4 Tips to Beat the Heat
Opt for island living. Stay on the colorful island of Procida off the coast of Naples. (Photo from Wonderfeast’s Naples tour)
Each year, from June through August, I get emails from friends asking for advice on what to see, do and eat on their upcoming trip to France/Italy/Spain/Greece (fill in country of choice).
And I can’t help but shudder because rather than a list of attractions or restaurants, what I really want to send them is a two-word response: DON"T GO!!
Because it can be hot. Really hot. Scorchingly hot. (And very, very crowded.)
Traveling to Europe in the summer is definitely less than ideal. Having said that, I also fully understand being hemmed in by school calendars and the desire to cut loose at this time of the year, wear light clothes, drink cool aperitifs at an outdoor café on a pretty square, and generally get a much-needed break from one’s constricting routine.
So what follows is what I actually do email back: 4 little tips that can make a BIG difference.
Location, location, location
Where you stay can change everything. If you have the choice, avoid big cities. All that asphalt and the lack of vegetation contributes to soaring temperatures. Likewise, avoid plains or arid regions. Florence is an oven in the summertime. The south of France, especially inland from the sea (Montpellier, Nîmes, Avignon), can be unbearably toasty. Same for Andalucia in Spain, especially the Guadalquivir Valley (think Cordoba and Sevilla).
Instead, for greater relief, make your base in smaller towns or villages in verdant countryside, in the mountains, or on water. In addition to being cooler, you’ll find you’re sharing the streets and spaces with locals more than with tourists.
If a big city IS your chosen destination, opt for a hotel with a pool or rent a place near a public or hotel pool. And definitely ensure the air conditioning works.
Enjoy languid meals. It’s just as enriching to eat, sip, and people watch as to visit major sites! (Photo from Wonderfeast’s Venice tour)
2. Embrace a summer schedule
Wake up early and head out to take advantage of the cooler hours before the thermometer’s mercury begins to rise. Walking the streets of a town or city between 6:00-9:00 am can be a real delight. Aside from the lower temperatures, it’s also when cities and towns feel more intimate before the onslaught of the madding tourist crowds.
By 10:00 am, get thee to a church, catacombs, museum (preferably air conditioned), or any such cool and shadowy place. Spend an hour or two indoors poking around, away from the sun’s unrelenting rays.
Then, around 11:30-12:00 pm, stop for a pre-lunch refreshment followed by a looooooooong, languid lunch break. You might even chase that with a nap, a quick rinse or swim, some reading, or card games.
At 6:00 or 7:00 pm, have a shower and head out for a gelato or aperitif. Cone in hand, enjoy a stroll to admire a nearby monument from outside. Before you know it, it will be dinner time. After that, have another a stroll - and maybe another gelato or drink. You’re on vacation. Who’s counting?! And stay out as late as the spirit moves you. Our daughter loves running around a piazza into the wee hours of the morning in the summertime. It’s finally cool, it’s festive, and it’s the stuff of memories.
(On the subject of schedules, time train and plane arrivals for either early in the morning or at the end of the day so as to avoid having to schlep suitcases or wait in taxi stands in the heat. Surely if they’d existed at the time Dante would have put train stations in the tenth circle of hell.)
A self-guided tour of the palatial Opéra Garnier will keep you cool; and you get to admire Chagall’s ceiling painting. (Photo from Wonderfeast’s Paris tour)
3. Adjust your expectations
What if you didn’t visit the Mona Lisa at the Louvre or the Sistine Chapel or the Tower of London? While it may feel wrong to give these iconic sites the cold shoulder, at least your shoulder will be cold - or not rubbing up against gazillions of other sweaty visitors. Instead, ogle Bernini’s virtuosic sculptures at the delightfully small Galleria Borghese and then walk through or rent bikes in the lovely Borghese Gardens, have lunch under the leafy trees, or nap on the grass. Or dive underground into Paris’s creepy catacombs or visit the storied Conciergerie, the city’s medieval courthouse and prison, then make like a flâneur and sip a cool drink on a shaded terrasse de café. Or head west down the Strand to the Sir John Soane Museum, the nineteenth-century neoclassical architect’s jewel-like home, and then cross the Thames to the South Bank Center for a sandwich by the riverside.
Smaller, less-visited sites deliver so much more satisfaction than their more famous peers, especially in the summer months. They’re less crowded, less exhausting because of their more manageable scale, and usually not as stuffy and hot. Most importantly, if you’re one of those “we have to see it all” people, take your plans for your destination, slash them by 50%, and then again by another 25%. Believe me, one site per day is sufficient. Spend the rest of your time people watching, eating, and relaxing. Your travel mates will thank you.
Typical summer fare at Lake Bracciano: grilled lake fish with fennel seeds, oil, and lemon, and a cucumber and fresh spinach salad. (Photo from Wonderfeast’s Rome tour)
4. Help your body help you
There’s a great deal we can do to make ourselves comfortable in the heat. Wear sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen, and light, cotton or linen clothing. Believe it or not, long, loose-fitting linen pants and shirts are better in extreme heat than shorts and tank tops because they keep the sun off your skin and are moisture-wicking. And definitely avoid synthetic, “technical” clothing. The synthetic fibers will cause you to perspire even more than necessary. Better wrinkly linen than suffocating synthetics.
European pharmacies are fantastic. In addition to medication, the highly-informed staff will gladly dispense advice on electrolytes, supplements, and the best bandaids for blistered feet.
Most importantly, eat smart. You will be hard pressed to find a Frenchman eating foie gras or an Italian noshing on lasagna in July. Non merci! Instead, opt for the cool, refreshing foods of summer: fresh vegetables, salads, seafood, tomatoes, fresh fruit, gelato, sorbets, etc. When in doubt, ask your wait staff. They’ll be more than happy to suggest something light and nutritious that won’t leave you feeling weighed down.
Wonderfeast trips always take place during shoulder seasons. No intense heat, fewer crowds. Learn more here.
What are your tricks for beating the heat when you travel? Comment below to share your wisdom!