Airports in Paris and Amsterdam were the worst affected, with the Dutch authorities saying more than 1,000 travellers had been forced to spend the night at Schiphol, one of Europe’s busiest hubs.
Six people have died in weather-related accidents as the continent reels from the most bitter cold snap of the winter so far.
Five of those deaths were confirmed in France on Tuesday, while a woman died in Bosnia as heavy snow and rain sparked floods and power outages across the Balkans.
For those without homes sleeping on the streets, the cold snap has come as a huge shock.
Boubacar Camara, from Guinea, told AFP he had “no choice but to keep on going”.
“You just have to stay strong, make sure you don’t die, you know,” said the 19-year-old, who is sleeping in a tent in the French capital.
“We can’t do anything about the cold — I’m not used to this at all.”
Black ice warning
More than 100 flights were cancelled on Wednesday at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and 40 more at the French capital’s other main hub, Orly.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot told local TV he was “hoping the situation returns to normal this afternoon”.
All public bus services in Paris and the surrounding suburbs were also suspended because of icy roads, with almost half of the country’s mainland on alert for heavy snow and black ice.
Schiphol Airport said more than 700 flights had been cancelled so far and warned that the number was likely to increase.
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Belgium’s biggest hub, Brussels Airport, also confirmed 40 flight cancellations on Wednesday.
Calm prevails
Britain saw temperatures plunging with hundreds of schools shutting their doors for a third day Scotland, where the authorities warned some rural communities could be “cut off” by snow.
The Eurostar rail service connecting London with continental European cities was also disrupted again on Wednesday, with passengers facing cancellations and delays.
Nordic countries were also facing snow-related chaos, with officials in eastern Sweden warning that power cuts were “likely” because of heavy snowfall.
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Trams were suspended in the western city of Gothenburg and the authorities in the wider region warned people not to drive and stay at home if possible.
In Denmark, the authorities in the far-north region of North Jutland warned people to brace themselves for heavy snow but said the situation was under control.
“For now, calm prevails in North Jutland, but we are taking the weather forecast very seriously,” police wrote in a statement.
“We also urge citizens to prepare and keep safety advice in mind, especially if they have to travel in difficult traffic conditions.”
