Is Jul/Aug too hot to visit South of the Alps?

I live in Washington DC, which is often miserably hot and muggy, though it's not as bad as the Gulf Coast. To me the biggest difference is that (unless we have outdoor jobs or are serious gardeners) when we're at home, we basically move from an air-conditioned home to an air-conditioned workplace or store. And we travel in an air-conditioned car most of the time. We simply are not exposed to the weather very much of the time on a day-to-day basis.

Many European museums (especially those not holding paintings or works on paper) seem not to be air-conditioned at all. I've walked through quite a few of them with perspiration trickling down my back.

Small shops and cafes/restaurants are often not air-conditioned; if the door is standing open on a hot day, there's no a/c inside. It will usually be more comfortable outdoors, under the umbrellas, but that's often where the smokers congregate.

Much of the inter-city transportation is air-conditioned, but I've experienced some break-downs, and sitting in an un-air-conditioned metal tube for hours is not a lot of fun. City buses are not necessarily air-conditioned.

I've only rarely had a problem in a hotel room; obviously, equipment can break down at any time (the same goes for Wi-Fi). But others have complained about inadequate a/c. I think I benefit from being a budget traveler who ends up in very small single rooms nearly all the time. The wall-mounted a/c units I encounter seems to be up to the task of cooling a small room; they might not work so well in a larger room.

I've learned through hard experience (Sicily followed by Puglia during the summer of 2015) that I need to--at the very least--plan to spend part of each summer trip in an area where I can be sure I won't encounter a week-long heat wave. Places I've used for this purpose include the Dolomites (stay in a mountain village, not down in the valley), the stretch of northern Spain between Galicia and the Basque Country (not too far from the coast), Normandy and Brittany. Any mountain area should work if you go high enough. Beware valleys with beautiful views of mountains; they can be very hot.

Even people who I've met from specifically the Andalucia region of Spain advise against travel there in July and August. However, I was in the Madrid, Toledo Segovia and Barcelona areas in July 2014 and the weather was comparable to Chicago (a major summer tourist destination), not miserable.

I've been to Italy and France in July and it did not seem that hot. It depends on the person. My relatives from hot humid Tampa, Florida found Chicago chilly in June. High humidity makes the heat worse and I don't remember feeling that in Italy Spain or France.
And to echo acraven D.C. is miserable in the summer mostly because of the humidity.

Not at all, you just need to know where to look! As acraven mentions, July/Aug/Sept are perfect times to visit northern Spain, which has more in common with Ireland/the Alps than Andalucía. Average is mid 70s F during the high summer months. If you go higher into the Cantabrian mountain range it gets even cooler, with average low 70s/upper 60s F in July. The same goes for the Pyrenees, on both the French and Spanish sides. I've personally never run into any heat issues during my summer travels in northern Spain or the Pyrenees. These are the places we locals go to escape the heat :)

I've been in Nice, Italy and Greece in June and July in different years. Crete and Athens were perfect weather with very low humidity, but maybe it was just that June. Nice and Rome/Florence, Italy were HOT! It was hard to breathe. I was in all three countries in different years, so. . .
My visits to Spain were in the months of March and April which were cold and rainy. The owner of the flat we rented in Barcelona said that the Andalusia region of Spain typically reached 110-120 F in the summer. We always rent flats with ac, however, we want to be outside and tour museums, palaces, cathedrals, etc. which, typically, do not have ac. Do you want to take public transport? If so, it might not have ac, either. As you say, you're a Texan, so maybe you'll need a sweater.

I've been in Nice in August during a heatwave where the daily temperatures averaged 40c. It wasn't unbearable but I didn't do much traipsing around, plenty of time spent in shaded squares for lunch and refreshments and a villa with a pool which was very much appreciated.

Likewise southern Spain and the Balearics. If I'm there in August I'm there for the beaches and the pools, I do my sightseeing in the other months of the year.

I've been to Virginia, Washington DC, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida in August and the humidity makes a big difference compared to the dry heat of southern Europe. Give me the Med in August over the East Coast and Southern states of the US.

Depends on exactly where and what you plan to do. Also your heat tolerance.

A beach and low-key wandering around trip, where you can take siesta and hit outdoor sights early and late day? Fine. A fast paced go-go-go tour through too sights that includes shadeless archeological sights at 2PM? Bad idea, IMO. If your budget precludes air conditioning (not expensive but the absolute cheapest places don’t often have it) it is tougher.

If you are from Phoenix or somewhere very hot and used to heat…Europe is not that hot, you’ll be fine. If you are not used to it, maybe different. Where I’m from we have hot, humid summers but cold winters. I don’t find the heat unbearable but again, being out all day rushing is different.

For me it’s ok with the exception of a few places. On the coast the water tends to cool places. In places with higher elevations, ditto. Enjoy cooler times of day, relax your pace and it’s fine.

I'll add that I was in Naples, Athens, and the Pelopponese in August a few years back. It was fine! I went to the outdoor sights at 8 or 9AM (whenever they opened), had lunch in the shade, took a rest or visited indoor sights (or beaches in a few cases) in the afternoon, and enjoyed long evenings out walking around the towns. A nice thing in much of Southern Europe is that there is a lot of street life (people walking around, busy squares, some sights like churches open late) in the later evenings when the sun isn't as strong. This makes it very enjoyable if you can get into the groove of staying out of the sun/heat in midday.

Hi Mexi, Jul and Aug are when the coastal places are the most humid, crowded and expensive that’ll take the fun out of being there. Aug is even worse, mom and pop businesses often shut down so the owners can go on vacation. It’s disappointing to learn that the restaurant you want to patronize isn’t open.

In a word, Yes.

There is a very good reason why many sights and businesses in Spain and southern Italy close for an extended chunk of the afternoon.

It's true, though, that if you can get out early in the morning and do some of your outdoor walking around at that time of day, it may be perfectly pleasant. I am, alas, not a morning person, so I don't benefit much from knowing that it's a lot cooler early in the morning. Frankly, I discovered it only because I had an early train departure one day!

I'd also note that resting in your air-conditioned hotel room during the hottest part of the day is a fine idea, but it's not practical on days when you're on an out-of-town day-trip, unless you can make it a half-day trip.

Do you have dry or humid heat where you live?
If it's humid , you should be able to tolerate it.
Last time I was in Italy in September 2019, I found it unbearable, because of the humidity.
On the days when the weather apps said the humidity was below about 60%, I found it not too bad.
In two and a bit weeks I had over 40 cool showers, just to feel normal for a few hours.
Always book accommodation with AC in the warm months.
If you are renting apartments, look closely at the photos to actually see the AC units.
They are usually white rectangular units high on a wall, often above a door.
If you don't see those, expect a table fan only!!
This was in Rome, Naples, Florence and Lucca.

We have traveled in these regions during the heat of summer and offer these thoughts:

1) Recognize adapting to the impacts of the climate is vital to maximizing the enjoyment of your journey
2) Amply hydrate commencing the day prior and stay hydrated throughout the journey.
3) Hats, sunscreen, lite clothing (with collars) and carrying moist towels are important. We always bring a well dampened washcloth in a plastic bag to use on the back of our necks and continually refresh the cloth throughout the day. If you can, wear sandals as athletic shoes tend to trap heat. If you must wear close toe shoes then bring additional socks to change during the day.
3) Rise with the morning and plan activities according to need. Example: entry into museums/cathedrals (or most anything requiring admission tickets) should be undertaken early in order to see during coolest part of the day and while trying to be ahead of the crowds.
4) Prebook online everything you can in order to minimize waiting in lines. This task requires committment to planning your destinations and also booking the on-line ticket ASAP! There are some exceptions to this objective. Consider in Barcelona the Palau is air conditioned and offers opportunities to sit during the tour. Perhaps you are not planning to visit Barcelona, but do your research for similar opportunities and recognize an afternoon booking could work under these type pf circumstances.
5) SIESTA is your friend and not a loss of time. Be a great tourist and adapt to be a local. Either head back to your hotel for a nap and cool refreshment or find a park with shade and hopefully a pond/pool to dip your toes. Research on where the ponds are located. Retireo Parc in Madrid comes to mind.
6) Getting hungry? Keep an eye out for the eateries where the owners are spraying water on the pavement/stones in front of their business. This is done to "crack" the heat out of the stones to reduce the accumulation of heat from a day of baking the sun. Also, look for a table placed directly against the exterior wall of the restaurant and see if the door leading to the cellar is nearby. We find cool air will escape from the cellar and swirl around nearby tables.
7) Night is your friend. ADAPT! Stay up late, eat late, eat lighter meals and stroll areas to gain a glimpse of sites most folks do not take the time to enjoy.
8) In the heat and starting to feel woozy? ACT IMMEDIATELY to get out of the heat even at the expense of missing a planned event. Your body needs time to recover from the impacts of heat and prolonging the exposure SHALL greatly increase the recovery time. We find ginger ale and also electrolyte filled drinks to help quickly.
9) Reduce the number of travel destinations to cover more territory. Yep, you read right, less equals more. By the way, don't rent a car and then leave your luggage in the boot during the heat of the day. Everything will bake including your lovely expensive cosmetics.
10) If you are traveling consider taking the mid-day times in order to have control of your environment during the hottest times of the day.
11) take advantage of AC stores to window shop while cooling down a bit.

Probably not any worse than Disney World. And being from Texas, you already expect those months to be hot-unless you're trying to escape the heat. Remember that Rick is from the Pacific Northwest, so his exposure to sun when he's at home is somewhat limited!

On our first trip to Europe(in August), we landed in Rome and our British tour guide kept talking about how hot it was. It was 89-our definition of a cool spell!

Hot weather could just mean more gelato!

You can bet that art museums will be air conditioned-and probably much less crowded this summer than is usual.

Large churches are often/usually cool inside. Occasionally even too cool if you're dressed for the heat outside.

It will be fine. Do all your outdoor stuff in the morning and evening. Spend the afternoon indoors in the AC. Basically, do the same thing you do in TX.

Marbleskies, thank you. Words of wisdom.

I grew up in Georgia and now live on the Georgia coast.
Been to Italy, Spain, Greece and more during the Summer. It is no big deal for me, I am used to the heat.

The key is to stay hydrated, drink plenty of water and wear a good hat and cool clothing (not necessary shorts).

This is hard to answer. As someone mentioned above, RS is from Washington state. You, however, are from Texas. I suspect your heat tolerance is much higher than Rick's.

We've traveled to Italy (including Sicily) in March, April, June, July, and October; and Spain in May and June. I only remember one night when we were uncomfortable, and that was in Padua in June. BUT.... we are much more heat tolerant than many folks seem to be. In fact, my main problem with RS bus tours is if the bus is air-conditioned, most folks insist on its being so cold that I'm very uncomfortable. (On our 2019 Eastern France tour, even the guide was huddled under wraps.)

How do you usually handle the summer weather? Acraven mentioned going from air-conditioned house, to a/c car, to a/c store... If that's you, you might be uncomfortable.

In general, the places we've been in Europe are generally not as hot as Texas and Oklahoma in the summer. Stan and I still smile about a waiter in Rome who, making conversation with us, complained about the heat. It was 89 degrees.

I know this has been alluded to already, but I think it's worth repeating that it is well worth considering typical humidity just as much as typical temperature. I can think of several places in Spain where I'd prefer the heat because it is dry (and easier to "manage" during the day and at night), compared to others where the reported maximum temperature is usually lower, but after a few minutes you feel like a damp rag.

But the most important consideration is what you're planning to do. Tens of millions flock south of the Alps every Summer (rather fewer last year, obviously), precisely because of the fabulous weather, But we're not intending to spend all day every day outside visiting ancient ruins or inside in arty-farty museums.

One thing I do when it's hot is carry a very small spray bottle of water with me..about the size of a tiny travel hairspray.
Spritzing yourself with the water is instantly refreshing.

Is it too hot? IME, Yes. We enjoyed our time in Florence and Rome a few Januaries ago - far more enjoyable than our previous time in Italy (Venice, Verona, Vicenza, in June. What a bust. We still chide ourselves for going at that time.)