Heatwave forces partial closure of Athens Acropolis

Greece's most visited tourist site, the Athens Acropolis, will be closed during the hottest hours on Wednesday due to a severe heatwave.

Authorities have announced that tourists will be unable to visit the Parthenon and other ancient monuments atop the UNESCO-listed site between noon and 5:00 pm local time, according to the culture ministry.

This partial closure is the second in just over a month, as Greece's national weather service forecasts temperatures exceeding 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of the country. 

The Acropolis was previously shut for the hottest hours of the day for two consecutive days in June due to Greece's earliest-ever heatwave.

In 2023, the Acropolis saw a record number of nearly four million visitors, with its popularity boosted by tourists arriving on cruise ships docking at the nearby port of Piraeus.