Europe's heatwaves: all the holiday destinations with heat warnings in place
'Roll clouds' — created when cold air flows from the bottom of a storm cloud and pushes warm air upwards — have been spotted in Portugal. The heatwave has also lowered water levels in the Rhine, hampering the amount that cargo ships can transport, while a string of wildfires have been breaking out across western Turkey.
Here's everything you need to know if you're unsure whether to go ahead with a planned holiday, from how to stay safe to whether you're protected if you decide to cancel.
Météo-France, the national weather service, issued France's highest level alert for Paris at the end of June 2025. It warned that a heatwave of 'scorching magnitude' was affecting large parts of the country. The top of the Eiffel Tower is closed at the time of writing.In Italy, the health ministry put 17 cities, including Florence and Rome, on its highest alert on July 1. Regions including Tuscany have reported an increase in hospital admissions. Germany's weather service, Deutscher Wetterdienst, has issued an alert for July 1 for parts of the south and west, including cities such as Dusseldorf and Stuttgart.Heat warnings are also in place in Spain, along with warnings for potential storms and wildfires across the country. AEMET, the country's meteorological agency, has recorded temperatures of more than 42C in the south. Portugal's Directorate-General for Health issued a severe weather warning and has advised citizens to stay indoors between 11am and 5pm.
Warnings are also in place for some parts of Croatia and the Balkans with temperatures expected to remain very hot this week. Meanwhile, the rise in temperatures has seen an increase in wildfires, with the island of Chios in Greece being affected last week and western Turkey suffering over the past few days.
Emergency medical services are on standby in many countries and people have been warned to stay inside as much as possible.
• Turkey wildfires: is it safe to travel?• Airport 100ml liquids rule: which UK airports have changed restrictions?
The high temperatures look set to continue throughout the week. AEMET predicts the heatwave will continue until at least mid-week in Spain, while it's expected temperatures in Italy will not return to seasonal averages until at least Sunday.
Yes, but you should be sensible, and follow local advice and take necessary precautions to keep yourself safe. Travellers should also be mindful that some tourist destinations might be closed to visitors during peak hours to protect them from the extreme heat. The Foreign Office is not, however, advising that people avoid visiting countries currently experiencing extreme heat, such as Spain and Greece.
In most cases, tour operators and airlines will not offer refunds until the Foreign Office explicitly advises against non-essential travel to a destination. However, check your travel insurance policy carefully, as coverage can vary significantly. Many policies have clauses around extreme weather, which means you should be able to recoup some of your costs if you need to cancel. However, many standard trip cancellation clauses do not cover heatwaves unless they result in severe disruption or danger in the destination.
In the event of serious disruption, package holidays (comprising a combination of flight, accommodation and/or car hire) bought from the same supplier with an Atol or Abta certificate should cover you for cancellation, curtailment or repatriation under the package travel regulations. You are more likely to receive compensation for cancellation if the relevant government or local authority in your chosen destination has issued a travel warning because of extreme heat.
Currently, the Foreign Office does not advise travellers against visiting unusually hot destinations such as Greece, Spain and Italy, but in the unlikely event of it updating its guidance to warn against travel, it should be possible to cancel a holiday or rearrange your plans — speak to your travel provider about the possibilities.
• Nine steps to a stress-free holiday• Travel insurance guide: everything you need to know
If you have a medical condition that is making you reluctant to travel to your planned destination because of a heatwave, it is unlikely you'll be able to claim on your travel insurance — unless you suffer from a declared medical condition and a doctor deems that you are unfit to travel. Again, coverage varies, so check your policy.
Extreme heat can pose serious health risks, including dehydration, exhaustion, heatstroke, heart attacks and strokes. It can also exacerbate existing conditions, according to the World Health Organization, including diabetes and asthma. Those most vulnerable to heat-related health issues include older people, those with underlying conditions, babies and very young children.
You should wear light clothes, plenty of sunscreen and go indoors if you feel lightheaded. It is a good idea to keep blinds and curtains closed during the day. Stay hydrated, seek air-conditioned or shaded environments where possible, avoid exercise and sunbathing during the warmest times of the day, and avoid drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, which contributes to dehydration.
• How many months do I need on my passport to travel?• Compensation for cancelled and delayed flights: everything you need to know
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
5 hours ago
- Times
Seine finally opens for public swimming — but mind the rats
Parisians who are brave enough to take a plunge in the Seine as it opens for public swimming this weekend for the first time in a century will be reviving a once popular pastime. Swimming in the Seine became fashionable in the 17th century, when Parisians would bathe in the river, with canvas screens separating men's and women's areas. Paris banned swimming in the Seine in 1923 over concerns about water quality. After a €1.4 billion clean-up before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games last summer, which made it possible to hold some swimming races in the river, city officials have declared it safe. It may still look a little murky, but swimming will be allowed at three designated points in Paris: Bras Marie, Bras de Grenelle near the Eiffel Tower, and Bercy. They have been equipped with showers and lockers, and, with the exception of the Bras Marie site, changing cubicles. River swimming is a pet project of Anne Hidalgo, the Paris mayor, who took a five-minute dip in the Seine herself before the Olympics and deemed the water 'exquisite'. 'Swimming in the Seine is a response to the aim of adapting to climate change,' the mayor said just before this week's heatwave. 'The more temperatures rise, the more we will have to find spaces where people can cool off. This is also about the quality of life.' The authorities say the three swimming areas will be closed if storms wash sewage or waste into the water, or if the currents are too strong. Several Olympic swimmers became ill with vomiting or diarrhoea after competing in open water races in the river, although it was never proved that exposure to the Seine water was to blame. 'The issue of discharges into the river from houseboats and barges has never been settled,' Jean-Pierre Lecoq, the conservative mayor of Paris's sixth arrondissement, told The Times. 'They empty their toilets and the water from their kitchens into the Seine. 'That may not amount to a huge problem, but there's definitely a lot of muck down there, and then there are the rats. The water's too dark to see what's underneath. Personally, I love swimming in the sea but I wouldn't go swimming in the Seine in Paris.' Many Parisians agree with him. 'Never ever would I swim in the Seine,' said Romain Verani, 35, who swims three times a week at a public pool. 'It's too hard to treat the water. The Seine is too big a river to clean effectively. I'd consider swimming in the Canal de l'Ourcq, which has been open for swimming for a few years, because it's more enclosed, like a big pool, so it's easier to filter.' Ninon Le Pennec, 28, said she would not trust the mayor's word that the river water was safe. 'It doesn't look very clean to me.' But Paul Rodier, also 28, was more amenable. 'I'm a bit worried about it but I'd still give it a go,' he said. 'After all, the authorities say it's been cleaned up.' Older Parisians recall with nostalgia how they used to swim in river water in the Deligny, a floating public pool on the left bank of the Seine, opposite what is now the Musée d'Orsay. It was a favourite haunt of the glitterati, attracting Hollywood stars such as Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Errol Flynn. Opinions were always divided, however, about the wisdom of bathing in untreated river water. In 1844, half a century after it opened, the Deligny's water was described as 'dirty, cloudy, often foul-smelling and unhealthy' by Eugène Briffault, one of the founders of Le Figaro newspaper. Filters were eventually installed in 1919 after swimmers complained of muddy deposits in the water. Thereafter the authorities claimed it was safe because the water was continually being replenished. Unfortunately, that also made the unheated pool bone-chillingly cold, although it did offer the advantage of not reeking of chlorine. Many were sad when the Deligny mysteriously sprang a leak and sank in 1993. As a new era begins, the mayor and her supporters are hoping that the sceptics will put aside their doubts and dive in.
Reuters
6 hours ago
- Reuters
Greece battles wildfire on Crete for a third day as temperatures rise
ATHENS, July 4 (Reuters) - Gale force wind gusts complicated efforts on Friday to contain wildfires on Crete that have razed forests and olive groves and forced thousands of residents and tourists to evacuate. Around 130 firefighters, 48 vehicles and six helicopters were deployed on the third day of the effort, with the wind and dry conditions raising the risk that blazes might restart in areas of the island where they had already been contained. In Greece's capital Athens, about 800 people were evacuated from the suburb of Koropi where more than 120 firefighters battled a blaze supported by eight airplanes and eight helicopters, a fire brigade spokesperson said. The fires in Crete and in Athens come as much of Europe swelters in an early summer heatwave, which officials have linked to at least eight deaths on the continent. The blazes in Crete, which broke out in a village about 16 km (10 miles) east of Ierapetra on Wednesday, have consumed swathes of agricultural land in the southeastern corner of the island, leaving dead animals and scorched farmhouses. Olive farmer Giorgos Poulis was sorting out destroyed farming equipment beside his burned-out truck. "The damage is incalculable in every way, from water drilling equipment, pipes, tires, cars, the cement mixer," he said, gesturing around him. George Tzarakis, head of Hoteliers of Ierapetra and southeastern Crete, told Reuters most of the 3,500 tourists who had been evacuated were returning to their hotels. Tourism is a key earner in Crete, the largest island in Greece, and local hoteliers were concerned about future bookings as the fire hit at the start of the peak summer holiday season. Temperatures in Greece were forecast to reach up to 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) on Friday, the Greek weather service said. In another Athens suburb, Pikermi, some 148 firefighters battled a fire that broke out on Thursday, threatening many homes, cutting power and prompting authorities to move more than 300 people to safety. The fire was contained but not extinguished, the fire brigade official said. In Italy, the health ministry put 20 of the 27 cities it monitors for heatwaves on red alert on Friday. RAI public broadcaster said temperatures would go as high as 38 C in Florence and 37 C in Rome, Bologna and Perugia. Spain's Health Ministry estimates that 341 deaths have been attributable to heat-related illnesses since the beginning of June, as the country grapples with soaring temperatures. With the heat comes a higher risk of wildfires. Greece and other Mediterranean countries are in an area dubbed "a wildfire hotspot" by scientists - with blazes common during hot and dry summers. These have become more destructive in recent years due to a fast-changing climate, prompting calls for a new approach. "With multiple heatwaves and fire risks expected through September, there is an urgent need to shift from reactive response to proactive preparedness," the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said this week.
The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
Ships forced to leave cargo behind as heatwave hits one of Europe's longest rivers
Europe 's second-longest river is experiencing unusually low water levels in Hungary, severely impacting shipping, agriculture, and local ecosystems amidst an early summer heatwave. The critical situation on the River Danube has forced cargo ships to operate at a mere 30-40 per cent capacity, leaving more than half their cargo behind, according to Attila Bencsik, deputy president of the Hungarian Shipping Association. He warned that shipping rates could surge by as much as 100 per cent due to surcharges imposed when vessels cannot sail fully loaded. Temperatures in Budapest peaked at 35 degrees Celsius this week, as a heatwave across Europe has been linked to at least eight deaths. While low water levels have been recorded on the Danube previously, they typically occur later in the year, in August, noted Attila Szegi, a deputy spokesman for the Hungarian General Directorate of Water Management. Szegi said that rain was expected in the Danube catchment area next week, which should lead to a slight rise in water levels and an improvement in the shipping situation. The Hungarian state meteorological institute HungaroMet said that rainfall in June was only 17 per cent of the average for that month, making this June the driest since 1901. "June is one of the most rainy months of the year in our climate, and now we have this low water level," Gyorgy Matavovszki said, as he stopped with his kayak on a sandbank at Szob, a town north of Budapest. "It has its beauty because the water is clear, it is easy to paddle in it ..., but it is worrying." The Vistula river was at a record low in Warsaw, and the Rhine in Germany was also unusually low. Michał Sikora, a meteorologist and hydrologist at Poland's IMGW, said that the Vistula River reached a record low level of 19 centimetres (7.48 inches) on Friday, adding that it is expected to decline further in the coming days, possibly to below 15 centimetres.
