Packing list for a European summer heatwave
Rome, Athens, Madrid, Barcelona and Lisbon in July and August: 95°F (35°C) by mid afternoon, churches that still want shoulders and knees covered, a city that shuts from lunch until five, and restaurant air conditioning that makes you want the layer you left at the hotel.
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Checked October 10, 2026.
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0 of 17 packed
Clothes for the heat
0/6Water and salt
0/4Day bag
0/4Health
0/3What the weather is like
July and August afternoons average 88 to 90°F (31 to 32°C) in Rome, 91°F (33°C) in Madrid and 93°F (34°C) in Athens, with heatwaves pushing all three past 100°F (38°C); Madrid sees about 20 days a year over 95°F (35°C). Athens nights stay at 75°F (24°C), Rome and Madrid fall to 19 or 68°F (20°C). Lisbon is the cool one at around 82°F (28°C) with an Atlantic breeze. Rain is rare in all five cities until September.
- Jeans and anything blackDark denim at 93°F (34°C) is miserable and you will not wear it once.
- A second pair of closed shoesSandals carry the day and one closed pair covers churches with a dress code and dinner
- A big bottle of sunscreenPharmacies and supermarkets in every city sell it, and a 50 ml tube flies in your carry-on
- A folding fanSpaniards still use them for a reason; a market stall in Madrid or Barcelona sells one for a few euros and it works in a line
- A cover-up for the church door if you forgotStalls near St Peter's and most big churches sell a paper or cloth shawl; buying one is cheaper than losing a timed ticket
- Electrolyte sachets and aftersun from a farmaciaThe green cross is on every street and the pharmacist will hand you the right box in English
Worth knowing
- Plan around the afternoon. Rome, Madrid and Athens run around 88 to 93°F (31 to 34°C) on an average July afternoon and past 95°F (35°C) in a heatwave, and in July 2025 the Acropolis closed from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. for two days because of it. Do ruins and squares before 11 a.m., a museum or a long lunch from 1 p.m., and go back out after 6 p.m.
- Plan laundry around the heat. Linen you sweat through needs washing every day, so pack for four days, not eight, and book a hotel with a laundry room or find a lavanderia near it on day one; a sink wash dries overnight on a 77°F (25°C) balcony.
- Drink before you are thirsty. A liter of water between breakfast and lunch is normal here, and a few tomatoes with salt at lunch replace what you sweated out. Rome's free fountains make this easy; in Lisbon and Barcelona you buy a bottle once and refill it at the hotel.
Trips to pack this for
Never leave the charger in the hotel again.
Waystop keeps a list for each bag and each person. On the morning you change hotels it walks you through a quick pack-up check, and Chat can suggest items to add when you ask what to bring.