What’s The Best Time To Travel To Europe? Answered!

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Thinking of traveling to Europe, but don’t know what’s the best time to travel? This post will help you figure that out!

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As in most other places, the travel seasons are sorted into three major ones, peak, shoulder and off-season with each having its own advantages and disadvantages.

Before you start actively planning and creating an itinerary for your trip, you need to make up your mind about when you are going to travel or how to time your trip.

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As in most other places, the travel seasons are sorted into three major ones, peak, shoulder and off-season with each having its own advantages and disadvantages.

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PEAK SEASON

The peak season in Europe which starts in June and ends in August is undoubtedly the most popular and crowded time to visit Europe. Summers in Europe is a beautiful experience with pleasant temperatures (20-30 degrees) minus the humidity of tropical countries.

Pretty much every person is out and about doing something. Maybe enjoying a walk in the park, attending a Ben & Jerry festival (yes that exists), diving in a lake, swimming in a pond or simply drinking beer in a Biergarten (beer garden). Sunny weather, long days with daylight until 10PM and an active nightlife. What’s not to love?

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If you decide to travel to Europe in the peak season, here are a few pointers to keep in mind:

• Popular sights and cities are going to be crowded. If you plan to take a bunch of pictures, prepare to be photo-bombed or wait long hours until the place is empty. With that said, it might make sense to plan for popular attractions either at the beginning or towards the end of the peak season depending on when you travel.
• Prices in restaurants and hotels will be at least 1.5-2 times higher than what they would be in the off-season. Keep that in mind when calculating a budget for your trip. This is especially true for Italy, southern France and Spain which are extremely popular summer destinations even among European travellers.
• All your bookings should be done at least 3-6 months in advance. Tickets for pretty much everything can get very expensive during the peak season. The same is true for hotels, Airbnb and guesthouses. If you travel during this season, you cannot rely on booking last minute or you may just have to spend the night at the train station.
• Prepare for some places to be closed. Since Europeans also have school holidays and often travel during July or August, you may not have access to everything that would be open otherwise, especially in small towns. This includes supermarkets, laundry shops or medical clinics, as a lot of cities partially shut down during July and August.

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SHOULDER SEASON

This season sums up the months before and after the peak season. April, May, September and October count as the shoulder season. During this season, you can have the best of both worlds. The weather is neither extremely hot nor extremely cold, prices are moderate and so are tourists.

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With that said, if you travel in the shoulder season a few pointers would be:

• Decide if you want to travel during spring or autumn. Both these seasons can be a very beautiful time in Europe to travel. If you travel during spring, you could include the Netherlands in your trip and see the entire flower industry in action. If you travel during Autumn, you can experience a gradual shift and red landscape which is in itself a delight.
• The season differs based on where you visit. It may not be shoulder season based on the countries you visit. Mediterranean countries such as Italy, Croatia and Greece see an influx of travellers until late September. The prices you expect to pay here may be at par with peak season prices. This is true since the weather in these countries is still warm enough for tourists to enjoy the late summer and you should factor that in when planning your trip.

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OFF-SEASON

Not everyone wants to visit Europe during the peak or shoulder season. If you’d like to travel to Europe from November to March, during the colder, darker months you may also have significant benefits. A few interesting things to keep in mind would be:

• Cheaper prices. If you travel during the off-season you will definitely save on travel costs. For budget travellers, this can be a great way to see Europe and not break the bank while doing it.
• The weather can be extremely cold, in a blink, so you need to be prepared. If you travel during these months, you should be prepared for it to rain or snow or freeze at short notice. In other words, if you are not a winter lover, I would suggest skipping travelling to Europe during this season. [irp posts=”1858″ name=”6 ways to dress like a German Girl in Winter”]
• Christmas markets. The end of November until Christmas Eve, Germany, Austria and many other countries come alive with beautiful Christmas markets. Cities like London and Paris go all out for the city decorations and that in itself is quite a treat to watch. If you are a Christmas lover or want to simply experience a European Christmas, this would a good time to plan a visit.
• Shorter days. If you travel during these months daylight may be limited to six or eight hours, which gives you less time to explore sights you may want to see during the day. Keeping this in mind can help you travel better and starting your day early wouldn’t hurt.

To sum up, there is no best time to travel to Europe! However the combination below is the easiest way to figure out when to go:

• Backpacker/Solo Traveler- Limited Budget- Flexible Time—->>>> Off-Season
• Budget/Family/Group Traveler- Average Budget- Non-flexible Time—–>>>> Peak Season
• Repeat corporate traveler- Looking to travel in a Zen manner—–>>>> Shoulder Season

Want all my time and money-saving tips? Get my planning guide to Europe

My detailed, 90+ page guidebook is made for budget travelers like you! It cuts out the fluff and gets straight to the practical information you need to save time and money while planning a trip around Europe. You’ll find suggested itineraries, budgets, ways to save money, how to apply for visas, which mode of travel to pick, top European highlights, where to stay, what to eat, what to pack and so much more!

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Planning to travel to Europe? Check out the following posts:

• Cheapest Countries to visit in Europe 
• The Only Europe Travel Planner You Will Ever Need
• Two-Week Europe Trip Itineraries
• Europe Backpacking Itinerary
• Europe Pre-departure checklist
• How to travel Europe for cheap
• 15 Tips To Travel Safely In Europe As a Female Traveler
• How To Apply For A Schengen Visa And Tips For Success

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