However, one expert has warned that the current heatwave is a sign that climate change may wilt the well-known Euro summer dream.
"Aussies have a very romantic vision of European summer, especially in places like Italy.
But with global warming, it's becoming less hospitable," said Andrew King, a climate scientist with the University of Melbourne.
"Summers are changing.
They're not what they used to be." The heatwave, caused by a 'heat dome' of warm air from northern Africa trapped by a high-pressure system, has already shattered UK records and is expected to sizzle over Spain and Italy until the end of the week.
King said conditions in the UK are "really exceptional".
"It's unprecedented in terms of temperatures for May, and it's not even technically summer yet," he said.
Kew Gardens in London recorded its highest May temperature with 34.8C on the gauge, according to the UK Met Office.
Paris reached a croissant-melting 31.9C on Monday, while Spain expects a peak of 38 °C this week.
Parts of Italy imposed restrictions on outdoor work during the heat of the day.
Such figures might be shrugged off by some Aussies, but King said the problem is that the UK and Europe "aren't really built for the heat at all".
Buildings designed to retain warmth, a lack of air conditioning, less sun-safety messaging, and unsuitable clothing contribute to making 24C feel more like 40C, he said.
"We do know that with these heat events there will be increases in hospital admissions and, unfortunately, fatalities as well," he said.
"That's the side effect of this heatwave." The current heatwave is also a sign of things to come, with Europe warming "a lot faster than the rest of the world, about double the rate", King said.
According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service's European State of the Climate Report, the European continent is warming by 0.56C per decade more than the global average.
Last year, 95 per cent of Europe saw above-average....
