Going to Europe in a heatwave - would you go?

heatherw_01

It is all down to how you handle heat.

I am very cold below 25c (yes I am cold all year round in the UK) and 30c-37c is my happy place, so I would be going.

But some people don't handle heat well.

You could find some things to do near the water to cool down, but make sure to wear a lot of sunscreen.
You could take a fan and a cooling towel too, although they only do so much.
A boat ride would be nice too.

NoodleDoodleMan

la531983 said:

I got married in the Med, in August, in a suit, in the middle of the afternoon, in 42 degree heat. No issue here at all.  I am healthy though.

Cue Noel Coward's musical observation !!! 

Doshwaster

Hottest temperature I've ever been in Europe was around 42c in the south of France. I was young and stupid then and got badly burnt. These days I would stay in the shade and keep hydrated.

I've been in hotter temperatures in Dubai but that tends to be a very dry heat and you are never far from air conditioning so it is bearable.

SE Asia doesn't get quite as hot but can be very humid so you are drenched in sweat within seconds of stepping out of your hotel.  Again stay hydrated and take any opportunity to pop into a shop for a few minutes to cool down from their AC.

Nebulous2

Hoenir said:

Porto. Ideal for a few days. Compact. Easy to get around. Reasonably priced too. 

It hit 40 last week. We had a day there in the high 30s. 

I'm currently in the North of Spain. My other half doesn't like heat. We thought if we went early, stayed North rather than going South, it would work. 

Unfortunately that wasn't the case.We've had high 30s in daytime for more than a week, hitting 40 occasionally. 

We have adapted. Out early for some exercise before it gets too hot. Go to a museum or something after lunch. 

Have we had a good time? Definitely, despite the temperature. Would we have enjoyed it better at 25 degrees instead of 38-39? We certainly would. 

Life is a series of compromises. Only you can decide if the balance of pluses and minuses work for you.... 

silverwhistle

I'm off to Northern Italy at the end of July - not my choice of dates. Last year we went caving, white water rafting, walks in the mountains, zip wires  etc, and a visit to Torino. I suggested the latter to a local friend to do again this year: no, she said, stay in the mountains!

We could do the lakes or drive to the Med, nothing planned yet, but definitely not hot, polluted cities!

soolin

I’m currently in the south of France, temperatures have been up in the mid to high 30s . The one thing we have noticed that when we arrived it was cooler and there were lots of French families on the beaches, since it got this hot there are very few children to be seen. This time last week there were children playing, now none at all. I’ve been on the beach under a parasol for a few hours but the heat has got to me and I was taking regular dips in the sea, but have had to give up and come back to the apartment as I was beginning to feel a bit light headed and sick. 

It’s also not getting cooler in the evenings, in fact today if was scheduled to get hotter as the afternoon wore on. 

Sarahspangles

We were in Italy in the Cerberus heatwave in July 2023. It did impact the holiday even though we were staying up in the hills near Florence.

Air con in many hotels was struggling, and we were asked to keep the shutters closed round the clock, which meant we couldn’t see the view or air the room as this would have let the heat in. The hotel kitchen must have been unbearable, I know one of the waitresses fainted. Many cafes and restaurants closed for extended periods during the heat of the day, and anyway it was really too hot to eat, and beer/wine would have been dehydrating.

We adapted our plans so any walking or time outdoors was earlier in the morning, or from dusk. We had to cancel a couple of planned trips. When we did go out we needed a plan for staying cool in the middle of the day if we weren’t going to be back at the hotel. One day we found a cold stone bench in the shade of a cedar in a botanic garden.

We had committed to a trip to Florence, which was even hotter as it’s down on the plain. The emergency services had stationed queues of ambulances wherever tourists were queuing, like the Duomo and Uffizi. We stayed on the shady side of every street.

Obviously it’s possible to cool down by dipping in and out of a pool but we hadn’t planned for that kind of holiday.

NoodleDoodleMan

Record temperatures being reported in Spain now.

I wouldn't want to be anywhere other than near a hotel pool under shade, preferable with a breeze from the sea. 

Rooms without air con must be unbearable overnight.

jimi_man

Currently in Arizona doing some hillwalking. It’s forecast to be 43 tomorrow and 45 on Monday. We start early!! 

Having said that it’s just lovely and we have a pool and stuff so it’s great. You do actually get used to it. 

NoodleDoodleMan

Noel Coward was right !!!