Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

France holiday - heatwave

130 replies

Lily27 · 12/08/2025 04:26

Just wondering if anyone is travelling to France this week? We had booked a holiday to Provence with our 9yo and I was so excited but looking at the temps of 37-38 degrees I’m panicking a bit and almost tempted not to go. Not sure how to handle or what to do. DP says it will be fine and we will adapt but I don’t want to be trapped in the Airbnb for most of the day! AIBU?

OP posts:
Waitingfordoggo · 12/08/2025 08:05

NidaNearby · 12/08/2025 05:30

If high 30s is beyond the pale for you, I’m not sure why you chose to book the South of France during August… This is not at all unpredictable. Maybe consider Scandinavia next time?

This! I hate high temperatures. I find it easy to avoid Southern Europe from June-Sept.

Marblerun18 · 12/08/2025 08:12

Do activities/sightseeing in the morning when it's cooler. Go inside in the middle of the day and relax and have lunch and a siesta. Nice walk and evening meal late evening once it's cooled.

soupyspoon · 12/08/2025 08:16

FluffyWabbit · 12/08/2025 04:56

I thought people booked holidays so that they could experience these types of temps......?

Yes bit surprised at this thread. Holiday abroad = hot - shocker

Thats why people turn their noses up at UK holidays isnt it, they want the guaranteed heat and sunshine.

soupyspoon · 12/08/2025 08:17

Inshockandsome · 12/08/2025 06:04

The trains and tubes to London are all air conditioned. When was the last time you used one? 1982?

What!!! No they're not. Some might be but not as a matter of course at all.

xILikeJamx · 12/08/2025 08:23

We were in Italy on a holiday park a few weeks ago with a 9 & 12yo. Temps started at 28ish so we went out and about and explored, but got up to 38-40 after a week, so we just chilled around the pool. The kids were constantly running around the pool, jumping in and going down the slides and never noticed the temps. I could sit for maybe an hour (with an ice cold grapefruit beer!) then a 15 minute dip in the pool cooled me down again.

AC in the lodge meant we could always retreat there, but never really needed to.

notimagain · 12/08/2025 08:26

Marblerun18 · 12/08/2025 08:12

Do activities/sightseeing in the morning when it's cooler. Go inside in the middle of the day and relax and have lunch and a siesta. Nice walk and evening meal late evening once it's cooled.

One genuine problem here last few days and one of the reasons this event has been deemed an official canicule by the authorities is that the temps have remained elevated well into late evening/early hours AM.

For info it's been around 28 or 29 celsius here at home as late as 2300 hrs last two or three nights...

It does however cool enough in the early hours to make the mornings comfortable.

Alexandra2001 · 12/08/2025 08:28

FloridaCat · 12/08/2025 07:57

I love French supermarkets.❤️

So do i!

Wonder why ours are so poor?

Even their Lidl's are more like a Waitrose here...

Always found the heat in France to be more bearable than what we get here, often seems to be a drier heat.

Jijithecat · 12/08/2025 08:32

We never go anywhere near as far South as Provence as I know I would struggle with the temperature. Even then we've had days where it's hit 38.
There's no need to be stuck in an Airbnb in high temperatures though. Surely there are lakes, forests and castles etc to explore. Also the shopping centres will have aircon.

Lily27 · 12/08/2025 08:37

Thanks! We have aircon but no pool sadly.

OP posts:
Lily27 · 12/08/2025 08:39

We can’t change the dates. The only thing is to return early if it’s unbearable

OP posts:
Lily27 · 12/08/2025 08:40

Yes I know, the Southern Europe holiday needs to be reconsidered from now on

OP posts:
Wildwild · 12/08/2025 08:40

Up early in the morning and a few hours at the pool. Back to apartment/room by 1. Siesta until 4ish then head to the beach for sunset. Sit out all evening with kids asleep in the air con.

Lily27 · 12/08/2025 08:41

thanks, this is a sensible plan

OP posts:
Wildwild · 12/08/2025 08:42

Sorry just read you have no pool. I’m afraid I wouldn’t go to southern Europe in August with no pool (and I’m originally from southern Europe!)

summerskyblue · 12/08/2025 08:43

''@Inshockandsome · Today 06:04
The trains and tubes to London are all air conditioned. When was the last time you used one? 1982?''

Er, no.

Tube stations, platforms and trains get really hot in the summer and not all lines have carriages with air conditioning.

Wildwild · 12/08/2025 08:45

Since having kids we have starting holidaying early and late season. So pre school we would go June or September and now we go May or October half term. October is a bit more limited so Canaries, Cyprus, Turkey but May you can pretty much go anywhere in our experience. We usually go to the Costa Dorada and have never had bad weather but even though it’s quite far north.

(sorry, I appreciate this doesn’t help you right now but thought it might be useful for future reference)

DuckbilledSplatterPuff · 12/08/2025 08:46

OP

I've been on many French holidays, pregnant and with kids when it was heatwave time... and I'm a burner
This is what worked for me. Forgive me if you've already thought of all this.
Suncream, hats of course. Oasis bucket hat for kids rather than baseball (doesn't cover necks)

Long sleeve linen shirts are v popular, pop one over a sun dress and you won't burn.
I got a pale UVA Sunshade/Umbrella from Amazon for the last holiday and it really saved me.. Esp walking round at high noon! (had to be done unfortunately) Cooler (temperature wise) than a hat.. I noticed these were very popular when we were in Asia. It was only some English tourists who shouted "It's not raining love!"

Cooling them down.. A can of water spray.. A damp neckchief for their hot or burnt necks. And all the usual hydrating.

We got up early. Long Lunch. out again late afternoon.

A lot of stores and museums have great air con in these cities/towns and it can be a welcome relief from the heat of the day. French towns are really good with lining the roads with trees and shade, so you can usually walk in the shade.
Most of these places are so much better prepared for the heat than the uk.. the trains for instance usually have air con.

Its quite hot in the UK at the moment - so you've got a chance to acclimatise which I think really makes a difference. Have a good holiday.

FastFood · 12/08/2025 08:48

@Inshockandsome
You're talking about London, Ontario, right?

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 12/08/2025 08:53

boulevardofbrokendreamss · 12/08/2025 04:46

It’ll be fine, why on earth would you cancel!? France has been pulling temps like that for a while
now. We have a static down near Bordeaux and it gets very very hot but you are on holiday holiday not commuting to London in a cattle box tube.

Edited

Spent 10 days in a gite near Bordeaux 2 years ago - no air con - the heat was hideous. I spent much of the daytime inside with the fan on - just emerged late afternoon for a few lengths of the pool.

Bellavida99 · 12/08/2025 08:58

I wouldn’t book somewhere with no pool in August anywhere I don’t think. That’s an unusual choice especially with kids. Hopefully there’s a swimming river close by. At least you’ve got aircon. Maybe buy a big paddling pool and take it

Clafoutie · 12/08/2025 09:43

Inshockandsome · 12/08/2025 06:14

All of my trains are air conditioned - as is the tube. A few warm days in London won’t kill uou! It’s nothing like 40c and it’s pathetic to compare them.

But posters are literally saying here, not all of the tube lines are air conditioned!
Even those that are have only been so since 2010.

Shedmistress · 12/08/2025 09:44

We stayed in a bell tent near Sarlat about 10 years ago with the same conditions, and it was terrible. We had 250 steps to get to the car park so if you wanted to do anything you had to do it early or late. We ended up doing out on day trips just to be in the air con of the car. I finally cracked at 2am one night and booked a hotel in Paris with aircon for the final 3 nights and we left first thing the next morning.

I did a market 2 days ago, on Sunday in the steaming heat, luckily we were in the shade but the people who weren't were pretty unhappy.

I froze 2 milk bottles refilled with water and used them and some frozen blue picnic ice packs to keep my ice box cold. I also froze made up squash so that as it melted I could have cold drinks all day. I took some cloths so that if needs be I could wet them and use them to mop my brow/wipe hands etc. Frozen stuff is key to survival.

I didn't walk in the sun at all, either to or from where I parked unless i had no option. The key thing is to stay out of the sun at all times. Open one front car door and the opposite back door and waft the front one several times open and close to pump the hot air out and park in the shade whenever possible.

Do stuff early and late and sleep for the afternoon. Buy a rechargeable small fan, you won't regret it.

Spray the bottom sheet with water just before you get into bed, it will help to cool you down. Take a spray bottle or 2 with you and fill it reguarly.

Keep hydrated, stay out of the sun and find a lake or beach to cool down in.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 12/08/2025 09:54

Can you research a nearby pool before going and make bookings as necessary?

Lily27 · 12/08/2025 09:56

Thanks, these are all very helpful tips. Will try to get as much of this as possible

OP posts:
Lily27 · 12/08/2025 09:58

Tbh it was a late booking and we took what we could find. In previous summers it worked well, we did drives to the beach and other places and loved it. So a pool wasn’t a big priority but with 37-38 temps it would have been great. As one poster suggested I will try to research nearby pools

OP posts: