The big freeze grips France and Germany

Sevres, France: A man pulls his luggage along a closed road outside Paris to fetch a car left on the roadside after heavy snowfall Photograph: Jacques Demarthon/AFP/Getty Images

Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Passengers sleep on the floor after heavy snow closed Germany's busiest airport overnight Photograph: Frank Rumpenhorst/AFP/Getty Images

Reims, France: Cars drive slowly along a snow-covered road Photograph: Francois Nascimbeni/AFP/Getty Images

Berlin, Germany: The Brandenburg Gate, pictured as snow falls Photograph: Tobias Kleinschmidt/EPA

Henin-Beaumont, France: Trucks bound for Paris remain at a standstill after police barred them from travelling on roads following the heaviest snowfall in almost 25 years Photograph: Philippe Huguen/AFP/Getty Images

Hamburg, Germany: Ice floats on the surface of the Binnenalster – or Inner Alster Lake – with the lights of the city in the background Photograph: Bodo Marks/EPA

Leipzig, Germany: A tram grinds to a halt because of an ice-coated overhead contact line Photograph: Hendrik Schmidt/EPA

Paris, France: Eiffel Tower replicas for tourists are displayed next to a cordon restricting access to the slippery plaza Photograph: Francois Mori/AP

Schliersee, Germany: A car drives along a country road in wintry weather Photograph: Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images

Homberg, Germany: A snow plough clears a stretch of the A7 motorway between Kassel and Wuerzburg after heavy snow Photograph: Uwe Zucchi/EPA

Teichland, Germany: A snow-covered maze at the Erlebnispark Teichland theme park Photograph: Patrick Pleul/AFP/Getty Images

Paris, France: People walk on the snow-covered Buren columns in the inner yard of the Palais Royal Photograph: Pierre Verdy/AFP/Getty Images

Gemuenden, Germany: A snow plough passes an abandoned car Photograph: Torsten Silz/AP

Wald, Germany: The landscape is covered in snow as southern Bavaria experiences freezing temperatures Photograph: Karl-josef Hildenbrand/AFP/Getty Images