Acropolis In Athens Shut For Several Hours Daily. Heat Is The Reason

Greece's most visited tourist attraction, the Athens Acropolis, is to close during the hottest hours of Wednesday, authorities said as a heatwave scorches the country.

Tourists won't be able to visit the Parthenon and other ancient masterpieces atop the UNESCO-listed archaeological site between noon and 5:00 pm local time (0900-1400 GMT), the culture ministry said.

The limited closure -- which is the second announced in just over a month -- comes as Greece's national weather service predicted temperatures above 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of the country.

Greece's earliest-ever heatwave forced the Acropolis to close for the hottest hours of the day for two days in a row in June.

A record number of almost four million visitors flocked to the Acropolis in 2023, its popularity boosted in part due to tourists arriving on cruise ships calling in at the nearby port of Piraeus. 

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