Belinda JacksonJun 18, 2026 – 5.00amIt’s aperitivo hour and glasses are raised to toast glittering coastlines, warm evenings of soft music and languid dinners in vine-cloaked tavernas. It’s the kind of perfect Euro-summer scene that quickens hearts.Now flip the coin. Overpriced and overcrowded towns and cities, with queues at every museum, and tourist taxes and summer port fees at the bottom of every bill. Flights are jammed tighter than a tin of Portuguese sardines and cities swelter as temperatures soar.The European Environment Agency says Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, heating up at twice the global average rate, due to proximity to the Arctic’s melting perimeter. The phenomenon is evidenced in its record heatwaves and shrinking snow cover, not to mention heat-struck travellers.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles
Why you should give summer cruises the cold shoulder
Europe is getting hotter and more crowded during the mid-year peak. Try spring, autumn and winter instead.
144 words~1 min read
