If you are thinking of moving to the south and reducing your heating and living expenses, you will want to check this list of the warmest capitals in Europe.
When this is about the hottest European capital, this can be about average yearly temperatures and about the highest summer temperatures. It can also be about average annual temperatures during the day and separate average temperatures during the night.
But if we take average daily mean temperatures per year, it appears that the hottest capitals in Europe are ordered as follows:
- Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus.
- Valletta, the capital of Malta.
- Athens, the capital of Greece.
- Lisbon, the capital of Portugal.
- Rome, the capital of Italy.
This list follows from data that are available on Wikipedia where these cities have tables with temperatures for every month in a year.
So this list is based on the temperature obtained from average temperatures during the day and average temperatures during the night. The result is the average daily mean temperature per year.
The interactive map below shows the location of the cities, most of them are in the Mediterranean area as expected. Zoom in to see details:
Nicosia
Nicosia is not at the seaside of the island, and this is probably why it is so hot. In fact, the highest ever recorded temperature on Cyprus was on 4 September 2020, and this was in Nicosia. The temperature was 46.2 °C (115.2 °F).
But I shall focus on average daily temperature per year and in this case it is 19.7 °C (67.5 °F).
Do you need heating in Cyprus?
The hottest month is July with average daily temperature of 29.7 °C (85.5 °F) and the coldest are January and February with average daily temperature of 10.6 °C (51.1 °F).
But the average night temperature in February is only 5.2 °C (41.4 °F).
So now you realize that even here you need heating during winter months, but from what I know this is not so frequent and you should not count on it.
This city is also in my list of the oldest capitals in Europe, and this is also the most southern capital in Europe.
Valletta
According to Wikipedia, here you have an average annual temperature around 23 °C (73 °F) during the day, but it is only 16 °C (61 °F) during the night.
However, the average daily temperature per year is 19.5 °C (67.1 °F). As you see it is very close to the value for Nicosia.
Does Malta have central heating?
The warmest month is August, when the average daily temperature is about 27.5 °C (81.6 °F). The coldest is February when the average daily temperature is 12.6 °C (54.7 °F). But in Valletta, the average night temperature in the same month is 9.5 °C (49.1 °F).
From what I know, houses normally do not have installed heating on Malta. So bear this in mind in you plan to come here for a longer period.
Valletta is also the second southernmost capital in Europe, after Nicosia the capital of Cyprus.
Athens
According to Wikipedia, Athens holds the official World Meteorological Organization record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Europe. This was on July 10, 1977, and the temperature was 48 °C (118.4 °F).
On the other hand, daily average mean temperature (day and night average) is in August with 29.4 °C (84.9 °F).
The average daily mean temperature per year is 19.2 °C (66.6 °F). So this is again very close to Nicosia and Valletta. In such a warm city, you will want to know about its best beaches, so follow the link to read more.
Do they have heating in Athens?
The answer is yes, and you need it. The coldest month is January when average daily mean temperature is 10.2 °C (50.4 °F).
But temperatures in Athens can drop below zero, bear this in mind. The average low (night) temperature in January is 7.1 °C (44.8 °F).
Lisbon
The daily mean temperature per year in Lisbon is 17.4 °C (63.4 °F). The hottest month here is August with 23.5 °C (74.3 °F), and the coldest is January with the daily mean temperature of 11.6 °C (52.9 °F).
But average night temperature in January is 8.3 °C (46.9 °F), and there are cases with sub-zero temperatures but this is indeed rare. From what I know, houses are normally without heating in this city.
Note that this city is also in my list of the westernmost capital cities in Europe where it is on the second place.
Rome
In Rome, the average annual temperature is above 21.4 °C (70.5 °F) during the day and 9.1 °C (48.4 °F) at night. The warmest month here is August when the average temperature is 31.7 °C (89.1 °F) during the day. It is 17.3 °C (63.1 °F) at night.
But note that the daily mean temperature in Rome is 15.3 °C (59.5 °F). So this city is considerably colder than the top three cities in the list.
Do they have heating in Rome?
The answer is yes. The average daily mean temperature in the coldest month of January is 7.4 °C (45.3 °F) but average low (night temperature) is 2.1 °C (35.8 °F). So you definitely need heating in this city.
Summary
So as you see, there are indeed very warm capitals in Europe, with very pleasant average daily temperatures. The differences between the top three cities look negligible to me.
If you are thinking of moving to the south in these times of crises with heating, and want a capital, these are the ones to consider.
However, keep an eye also on average daily temperatures in winter months, and in particular on average night temperatures. As you realize, some of these cities do not have heating, so life can be miserable there in winter months.
It was interesting to me to compare these temperatures with yet another city where I actually lived for a year and where there was no heating. This is Santa Cruz the capital of Tenerife. So there is no heating installed in the houses there, but you do not really need it.
Only occasionally in the evening, and this was in February, I could feel a bit cold and put on some fleece if I sit inside till late at night.
But compare its temperatures with those shown above. Daily mean per year here is 21.5 °C (70.7°F). Average low (night) temperature is 15.3 °C (59.5 °F). So this is indeed an eternal spring city and you do not need heating.
Let me know if you have questions, there is a comment box below. In my separate text you can read about the coldest capitals in Europe.
Bookmark this site and keep as a reference, it is all about capitals. Thank you for reading and have a nice day.