Travelling to Spain, France or Greece? How Europe’s heatwave could affect your trip

Travelling to Spain, France or Greece? How Europe’s heatwave could affect your trip Europe is experiencing another summer of extreme temperatures. From heat-related health risks and wildfire disruption to what Foreign Office advice really means for your holiday, Annabel Grossman looks at what travellers need to know before they fly in the latest Travel Insider newsletter - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments This week I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the cooler weather in the UK. But with another heatwave looming – temperatures are expected to climb into the high 30s in Paris next week and are already nudging the low 40s in Spain and Portugal – I’ve been looking at how the weather could affect holidays to Europe this summer. While many of us actively seek out the heat when booking a summer holiday, the temperatures we’ve been seeing can be uncomfortable and, if not managed properly, potentially very dangerous. In fact, in a previous newsletter, The Travel Insider community was almost split down the middle on the subject, but hot holidays just edged it, with 55 per cent of readers saying they’d rather chase the sunshine than escape it. Yet the recent heatwave has also been a stark reminder of the risks posed by extreme temperatures. More than 1,300 deaths have been linked to Europe’s June heatwave, with France alone recording at least 1,000 additional deaths over three days. The UK Foreign Office currently has extreme temperature warnings in place for France, Spain and Portugal. However, it has stopped short of advising against travel, and it is highly unlikely that it would do so because of a heatwave alone. As a result, travel firms have no obligation to let people cancel their holidays because of the heat. The Foreign Office also has a number of warnings relating to wildfires, which have unfortunately become increasingly common across Europe, with 2025 proving to be the EU’s most destructive wildfire season on record. In recent years, holidaymakers have been evacuated because of wildfires, including during the summer of 2023, when nearly 20,000 tourists were flown off the island of Rhodes. Sign up to the free Travel Insider newsletter here Heatwaves can also create the ideal conditions for thunderstorms, which can severely disrupt air travel – as we saw last weekend when hundreds of flights were delayed at Heathrow and Gatwick. Although Mediterranean countries are generally far better equipped to deal with extreme heat than we are in the UK, June’s heatwave still caused significant disruption. Around 68,000 households in Brittany were left without electricity following an incident involving a transformer. Attractions including the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre closed early, while in Greece, last year’s heatwaves forced Athens to temporarily close the Acropolis. Holidaymakers heading out to explore tourist attractions should also be aware of the dangers of heat exhaustion and heatstroke, particularly children, older people and those with pre-existing medical conditions. When we’re on holiday, it’s easy to spend hours outdoors without realising how dehydrated we’re becoming. The NHS recommends taking sensible precautions, including staying in the shade, particularly between 11am and 3pm, wearing sunscreen, a hat and lightweight clothing, and drinking plenty of extra fluids. If you’re swapping the city for the coast – or perhaps a countryside hotel or villa – the sea or pool can provide welcome relief. However, it’s worth remembering that drowning deaths tend to rise during heatwaves (there were at least 40 in France during the recent heatwave), so it’s important to be aware of tides and rip currents and to ensure children are always supervised around water. Just because it’s hot and you’re abroad, don’t be tempted to take risks you wouldn’t at home – something many of us have probably been guilty of while travelling. This may sound like a lot of doom and gloom, but the reality is that the vast majority of holidaymakers heading to the Mediterranean this summer will experience little or no disruption from the heat and enjoy stress-free breaks. And if you’ve not yet booked your summer holiday and are already sweating at the thought of 40C temperatures in the Med, why not opt for the cooler climes of destinations such as Iceland or Estonia, and save Spain or Greece for later in the year? Get the Travel Insider newsletter Travel Insider is The Independent’s twice-weekly travel newsletter, packed with insight, inspiration and trusted advice to help you explore better. It is your guide to planning smarter journeys: from finding the best low-impact ways to get around to choosing destinations that benefit local communities. Each Friday and Sunday, you’ll receive a curated digest of the biggest developments in travel, along with unbeatable deals, destination ideas, and expert tips on where, when and how to go. To sign up, simply enter your email address in the box at the top of this article. You can also head to our newsletter preference centre to sign up for the email. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments