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
Travel Talk
2-for-1 tours worldwide
Valid for travel on select dates and destinations. Includes free return flights from London when you book any Europe Overland tour. Destinations include Turkey, the Balkans, Croatia, Nepal, Jordan, Egypt, Spain, India, Morocco, Russia and more. T&C's apply.
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TourRadar
Up to 70% off tours worldwide
Huge savings on tours, river cruises and sailing trips in Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand from brands like Intrepid Travel, Contiki, Busabout, Cosmos, Collette, Tucan, Topdeck and more.
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Etihad Airways Australia
Peak season Europe flights from $1,033 return
Valid for travel between 1 February - 31 October 2019, including peak summer months. Sample fare is Sydney-Dublin. Destinations include Dublin, Athens, Rome, London, Barcelona and more.
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British Airways
Europe flights from $1,181 return
Valid for travel until 30 March 2019. Sample fare is Sydney-UK. Destination includes Ireland.
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Emirates
Europe flights from $1,119 return
Take off to Europe between 13 January and 27 March 2019 to destinations like Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Athens, Paris and more. Sample price is Perth-Amsterdam.
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Groupon
Europe: 16-day getaway + flights from $2,899
Valid for travel between 15 January - 10 April, 22 April - 18 June and 21 July -18 September 2019. Includes roundtrip economy airfare, 14-night hotel accommodation in a 4-star hotel, airport transfers and more. T&Cs apply.
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TourRadar
Up to 70% off worldwide tours
Valid for travel on select dates depending on the destination. Destinations include Africa, Asia, Latin America, North America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. T&Cs apply.
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Insight Vacations
10% off Europe and Britain tours
Valid for travel on select 2019 dates, depending on the destination. Destinations include Europe, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Ireland, Russia, Malta and more. T&Cs apply.
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Topdeck
Up to $765 off Europe tours
Valid for travel on select 2019 trips depending on the destination. Destinations include Britain, Ireland, Greece, Spain, Italy, Egypt, Croatia and more. T&Cs apply.
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TourRadar
Up to 55% off Europe tours
Valid for travel on select dates, depending on the destination. Destinations include London, Athens, Rome, Berlin, Budapest, Dubrovnik and more. T&Cs apply.
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Flight Centre - International
Europe flights from $1,029 return with Etihad
Valid for travel from 22 February - 30 November 2019. Destinations include Rome, Paris, London and Dublin. Sample fare is Sydney-Dublin.
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Contiki
10% off Europe tours
Valid from March 2019 - April 2020. Destinations include France, Switzerland, Greece, Belgium, Ireland, Spain and more. T&Cs apply.
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Avis
Up to 20% off Europe and UK car hire
Valid until 15 December 2019. T&Cs apply.
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Wotif - Deals
Up to 35% off Europe hotels
Valid for stays on select dates across all participating hotels in Europe. Destinations include London, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Istanbul, Athens, Munich and more. T&Cs apply.
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Tick Travel Insurance
Get 5% off all Tick travel insurance policies
Want to save more on your Tick travel insurance policy? Just enter this code to receive a 5% discount on your cover to destinations like Bali, New Zealand, USA, Europe, Thailand, Fiji, Vietnam and more.
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Trafalgar Tours
Up to 10% off Europe trips
Valid on select 2019 departures depending on the destination. Destinations include Ireland, Italy, Croatia, Spain and France. T&Cs apply.
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Topdeck
Extra 7.5% off 2019 Europe trips
Valid for travel on select 2019 trips. Destinations include Britain, Ireland, Greece, Spain, Italy, Egypt, Croatia and more. T&Cs apply.
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CruiseAway
Free OBC, wine and dine with Princess Cruises
Valid on select cruises from 2019 - 2020. Destinations include New Zealand, Asia, South Pacific, Europe, Alaska, Canada and more. T&Cs apply.
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Hilton Hotels
Up to 25% off stays
Valid for stays until 29 May 2019 at participating Hilton hotels across Europe, The Middle East and Africa. Valid for Hilton Honor members only. T&Cs apply.
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CruiseAway
50% off second guest + free internet
Valid on select 2019 cruises with Azamara. Destinations include Western Europe, Mediterranean Sea, Central America, Caribbean, Transatlantic and more. T&Cs apply.
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Millennium & Copthorne Hotels
10% off stays + free breakfast
Valid for stays on select dates across all participating Millennium Hotels and Resorts in Asia, Europe, Middle East and United States. T&Cs apply.
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Millennium & Copthorne Hotels
Up to 20% off hotels + free breakfast
Valid for stays until 30 April 2018 on select Europe hotels. Minimum of 3 nights stay. T&Cs apply.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Popular Travel coupon codes
| Last checked | Code description | Code |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Jan 2019 | Up to 50% off experiences + extra 10% off with code | FIN**** |
| 15 Jan 2019 | Extra 15% off first Groupon purchase | BRA**** |
| 19 Dec 2018 | Extra 5% off hotels worldwide | FIN**** |
| 13 Dec 2018 | Extra 8% off hotel bookings | OTE**** |
| 19 Nov 2018 | Up to 67% off + extra $15 off with code | EXT**** |
| 17 Jan 2019 | Hawaii flights from $799 return | ******** |
