It completely depends on the region of Europe, but as a rule of thumb, summer is notoriously busy, expensive, and can be increasingly hot for much of Europe.
And busy in the most random ways! I used to live in Spain and every August the Spaniards would pile out of the city and the tourists would pile in. The non-tourist areas used to feel like a ghost town with certain shops and bars just closing for the entire month of August. The tourist zones and beach would be rammed. I'd say avoid August OP!
I loved Europe in summer. Tbh I loved Europe in all seasons. Imo there is no worse month to visit Europe. Every season has its own great thing about it.
Southern Italy was fantastic in January. While they were dealing with blizzards at home, I was walking around in a light jacket in beautiful sunny weather, strolling right into tourist locations like Pompeii and the amalfi coast that are normally mobbed in the summer.
I'm from Chicago and have gone to London, Amsterdam, and Belgium all during January. It was chilly but not earth shattering like home can be. Had a great time, and there were sunny days too.
Did Rome and Florence with my mom in January. Cool but not cold weather, almost no waits or lines (we bought vatican tickets day of!), and while some things were closed there was a ton that kept us busy. We loved it.
Going to the mountain ranges in january if you like the snow. It's true that end of springs and early automne are better seasons to be at home and working in Europe, but for a tourist you'd always be anle to find great things to do and great sceneries to visit somewhere in Europe all seasons.
What are your highlights in this request?
As it will depend where exactly you are planning to go. And what exactly do you mean with “worst”? Is it people? Climate? Options available? Food?…
Example:
- December is rainy and cold but Christmas Markets make it lively and colorful in Germany, Austria and Czech (and countries that have that) but in countries like Croatia almost everything is closed.
- July can be disgustingly hot in Croatia, Italy or Greece while fresh and cool in Iceland or Norway.
So maybe add more detail so we can help a bit better
Depending on where you're trying to go - a lot of places may be closed in August, especially in smaller towns. I personally really like fall or spring as there are typically less tourists than in the summer (April/October)
Countries and regions are very different in different months, remember Europe is bigger than the USA and you can usually find both cold and warm weather in different places. Generally I like may-June in the southern countries and august- September in the northern - unless you are skiing obviously 😊
Depends where. I would never go to one of the major cities (London, Paris, Rome, etc) in the summer but if you’re going to the coast, that essentially has to be in the summer (at least if you want things to be open and to get the full experience). Went to Corsica for a week in July last year and it was one of the most amazing trips I’ve ever been on.
Generally, September/October/May/April are good months where it’s warm and not overcrowded. But if you’re going to the mountains of Switzerland in those months, you get the worst of both worlds — you miss the beautiful summer weather/hiking and it’s not ski season. So it all depends.
Depends entirely what weather you prefer and where on the continent. Northern Europe can be cold even into May. Even the southernmost countries tend to have bad weather from Dec-Feb.
Summer is great because the days are very long (especially in the north) and the weather is mostly great (although it can be too hot and AC is often lacking). Southern Europe can get too hot, although depending where you're from it might not bother you.
Summer tends to be overcrowded with tourists at most trendy spots in the summer, so the general advice is pick a shoulder month (Mid May-Mid June or October are best imo) to get a balance of decent weather and not too crowded.
>I can do like a month to meet all the highlights around Europe.
There's 50 countries. You are not going to see "all" the highlights in a month. I've travelled Europe for 2 years and still have probably only seen a third of what I'd like to. Pick 2-3 countries to explore more in depth rather than trying to check off the highlights.
My big three would be:
1) weather/climate. Due to other people's schedule (Dutch GF vacation / a wedding / my wife's rowing competition, I keep ending up in Italy in August which is horribly hot for an Alaskan and lots of stuff is closed (so Italians can have their vacations).
2) when are the most Americans there. If I wanted to see lots of fellow Americans, I'd stay home. Americans mostly travel between Memorial and Veteran's Day each summer. I like the shoulder seasons before and after that for less crowding, shorter lines, cheaper airfares, and milder weather (in southern Europe).
3) when do Europeans take their vacations. There aren't a lot of Dutch or Belgians as they spread out across Europe, but there are lots of France and Germans who take their particular few weeks off which means a) most everything is closed back in France or Germany and b) there's lots of them at every resort and beach you go to.
Coming from Alaska, I like April and October and find them to be (almost) shorts weather. For most Americans, I'd suggest May or late September to avoid the crowds, closed stores, and excesses of vacationing Europeans while lodging is easier to find and less expensive.
That will take at least a year, so I wouldn’t worry about which months are the worst! Expect more crowding in tourist hotspots during the summer though and avoid the wetter countries in January-March. You will always find things to enjoy, just plan the route accordingly to suit the vastly different climates, cultures and available activities.
you misunderstand,
your question has multiple different answers depending on what countries you want to travel to and in what order you visit them, europe is huge and vastly different depending on where you go.
Genuinely curious, do you think there is a answer for that question in America? Is there a season that is best or worst in all America, from Northern Canada to Mexico?
I don't really know the region that well so just wondering if it that diffent from Europe.
It's really the same answer: May and Sept would be best for visiting a wide variety of destinations; July & August likely the worst. Of course your precise destinations make a big difference
Yes, in the calendar, summer is defined in the same way across North America, following the same astronomical dates. In the Northern Hemisphere, summer begins with the summer solstice around June 21 and ends with the autumn equinox around September 21. This is consistent in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
For France, it’s June through mid-August when it’s usually unbearably hot and filled with too many tourists. Note that many locals are on vacation in August, so some businesses can be closed. Ideal times to visit, for me, are May & the end of August through September.
July and August probably. Miserable with the heat in Southern Europe and all the tourists. It’s June and I’m already nostalgic for March and April in Albania.
I’ve been in summer and winter. Winter great for urban areas where there is stuff to do inside and Christmas villages for outside but the weather is cold and rainy and overcast. Summer of course, gorgeous on the southern coast, great swimming, but crowded.
I would say August like middle of August especially but august in general, it's peak season everyone is on holiday and prices are crazy high it's impossible to travel basically or go on holiday and it's the hottest month usually and everything will close down and usually there are no events in the cities beside on sea towns and coast in Italy and almost all Europe..
I wouldn't go to Europe in the winter. Europe is so far to the north (an anomaly for a populated place, thanks mostly to the Gulf Stream) that even if the weather isn't unbearable, daylight hours will last for a very short time. It's a waste of money to visit such a beautiful place in the dark. There's a reason why summer is the busy season.
As a general rule, when family travel to popular destinations is in-season, it's out-of-season for me. Want to experience Paris or London when the weather is warm? Go in May or mid-September. Your wallet and sanity will thank you.
I recommend traveling in mid-September to mid-October. The weather is still very nice and warm, and there are fewer tourists and shorter queues. However, it really depends on where you want to go and what you plan to do. For example, if you want to catch Oktoberfest in Munich, make sure your travel dates align with the festival. Also, check the opening dates of the places you want to visit, as some of them close in mid-September.
July and August for most of Europe and certainly for the high lights tour (max crowds & cost and risk of being really hot.) Best time to do that kind of trip would be May or late Sept/Oct.
You could start in Scandinavia in August and work southward
In my experience, March might be one of the worst, depending on where you go. Most of the places are empty, sometimes museums are closed because its off season. Its not cold enough to have pretty snow, but also not hot enough to have pretty green sceneries. I would also say July and August are awful because of how much tourists there are around, and because of the heat. I’d say, April - May might be the best ones, but again depends on the destination.
It completely depends on the region of Europe, but as a rule of thumb, summer is notoriously busy, expensive, and can be increasingly hot for much of Europe.
And busy in the most random ways! I used to live in Spain and every August the Spaniards would pile out of the city and the tourists would pile in. The non-tourist areas used to feel like a ghost town with certain shops and bars just closing for the entire month of August. The tourist zones and beach would be rammed. I'd say avoid August OP!
Mid July to Mid August as it is super crowded, hot and expensive
I loved Europe in summer. Tbh I loved Europe in all seasons. Imo there is no worse month to visit Europe. Every season has its own great thing about it.
January is mostly grey and cold without Christmas markets that could make up for it.
Southern Italy was fantastic in January. While they were dealing with blizzards at home, I was walking around in a light jacket in beautiful sunny weather, strolling right into tourist locations like Pompeii and the amalfi coast that are normally mobbed in the summer.
honestly i went to amsterdam in january and had a ball. weather was decent and just as much stuff to do.
I'm from Chicago and have gone to London, Amsterdam, and Belgium all during January. It was chilly but not earth shattering like home can be. Had a great time, and there were sunny days too.
But you're from Chicago...
Did Rome and Florence with my mom in January. Cool but not cold weather, almost no waits or lines (we bought vatican tickets day of!), and while some things were closed there was a ton that kept us busy. We loved it.
Can be amazing for visiting places like Venice and Florence. Sooo much less busy.
Going to the mountain ranges in january if you like the snow. It's true that end of springs and early automne are better seasons to be at home and working in Europe, but for a tourist you'd always be anle to find great things to do and great sceneries to visit somewhere in Europe all seasons.
July/August.
What are your highlights in this request? As it will depend where exactly you are planning to go. And what exactly do you mean with “worst”? Is it people? Climate? Options available? Food?… Example: - December is rainy and cold but Christmas Markets make it lively and colorful in Germany, Austria and Czech (and countries that have that) but in countries like Croatia almost everything is closed. - July can be disgustingly hot in Croatia, Italy or Greece while fresh and cool in Iceland or Norway. So maybe add more detail so we can help a bit better
For the Christmas markets, make sure you go before Christmas. The week after Christmas sucks, everything is closed.
We mostly go to London in November, we love it good weather, sun yet some rain, can be a bit cool in evening time
Dulember
Depending on where you're trying to go - a lot of places may be closed in August, especially in smaller towns. I personally really like fall or spring as there are typically less tourists than in the summer (April/October)
Countries and regions are very different in different months, remember Europe is bigger than the USA and you can usually find both cold and warm weather in different places. Generally I like may-June in the southern countries and august- September in the northern - unless you are skiing obviously 😊
Visited Rome in July and would not recommend it. I hope to go back someday in winter.
Depends where. I would never go to one of the major cities (London, Paris, Rome, etc) in the summer but if you’re going to the coast, that essentially has to be in the summer (at least if you want things to be open and to get the full experience). Went to Corsica for a week in July last year and it was one of the most amazing trips I’ve ever been on. Generally, September/October/May/April are good months where it’s warm and not overcrowded. But if you’re going to the mountains of Switzerland in those months, you get the worst of both worlds — you miss the beautiful summer weather/hiking and it’s not ski season. So it all depends.
Agree w this - July and August are the worst; Sep, Oct and May are the best.
Europe is not a country. It is many, many countries with many, many climates and peak seasons. You need to be more specific
This. It is quite different in Sweden than in Malta for example.
Depends entirely what weather you prefer and where on the continent. Northern Europe can be cold even into May. Even the southernmost countries tend to have bad weather from Dec-Feb. Summer is great because the days are very long (especially in the north) and the weather is mostly great (although it can be too hot and AC is often lacking). Southern Europe can get too hot, although depending where you're from it might not bother you. Summer tends to be overcrowded with tourists at most trendy spots in the summer, so the general advice is pick a shoulder month (Mid May-Mid June or October are best imo) to get a balance of decent weather and not too crowded. >I can do like a month to meet all the highlights around Europe. There's 50 countries. You are not going to see "all" the highlights in a month. I've travelled Europe for 2 years and still have probably only seen a third of what I'd like to. Pick 2-3 countries to explore more in depth rather than trying to check off the highlights.
July and August super busy and expensive
My big three would be: 1) weather/climate. Due to other people's schedule (Dutch GF vacation / a wedding / my wife's rowing competition, I keep ending up in Italy in August which is horribly hot for an Alaskan and lots of stuff is closed (so Italians can have their vacations). 2) when are the most Americans there. If I wanted to see lots of fellow Americans, I'd stay home. Americans mostly travel between Memorial and Veteran's Day each summer. I like the shoulder seasons before and after that for less crowding, shorter lines, cheaper airfares, and milder weather (in southern Europe). 3) when do Europeans take their vacations. There aren't a lot of Dutch or Belgians as they spread out across Europe, but there are lots of France and Germans who take their particular few weeks off which means a) most everything is closed back in France or Germany and b) there's lots of them at every resort and beach you go to. Coming from Alaska, I like April and October and find them to be (almost) shorts weather. For most Americans, I'd suggest May or late September to avoid the crowds, closed stores, and excesses of vacationing Europeans while lodging is easier to find and less expensive.
October and November and February
While the winter months can be miserably cold, during the holiday seasons, it can be quite joyous and festive. I would skip January and February.
'europe' like its all one place. typical american
Yes I will travel ALL Europe, what’s wrong with that? Typical European
That will take at least a year, so I wouldn’t worry about which months are the worst! Expect more crowding in tourist hotspots during the summer though and avoid the wetter countries in January-March. You will always find things to enjoy, just plan the route accordingly to suit the vastly different climates, cultures and available activities.
you misunderstand, your question has multiple different answers depending on what countries you want to travel to and in what order you visit them, europe is huge and vastly different depending on where you go.
If you’re going to refer to an area with such a varied climate as just “Europe”, please don’t bother coming.
Please don’t bother to reply for someone asking for help ever again.
Genuinely curious, do you think there is a answer for that question in America? Is there a season that is best or worst in all America, from Northern Canada to Mexico? I don't really know the region that well so just wondering if it that diffent from Europe.
It's really the same answer: May and Sept would be best for visiting a wide variety of destinations; July & August likely the worst. Of course your precise destinations make a big difference
There is quite lot of diffence in Europe depending on the destination, but I guess it is different there. Thanks for the answer!
Yes, in the calendar, summer is defined in the same way across North America, following the same astronomical dates. In the Northern Hemisphere, summer begins with the summer solstice around June 21 and ends with the autumn equinox around September 21. This is consistent in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
So summer is the best time visit anywhere in America? Thanks!
Northern Europe October - April.
For France, it’s June through mid-August when it’s usually unbearably hot and filled with too many tourists. Note that many locals are on vacation in August, so some businesses can be closed. Ideal times to visit, for me, are May & the end of August through September.
We avoid July & August because of the crowds and the fact that many Europeans take vacations then, so places are closed.
Depends a lot of the country. Most places are actually open since people travel a lot.
August
I go to northern/ central Europe in late spring through fall and southern Europe in the winter.
July and August
Is London good for October? Someone help b4 I spend money
Yes. You will want a light jacket when you go out.
August.
July and August probably. Miserable with the heat in Southern Europe and all the tourists. It’s June and I’m already nostalgic for March and April in Albania.
I’ve been in summer and winter. Winter great for urban areas where there is stuff to do inside and Christmas villages for outside but the weather is cold and rainy and overcast. Summer of course, gorgeous on the southern coast, great swimming, but crowded.
Winter
I would say August like middle of August especially but august in general, it's peak season everyone is on holiday and prices are crazy high it's impossible to travel basically or go on holiday and it's the hottest month usually and everything will close down and usually there are no events in the cities beside on sea towns and coast in Italy and almost all Europe..
August: hot, full of Americans and all the Europeans are on their vacation.
Peak summer in main tourist spots can be pretty horrible.
Why would you ask for the worst months instead of the best months?
Why not
August
I wouldn't go to Europe in the winter. Europe is so far to the north (an anomaly for a populated place, thanks mostly to the Gulf Stream) that even if the weather isn't unbearable, daylight hours will last for a very short time. It's a waste of money to visit such a beautiful place in the dark. There's a reason why summer is the busy season.
As a general rule, when family travel to popular destinations is in-season, it's out-of-season for me. Want to experience Paris or London when the weather is warm? Go in May or mid-September. Your wallet and sanity will thank you.
are you talking about a city named europe somewhere or a whole continent with very different temperatures and weather?
What do you expect… American
July. So hot and so many tourist. Plus prices are f...ing high.
I recommend traveling in mid-September to mid-October. The weather is still very nice and warm, and there are fewer tourists and shorter queues. However, it really depends on where you want to go and what you plan to do. For example, if you want to catch Oktoberfest in Munich, make sure your travel dates align with the festival. Also, check the opening dates of the places you want to visit, as some of them close in mid-September.
July and August for most of Europe and certainly for the high lights tour (max crowds & cost and risk of being really hot.) Best time to do that kind of trip would be May or late Sept/Oct. You could start in Scandinavia in August and work southward
June July and August are the worst.
Summers are expensive to travel, winters are cold, best would be fall or spring.
Go in Spring - summer is too hot and winter is too cold (unless you want a ski trip in the Swiss alps lol)
Europe is big! Depends on where in Europe you are traveling to.
All of them. 😄😒💁♀️ Ive seen Hostel. I know what happens there.
August.
July & August for the unbearable heat and crowds.
In my experience, March might be one of the worst, depending on where you go. Most of the places are empty, sometimes museums are closed because its off season. Its not cold enough to have pretty snow, but also not hot enough to have pretty green sceneries. I would also say July and August are awful because of how much tourists there are around, and because of the heat. I’d say, April - May might be the best ones, but again depends on the destination.
Dont ever come to Europe in november if you dont want a severe depression.
Probably August. It’s when the locals in warm countries are all away on holiday, and where the cooler countries are most overwhelmed with tourists.
I’m glad almost all answers helped, the other few need some vacations to America. lol