Heatwaves in Europe Summer 2026

[ingridsolo]

One more practical note, since a couple of people asked how we handle the car side of these trips. For the September leg we are doing Split - Trogir - the coast road south, and as usual the rental math matters more than the hotel math: airport desks at Split keep odd hours in the shoulder season, and one-way drops to Dubrovnik got expensive since the border rules changed. I keep my working notes for that route (parking near old towns, fuel, ferry alternatives) at https://trogir-car-rental.com/ - happy to answer questions here too.

 

[jonathan]

When we left London, last weekend, temperatures were back to ‘normal’, and driving down through Alsace, the Black Forest, Austria, and Italy’s Südtirol, everything was pretty comfortable. We arrived in Venice a couple of days ago (we’re here for 10 days), and the heatwave is back! Highs of 31C for the next couple of days: 7 degrees above the seasonal average…

 

[GailS]

@jonathan If you enjoy artisans/craftspeople consider seeing the Homo Faber exhibition which is going on during the month of September. If you don't go to the main exhibition itself, there are many artisans in the city who cater to visitors during this time to talk about their work. The list can be found here. I'll be arriving next Monday with the main reason being to see this exhibition again.

 

[ingridsolo]

@jonathan If you enjoy artisans/craftspeople consider seeing the Homo Faber exhibition which is going on during the month of September. If you don't go to the main exhibition itself, there are many artisans in the city who cater to visitors during this time to talk about their work. The list can be found here. I'll be arriving next Monday with the main reason being to see this exhibition again.

Following up on the heat - we moved our September week to the Turkish coast instead of pushing through another hot spell in the Balkans, no regrets.

Golf season around Belek means the resort zone is busy until late October, but the public beaches and the old-town side stay calm. We hired a car for the week through a small local agency (https://belek-car-rental.com/) rather than the hotel concierge desk - same class of car, noticeably cheaper, and they let us do a late evening pickup since our flight landed after the desk closed.

Two notes if you go: the side roads to the ancient sites (Perge, Aspendos) are fine but signposting is inconsistent, download offline maps. And the road along the coast to Side at sunset is worth the drive even if you've done it before.

 

[Pauline]

We left the UK Thursday (driving to Switzerland) and spent the night in Arras where it was warm and drizzly. Friday morning was a torrential downpour as we were driving in the morning towards the Alsace. Lightening too. It stopped after an hour but started again in the afternoon around Metz. Both times we had to drive slowly so it ended up being a long driving day.

Today, Saturday, was beautiful, sunny and warm. We are in Switzerland now, in Zweisimmen, and the next week shows temps in the mid 70sF, getting hotter next weekend, in the low 80s.

I’m rethinking my entire life after this summer in the UK heatwaves! I’ve never dealt that well with heat but now that I’m “old” it is worse.

We’ve got 4 weeks in Switzerland and then 2 weeks in France, in the Perigord.

 

[jonathan]

Yes, this summer has been challenging! I’d hoped, for my solo week in Bourdeilles back in mid-June, to be able to do quite a few hikes, but it was just too hot (should be pretty pleasant for you in a month’s time). We had a week between Girona and the coast (Catalunya) mid-July, for a family party: again, absolutely too hot to walk anywhere except early morning. And now in Venice, daily highs are 30C/86F all week. We’re here for a week of rehearsals and then a concert in Redentore next weekend; most of the musicians flew in last Friday, and those thunderstorms played havoc with flight schedules…

BTW, Shannon (currently flat-sitting on the Isle of Dogs) and Nan (with whom we had lunch a couple of days ago) were both asking after you and Steve.

 

[FloydGannon]

We are on our 4th heatwave in Europe.

The first was at the end of May when we were in Baden-Baden, Germany. Temps were over 90F for a week. We were in an apartment with no AC but we had ceiling fans, a large balcony and it was an older building with thick walls.

The second was the end of June as we were driving home across northern France from Switzerland. It was 100F in Obernai where we stayed in the Alsace. It continued after we got home to Dorset with temps in the high 80sF.

The third came in the first half of July. Again we were in Dorset with temps in the mid 80sF. We have no AC but have good fans.

The fourth is not hitting Dorset. Our temperature is 77F today.

Hot and sunny. Not what you expect in Dorset all summer. Our lawn is golden. The fields are golden. They are predicting food shortages because of the drought!

Historic July sees record dryness, unprecedented sunshine and exceptional warmth

July 2026 has been an exceptional month for the UK's climate statistics, with records challenged or broken for rainfall, temperature and sunshine, according to provisional Met Office statistics.

www.metoffice.gov.uk

And it has been much worse in the rest of Europe, especially in France and Spain with all the wildfires.

If you have been in the UK or the rest of Europe, how has it been?

Has anyone changed their travel plans because of this?

View attachment 50788
The park in Poundbury, Dorchester earlier this week.

We are on our 4th heatwave in Europe.

The first was at the end of May when we were in Baden-Baden, Germany. Temps were over 90F for a week. We were in an apartment with no AC but we had ceiling fans, a large balcony and it was an older building with thick walls.

The second was the end of June as we were driving home across northern France from Switzerland. It was 100F in Obernai where we stayed in the Alsace. It continued after we got home to Dorset with temps in the high 80sF.

The third came in the first half of July. Again we were in Dorset with temps in the mid 80sF. We have no AC but have good fans.

The fourth is not hitting Dorset. Our temperature is 77F today.

Hot and sunny. Not what you expect in Dorset all summer. Our lawn is golden. The fields are golden. They are predicting food shortages because of the drought!

Historic July sees record dryness, unprecedented sunshine and exceptional warmth

July 2026 has been an exceptional month for the UK's climate statistics, with records challenged or broken for rainfall, temperature and sunshine, according to provisional Met Office statistics.

www.metoffice.gov.uk

And it has been much worse in the rest of Europe, especially in France and Spain with all the wildfires.

If you have been in the UK or the rest of Europe, how has it been?

Has anyone changed their travel plans because of this?

View attachment 50788
The park in Poundbury, Dorchester earlier this week.

We’ve definitely started paying more attention to the weather when planning summer trips in Europe.


A few years ago I wouldn’t have thought twice about booking southern Europe in July or August, but repeated heatwaves make that a lot less appealing now. Walking around cities all day when it’s pushing 95–100F can turn a great trip into something exhausting pretty quickly.


I think I’d be more inclined to travel in May, June or September now and keep the hottest months for somewhere cooler. The wildfire risk is another thing I’d take much more seriously than I used to.


The photo really shows how dry things have gotten — that doesn’t look like the Dorset summer people usually imagine.

 

[wco81]

It poured in the UK yesterday. Watched the Manchester United vs. Ipswich football math and the noise of the rain pounding on the roof of the stadium was loud through the TV broadcast.

 

[Pauline]

The SIXTH European heatwave is starting and it looks like it will be worst in Italy, Croatia and southern France. We are in Switzerland, up in the mountains in the Berner Oberland. Over the next week our highs span from 84F to 61F!