Two centuries since Raj-era rulers built India’s hill stations as refuge from its scorching heat, these mountain towns are enjoying a new surge of visitors: Indian holidaymakers. With temperatures rarely above 25C, Shimla in the Himalayan foothills was declared a colonial summer capital in 1864. Today, it is frequented by an increasing number of local families who relish cool-weather getaways amid its mock-Tudor houses, Victorian theatre and neo-Gothic church – its stone spires seemingly plucked from a British village.
“Domestic tourists are flocking to northern hill stations like Manali, Shimla, Solang and Nainital to find cooler weather,” says Harshitha Bhat, founder of Karnataka-based travel agency Travebrate. “During the summer, classic destinations like Varanasi and Rajasthan can [become] unbearable. While locals are generally adjusted to the heat, [their] travel preferences are definitely adapting as temperatures rise.”
It’s an increasingly familiar story. In Britain, as Europe’s temperatures climb, many holidaymakers are swapping their summertime favourites for more forgiving destinations – a “coolcation”, if you will. Britons’ longstanding love of the Med is currently being tested by the possibility of it hitting 50C by summer’s end, even less alluring when it’s extremely hot at home.
During the UK’s late-June heatwave, Britons’ searches for cool-weather city breaks spiked by as much as 33 per cent compared with the previous week, says online agent Opodo. Gothenburg, Stockholm and Geneva were the most sought-after spots: certainly not traditional choices for a mid-summer getaway. Many UK travel agents are reporting increasing interest in temperate breaks, while Chase bank is predicting a 40 per cent surge in domestic breaks this year as we no longer need to travel abroad to find sunshine.
But global warming is, of course, a global issue. So how are other nations adapting their travel plans to beat the heat?
The French are going to Scotland
French holidaymakers are setting their sights on Scotland this season, according to data from online travel giant Expedia. Summer holiday searches from France to Edinburgh are up 145 per cent year-on-year, say its analysts.
And it’s not only the capital that appeals to French travellers, says Alexandre Visinoni, from Paris-based travel company Voyageurs Du Monde. “[There is] growing interest in the more secluded islands of Islay, Jura, Barra and South Uist. Many of our travellers – who are experiencing heatwaves at home – are choosing cooler destinations for summer instead of southern Europe, which is now often perceived as too hot.”
According to Expedia, other trending destinations among the French this summer include Bergen, Norway (up 95 per cent); Interlaken, Switzerland (70 per cent); and Innsbruck, Austria (55 per cent). In all three cities, August temperatures rarely exceed 25C.
The Spanish prefer Wales
Every summer, Spain attracts more Britons than any other country, drawing some 17.8 million UK visitors annually. But could this affection become mutual? According to data from global travel agency Trip.com, increasing numbers of Spanish holidaymakers are being lured by Wales, with bookings for flights to Cardiff from the likes of Malaga, Alicante and Tenerife up almost 20 per cent since last summer among its Spanish users.
Meanwhile, Canada is top of the list for German and Italian holidaymakers, says Expedia. Searches among these markets for trips to Banff – which in August sees highs of around 23C – are currently up 140 per cent in Germany and a whopping 235 per cent in Italy, with Edinburgh popping up again as number two for both nationalities.
Canada is definitely a hit with the Germans, says Max Schmidt, managing director of Cologne-based motorhome rental platform CamperDays. “We haven’t witnessed a German coolcations trend per se, but in both summers of 2026 and 2025, Vancouver continues to be the top destination for German bookings.”
The Chinese love Iceland
With its glacier-topped volcanoes and icy fjords, Iceland is prime coolcation territory. While the majority of its visitors hail from the US, UK and Germany, it is also seeing increasing numbers of Chinese and Indian holidaymakers – many of whom say they’re lured by its climate.
In its tourist board’s 2025 visitor survey, 75.9 per cent of Iceland’s Indian patrons and 61.6 per cent of its Chinese visitors cited its cool temperatures and air quality as a factor in their decision to visit. Interestingly, this sentiment was high among all markets, particularly Italians (59.4 per cent), Spanish (58.5 per cent) and Polish (63.1 per cent).
Other tourist boards are less keen to dwell on the coolcation trend. Visit Norway emphasises, rightfully, that holidaymakers choose their destinations based on multiple factors, not just the weather. “Our data does not show that coolcation is the main driver of travel to Norway,” a spokesperson told Telegraph Travel. “We have always had a cooler climate and have therefore always been a place for a coolcation – long before the concept became a trend.”
And yet, Norway is clearly having a moment. Bergen is currently in Expedia’s top five trending destinations for the Spanish, Italian, French and German markets, and an area of “exceptional growth” for French tourists, says Visinoni. Meanwhile in India, holiday bookings to Bergen have jumped by 600 per cent this year, according to Trip.com.
Scandinavia’s a US hit
Of course, pinning a destination’s success to its weather rather undermines its many other draws. But travel agents’ statistics show that Norway is currently hot property. As is Finland, which cites growing markets in Singapore, Taiwan, Turkey, Greece and Brazil. Meanwhile Ireland has seen a double-digit increase in holidaymakers from the UK, US and southern Europe this year.
American holidaymakers are heading to Scandinavia – Denmark, Norway, and Sweden – says Tim Hentschel, chief executive of US-based booking platform HotelPlanner. “[The region] has seen August bookings grow by a massive 120 per cent,” he said. And, wise to Europe’s climate struggles, Americans are postponing its hotter destinations until later in the year: “October 2026 bookings for Italy, France and Greece have seen an incredible growth of 137 per cent when compared to [October] 2025.”
For US staycations, the south is out this summer, says Dinesh Kumar, co-founder of US transport-booking website Ferryhost.com. “Arizona, Nevada, and other Southern states are [now] visited during spring and fall. Instead, holidaymakers choose coastal New England, Maine, the Pacific Northwest, the Great Lakes area, Alaska, Colorado and Montana at higher altitudes.”
East Asians love mountains
In Asia, gaining altitude is also seen as a smart substitute for going north – particularly in nations where the climate can be hot year-round. “Taiwanese travellers are heading to Highland areas such as Alishan, Qingjing Farm, Hehuanshan, Xitou and Taipingshan,” says Nick Kembel, founder of online Taiwan travel guide Taiwan Obsessed, who has lived in the country for over a decade.
“Internationally, Japan remains the favourite, but more people are choosing Hokkaido, Tohoku or alpine routes over Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka in midsummer.”
Kembel adds: “The new luxury in Asian summer travel is no longer a beach. It’s being able to walk outside at noon without feeling defeated.” A sentiment not limited to Asia, by any means; whether you’re holidaying in Margate, the Mediterranean or Malaysia this summer, it’s likely to be a very familiar feeling indeed.