Avoiding Summer Heat in Europe

The UK and Scandinavia come to mind. Also the northern coastal regions of France, Germany, The Baltics, etc.

Norwegian coast is cooler and so beautiful.

Or head to the Southern Hemisphere - Southern Africa or South America - 2 large continents to explore and avoid the heat

Spain's northern coast is (generally) comfortable in August. But it's packed with vacationers from the sweltering inland cities.

Forget the heat, think about the tourists. August is when the LOCALS go on vacation, all at once. Not a good travel month at all.

I agree that August is the worst month for travel in Europe. Many businesses close completely as they take vacations. Avoid it if at all possible.

Looking at weather trends over the past few years, even the “normal” recommendations (north of the alps) have suffered terrible heat waves. Find lodging with ac (easier said than done!) if you are concerned. Be ready to sacrifice historic charming lodging for modern hotels with ac. Especially in places like Germany.

If going to France and you want to cool off in a public pool, pack a speedo.

Scandinavia. We've had a nice summer so far, a couple of hot days but for most of the summer the temperature has been below 25°.

To avoid the worst of the summer heat, I would say Sweden, Finland, Norway.

My trips are always in the summer, including parts of August....no problem but in North Germany and northern France the heat is still there. Brittany would be least affected by the heat. Trains are going to be packed anyway, depending on which ICE route it is.

In Germany and Austria if the hotel offers a reduced rate at all, depending on the chain or the individual establishment, that would be in August. They've told me as much.

I agree that August is the worst month for travel in Europe. Many
businesses close completely as they take vacations. Avoid it if at all
possible.

Never seen a business close in the summer in Central or Eastern Europe, so head there.

Just spent the last half of July and the first half of August in Central Europe (again). Cooler than Texas.

But to be fair, I went to my nice air conditioned AirBnb around 3pm and took a nap, going out for dinner at 6pm (sort of early by the standards of that country) then took in the lights and activity of the most beautiful city in Europe until a late bed time. Worked well for me. Always does.

But dont rely on my anecdotal information, or anyone else for that matter. The temperatures and comfort ranges (takes into account the humidity) are widely published. You might be surprised how warm even northern locations can become. Then you find yourself making decisions on the possibility of a 5F swing. Is 82F for an hour or two too much for you? Even if before 10 a and after 7pm its 68? Because that's the average in Budapest and I suspect you wont find a whole lot different in a hundred places, north and south.

Go where you want to go and will enjoy and have fun.

Finland, Sweden Norway, Denmark, Scotland, Iceland.....

You will, occasionally, get some higher temperatures. Earlier this month, Dublin reached 85 degrees (F) which is rare.

I've been in eastern Scotland for the last two weeks and the average high is around 65 degrees (F).

Exactly what Frank II has said — you want to go to Scandinavia or Scotland.

Iceland! We were there last August for almost 2 weeks and will be there again next summer for close to 3 weeks.

One thing to take into account is that some places that are historically pretty hot are used to it and better at managing heat than places that are just now starting to get historic heat waves. For example, a greek island is obviously fairly hot in August, but depending on the island will be whitewashed to reflect the sun, the buildings are designed for more airflow, A/C might be more easily available, and sea breezes can cool you off.

I'm not saying go to Greece necessarily, just to look at more than just average temps - look at how the place you go handles it and what you'd do there. A trip hiking and camping might be miserable in a heat wave, a trip focusing on air conditioned museums and theaters, or beaches and swimming, might be OK.

Pick your poison - you may avoid some heat by traveling to northern latitudes, but that also means there is less chance of having air conditioning!

Exactly what edwardius said - I just got back from Copenhagen and it was probably pretty warm by their standards - 78-82 degrees and no cloud cover. When I was out and about, it was quite hot; in the shade it felt pleasant. My AirBnB, however, was sweltering. No A/C and on the 4th floor of an old building. I had a small usb-powered fan, so it was manageable - barely. If the trains had air conditioning, I couldn't tell. I too hate the heat. I'm of a "certain age" as well and am just hot all the time. On the way home I texted my family that the next time I went anywhere in August it pretty much needed to be at one of the poles.

I just got back from Italy last Friday and it was hot and humid (although I'm from Arizona so I'm used to dry heat). But my hotels were all very pleasant refuges from the heat with wonderfully cool air conditioning. So, at least in Tuscany & Rome, they know how to handle the heat.

"...in North Germany and northern France the heat is still there. Brittany would be least affected by the heat."

As for "least affected by the heat" when it comes to France, I would add near-coastal areas of Normandy; especially the Cotentin Peninsula. We have had brief spikes of heat but overall things have been pretty comfortable in this otherwise hot summer. It's quite cool in the shade and sitting outside watching the sun set over the horizon even in August required a sweatshirt or light jacket.

I'd chance Scotland in the summer by not England or western Europe. Daggone 100F with no A/C? Have fun with that. Even Scotland can get hot but not London hot.

Other summer options: Nordic countries... that's about it. You guys realize there are 9 other months of the year when you're not crammed together breathing some stinky guy's breath and bumping sweat with other people, don't you?