Tourists climbing the hot, sunbaked hill to Greece's Acropolis are wearing hats of every description, from straw boater hats and panamas to baseball caps and sun hats, and vendors across central Athens say headwear is selling everywhere this summer, according to The Independent.
Greece recorded a record number of tourists in 2025, with about 4.6 million people visiting the Acropolis alone. Tours often last for hours under an open sun, with temperatures around 35 degrees Celsius and little shade available at the site.
Even a horse pulling a tourist carriage at the foot of the monument joined in the sun protection, wearing a brown panama-style hat with holes cut for its ears.
Australian tourist Jack Yosif, who wore a black baseball cap, said a hat was essential and that he was already sunburned and red. He said hats had become far more common and that people were now more aware of the need to protect themselves from the sun.
Record tourist numbers
The hot weather did not stop Greece from welcoming a record 38 million tourists last year, the most recent year for which figures are available. The combination of extreme heat and huge tourist demand, which means not everyone can reach popular sites during the cooler morning hours, has made sun protection increasingly important.
Greek medical and public health organisations running awareness campaigns have welcomed growing recognition of the dangers of ultraviolet radiation and heatstroke. Red Cross volunteers stationed near the Acropolis hand out kits containing sunscreen, water and information leaflets, along with red caps.
From cheap paper hats to 100-euro designs
At a kiosk on nearby Syntagma Square, owner Konstantinos Mallios said hat sales had risen noticeably in recent years. He said stylish models and souvenir hats cost up to 20 euros, or about $24, while the cheapest option sold for 6 euros. Other stalls sell near-disposable hats mass-produced from pressed paper pulp.
Far pricier, more elaborate designs are also available. In her basement workshop, milliner Lisa Sarigianniidou turns woven straw ribbon into boater hats within minutes, using presses and moulds that are nearly a century old. Her hats start at around 50 euros, with more elaborate designer versions costing more than 100 euros.
Sarigianniidou, who trained in hatmaking under her father, said attitudes toward hats had changed. She said young women who once tried on a hat, looked in the mirror and laughed now try them on seriously, and walk straight out of the shop wearing them.
Rivers running dry across Europe
The heat and drought affecting Europe are also causing rivers to shrink rapidly, exposing historical artefacts that had been hidden underwater for centuries. In Serbia, the rusted hull of an old steam tugboat named Slovenac emerged from the Sava River near the town of Sremska Mitrovica, with local residents saying the wreck had never been so exposed before.
