Madrid's museums and Palace of Versailles reopen

Madrid's museums and Palace of Versailles reopen

Some museums and attractions in continental Europe are set to reopen this weekend, among them Spain's Reina Sofia museum and France's Palce of Versailles.

Edward Baran reports.

Picasso's Guernica was shining again on Saturday.

As Madrid's Reina Sofia museum opened again to the public.

With protective masks and social distancing compulsory.

Spain's working on starting to gradually welcome tourists from countries considered more secure in the fight against COVID-19, according to its tourism ministry.

The museum's just one of a number of attractions reopening across continental Europe.

In France the Palace of Versailles welcomed visitors again.

Workers have been dusting the Hall of Mirrors and polishing the gilded statutes.

Face masks and a one-way route are now mandatory through the 2,300-room complex.

But, with France emerging cautiously from lockdown, there's little certainty over when foreign tourists might return.

President of the Palace is Catherine Pegard.

"As you know, 80 per cent of our visitors come from abroad but today they aren't travelling, so it'll be the French who will come and rediscover Versailles and we are happy about that.

But they will rediscover a palace they've not seen before because they'll have almost a private visit, so to speak." Also in France, art lovers can now return to the Louvre Lens (PRON LOOVRA LANS) museum.

It houses 205 art works from the antiquities and medieval times.