When is the best time to travel to Europe?

For those of us who aren’t making the trip for a festival or a white Christmas, these dates will give you great weather for a fraction of the cost.

Holidaymakers with a penchant for warm, sunny days and streets that aren’t packed to the hilt with tourists, take note: these months will give you all that and more when you travel to Europe.

The best time to travel to Europe

March to June and September to October.

Why?

Spring and autumn offer warm to hot days and are just outside of the peak holiday periods, ie, the European summer and Christmas break. Being shoulder months, they offer less crowds and less expensive flights and accommodation.

Overview

Europe experiences four seasons. Summers are warm to hot with countries such as Spain, Greece and Italy enjoying some of the highest temperatures of 30℃+. Winters are cold and can be harsh in some of the northernmost countries such as Russia, Belarus and the Baltics.Europe is a popular destination for holidaymakers worldwide, especially during the summer, so unless you’re attending a summer festival, it’s best to steer clear during July and August.

Weather and prices

The best time to visit, weatherwise: July and August provide the best weather, however, to avoid the summer breakers, travel during the shoulder months of May and June and September and October.

The cheapest time to visit: Search for flight deals during the low-season months of March to June and September to October.

The best time to visit Europe for…

• To avoid crowds: Summer and winter are the busiest months of the year for Europe so you'll find travelling in spring or autumn less crowded.
• On a budget: Search for flights and hotel deals at the end of season, from August to September or during winter (excluding the Christmas and New Year's holiday week).
• Eastern Europe: Eastern Europe can be visited all year round as it has warm to hot summers and snow-filled winters. As winters can be harsh, you might like to travel in shoulder months when outdoor activities such as hiking are open.
• Central Europe: Central Europe can be visited all year round and, similar to Eastern Europe, it has hot summers and snow-filled winters. Spring and autumn are ideal months to visit as they offer pleasant weather.
• Mediterranean: Peak season is when the resorts in the Mediterranean open their doors to visitors. To avoid paying peak prices, travel during the beginning or end of season.
• Northern Europe: The best time to visit Europe's north depends on your travel intent. During summer, you'll enjoy long days and the midnight sun in certain destinations. During winter, you'll have a few short hours of daylight each day but you'll also likely have a white Christmas and may even see the Northern Lights in certain locations. For general sightseeing, spring and autumn feature mild to warm temperatures and are best for outdoor activities.

Hot Europe travel deals

Cathay Pacific	Europe flights from $1,125 return	Deal expires 31 Jul 2018	Valid for travel from 18 July 2018 - 31 May 2019. Destinations include Paris, London, Madrid, London and more. Sample fare is Cairns-Amsterdam.	Last verified 16 Jul 2018	Get deal
Gate1 Travel	$500 off European river cruises	Coupon code expires 30 Jul 2018	Valid for travel from July 2018 - December 2019. Plus, get an extra 5% off for paying by cheque or EFT. Includes all river cruises on the Rhine, Main & Danube River (excludes Russia). T&Cs apply.	Last verified 16 Jul 2018	Show code After the store tab opens, come back to copy the code
Flight Finder	Qantas Europe flights from $1,175 return	Deal expires 30 Jul 2018	Valid select dates September - November 2018 and January - April 2019. Sample fare is Perth-Dublin. Destinations include London, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Rome, Manchester, Athens, Paris and Munich.	Last verified 13 Jul 2018	Get deal
Flight Centre - International	Europe flights from $995 return with Singapore Airlines	Deal expires 16 Aug 2018	Valid for travel from 8 October - 22 November 2018, 25 February - 4 April 2019 and 29 April - 15 June 2019. Destinations include Copenhagen, London, Barcelona, Paris, Rome, Manchester, Amsterdam and Istanbul. Sample fare is Canberra-Amsterdam.	Last verified 19 Jul 2018	Get deal
KLM	Europe flights from $1,215 return	Deal expires 20 Jul 2018	Valid for travel from July - December 2018. Destinations include London, Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona and more. Sample fare is Sydney-Amsterdam.	Last verified 16 Jul 2018	Get deal
STA Travel	Up to 15% off Europe trips	Deal expires 31 Jul 2018	Valid on select 2019 Contiki Europe tours. Destinations include London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Greece, Rome, Paris and more. T&Cs apply.	Last verified 10 Jul 2018	Get deal
Topdeck	Up to $899 off 2019 Europe tours	Deal expires 31 Aug 2018	Valid on 2019 Europe summer tours, with destinations including Spain, Croatia, Italy, Turkey, Greece, France, Netherlands and more.	Last verified 9 Jul 2018	Get deal
Contiki	40% off second traveller in Europe	Deal expires 22 Jul 2018	Valid on select winter Europe tours in 2018 and 2019 including Winter Wanderer, European Encounter and European Magic.	Last verified 29 Jun 2018	Get deal
Gate1 Travel	Up to $1,100 off European river cruises	Deal expires 7 Nov 2018	Valid on select dates from March 2019 - November 2019. Destinations include Budapest, Munich, Prague, Berlin, Krakow and more. Note: Deposit must be paid by 7 November to receive discount.	Last verified 27 Jun 2018	Get deal
Topdeck	Up to $700 Europe and North Africa flight credit with tours		Valid for travel on select dates. Destinations include Mykonos, Greece, Dubrovnik and Plitvice Lakes, Croatia, Russia and Scandinavia, Morocco, Amsterdam and more. Flight credit amount varies based on length of package booked. T&C's apply.	Last verified 13 Jun 2018	Show code After the store tab opens, come back to copy the code
I Want That Flight	Europe flights from $859 return	Deal expires 23 Jul 2018	Valid for travel between November 2018 and February - May 2019 with Qantas or Swiss. Sample fare is Perth-Venice. Destinations include Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Copenhagen.	Last verified 18 Jul 2018	Get deal
Trafalgar Tours	Up to 15% off Summer Europe trips	Deal expires 9 Oct 2018	Valid for travel from August - December 2018 during Summer. Destinations include Ireland, Britain, Holland, Rome and more. T&Cs apply.	Last verified 18 Jul 2018	Get deal
Trafalgar Tours	Up to 7.5% off Europe Seasonal tours	Deal expires 23 Aug 2018	Valid for travel on select 2018-19 dates during Autumn, Winter and Spring. Destinations include Italy, Spain, France, Ireland, Scotland, Germany and more. T&Cs apply.	Last verified 18 Jul 2018	Get deal
Millennium & Copthorne Hotels	Up to 30% off Europe stays	Deal expires 23 Jul 2018	Valid for stays until 30 December 2018. T&Cs apply.	Last verified 18 Jul 2018	Get deal
Go Airport Shuttle	10% off private car ride	Coupon code expires 30 Jul 2018	Valid on select dates and locations worldwide. Destinations include USA, Canada, Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean, Sydney, and the Czech Republic. T&C's apply.	Last verified 17 Jul 2018	Show code After the store tab opens, come back to copy the code
Best Western	Save up to 30% on Europe stays		Valid on stays book a minimum of 21 days in advance. Choose the Early Web Special rate to save 15-30%, depending on the property.	Last verified 17 Jul 2018	Get deal
Etihad Airways Australia	Europe flights from $1,004 return	Deal expires 31 May 2019	Valid for travel between 16 July 2018 - 31 May 2019. Sample fare is Perth-Dublin. Destinations include Paris, Madrid, Manchester, Rome and more.	Last verified 17 Jul 2018	Get deal
Emirates	International flights from $999 return	Deal expires 30 Jul 2018	Valid for travel between 1 October - 30 November 2018 and 14 January - 31 March 2019. Sample fare is Perth-Dubai. Also departs from Melbourne-Dubai from $1,099 return. Destinations include India, Middle East, Europe, United Kingdom, Africa, South America and North America.	Last verified 12 Jul 2018	Get deal
Go Airport Shuttle	10% off shuttle rides	Coupon code expires 30 Jul 2018	Valid on select dates and locations worldwide. Destinations include USA, Canada, Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean, Sydney, and the Czech Republic. T&C's apply.	Last verified 6 Jul 2018	Show code After the store tab opens, come back to copy the code
Trafalgar Tours	10% off Europe and Britain tours	Deal expires 31 Jul 2018	Valid for travel on select 2019 dates. Destinations include Spain, Morocco, Scandinavia, Fjords, Britain, Ireland and more. T&Cs apply.	Last verified 3 Jul 2018	Get deal
Travelzoo UK	Up to 66% off Europe hotels	Deal expires 31 Aug 2018	Valid for stays on select dates. Destinations include London, England, Yorkshire, Spain, Berlin and more. T&Cs apply.	Last verified 14 Jun 2018	Get deal
Lufthansa	Europe flights from $1,510 return		Valid for travel on select dates. Destinations include London, Rome, Paris, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Milan, Madrid and more. Sample fare is Perth-Barcelona.	Last verified 14 Jun 2018	Get deal
Back Roads Touring	Up to $884 off 2019 UK, Europe and Northern Africa tours	Deal expires 31 Jul 2018	Valid on select 2019 tours. Destinations include England, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Morocco and more. T&Cs apply.	Last verified 13 Jun 2018	Get deal
Hertz	10% off Europe car hire		Valid on select dates. Minimum of 5 days rental. T&C's apply.	Last verified 6 Jun 2018	Get deal
Contiki	Up to 30% off last-minute Europe summer tours		Book a range of last-minute Contiki tours, from week long jaunts to month long journeys, to destinations like Italy, France, Germany, Greece and more for up to 30% off.	Last verified 31 May 2018	Get deal
Insight Vacations	7.5% off European trips	Deal expires 29 Aug 2018	Valid for travel on select dates. Booking must be made in advanced to redeem offer. Destinations include Spain, Morocco, Italy, Greece and more. T&Cs apply.	Last verified 30 May 2018	Get deal
Groupon	11-day European Christmas market cruise from $2,298	Deal expires 30 Dec 2018	Valid for cruise on 10 December 2019. Includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and more. T&Cs apply.	Last verified 16 May 2018	Get deal
Contiki	Up to $360 off Europe Winter trips	Deal expires 16 Aug 2018	Valid for travel on select dates. Destinations include United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain and more. T&Cs apply.	Last verified 7 May 2018	Get deal
Trafalgar Tours	Up to 7.5% off Europe and Britain tours	Deal expires 23 Aug 2018	Book in advance any Autumn, Winter and Spring Europe and Britain tours and get up to 7.5% off. Early Payment Discount is on the land-only portion of selected holidays and can be combined with other brochure discounts where applicable. T&Cs apply.	Last verified 7 May 2018	Get deal
GoEuro	Europe train tickets from €15		Valid on select trains in Europe. Sample price is for trains from Brussels to Bruges or Rome to Florence.	Last verified 26 Apr 2018	Get deal
Eurail	20% off passes for students		Enjoy 15% off on your rail travel in Europe. Must be 27 and below to redeem offer. T&Cs apply.	Last verified 24 Apr 2018	Get deal
Go Airport Shuttle	5% off airport transfers and car hire		Valid on select dates and locations worldwide. Destinations include USA, Canada, Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean, Sydney, and the Czech Republic. T&C's apply.	Last verified 5 Mar 2018	Get deal
Topdeck	Up to 7.5% off Europe tours		Valid for travel on select dates. Destinations include Mykonos, Greece, Dubrovnik and Plitvice Lakes, Croatia, Russia and Scandinavia, Morocco, Amsterdam and more. T&C's apply.	Last verified 20 Feb 2018	Get deal
Sixt Car Rental	Up to 10% off car rentals in Europe	Deal expires 30 Dec 2018	Valid for travel on select dates. Includes free rebooking and cancellation. T&C's apply.	Last verified 13 Feb 2018	Get deal
Hostelworld	Europe stay from $15 per night		Valid on select dates and hostels across Europe. Destinations include London, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Paris and more. T&C's apply.	Last verified 5 Dec 2017	Get deal
Radisson Blu	Up to 20% off stays		Valid on advance bookings at participating hotels in Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and the Americas only and is subject to availability. Most hotels define advanced bookings as one month in advance. Subject to change. See site for details.	Last verified 22 Feb 2017	Get deal
Etihad Airways Australia	Europe flights from $1,878 return	Deal expires 31 Aug 2018	Valid for travel from 10 July - 31 December 2018. Destinations include Paris, Rome, London, Dublin, Madrid and Amsterdam. Sample fare is Perth-Amsterdam.	Last verified 9 Jul 2018	Get deal

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