Sophie Gacheny, an independent tour guide based in the city, has already started adapting itineraries to give her clients as much respite from the heat as possible. “I avoid crowded areas and use the covered passages and shaded areas to get across the city,” she said. Her walking tours have portions that focus on food, which allows visitors to rest and hydrate indoors and in shaded areas. “The biggest challenge is the must-see sites like the Louvre, which gets too hot and crowded,” she said.
Lauren Hedges, 39, an engineer from London, had planned to travel to Germany this weekend, but after seeing the forecast, she has decided to go to Interlaken, Switzerland, where temperatures are around 10 degrees cooler because of higher altitudes.
“We had planned to hike with friends, but it’s just going to be miserable in the heat,” she said. “London also looks like it will be baking, so we might as well make the most of the cool lakes before we head back.”
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