Greece tourist alert update as attraction shuts and officials warn of safety measures

Tourists heading to Greece are being warned of a 10-day heatwave with temperatures topping 43C and some key tourist attractions potentially being closed at short notice. Southern Europe is in the grip of a heatwave with a number of deaths of holidaymakers who have got into difficulties doing activities like hiking.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the Director of National Meteorological Center Theodoros Kolydas said that the high temperatures would continue until July 27. The heat was forecast to reach 43C in some parts of the country today - with the north and west of the country worst hit.

Yesterday the Acropolis in Athens was closed from 12pm until 5pm due to soaring temperatures that hit 38C in the shade. The Culture Ministry said in an announcement that the measure aims to protect both visitors and workers.

It was set to be implemented also today, Thursday, July 18, 2024, where temperatures are forecast to reach 39 degrees Celsius.

According to the forecast data available so far, it seems that the heatwave will last until July 26-27. In a sign of hot weather problems across the continent, two firefighters died while putting out a fire in the Basilicata region in southern Italy, Italian authorities said.

Italy added Palermo, Sicily, to the list of 13 cities in the country with a severe heat warning. Elderly people in the city of Verona were urged to stay indoors, while sprinklers were set up to cool passers-by.

Greece’s Culture Ministry ordered the closure of the Acropolis — the country’s biggest cultural attraction. Tourists hoping to visit the Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis queued early in the morning to beat the worst of the heat, while the Red Cross handed chilled bottled water and information fliers to those waiting in line.

“We got it done and got out quick,” said Toby Dunlap, who was visiting from Pennsylvania and had just toured the Acropolis. “But it’s hot up there, it really is. If you don’t come prepared, you’re going to sweat.” Meteorologists said the hot air from Africa was forecast to continue through until Sunday, with heatwave temperatures expected to peak at 43C (109F).

In Albania, the heat led the government to reschedule working hours for civil servants, making it easier for some to work from home. Neighbouring North Macedonia struggled with dozens of wildfires that had broken out in the previous 24 hours.

One major blaze stretched across nearly 30km (21 miles). Firefighting aircraft from Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Romania and Turkey responded to the country’s call for assistance. In western Turkey, firefighters — aided by more than a dozen water-dropping aircraft — managed to bring a wildfire near the town of Bergama under control several hours after it ignited.

The cause of the blaze, which was fanned by strong winds, was not immediately known. The municipality of Turkey’s largest city Istanbul issued a heat warning on Tuesday, saying temperatures would rise between 3-6C (37-43F) above seasonal norms until July 28.

Several Spanish cities, including Granada and Toledo, are bracing for temperatures as high as 44C (111F) is forecast for later in the week in the country’s hottest spots in the south.