Managing heat & navigating hotel bookings in Europe.

Ciao Reader,

Over the past month, we’ve taken the time to escape the Italian heat and cool off in Alaska. It’s been an opportunity to spend much-needed time with family. We celebrated our mother's 65th birthday with our entire family (almost everyone) on a beautiful lake. Since our whole family was together, we were able to complete the spreading of our grandmother's and great-grandmother's ashes in a peaceful spot along a river. After a bit of R&R, we are headed back to Italy next week. We miss our beds, but we are a little bit afraid of the heat we are returning to, lol. Speaking of the heat, continue reading for tips on managing heat waves during the European travel season.

Managing Heat Waves In Europe During Your Summer Vacation

If you’ve been watching the weather in Europe, you know it has been yet another hot summer with multiple days of extreme temperature warnings in hot (pun intended) travel destinations such as Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Florence, and more. For many, summer is the best time to travel, even if it means suffering through hot days during their vacation. So what can you do to manage the heat?

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​Choose your dates wisely. The best way to avoid the heat is to not be there! If you can, plan your trip in the early or late summer. Shoulder months, such as April/May & Sept/October, are best, but if that isn’t an option, try to avoid the majority of July and August at the least.

AC Expectations. You may have heard that they don’t have air conditioning in Europe. While this is not true, it might as well be. Many places have air conditioning, but it has its limitations. Air conditioning is treated as a last resort in Europe, compared to the United States, where it’s generally expected that air conditioning is on when it’s hot out. Europeans set the thermostat to higher temperatures than you may be used to.

You may also find that the available air conditioning is not as effective as you are used to. This is because built-in central air is not common in Europe. You will mostly see mini-splits, which cool a small area. In many instances, dining outside in the heat is more comfortable than dining inside. Not all indoor options are air-conditioned- some museums may be in old palaces that don’t have air conditioning; therefore, they may not provide relief from the heat. Read more on AC and hotel rooms below in the section about setting expectations for European hotel rooms.

Tips for managing the heat:

• Stay hydrated. Order water wherever you go (use the restroom too). Eat fruits that are high in water content, such as melons.
• Wear light materials: Pay attention to the clothes and materials you pack, and leave the heavy and thick materials at home. Look for items that are light and breathable.
• Cary a handheld fan. Sometimes, some light air movement is helpful when the humidity feels sticky.
• Plan heavy activity for early in the day. The earlier you can do the hike or take the walking tour, the better. Get heavy activity out of the way early in the day so you can take it slow and easy in the afternoon heat.
• Take a nap. There is a reason some countries participate in siesta or ripasso, and it’s not for the extra sleep like some may think. In some cultures, it is used to aid in digestion after a heavy meal (where lunch tends to be a large meal). In Italy, it is done during the hottest part of the day, giving outdoor workers a break from the heat.
• Late dinners. Begin dinner later so that the highest heat may be gone and you can enjoy the meal with a little more comfort.
• Alcohol in moderation. Alcohol can dehydrate you and make the heat feel more intense. Enjoy a cold beer, but balance it with water and moderation.

Rail and Air Strikes in Italy, July 2026 Rail and air strikes can be a real pain, but knowing ahead of time can save you a lot of stress in the moment. Monitor strikes during your travels on the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transportation website, and read more about what to do if there is a train strike in Italy here. Strikes in the near future: July 20- Public transportation, buses, Local Tuscan bus company staff on strike. Florence. July 21st- Airline. Airport Staff Naples & Salerno. EasyJet flight staff. Regional strike.

Navigating room/bed types and amenities in European Hotels

Have you ever booked a room, and when you arrived, you thought the room wasn’t what you had booked, but it turned out the room you had booked just wasn’t what you expected? Many Americans have this experience when visiting Europe for the first time. What they learn (the hard way) is that space, luxury, and comfort are seen differently in Europe. Understanding this will help arm you with the info you need to set your expectations and book more confidently.

Things to consider when selecting hotels in Europe:

Rooms sizes. Rooms in Europe tend to be smaller and have a strict capacity. When you book rooms, you will find that the room is just big enough for the furniture and your luggage (if you’re lucky). For the most part, you shouldn’t need to spend time in the room, so the space is focused on needs for sleeping and showering. If you want extra space, you will want to look for some sort of suite (although the extra space may be filled with a couch). Because space is limited, you will also find that you can’t choose the number of people to fit into a room.

• For example, you may think that two large beds are big enough for you, your spouse, and your 3 kids (thinking the little one will sleep with you and your spouse, and the other two will share a bed)- guess again. That room may have a 3- or 4-person capacity (for safety reasons), and you will have to pay for a 2nd room and split up. On the upside, it is super common to find triple and quadruple rooms which have 3 or 4 twin beds or a combination of a larger bed and 1 or 2 twin beds.

Bed types: Bed types do not transfer exactly from US sizes to European sizes. If you read "king-size bed” it probably isn’t the king-size you are expecting; it’s closer to a queen in most cases. The most common bed type you will see is a double. This is not the double that we see in the US, which is slightly bigger than a queen; it is literally two beds put together to create one large bed. Knowing this is so important, particularly if you are traveling with someone you don’t wish to share a bed with. In the US, we will often find that a room with 2 beds has 2 queen beds.

• In Europe, you would want a double (that can be separated) with enough occupancy for 2 people- you will each get a twin bed. Furthermore, you will almost always see that the bed type is not guaranteed! This is frustrating. The best you can do is message the hotel upon booking to state that you would prefer that the beds be separated. This almost always works, but sometimes you could get stuck sharing two beds pushed together and made up as one.

Room keys. While many hotels have made the switch to electronic keys, you will still find many hotels with old standard keys (or even older skeleton keys) and bulky key chains attached. Don’t worry about the bulky key chains; they will probably request that you leave the key at the front desk when you leave. At first, this feels weird- that you don’t get to keep the key with you- but there is a good reason for this. The older hotels may only have one or two keys for the room, and they want to prevent the keys from getting lost. Once you get past the mental part of this, you can appreciate how freeing it is to not have to keep track of the key while you are out and about.

Towels. Just like hotels in the US, you will find a variety of towel sizes, and some will have large, luxurious towels, and others will have towels that are slightly bigger than a hand towel. When assessing the towels in the room, pay attention to the placement; there will likely be specific towels for the bidet if you are in a country that uses the bidet. Each guest should have a bidet towel if they are provided.

Sheets/Blankets. Heads up- the UK doesn’t use a top sheet for the most part, and Italy has seasonal bedding. In Italy, you will only find top sheets on your beds from May through September. In October, they swap that top sheet for a warm blanket. Pillows are weird; we don’t really know how to describe this, but you are going to find pillows that are more square than rectangular and of different densities than you're used to.

Blow Dryer. While most hotels will have a blow dryer in the room, it’s worth noting that they can be very interesting in Italy. Some are attached to the wall and use a hose-like attachment to dispel the heat and air on your hair; these are very low-powered and take a while. Just be aware that this could be time-consuming, something you want to skip altogether, or a cause to travel with a blow dryer. If you travel with a blow dryer, make sure it’s dual voltage (100-240V) and get a converter to plug it in with. In Europe, you will need plug type C for most cords and for grounded appliances, type E or F. The UK and Ireland use type G.

AC/Heat. As noted in the section about AC in Europe, it is not used in the same way as in the United States. You should never assume your hotel will have air conditioning. We know- it’s wild, considering the yearly reports of heat-related deaths in Europe. Anyhow, we digress. Make sure to check the amenity list to see if the hotel rooms have air conditioning.

• Note that while your room may have AC, it may not create the icebox you are used to at home. The air conditioning will likely have a limit set that doesn’t allow it to be set below a certain temperature (usually around 20-22ºC) AND it will have time-of-year limitations (only works from May or June through September 15th). That last one was a shocker when it was over 80ºF on our birthday in October…

Breakfast. This is more a matter of preference. If you're traveling with a family, you may find it more convenient to have breakfast at the hotel. If you're looking for an authentic experience, we recommend nearby cafes. Over time, we have found that many ‘breakfast included’ options are a bit pricey, but the convenience may outweigh that price.

Floor numbers and stairs. European countries start their floor numbering on what those in the US call the 2nd floor, meaning that the ground floor is 0 and the floor above it is 1. This will be important to know if you are booking a room where there is no elevator, as floor 3 will be your floor 4. Many old buildings do not have stairs, and many countries do not require them or only require them in buildings over a certain number of floors. If you have mobility issues or you don’t want to haul your suitcase up several floors of spiral staircases, you might want to be sure that there is an elevator in the building.

Taxes and fees. When you book a room and pay in advance in the United States, you are charged all taxes and fees, excluding incidentals. In Europe, you are charged most of the fees, but you usually do not pay the local tourism tax until you are either checking in or checking out. This fee is based on the number of travelers and is a nightly fee per person. There may be a variance in the fee based on the guests' age. This is usually a nominal fee, and some hotels may require it to be paid in cash. This is important to know because the booking site you use may include that amount when you see the total, but then you may be charged less because that fee is still due.

Identification. When you check into a hotel in the United States, you are usually asked for your identification, and they take down your name, DOB, and ID number or match it to your reservation. In Europe, they will often ask for identification for every traveler (this should be your passport). They will take a photo or a copy of everyone's identification. This is perfectly normal (and is often required by the law); it just feels weird the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this.

We hope this newsletter has given you the confidence to travel and find the right rooms for your needs, even if it is hot during your vacation.

We want to hear from you. If you have any questions about travel, please send us an email or reply directly to this newsletter. We’re happy to help.

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