships calling in at the port of Piraeus near Athens.