With Europe burning up in 40C heat, these are the perfect trips to book if you want to ESCAPE the hot weather - from comfortable beach breaks to cool mountain hikes

Temperatures reached more than 44C (111F) in south-west France this week and 40C (104F) in Paris.

Across Europe, the average high temperature has hit the late 30s, almost 20 degrees above average for June.

The current heatwave has been unusual in that temperatures have soared in northerly areas. Yet the expectation among meteorologists is that regular patterns will resume as the summer unfolds, meaning scorching conditions in southern Europe in line with recent years, but cooler in the north. Indeed, these soaring temperatures are changing the way we travel, with Booking.com saying 54 per cent of holidaymakers are ruling out destinations deemed too hot – with a further quarter actively seeking ‘cooler’ trips.

So maybe it’s time for you to try what we might call a ‘coolcation’.

Here are some top tips for enjoying some warmth, without overheating, in July and August.

Fly to Bergen on the west coast of Norway and – after exploring the colourful fishing port during a two-night stay – set off on a 400-mile road trip northwards to Trondheim, the Viking capital in the early Middle Ages.

This ten-day fly-drive, offered by Scandinavian specialist Regent Holidays, is a brilliant way of seeing some of Norway’s most charming towns including Alesund (home to many elegant Art Nouveau buildings), Bryggan and Kristiansund.

The road twists along rugged coastline, with spectacular bridges linking islets. Expect miles of woodland, remote beaches and spectacular fjords.

Daily high: 18C (64F).

Book it: Ten-day fly-drives from £2,065pp B&B including flights, transfers, car hire and hotels (regent-holidays.co.uk).

Temperatures can drop to 12C (54F) at night in Denmark during the summer though highs regularly touch the early 20Cs. A great way to see the country is on a fly-drive from Copenhagen, Denmark’s vibrant capital.

Stay in the city centre close to Tivoli Gardens, one of the world’s oldest amusement parks (complete with a wooden rollercoaster from 1914), and check out the unusual anarchic community of Christiania, plus the National Museum of Denmark, housing many Viking artefacts.

Explore the countryside and visit one of Denmark’s many beaches – there are more than 4,600 miles of coastline. Also drop by LEGOLAND and visit Hans Christian Andersen’s former home, now a museum, in the pretty city of Odense.

Daily high: 21C (70F.)

Book it: Stansted-Copenhagen return flights from £52 in August (ryanair.com); a week’s rental car from £207 (zestcarrental.com).

You could spend an entire week in Tallinn, Estonia’s elegant capital, with its interesting churches, medieval winding lanes, museums, galleries, flea markets and food markets. A must-visit is Iglupark, a sauna complex by the Baltic Sea, where the idea is you heat up in a sauna then cool down in the chilly sea (£210 for two hours, iglupark.com). Outside of Tallinn, explore Lahemaa National Park, with its peat bogs, lakes and vast forests (home to brown bears), or go kayaking in Soomaa (the ‘land of swamps’). There are endless islands to visit, with quiet rural communities; the most popular being Saaremaa, while others worth seeking out by ferry include Ruhnu, Aegna, Naissaar, Vormsi and Kihnu.

Daily high: 24C (75F).

Book it: Stansted-Tallinn return flights from £60 in August (ryanair.com); a week’s rental car from £370 (zestcarrental.com)

Galicia is the far north-western region of Spain with a much milder climate than the south – temperatures often ten degrees cooler in the summer. The region is home to Santiago de Compostela, the pilgrimage site, where the cathedral is famous for its shrine to St James. Many pilgrims hike hundreds of miles along the Camino de Santiago trails to pay their respects.

There’s also nearby A Coruna to visit, where attractions include a 1st-century AD Roman lighthouse, nicknamed the Tower Of Hercules, and its many striking glass-fronted buildings.

The beach of Praia de Rodas on Cies Islands National Park is a gorgeous sweep of white sand beside rocky cliffs and deemed one of Europe’s most beautiful; it’s a 40-minute ferry to reach it.

Daily high: 24C (75F).

Book it: Stansted-Santiago de Compostela flights from £72 return (ryanair.com); rental cars from £31 a day (sixt.co.uk).

OK, France has been in the midst of a horrific heatwave this week but it’s usually a good bet for pleasant temperatures in its northern regions in the summer.

Explore the rugged coastline of Brittany and enjoy its many fine sandy beaches, while taking time to visit the striking island of Mont-Saint-Michel and the charming village of Pont-Aven, where Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) led its school of art from 1886.

The port of St Malo’s characterful old town with its fortifications and winding lanes is another draw, as are Nantes and Rennes, with art galleries, chateaux and laid-back markets.

Daily high: 22C (72F).

Book it: Portsmouth-St Malo ferry returns for a car with two adults and two children from £823 in July (directferries.co.uk).

This intriguing Baltic state is increasingly on the tourist map as holidaymakers turn away from the southern Med; it attracted a record 1.5 million visitors last year. Most begin in Vilnius, the capital, with its medieval castles, Museum Of Occupations And Freedom Fights (telling the story of Soviet influence), an elegant old town packed with inviting bars and little restaurants.

There’s also the Uzupis district, a bohemian, artistic zone with galleries and hip cafes, which declared independence in 1998 (and even has its own constitution). Kaunas, Lithuania’s second city, features a medieval castle, art galleries and a popular riverside beach. For a seaside beach, there are the sands and high rolling dunes of the Curonian Spit in the south-west.

Daily high: 21C (70F).

Book it: Luton-Vilnius returns from £161 in July (wizzair.com); a week’s car hire from £149 (holidayautos.co.uk).

Or how about escaping the heat by heading for the hills way up in the Swiss Alps?

A brilliant way to do this is to go on a hiking trip beginning in Meiringen and continuing to Wengen, Murren, Kandersteg and Leukerbad to Zermatt – taking in the spectacular Eiger and Matterhorn mountains.

You can arrange to have your luggage transported between hotels along the way and the total journey, covering 93 miles, takes 15 days.

Expect pleasant breezes and temperatures that drop to 10C (50F) at night. Afterwards, you could head to cool down even more in Zurich or Geneva, both of which offer great bathing spots with floating platforms and changing rooms by their respective lakes.

Daily high: 18C (64F).

Book it: Trips lasting 15 days from £3,821pp B&B including hotels, transfers, luggage transportation, 11 dinners and three picnics; but excluding flights (inntravel.co.uk); Gatwick-Geneva return flights from £93, Manchester-Geneva returns from £173, and Edinburgh-Geneva returns from £148 (easyjet.com).

For a less epic hike – but equally appealing temperatures – the Italian Dolomites are a great option. Base yourself in Madonna di Campiglio, a ski resort that becomes a superb hiking centre in the summer with many trails to explore.

You can go it alone or join an expert-led small group tour offered by a hiking specialist such as HF Holidays, with walks of around five to seven miles each day over the course of a week, ascending peaks, skirting lakes and taking in wonderful waterfalls and glaciers.

Cable cars still run in the summer allowing access to out of the way spots.

Daily high: 17C (63F).

Book it: A seven-night Walking The Italian Dolomites tour is from £1,699pp half-board including flights, transfers, accommodation in the four-star Hotel Cristal Palace in Madonna di Campiglio and guides (hfholidays.co.uk).

Alternatively, simply relax up in the Austrian Alps, staying in Alpbach, widely regarded as the country’s prettiest village, with its A-framed wooden chalets and striking, tall-steepled church.

Alpbach has a lovely, relaxed ambience, surrounded by towering peaks and slopes that are part of a ski resort in the winter.

You can go for gentle walks in the mountains or simply take the cable cars up and down to enjoy the splendid views.

Alpbach enjoys lots of pleasant restaurants serving traditional Tyrolean cuisine.

Daily high: 24C (75F).

Book it: A week’s stay at Haus Edelweiss is from £881pp B&B with return Birmingham-Innsbruck flights in July (inghams.co.uk).

Read More

Earlier this year, Finland was named the world’s happiest country for the ninth year in a row in the UN World Happiness Report.

Maybe part of the reason for the good mood of the locals is the Nordic nation’s long summer nights, when the sunshine remains bright until late at night and there is always light on the horizon.

This phenomenon has spawned Finland’s nickname of the ‘land of the Midnight Sun’. Temperatures are not too high, however, dropping to 11C (52F) at night. After flying to Helsinki, you could spend a couple of days in this lively capital with its art galleries, concert halls, markets and boat trips to nearby islands.

Then hire a car and catch a ferry to Mariehamn on the beautiful, peaceful Aland Islands in the Gulf of Bothnia.

You can hop between the islands staying at little hotels before returning to the mainland and stopping off in the interesting, student city of Turku before completing your loop in Helsinki.

Daily high: 21C (70F).

Book it: Stansted-Helsinki return flights from £170 (ryanair.com); Manchester-Helsinki returns from £303 (finnair.com); a week’s car hire from £377 (zestcar rental.com).