HEAT! Leaving tomorrow!

Honestly, we left Europe less than a week ago and were surprised by and not-lightly affected by the heat. There is little to no relief in the hotels b/c so many are not equipped with A/C (at least near the Alps where we were). So, what we did was tour EARLY in the morning, rest near water and eat a lot of gelato in the heat of the day, hiked in the wooded areas and then toured more of the town in the evenings. Beware the train travel during such heat. Not trying to scare you, but people are on edge with such discomfort. We witnessed 2 confrontations on 2 different trains. 1 became a fist fight and 1 was escalating but we were able to disembark before it got worse. Stay hydrated! Wear plenty of sunscreen and re-apply as needed.

Making the most of what situation you have is what we tried to do and we had a great trip!

Enjoy!
ETA: We asked for a bucket of ice at every hotel and returned to refill it as often as needed. It helped a lot as we kept little yogurts or even our water bottles in it for some extra coolness

Thanks! All great suggestions !

Our Rick Steves had a simple, yet outstanding, suggestion for travelers caught in heat: leave your filled water bottle inside the fridge overnight. Nice cold agua to take with you on that daytrip the following morn.
Good luck Michelle.
I am done. The end.

PS
Suggested listening for those Lisboa-bound:
1) any CD by locals Dead Combo (think 'noir spaghetti western guitar instrumentals').
2) any CD by Madredeus, the Portuguese combo who created outstanding folk music (not fado) with their star female singer.
3) any CD by Marisa--modern fado.

I love the idea of using a fridge but out of many hotels, only 1 of ours had a little mini-fridge so the ice bucket was nice.

Those staying in accommodations equipped with refrigerators having freezer compartments might like to try this: Fill water bottles about half full with water and freeze them. Before heading out the next morning, top off the bottles with cold water. The water will remain cold longer due to the built-in ice cube.

I used to go rockhounding in the desert, and having cold water was a treat. I didn't always have access to ice.

If Lisbon gets too hot for you, you can head out for the day to Sintra. Besides the castles, Sintra has nice parks where you can sit in the shade or even Pena Palace, away from the Palace, has a beautiful park that has lots of shade. It even has a few ponds where you can sit and chill. Most only visit Pena Palace and not the gardens. And Monserrate is one big garden that doesn't get the crowds. Sintra was where the royalty went to get away from the heat of Lisbon. It will be up to 10 degrees cooler. And the Starbucks right by Rossio train station (where you would catch the train to Sintra) has great air-conditioning and iced drinks.

Cascais might be another option, also cooler than Lisbon and can take a dip in the ocean. And then there is Belém, which is technically Lisbon. There are a few trees to sit under on the grass and perhaps catch a cool breeze off of the water. And the museums are air conditioned. The Coach Museum is great and worth visiting.

Yes, the forecast looks pretty grim for the next few days. And, as someone stated, Lisbon is hotter than here in Cascais. Cascais also has a nice park - Marechal Carmona - with lots of shade. And, yes, you can take a dip in the very cold Atlantic to cool you off. would also suggest a siesta in the hottest part of the day. It (usually) cools down in the evening, so going back out late might work. Some shops are well air conditioned, but I was surprised when moving here that the shopping malls are kept pretty warm in the summer, so not a great option to escape the heat.

My daughter arrives on Wednesday, so I’m also making plans for the heat!
Stay out of the sun! Walk to the opposite side of the street to stay in the shade. The difference between sun and shade is amazing here.

Thanks to all! I am packing small reusable metal ice cubes that I bought my husband as a stocking stuffer to try to keep our water cold! Hopefully it helps.
We had already planned a trip to Sintra but the additional information about the park was awesome- thank you!!!
I’ll post again once we arrive

Too late for you, but I'm seeing lots of ladies with battery powered portable fans that you wear around your neck like a pair of large headphones. They look very content on the hot and humid underground this week in London.

Lisboa is certifiably hot right now. Some ideas that haven’t yet been mentioned but may help …

Seek out the shady side of the street, even if you have to cross to the other side. It’s worth the few extra steps to find building and tree shadows that are cooler. Same deal with being under a cafe umbrella for lunch. And walk a little slower to give your body a break.

Finally, we used Uber to get out to the Tile Museum and back. Way better than queueing for a bus or walking from a bus stop. R.S. likes public transportation, but we’re on vacation - be good to yourself ;).