The Hottest Places in Europe
The hottest place in Europe is Córdoba, in southern Spain, where July and August daytime highs average around 37°C (99°F) and the thermometer has climbed to 47.4°C. But “hottest” splits two ways — the cities that are reliably scorching every summer, and the freak record readings. This page ranks both.
Ask “what is the hottest place in Europe?” and you get two different right answers, because people mean two different things. If you mean where is it reliably hottest every summer, the answer is inland Andalusia — Córdoba, Écija and Seville, baking in the Guadalquivir basin. If you mean where has the single highest temperature been recorded, the answer is Sicily, where Siracusa hit 48.8°C in 2021. This page keeps the two separate, because conflating them is why the answers online disagree.
For a place to be consistently hot rather than briefly, it helps to be far from the sea, low-lying, and shut off from cooling winds by mountains. Southern Spain's river valleys tick every box, which is why they, not the Mediterranean islands, top the average ranking.
Europe's Hottest Cities, Ranked by Average Summer Heat
Ranked by average July/August daytime high — how hot it reliably gets, not just the one-off record. The “record” column shows the highest reading on or near each location for context. Figures are rounded normals; see Sources.
| # | City | Avg summer high | Record high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CórdobaAndalusia, SpainThe hottest big city in Europe by average summer high. Far inland in the Guadalquivir valley, it holds Spain’s national record (Córdoba province, Aug 2021). | ~37°C / 99°F | 47.4°C |
| 2 | ÉcijaAndalusia, SpainNicknamed “la sartén de Andalucía” — the frying pan of Andalusia. A small inland town that routinely tops Spain’s daily heat charts. | ~37°C / 99°F | ~47°C |
| 3 | SevilleAndalusia, SpainThe largest of the Andalusian furnaces. Its airport station hit 46.6°C in July 1995. Only slightly cooler than Córdoba thanks to marginally more air movement. | ~36°C / 97°F | 46.6°C |
| 4 | NicosiaCyprusThe hottest capital in Europe. Landlocked in the Mesaoria plain, it bakes without the sea breeze that cools coastal Larnaca and Paphos. | ~37°C / 99°F | ~44°C |
| 5 | MurciaSpainSouth-east Spain’s hot, dry corner — sheltered, sunny and semi-arid, with summers close to the Andalusian benchmark. | ~35°C / 95°F | ~46°C |
| 6 | AthensGreeceThe Elefsina/Tatoi area near Athens hit 48.0°C in July 1977 — Europe’s record until Sicily broke it in 2021. Summer highs sit in the mid-30s. | ~34°C / 93°F | ~48°C |
| 7 | Catania / SiracusaSicily, ItalyLower average than Andalusia — but Siracusa recorded Europe’s all-time high of 48.8°C in August 2021, when African air surged north. | ~31°C / 88°F | 48.8°C |
| 8 | VallettaMaltaSmall, rocky and sea-girt, so its averages stay a notch below the big Iberian interiors — but heatwaves off Africa can be brutal. | ~32°C / 90°F | ~43°C |
| 9 | RomeItalyCentral Italy’s summers are hot and humid rather than extreme; the “heat you feel” runs high because of the humidity. | ~31°C / 88°F | ~42°C |
Why Andalusia Is Europe's Furnace
Córdoba, Écija and Seville sit in the Guadalquivir valley, a broad lowland that acts like a heat trap. Three factors compound:
- Distance from the sea. These cities are 100+ km inland, beyond the reach of the Atlantic sea breeze that keeps the coast tolerable.
- A sheltering ring of mountains. The Sierra Morena to the north and the Baetic ranges to the south block cooler air and let the valley floor heat unchecked.
- Dry, subtropical air. Under the summer subtropical high, skies stay clear for weeks and the sun hammers a parched landscape — exactly the conditions that push afternoon highs past 40°C.
Écija earns its nickname — la sartén de Andalucía, the frying pan of Andalusia — by combining all three in a small inland basin. On the worst days it and Córdoba trade the title of the single hottest spot in Spain.
Records vs. Averages: Sicily's Twist
Here is the wrinkle that trips up most lists. Sicily is not especially hot on average — coastal Catania and Siracusa sit around 31°C in high summer, cooler than Andalusia. Yet Siracusa holds Europe's all-time temperature record: 48.8°C on 11 August 2021, verified by the World Meteorological Organization in 2024. That record was set during a short, violent plume of Saharan air — a one-off, not a normal August. Andalusia wins the marathon; Sicily won a single sprint.
Before Sicily, Europe's record belonged to the Athens area, which reached 48.0°C in July 1977 — a mark that stood for 44 years. For the full country-by-country breakdown of these extremes, see the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe. That page is about the record extremes; this one is about which places are hottest day in, day out.
Where Is Hot in Europe Right Now?
On a typical summer day the hottest readings come from inland Andalusia, inland Cyprus and south-east Spain. But Europe's hot spot moves: when a Saharan heat plume pushes north, the record can shift to Sardinia, Sicily or the southern Balkans for a few days. The summer of 2026 has already delivered exactly that pattern — see our coverage of the 2026 European heatwave for how this year is unfolding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the hottest place in Europe?
By average summer high, Córdoba in southern Spain (~37°C in July and August). Córdoba province also holds Spain's national record, 47.4°C, set in August 2021.
What is the hottest city in Europe?
Córdoba is the hottest large city on average; Nicosia, Cyprus, is the hottest capital. The single highest temperature ever recorded in Europe was 48.8°C at Siracusa, Sicily, in August 2021.
Is Seville or Athens hotter?
Seville, on average — roughly 36°C in high summer versus about 34°C in Athens. Andalusia is the more consistently scorching region, though both have logged extreme heatwaves.
Where is hot in Europe right now?
Reliably, inland Andalusia, inland Cyprus and south-east Spain. During African heat plumes the hottest spot can jump to Sicily, Sardinia or southern Greece for a few days.
Keep Exploring
See the flip side of the same regions in the warmest places in Europe in winter, the record extremes in the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe, and how Europe stacks up globally in the hottest places on Earth. Browse climate archives for Spain and Greece, or look up the weather for any date and place.
Sources
Average summer highs are long-term climate normals from national meteorological services (AEMET for Spain, and the Italian, Greek and Cypriot services) as compiled in Wikipedia climate tables. Europe's all-time record of 48.8°C at Siracusa was verified by the World Meteorological Organization. Spain's national record (47.4°C, Córdoba province, 14 August 2021) is from AEMET. Figures are rounded and represent long-term averages, not any single year.