Beat the heat: The ‘coolest' European destinations to visit in summer 2025

Shade seekers can rejoice, holiday travel trends are changing and tan-refreshing, sunbed-stewing summer getaways are on the decline.
In light of the ongoing climate crisis, Brits – habitually inclined to boil abroad – are redirecting their wanderlust to European shores where they won't be a prisoner to a hotel room's air-conditioning or sweat over the midday UV index.
The shift to more moderate climates comes as no surprise. A furnace of Mediterranean holiday heavyweights, from Athens to Valenica, were ablaze with wildfires during peak travel season 2024, and temperatures are continuing to break record highs year on year.
Now's the time to swap searing Andalusia in mainland Spain for the cooler Canaries, trade Portugal 's Algarve for Poland 's Baltic coast, and replace big-hitting Greek islands with German variations.
With chasing scorching sun on the back burner, here are the destinations bringing a breeze to summer holidays, from wind-whipped islands to northern Europe's fine coastline.
Ostend, Belgium
Average high in August: 21C
Average low in August: 15C
Though best known for its chocolate, beer and the hub of EU democracy that is Brussels, it would be foolish to turn your nose up at Belgium 's beach resorts. Let Flanders's largest, Ostend, sweep you away to its golden sands this summer for mornings spent kitesurfing and afternoons filled with fresh oysters on the Albert I Promenade – all without the need to retreat from the heat.
Oslo, Norway
Average high in August: 21C
Average low in August: 13C
The Norwegian capital is a tangle of hip districts – specifically buzzy Grünerløkka – boutique stores and al fresco dining spots fringed by thick Marka forest (where you can go for active pursuits, including zip lining and mountain biking). Slick museums on the Oslo Pass, such as the Munch Museum, meet the culture criteria for a city break while taking a dip in seawater pools and drying off in Nordic saunas nails the R&R element of a standard summer holiday.
La Gomera, Canary Islands
Average high in August: 28C
Average low in August: 21C
While mainland Spain sizzles, an Atlantic onshore breeze blows through the Canary Islands, blessing balmy year-round La Gomera with inviting 20C days for holidaymakers to indulge in hiking, black-sand bathing and foodie feasts of melon lobster and marmalade rabbit. The bearable heat doesn't sacrifice sunshine, with around nine hours of vitamin D on offer in August.
Tartu, Estonia
Average high in August: 21C
Average low in August: 11C
Inevitably laden with sweaty vista climbs, winding refreshment queues and daily step tallies in the thousands, comfort is key on a city break, and the 2024 Capital of Culture, Tartu has just the climate for exploring Estonia. There is an elegant Town Hall Square primed for mass kissing events (yes, really), the sleek Estonian National Museum, and timber barges on the Emajõgi River for a sailor's view of the peaceful landscape.
Sopot, Poland
Average high in August: 22C
Average low in August: 12C
Seafront Sopot, in the Tricity region of the 'Baltic Riviera', is an affordable alternative to the beloved big names further south and at its warmest come August. A short train ride from all the history of Gdansk, 4km of tempting beaches, Europe 's longest wooden pier and stylish health spas dot the fairy tale-esque facades and locals hail Sopot for its beachfront nightlife scene and, of course, decadent waffles.
Sylt, Germany
Average high in August: 20C
Average low in August: 16C
A magnet for the German elite, the North Frisian Islands' mild microclimate, pinstriped strandkorbs (hooded wicker seats wide enough for two) and pristine pale sands understandably attract travellers to Sylt's west coast. A Michelin-rosette gastronomy scene, thatched cottages and lighthouse-scattered peninsulas make this balmy under-the-radar beach break one to add to your list.
Lake Bled, Slovenia
Average high in August: 28C
Average low in August: 16C
Slovenia 's most famous attraction sparkles under the summer sun and Lake Bled's inviting turquoise glacial waters will help you keep your cool on climbs up to the medieval Bled Castle and romantic rows around the fantasy island. Where the legendary lakes of Garda and Como sweat with crowds in Italy, Bled's slice of the Julian Alps, though inevitably busy, offers forest trails suited for secluded alpine hikes.
Machico, Madeira
Average high in August: 26C
Average low in August: 21C
Leave the scorching Algarve for a more temperate Atlantic alternative on Portugal 's Madeira archipelago. Sandwiched between mountains, far east Machico has a wave-battered artificial beach with golden grains imported from Africa, well-groomed gardens and a vision of terracotta roofs dotting its landscape.
Pori, Finland
Average high in August: 21C
Average low in August: 12C
On Finland 's west coast, the city of Pori is a centre for jazz music, Finnish street eats (including porilainen, an elevated sausage sandwich), and, star of Scandinavia, Yyteri Beach: 6km of white sand geared for windsurfing, bird watching, beach volleyball and barbecues. With the Kokemäenjoki River and Bothnian Sea National Park, this diverse destination has mastered sub-30C summer culture.
Haarlem, Netherlands
Average high in August: 19C
Average low in August: 15C
Head to Haarlem for tulips, vinyls, hidden hofje courtyards and a fair share of canals. Amsterdam 's less-crowded neighbour serves a slice of Dutch cool without the sweaty shoulder brushes with strangers. It has a popular shopping scene as well as a brewing culture backdating to the 14th century, and active pursuits can be found in the Zuid-Kennemerland National Park.
Skagen, Denmark
Average high in August: 19C
Average low in August: 13C
On Denmark 's northeastern peninsula, the port town of Skagen has art museums and fine dining to rival the country's effortlessly cool capital Copenhagen. Wisps of cloud paint the skies and wild nature patrols the pale grains of the Grenen sandbar that straddles the Baltic and North Sea. Better still, August's T-shirt and light-layers weather is ideal for exploring this stretch of the Rabjerg Mile – a migrating coastal sand dune.

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Full list of banned food and drinks passengers cannot bring onboard on TUI, easyJet, Ryanair and Jet2 flights

The Sun

14 minutes ago

The Sun

Full list of banned food and drinks passengers cannot bring onboard on TUI, easyJet, Ryanair and Jet2 flights

PASSENGERS flying with TUI, easyJet, Ryanair or Jet2 this summer are being urged to check the full list of banned food and drinks before heading to the airport – or risk having their items taken away. From cold snacks to hot drinks and alcoholic beverages, the rules on what you can and can't take onboard vary between airlines – and breaking them could lead to your items being confiscated before take-off. 4 4 Passengers travelling from the UK are being urged to double-check airline guidelines before heading to the airport, especially as rules continue to tighten, particularly on flights to EU destinations. That's because under current post- Brexit regulations, any food products containing meat or dairy – including sandwiches, yoghurts or even packed lunches bought in the airport – are banned from being taken into the EU, regardless of where they were purchased. Here's a breakdown of what's banned or restricted on flights operated by the UK's biggest budget carriers: TUI offers complimentary meals and drinks on flights lasting over seven hours. For shorter journeys, snacks and beverages can be bought onboard via a trolley service – but passengers are also allowed to bring their own food. However, TUI is clear that any food brought onboard must be 'low-risk,' such as cold snacks or pre-made sandwiches. The airline also warns it cannot heat food for passengers, aside from baby bottles. Crucially, passengers are not allowed to drink any alcohol they've brought from home or bought in duty-free – even if it's sealed. Alcohol must be purchased on the flight if you want to enjoy a drink in the air. EasyJet is fairly relaxed about food onboard, and passengers are welcome to bring their own meals. However, they should be aware of liquid restrictions and destination-specific rules. According to the airline: 'You can bring food into the cabin, although we do sell a range of delicious food and drink on board. "There's a 100ml limit for liquid food, like soup or custard.' Hot drinks are allowed if purchased at the airport, but they must have a secure lid to reduce the risk of burns during turbulence. The airline also reminds passengers to check rules at their destination – some countries have stricter customs policies around food items. Ryanair takes a mixed approach, allowing passengers to bring their own cold food and soft drinks under its 'feel free' policy – but strictly banning hot drinks and alcohol. The airline advises: 'In the interest of safety we cannot allow passengers to board the plane with hot drinks or consume their own alcohol during the flight.' That means even if you've bought alcohol in duty-free or at the airport, you won't be allowed to drink it onboard. Cabin crew are authorised to confiscate items if rules are broken. Jet2 operates one of the strictest policies when it comes to food and drink. According to the airline: 'You may not bring hot food or hot drinks onboard the aircraft.' Passengers are also warned not to carry any items that are 'unsuitable for carriage' – this includes food that is strong-smelling, fragile or perishable, and anything that may impact the comfort or safety of others. Despite these rules, Jet2 does offer a wide selection of food and drinks for purchase during the flight, with options for most dietary requirements. 4

Times

5 hours ago

Times

16 of the best hotels in Norway

There's no shortage of variety when it comes to Norway's accommodation scene. Among our favourites are swanky, design-led hotels at the foot of mighty mountains; avant garde city escapes hugging the shores of bluer-than-blue fjords; fire-warmed log cabins secreted away in forests where reindeer roam; igloos freshly sculpted with the first dump of winter snow; and an ultra-luxe boutique hideaway with a Michelin-starred restaurant in its basement. Masters of reinvention, the Norwegians also love to breathe new life into old bones: cue 16th-century trading posts, fish warehouses, banks or barns reborn as glam places by venerable architects. Hotels here aren't cheap but, then again, you'll never forget seeing the rising sun illuminate a fretwork of fjords or the northern lights dancing above high Arctic peaks. This is our pick of the best hotels in Norway. This article contains affiliate links, which may earn us revenue £ | SPA | POOL | Best for a natural high Perched atop Ronvikfjellet and rising high above the Arctic city of Bodo like a beacon of sustainability, Wood Hotel is a vision of Scandi-style, back-to-nature minimalism. Slotting neatly into the gorgeous surrounding landscape of snow-dusted peaks and forests, the hotel is constructed mainly from wood and powered by solar energy. It bills itself as an 'outdoor hotel' and rightly so, with trails threading up into the mountains, ebike rental and a nearby via ferrata — protected climbing route — to try. That's if you can drag yourself away from the hotel itself, which charms with its restaurant putting imaginative twists on revived Norwegian family recipes, eighth-floor heated outdoor pool gazing out over city, peak and fjord, and traditional steam sauna. Midnight sun or northern lights? You choose. ££ | SPA | POOL | Best for art deco ambience Bringing a touch of glamour to Oslo's well-heeled Frogner neighbourhood, just steps from the Royal Palace, this addition to the Norwegian capital's hotel scene is a knockout. Behind the red-brick, 1930s façade of the city's former electrical company, the London and New York design practice GrecoDeco has worked wonders. Cue 231 rooms and suites that expertly weave together original features like wood panelling, chandeliers, patterned tiles, a palette of deep reds and greens and art deco patterns with contemporary simplicity and comfort. But you don't just come to sleep, you come for culture: in the hotel's library, its retro, gold-kissed cinema and its brasserie where jazz bands regularly play. Add to this a rooftop Norwegian-Japanese restaurant, street food and cocktail bar, a spa with sleep clinic, an outdoor pool with far-reaching views over city and fjord, and beautifully revamped public baths, festooned with Per Krohg's mosaics of swimming women and seals, and you are looking at one very special place to stay. Read our full review of Sommerro £££ | SPA | Best for rustic relaxation Spread across a cluster of dark-timber, turf-roofed houses, on a hillside looking out across west-coast Storfjord and the Sunnmore Alps, Storfjord really couldn't be more Norwegian. Inside, the boutique retreat seduces with candles, fireplaces, an intimate spa with a forest-facing Jacuzzi, and a low-key gourmet restaurant bigging up local produce. The atmosphere in the nouveau-rustic rooms is as warm as a hug, with handcrafted log walls, muted colours, tweeds and down duvets. Borrow walking poles, fishing rods (there are some serious cod to catch in these waters), snowshoes and boats. Or find your own private nook to read, write, rest and dream. • Discover our full guide to Norway ££ | Best for a woodland escape Forget bending down on one knee and popping open a ring box: when Kjartan wanted to propose to the love of his life — Sally, from Sydney — he built her the treehouse of her wildest dreams. And so the seeds for this staggering retreat were sown. Perched like eyries in tall pines above the mountain-rimmed, sapphire-blue Hardanger Fjord and reached via a stiff uphill hike, these sustainable, wooden, shingle-clad tree houses in Odda have been designed to resemble Norwegian pine cones. Architects were brought in to help design the rustic-chic, black-alder interiors, with wraparound windows framing fjord views, handcrafted chairs and underfloor heating. Dreamiest of the lot are the mountaintop treehouses, which come with hand-carved wooden bathtubs, beds lowered from the ceiling, and sensational views over the forest canopy. Breakfast includes locally baked sourdough, eggs, juice and coffee. £££ | Best for food lovers 'Boutique' has become a bit of a catch-all, but Eilert Smith in the fjordside city of Stavanger really nails it: just 12 individually designed rooms echoing the building's 1930s architecture, and three-Michelin-star, 25-cover RE-NAA in the basement, riffing creatively on the finest seafood plucked from local waters. This is not just a hotel but an act of love — architects have aimed for the avant garde, but have carefully preserved original curves, geometric patterns and modernist materials, such as travertine, brass, marble and wood. Furniture is custom-made, colours are pure and the light streaming in through slim horizontal windows is quite special. Plump for the penthouse suite, spun around a spiral staircase and looking out across Stavanger harbour. ££ | SPA | POOL | Best for a superb spa Hunkering down on the northern shore of slender Tingvoll fjord in western Norway, this charmingly whitewashed, timber-fronted hotel is a delicious slice of preserved heritage: it acted as a trading post back in the 1500s, when ships from Holland sailed here to buy timber. Most rooms have soothingly pretty views of the fjord and are classic in design — soft greys and creams, warm lighting and tarted-up antiques. The restaurant is more of a traditional, woody affair, with a chef taking pride in local sourcing from nearby farms and fjords. The clincher, however, is Badehuset Spa, lodged in a converted, glass-walled 18th-century granary overlooking the fjord, with hot baths, a sauna and luscious treatments. £££ | Best for seaside style On a peninsula slinging its hook into the North Sea, Alesund is one of Norway's most vibrant and fetching port towns, with a parade of gabled, candy-coloured art nouveau houses casting mirror images in the Brosundet canal. An intimate, family-run affair, this reimagined fishing warehouse combines one-of-a-kind architecture with minimalist edge and contemporary elegance. A huge fire blazes away in the lobby, which soars up to a central gallery, and rooms riff modern on the Nordic look in charcoals, chocolates and whites, with hints of the building's original flair in arched windows and exposed beams. They've thought of the lot: a corner café for locally brewed coffee, much-lauded restaurant Apotekergata No 5 serving just-caught seafood, a cocktail bar and a glam fitness and wellness area. Romance-wise, it has to be room 47 in Molja Lighthouse at the end of the jetty. £££ | Best for city life An ode to the 19th-century Norwegian composer and pianist Edvard Grieg, this modern classic hotel is run by his descendants. Originally Bergen's swankiest bank, the building echoes its past with marble columns, polished granite and weighty chandeliers, while taking a definite leap into more contemporary waters with sleek furnishings, bespoke wall coverings and occasional flashes of punchy colour. You're right in the heart of things here on Vagsallmenningen, one of Bergen's most photogenic squares, just paces from historic Bryggen waterfront, the fish market and the funicular trundling up to Mount Floyen. The handsome brasserie delivers afternoon tea with a splash of sophistication, while on Sunday evenings the bar swings to live jazz. • Best places to visit in Norway• Great hotels in Oslo ££ | Best for a sense of history Walaker reclines dream-like on the shores of Lustrafjord, which reaches out a startlingly blue finger to touch the high, glaciated peaks of Jotunheimen and Jostedalsbreen national parks. It's here that you'll find Norway's oldest hotel — run by the Nitter family since 1690, it's a historic retreat that doesn't give a damn about the 21st century. The cream-timber villa sits in lush floral gardens spilling down to the fjord, and rooms charm with heritage wall coverings and heavy antique furnishings. Dinner — served at 7.30pm sharp — is a set-menu feast of fjord-fished seafood, forest venison, mushrooms and fruits. Old-fashioned and insanely idyllic, Walaker Hotel is somewhere you'll remember and rave about for ever. £££ | SPA | POOL | Best for five-star luxury Trondheim is Norway's historic city poster-child, with its heart-stealing fjord setting, upbeat vibe and flurry of great restaurants, cafés and museums. Do it in style by staying at the Britannia, which opened its doors in 1870 to attract British aristocrats off to fish for the world's best salmon. Looking dashing after a top-to-toe makeover, its rooms evoke a Nordic winter in silvers, whites and greys, with handcrafted Hastens beds and Carrara marble bathrooms. Top billing, if budget is irrelevant, goes to the vast, extravagantly opulent Tower Suite, with its own grand piano and butler kitchen. After a romp around town, the skylit Palmehaven (for afternoon tea), domed spa, Michelin-starred restaurant and dark, sexy wine cellar await. £££ | SPA | POOL | Best for boutique style A burst of dark, new-Nordic glamour on Tjuvholmen ('Thief Island'), right opposite the Renzo Piano-designed Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, the Thief is Oslo's hottest boutique ticket. Nordic architects, interior designers and curators conjured up this wonder in glass and granite, filling it with nooks, flattering light, rich colours and eye-grabbing works by Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons. Gold-kissed rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows capture the light and moods of Oslofjord, the rooftop restaurant plays up inventive, season-driven cuisine, and the backlit spa and grotto-like pool make this hands-down Norway's sexiest city escape. Read our full review of The Thief ££ | Best for a base in the wilderness As the final frontier before the North Pole, Svalbard is where Norway takes a serious turn for the wilder — an archipelago home to more polar bears than people. The final flicker of civilisation is Longyearbyen on the island of Spitsbergen, the world's northernmost settlement. In winter, this is a wondrous place of bone-chilling cold and stark beauty, best seen by dog sled or snowmobile as the aurora flashes away in the sky. Conservation-focused Basecamp Explorer is a cracking base, designed like a modern-rustic trapper's lodge, with rooms filled with driftwood, sealskins, maps and pictures of explorers, and a snug lounge for post-expedition chilling. Better still, they arrange all kinds of fun, from glacier hikes to dog-sledding and multi-day snowmobile trips into the Arctic proper. ££ | Best for great hospitality Out on a limb, Roisheim sits on the cusp of Jotunheimen National Park, where glaciers glint atop dark, fang-like mountains and Norway's highest peak — 2,469m (8,100ft) Galdhopiggen — rises. Set discreetly between the pleats and folds of forested slopes, this reborn 19th-century coaching inn enchants with 14 tar-painted, turf-roofed, timber houses — all faithfully restored with features such as fireplaces, hand-painted four-poster beds and wooden bathtubs. Artists, playwrights, weary travellers and mountaineers have long flocked here for warm hospitality, big wilderness and food that sings heartily of the seasons — a winning mix. £££ | Best for a real igloo experience In Alta in the high Arctic, the aurora regularly dances in clear night skies — as you might expect from the town that is home to the Northern Lights Cathedral. In the snows of winter, from late December to early April, Sorrisniva is magical. Ice sculptors are drafted in to handcraft its igloos, where you can spend a surprisingly comfortable night in a reindeer hide-draped ice bed after a day snowshoeing, tobogganing, or dog or reindeer sledding. There's even a chance to get crafty and hook onto a two-hour crash course in ice sculpting. Grog at the ice bar warms you up nicely for dinners expertly knocked up with locally sourced reindeer, moose, seafood and wild berries. Should you be planning to tie the knot, there's even an ice chapel. Igloos fully booked? Retreat to the Scandi-chic Arctic Wilderness Lodge instead. £££ | Best for brilliant views More nature-inspired art installation than hotel, Juvet is beautifully caught between mountain and fjord. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls act as the frame for changing lights, weathers and entrancing views over forested slopes and the Valldola River. The log houses are contemporary, monochrome and purist in design: from cubic, stilt-perched 'Landscape Rooms' to tinier, simpler 'Bird Houses'. The stripped-back look and lack of curtains is intentional so as not to detract from the wonder of the outdoors; for more space and luxury, book the Writer's Lodge. After skiing, rafting or soul-searching hiking, return to the cocoon-like warmth of the riverside bathhouse and eat incredibly well in the revamped century-old cow barn. £££ | Best for icy beauty Far north of the Arctic Circle, this eco-minded fantasy escape sits in a ludicrously beautiful spot, where the dark Finnmark Alps whoosh up above steel-blue Jokelfjord and a glacier calves directly into the sea. If the setting is dramatic, the modern-day glass igloos, or geodesic domes, are coolly understated in true Scandi style: icy palettes of blues and greys, goose-down duvets, slickly designed furniture, wood-fired stoves, telescopes and vast windows for fjord, star and northern lights gazing. After a day boating out to the glacier, whale watching, dog sledding or ski touring, your hosts whip up feasts of local reindeer, fish and berries. Oh, and did we mention the sauna and outdoor hot tub by the sea? Isbreen is open year round, but it's pure Narnia in winter. Additional reporting by Kerry Christiani and Richard Mellor • Best things to do in Norway• Best northern lights tours What's your favourite hotel in Norway? Please share in the comments below

Keegan Bradley faces increasing Ryder Cup headache on special Bethpage anniversary

Daily Record

11 hours ago

Daily Record

Keegan Bradley faces increasing Ryder Cup headache on special Bethpage anniversary

United States captain can seal a second Travalers win and edge close to making his own team Keegan Bradley could celebrate his Ryder Cup anniversary in stunning style and land himself the biggest Bethpage headache of the lot. The United States captain is bang in the mix to win the Travelers Championship for a second time going into the final round at TPC River Highlands. ‌ Bradley won his local tournament in Hartford two years ago and, 12 months on from taking the call from the PGA of America to offer the Ryder Cup role, he can double up in Connecticut. ‌ If he does, however, win the Signature Event for a second time, he will sweep closer to the automatic qualification spots and the calls for him to play alongside the likes of World No.1 Scottie Scheffler in New York against Rory McIlroy -led Europe and not just be skipper would reach a fever-pitched crescendo. Bradley is fully aware of the background noise accompanying the constant 'USA, USA' chanting which he is getting at the Travelers and every week since he was announced the captain and realises he is on the brink of something extremely rare. After a terrific third-round show which left him just three behind Tommy Fleetwood, he said: 'Yeah, pretty strange. I sort of have come to this epiphany sort of that no one has ever experienced what I'm going through right now. "Arnold Palmer did in 1962 I think it was, but for the most part captains are done playing or at the end of their career or playing the Champions Tour. So it's pretty cool, I'm experiencing something that not a lot of people have. 'I try to enjoy the moments more, look around a little more, look in the crowd. It's funny, I try so hard to not think about playing, but they remind me every hole. ‌ "Tomorrow [Sunday] is the year anniversary of getting the call for the Ryder Cup, so pretty crazy that we're a year out, but special day, could be even better.' Bradley's 63 on Saturday was an impressive as any of the Americans looking to make his side and a seventh PGA Tour title is within reach. He added: 'It took me awhile to figure out how to play here in my home event and pressing and trying so hard. Now it's just about my 15th time and much more ready for the challenge, I guess you could say. ‌ "Today was just one of those days when everything feels great. I hit the ball good, putted great, felt comfortable all day, which is rare. I felt really, really great. 'Friday, I was uncomfortable on every shot I hit. I don't know why. Even just like easy shots, easy chips, easy putts. Then today I felt really comfortable on every shot. That doesn't happen often. Three back, which is a fun spot to be in. I'm going to have to go out and shoot a low score, but you can do it around here. Just hit the ball in the fairway, take care of the par-fives and you can do it. 'When you play a course you got to make birdies it brings a different challenge. You can't have a stretch of one-over par for seven holes or you lose a million shots. "So in some aspects it's difficult just like a hard course would be. I've got to go out there and get off to a good start, so sometimes that can be difficult. You just got to be patient and there's birdies out there. You've got to make them.'