Culture buffs in Paris are still locked out of museums, parks and cementeries, after the water level of the River Seine reached its highest level in nearly 35 years.
The river's waters spilled into the city streets over the weekend, forcing one French landmark after another to shut down.
While the Seine started to decrease late on Saturday, authorities warned it could take 10 days for the river to come back to its normal levels after the flooding swelled it to about 4.5 metres above average.
Nearly a week of heavy rain has led to serious flooding across parts of France, Germany, Romania and Belgium, leaving 16 people dead and others missing.
French energy company Enedis said on Saturday more than 17,000 homes were still without electricity in the Paris region and central France.
Authorities have shut the Louvre museum, the national library, the Orsay museum and the Grand Palais, Paris' striking glass-and-steel topped exhibition centre.
The Louvre, home to Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, said it won't reopen until Wednesday.
Curators were scrambling to move about 250,000 artworks from basement storage areas at risk of flooding to safer areas upstairs.
The Orsay Museum, known for its impressionist art, closed through the weekend.
Several railway stations shut down in Paris city centre and drivers experienced traffic problems in and around the French capital because of flooded roads.
France's meteorological service said on Saturday high flood alerts remained in effect in 13 regions, mostly in central France, including Paris.
Although the rain has tapered off in some areas, possible floods were expected over the weekend downstream along the Seine river, in the region of Normandy in western France.
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