August versus July

I work in a NYC school so for the past 26 years we have had to travel in July and August. We were in Poland and Croatia summer 2019 for 5 weeks so we were there both months. We didn't notice any difference. Not every country has the same summer schedule for when schools are closed. Europe in general is crowded with people from all around the world, not just Europeans. We are retiring this April and we plan to never travel to Europe in July and August ever again - if possible. Why? Because of the intense heat during those two months. Poland wasn’t too bad but Croatia was nearly unbearable. We went to Venice for one day and besides the crowds, it was just too hot. Maybe we feel the heat more than others, or maybe it is because we are getting older. Anyway, this August we went to Montreal and Quebec to beat the heat. We have two trips in the planning stages for 2020, London/Dublin in May and Croatia/Turkey? in September/October.

It sounds as if you spend a lot of your travel time in places that are not Barcelona, Venice, London, etc. And perhaps you are somewhat more tolerant of crowds than average. I suspect you won't find a huge difference between July and August in most places except when there's a really important special event going on, and even then the difference might not push the situation over the edge from your personal perspective.

Any event with huge impact is likely to influence lodging rates (and availability) enough that you'll know something is afoot when you start trying to book, though if you're a really early planner you may not be quite so badly affected.

Based on what people have posted here, I wouldn't go to Edinburgh in August unless I wanted to take advantage of the festival activities, in which case I'd just have to put up with the negative side of the experience. The tourist zone was crowded in July but not what I would consider unbearable. I was told the Castle was extremely crowded in late July, but that was by someone who likes to take a lot of photos without people in them.

There's not a big difference overall... but here's my 2c:
- Aug 1-15 is especially crowded in SE France / but Paris empties out outside tourist areas
- Aug 15-30 is especially crowded in Italian vacation destinations / but less touristy cities are empty (Milan felt like a movie set when I visited in late August 2015!)

Hi,

Weather-wise not that much difference between going in July and August. Expect both to be hot.

In July and August I have been in Paris, northern, southern and southwestern France and also in central Europe (Germany and Poland). In that regard it makes no difference to me. I like the longer days.

In Germany if the hotel offers cheaper rates at all, it will be from ca. mid-July to the end of Aug. I've been told this by hotel staff and experienced it myself. In some cases in France too..just depends.

Have not traveled recently in August but I don't think the temperature would be much different. August can still be very hot. There could be but may not be signification a reduction in American families travel since many school have a mid to early August start date. So that would probably pull out family who traditionally might not return until late August. But then August tends to be the more traditional month for Europeans to vacation. For us deciding to travel in August instead of July would depend on many others factors rather than the hope for reduced crowds.

Thanks for the replies. I'm not worried about weather - it's not significantly different July vs August (and easily checked on weather websites). I am more interested in crowds. I'm getting the impression that non coastal areas, and places that are less crowded anytime will be my best bets.

So even if you’re heat tolerant, places farther north are generally less scorching than places farther south -- unless you threw away a European destination and went instead to Australia, New Zealand, Southern Africa, or anyplace else south of the Equator, where August would be like February north of the Equator.

So here’s one other off- the-wall thought. July vs. August might be influenced by what festivals and special events are going on, and where. By sort-of embracing the crowds, you’ll get to experience something that’s only available once a year, and some crowds may be more tolerable than others.

July has the truly wonderful Festival Le Cornouaille, in Quimper, Brittany, France. A music, dance, and traditional dress parade gathering in a truly cool town in a totally different part of France, is going on July 21 thru 26 in 2020. Not so mobbed that it’s stifling, but enough people to make it a spectacular event.

Now a bigger crowd, but still one of the ultimate happenings on the planet, is the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, and the “regular” Edinburgh Festival, all happening each August. So many events, music, comedy, theater, and other entertainment, and you can find a lot that’s not overcrowded. Then the Tattoo at the castle, which maybe you’ve seen but it’s worth going again. Then catch a cheap Flybe airlines flight to Orkney or Shetland, and you’ll virtually have your own private corner of Scotland, with the warmest weather of the year, and always a chance of some rain, but it won’t be freezing!

August is also a big time for transportation strikes throughout southern Europe, as many locals are also traveling during this time. For example, during August in Barcelona, outside of the touristy areas, many local shops and restaurants are closed for the month, it's practically a ghost town, save for the tourists who wander outside the touristy area.

Since you are lucky enough to have visited all the most crowded places already, some several times, it sounds like an August trip to lan to hit the places where Europeans go but North American and Asian tourists don't so much...

They are all mentioned in the guidebooks but without appropriate emphasis. IMO.

Val Gardena in the Dolomites. Stubaital and Zillertal in Austria. Augsburg/Nordlingen in Germany. Smaller places in the Black Forest. Wineries/Agritourismos in Tuscany/Umbria, or the Rhone valley.

Have a great time.

“I hear August is worse. Except for the center of cities like Paris, everyplace is jammed.”

Not my experience at all. Paris is jam-packed in August as well. Many Parisians are gone but it’s jammed with tourists.

August is the traditional holiday month for most of Europe. To me it's the most frustrating month to travel over there. The roads are crowded, places you want to stay are closed, and the service you get, from those not on vacation, is usually second rate.