“If you’re looking for Euro Summer outfits…” begin a thousand and one videos on TikTok. They’re referencing the trend that really kicked off in 2023, with people from the US flocking to Europe for extended summer vacations, mainly in the continent’s Mediterranean region.
What the videos rarely say, however, is that rather than a certain look or trend, people packing to spend July and August in Europe should be prioritizing natural fibers like linen and cotton, which will help keep them cool. That’s because Europe is sweltering, and it’s only getting hotter.
Just like everywhere in the world, Europe is increasingly experiencing extreme heat — the kind that results in conditions even the locals may not be used to. “Due to climate change, we are in a trajectory where heat waves will become more frequent, more intense and more prolonged,” says Raquel Nunes, an expert in climate change and public health at Warwick University medical school.
There’s nowhere on Earth immune from the impacts of global warming, but a report released by the World Meteorological Organization last year showed that Europe is heating up twice as fast as other areas of the world. The result is an increase in drought and devastating wildfires that last year caused emergency services to completely evacuate entire Greek islands, including the tourists vacationing there.
Extreme heat also takes its toll on the human body, which then puts pressure on already overburdened public health care systems. A study published in the Lancet last November estimates that there were around 70,000 heat-related deaths in Europe in 2022. The cascading impacts of heat combined with drought and wildfires creates an exponential health risk, with additional impacts from smoke and lack of potable water.
Amid these oppressive conditions, Americans are flocking to the continent in unprecedented numbers, expecting a dream vacation in which they flit between islands and tour some of the world’s greatest architectural and archeological wonders. But visitors aren’t immune from the impact of the extreme heat hitting the continent.
That’s not to say that if you have your own Euro Summer in the works you shouldn’t come. But to have the best time and the safest time, it’s important to come prepared and to be aware of how a heat wave may impact your trip. Forewarned is forearmed.
Where to go in Europe, and when, to avoid extreme heat
The temperatures Europe experienced during summer 2023 contributed to what’s now understood to be the hottest year on record for our planet. This year could be even hotter.
What’s concerning climate experts in 2024 is that the first extreme heat event of the summer in Greece, one of Europe’s hottest countries, happened this month, in June. “It’s a lot earlier than we usually see, especially in the Mediterranean,” says Chloe Brimicombe, a heat impact researcher at the Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz in Austria. The heat in the Greek capital of Athens was so high that authorities were forced to reduce the opening hours of the Acropolis, the country’s biggest tourist attraction.
Increasingly, the recommendation is for tourists coming to Europe to consider traveling in the shoulder seasons of May-June and September-October, in order to avoid the peak of summer temperatures in July and August. But one of the difficulties caused by climate change is that heat waves not only become more extreme, but more unpredictable.
The advice to choose shoulder seasons where possible is still solid, but that doesn’t mean you’re necessarily off the hook when it comes to extreme weather conditions. It’s possible that the summer heat waves could extend into September, so keep an eye on forecasts.
Likewise, many tourists are advised to look to northern Europe over the south if they travel in July and August. If you’re in Norway rather than Spain, you’re less likely to be impacted by extreme temperatures, but climate change-fueled heat waves can occur anywhere.
“We don’t know a lot of time in advance where they will happen,” says Nunes. In some respects, coastal regions where you can swim, rest and enjoy the sea breeze may be preferable.
While you won’t catch most Europeans in cities like Rome and Athens in July and August, it’s totally understandable why tourists making a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Europe would want to include them on itineraries. But big cities pose heightened risks to people during a heat wave. The density of the buildings means they reach higher temperatures during the day. That heat remains trapped, so they also take longer to cool down at night.
If you do plan to include cities on your Euro Summer itinerary, be willing to adapt your schedule to the heat. It’s not surprising that tourists who’ve been planning their trips months or even years in advance wouldn’t want to change their plans due to the heat, says Nunes. But, she adds, “that puts them at the highest risk possible.”
Do as the locals do
To avoid the worst of the heat, head out early in the morning while it’s still cool if you want to walk around. Prebook tickets to museums and attractions so you don’t have to stand in line for tickets. Don’t overschedule, and include some downtime to rest.
A good rule of thumb is to do as the locals do. In spite of the TikTok myth that Europeans don’t drink water, there are in fact public water fountains available all around many cities, including Rome, and in almost all of Europe the tap water is safe to drink. Europeans in Mediterranean cities also tend to forgo long lunches outdoors, and instead emerge later in the evening, once the sun has set, to eat their main meal of the day.
There are water fountains all over Rome, like this one by the Spanish Steps.
In the Mediterranean countries, siestas are taken seriously. This doesn’t always mean sleeping in the middle of the day, but resting in a cool place when the sun is at its most fierce is important for preserving energy and avoiding heatstroke. Many establishments are closed during siesta hours anyway, so it’s a good time to enjoy an hour of reading in an air-conditioned hotel room.
Speaking of which, it’s baffling to many Americans why Europe doesn’t have air conditioning as a standard feature. Most big hotel chains and upscale hotels will offer AC as standard, but you shouldn’t assume this is the case (and be particularly careful with rentals and Airbnbs). As a European, I’ve been there myself, on childhood holidays to Greece when during the night I’d lie awake sweating in the dark with only a small fan for company.
Nevertheless, for various reasons that sometimes have to do with architecture, regulations, average year-round temperatures and environmental concerns, air conditioning isn’t widespread in Europe. In many countries, there are also regulations around minimum temperatures, meaning that if you like to sleep in an icy cold room, you may be out of luck.
Cities around Europe are investing heavily in nature-based solutions, including green roofs and more tree cover, to help minimize the impact of extreme heat. Some cities have introduced cooling centers — air-conditioned public spaces — for people to retreat to in case of dangerous temperatures. In parts of France, public swimming pools have extended opening hours to help keep people cool. European households also tend to rely more on natural ventilation techniques, like opening windows but closing shutters, so make sure you follow suit.
Take advice seriously
Some cities, such as Athens, have introduced a chief heat officer position, with that person providing locally relevant information. If there’s a spike in temperatures while you’re on vacation, it’s likely that local public authorities will issue instructions about the measures you should take to keep yourself safe. It’s important not to ignore these, even if it means canceling plans you were looking forward to.
This applies whether you’re in a city or on a remote Greek island, and whether you’re a local or a tourist. As Brimicombe puts it: “Everybody is in the same boat if you’re being evacuated from a wildfire.”
Most people don’t see themselves as vulnerable, adds Nunes, but though extreme heat does pose more risk to certain demographics, heat-related advice applies to everyone across the board. “Heatstroke can happen to individuals that don’t have any underlying health conditions,” she says.
Medics helping a woman who passed out due to heat in Athens last July.
Already in this year’s June heat wave, there have been cases of tourists going missing or being found dead on Greek islands — most notably the British TV doctor Micheal Moseley. In almost all these cases, the people went out hiking alone in the heat and got lost or disoriented.
“You shouldn’t be hiking in this sort of heat, especially in the middle of the day,” says Brimicombe. If you do want to hike, go early in the morning, take plenty of water and don’t go alone.
“There’s part of Italy near Genoa, and they see callouts to mountain rescue go up along the coastal path during heat waves, just because people aren’t prepared to kind of hike in those sorts of conditions,” says Brimicombe.
It’s good to have an idea before you go of how you’d seek medical help if you needed it at your destination, says Nunes. Research what’s available in terms of local public health care and know what number to call if you find yourself in an emergency. Hopefully you won’t have to use it, but you should also have travel insurance.
None of this advice should put you off from having the Euro Summer of your dreams, whether that’s this year or in years to come. Instead, it’s designed to help you navigate our changing planet safely, while still enjoying your downtime for what it is. And for those of you who don’t fancy risking the heat at all? Paris in the spring and Christmas markets are always a good option. Europe is a year-round destination, so make the most of those other months too.
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