Foreign Office travel warning for Spain, France and Portugal

As well as the UK, a heatwave is also hitting Europe, with France seeing its hottest day ever on record on Tuesday (June 23), with temperatures set to peak above 40C in some areas in Spain this week.

In Italy, a red heatwave alert has been declared in 15 cities, including Rome, Milan, Turin and Venice, with Portugal and other European countries also feeling the effects.

Amid this, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has updated its travel advice for Brits heading to Spain, France and Portugal.

Foreign Office issues fresh travel advice for Spain, France and Portugal

The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for anyone travelling to Spain and France, with advice also in place for Italy.

New information regarding extreme temperatures on its safety and security pages have been added.

For anyone travelling to Spain, the Foreign Office warns that “extreme weather can affect many parts of Spain, particularly over the summer months”.

It advises travellers to check warnings from the Spanish Meteorological Office (AEMET) and the European Meteorological Services.

It adds: “Follow guidance from the Spanish Ministry of Health for your area.

“You can sign up for email alerts (in Spanish).

“Check with your travel provider and follow advice from local authorities.”

Bilbao and its surrounding region are among the many areas in Spain facing high temperatures (Image: Getty Images)

Spain is facing a heatwave across various parts of the Iberian Peninsula.

Spain’s national weather service, Aemet, issued red alerts on Tuesday for temperatures of 44C in southern Andalusia as well as warnings of 40C in the normally temperate Cantabria and the Basque Country regions along its northern Atlantic coast.

Aemet meteorologist Rubén del Campo said Spain, which has experienced increasingly torrid summers of late, is only going to get hotter because of climate change as heatwaves become more frequent, longer and appear outside the traditional window of July and August.

In France, there is also a “risk of higher than normal temperatures” in summer, the Foreign Office said.

Its website adds: “Check current weather forecasts and read about how to protect yourself on the Meteo France website.

“Check with your travel provider and follow advice from local authorities.”

France recorded its hottest day ever on Tuesday (June 23), according to national weather agency Meteo France.

The intense heatwave continues in much of France, Spain and Italy 🌡️

France saw its hottest June day on record on Monday, and there is still a chance temperatures could reach 40–45°C in western parts of Europe

Nights are also very warm, remaining above 20°C for many pic.twitter.com/1cDNNN5bYt

— Met Office (@metoffice) June 23, 2026

Advertisement

It said France’s national thermal indicator hit a new record of 29.8C, beating the previous record of 29.4C that dated back to heatwaves of August 2003 and July 2019.

Daytime highs above 40C were also recorded in many individual weather stations, with 54 areas of France placed under a red heatwave alert.

In Portugal, like Spain and France, the Foreign Office is one again warning of a risk of higher than normal temperatures in summer.

It says: “Check current weather forecasts and read about how to protect yourself on the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere website.”

Human-caused climate change is tied to increasing extreme weather and UN climate agency projections suggest the next five years will shatter more heat records.

Temperature warnings in Spain and France amid heatwave

The Spanish Meteorological Office (AEMET) has red, amber and yellow warnings in place across the country on Tuesday (June 23) and Wednesday (June 24) due to the heatwave.

Red warnings for an “extraordinary hazard” are in place on Wednesday for the Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia areas in northern Spain.

Much of the country has amber warnings for an “important hazard”.

In France, most of the country is covered by red heatwave warnings tomorrow (June 24) on Mateo France.

Meanwhile, across the rest of Europe, many other countries have heatwave warnings in place, according to European Meteorological Services (EMS).

On Wednesday (June 24), as well as France and Spain, red warnings are in place for parts of Germany and Switzerland.

For travel to France, the EMS urges to “drink water several times a day” and to “wet your body several times a day using a spray, a washcloth or by taking warm showers or baths”.

It adds: “Do not go out during the hottest hours (11am-9pm).

“If you must go out, wear a hat and light clothing.

“Try to go to a cool or air-conditioned place for two to three hours a day, whilst continuing to respect physical distance and barrier gestures.”

In northern Spain, travellers are urged to “take precautionary action, remain vigilant and act on advice given by authorities”.

How do you stay cool in a heatwave? Let us know in the comments.