Climate Change Turns European Getaways into Hot Zones

Climate change is drastically altering Europe’s summer landscape, forcing familiar vacation spots into uncomfortable territories. From rising seas to relentless heat, traditional getaways are being redefined, leaving both locals and tourists facing unprecedented challenges during what was once the height of summer leisure.

As the summer sun bears down on Europe, once-idyllic coastal destinations are becoming untenable. The scenic beach of Montgat, near Barcelona, which was once filled with families building sandcastles and enjoying leisurely afternoons, is now sparsely populated with sand glimmering far out to sea. “From here to there,” remarked Sofia Mella, a 19-year-old local, indicating a vast expanse of water where beachgoers once laid their towels.

The reality is stark: climate change is transforming Europe into a summer experience far removed from its traditional allure. Across Spain, Italy, Greece, and France, recurrent storms and rising sea levels are swallowing beaches, while overwhelming heat waves, catastrophic floods, and devastating wildfires plague many areas annually. What used to be vacation hotspots are now described as anything but ideal retreats.

The summer of 2025 has seen temperatures rise alarmingly, and with future heat waves on the horizon, both locals and visitors are grappling with discomfort. Even advocates fighting tourism excesses have found no bright side to the extreme weather conditions. Barcelona local Daniel Pardo Rivacoba, representing a group opposed to overtourism and its environmental impact, described the situation as “hell.” Rather than viewing the scorching heat as a deterrent for tourists, he sees it as a shared threat to everyone in the region.

His group, which gained notoriety last year by staging creative protests against the harms of overtourism, such as spraying visitors with water guns, now finds the roles reversed. “This year, it was so hot that we used the water guns on ourselves,” he lamented, illustrating the dire state of summer 2025 in one of Europe’s famed cities. As locals seek refuge from the unbearable heat, the once sun-soaked promise of a relaxing getaway appears increasingly elusive.