Best Time of Year to Visit Europe

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Are you thinking about embarking on a European adventure? If so, you're probably wondering which time of year would be ideal for you to enjoy your vacation. The answer is that the different seasons have different advantages and disadvantages, and the one you choose really depends on your specific destinations and preferences. Whatever time of year you choose to travel, think about booking a vacation package if you'd like to save money.

You can choose to travel in peak season (around mid-June through August), one of the shoulder seasons (April through mid-June and September through October), or off-season (November through March).

Peak Season

Peak season (approximately mid-June through August) is the most popular time for tourists to visit Europe. As you can imagine, some parts of the continent can get quite hot during this time and you will need to expect to have to deal with lots of other tourists and large crowds. Some of the advantages of traveling in the peak season are lots of sun, long stretches of daylight for your adventures, and a vibrant nightlife in many locations. If you plan to travel to Ireland, the U.K. or Scandinavia, peak season is probably the best choice. This is because of the climates of these regions and how particularly gloomy their weather and how short their days can get during the off-season. If you plan to visit Paris, you might be pleased to know that it is much more relaxed in July and August than you might expect.

Shoulder Season

There are two times of year called shoulder season. They are usually April through to the middle of June and September through October (so basically in spring and fall or autumn). Shoulder season is a good choice is you want to try to combine some of the advantages of peak travel with those of the off-season. Shoulder seasons are usually a wise choice if you want to experience longer periods of daylight and better weather than you would in the off-season, as well as fewer other tourists to deal with than you would in the peak season. The characteristics of shoulder season is different in different destinations. If your destination is the Mediterranean region, be aware that in Italy, the south of France, Croatia, Spain, Italy, and Greece the shoulder season is almost as busy as peak season. This means that the prices can be the same or similar, too. If you want to go on a hiking excursion in the Alps, the early autumn is a wise choice.

Off-season

Off-season is usually from November through March. In most places, you will be able to pay less for pretty much everything during off-season. This includes airfare, which can usually be found for extraordinarily reasonable prices. You should also find that hotels offer much better deals, too. An exception to this, however, is in large cities that are important centers of business (examples include Brussels and Berlin). In these spots, you might find that off-season hotel prices are quite expensive. If one of your main reasons for traveling to Europe is to see and experience high-culture attractions, the off-season is a wonderful opportunity.

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