The Athens Acropolis, Greece’s most visited tourist site, has been closed to the public during the hottest hours of the day because of a heatwave sweeping the country.

The culture ministry had said the UNESCO-listed archaeological site would close from midday until 5pm Greek time (10am until 3pm Irish time), with temperatures expected to reach 43 degrees Celsius today and tomorrow.

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

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

Schools will stay closed in several regions of the country, including in the capital, while the labour ministry has advised public-sector employees to work from home.

An air-conditioned hall has been opened at Syntagma metro station in central Athens to give the public somewhere to shelter from the heat, the public transport authority said.

The Acropolis was 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 nearby port of Piraeus.