Brits warned not to travel to holiday hotspot as world-famous tourist attraction is closed
Though the popular hotspot sees millions of UK tourists visiting each year for sea, sand and sun, temperatures are expected to be higher than usual over the coming weeks.
Good Morning Britain travel expert, Simon Calder, shared on an X post on Sunday that extreme heat in the capital, Athens, had lead to the temporary closure of a world-famous tourist attraction.
He wrote: 'Extreme heat in Greece: Acropolis in Athens closing in five minutes, at 12 noon local time, until 5pm "due to high temperatures for the safety of employees and visitors".'
The Met Office reported the capital experienced highs of 37C on Sunday, is expected to sees similar temperatures today, and will sit between 32C and 35C for the remainder of the week.
Last week, the mercury hit a blistering 44C high in Athens, while a wildfire ripped though a northern suburb of the capital on Saturday.
Shocking pictures show homes ablaze while residents of the town of Kryoneri, 12.5miles northeast of Athens, received three SMS warnings to evacuate.
Some 145 firefighters, 44 fire engines, ten firefighting planes and seven helicopters remain on site, with Greece asking for six more such planes from the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
A man drinks water to cool down as thousands of tourists wear hats and carry umbrellas for protection as they visit the Acropolis during the worst heatwave of the season
Fire Service spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakoyannis said 'the real difficulties are ahead of us', as the hot, dry, windy conditions 'are expected to prevail over the coming days.'
The high temperatures in Greece last week forced the iconic Acropolis to close for five hours from midday on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In addition, strict new rules were implemented to protect workers from the heat.
Couriers, food delivery riders and builders in the wider area of Athens and other regions were among those ordered to pause work from midday until 5pm.
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