A sticker on a train from Munich to Berlin reads: "Air conditioning defective." (Martin Schutt/DPA/Getty Images)

Many European cities are not designed to deal with the triple-digit temperatures slashing records across the continent this week.

Air conditioning is not particularly common in public buildings and homes across temperate Europe, nor is it widespread on transportation systems. Fewer than 5% of all European households have been air-conditioned, according to a 2017 report.

That means coping with sweltering temperatures takes some creativity.

Authorities have activated emergency plans that include setting up public cooling rooms and extending hours at swimming pools and parks.

The number of online searches for fans and AC has spiked in recent days, as people try to find some relief.

Queen Elizabeth was seen beating the heat wave with a metallic Dyson fan (worth several hundred dollars). Some eagle-eyed observers spotted the cooling device in a photo of the Queen meeting with the newly minted UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Buckingham Palace.