The Eiffel Tower - under a rare blanket of snow.

Paris become the latest European city to be hit with the white stuff as a major cold front moves across the continent.

Here in the City of Lights, snow covered the streets and even forced officials to close some attractions.

But the chilly weather - uncommon for Paris - didn't dampen the spirits of some visitors.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) AMERICAN TOURIST SAYING:

"It is my wife's birthday today, so to be in Paris on her birthday in the snow is spectacular, it's perfect, it's a perfect day."

Others could have done without it.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) BRAZILIAN TOURIST SAYING:

"I prefer it during the summer because I think the flowers are more beautiful than this weather, it's very cold."

The snow is part of a major cold snap moving across Europe.

In Rome, famous landmarks like the Colosseum and St. Peter's Square were covered in snow for the first time in three decades.

But not everything is picturesque - the blizzard has left over 150,000 people without power in the southern part of the country.

Andrew Raven, Reuters.