June vs Aug

Mary57,

We have been to Europe in both of those month/date ranges and preferred the June-July the best. All those countries have their own special holidays that everything, for a day, is closed for, in both june/july and Aug/Sept. However, i believe besides Italy, all the other countries do not pack up and head out for their vacation and remain open. Weather wise, I think the earlier part of summer is best.

June’ll be less crowded. Both months, restaurants and shops will be open. But you’ll be sharing them with a lot more tourists in August, as so many others (especially Europeans) will be on vacation in August.

If there’s a specific festival, like in Edinburgh, Scotland, that only happens in August - but if you’re going where you mention, the earlier months will give you a bit more elbow room.

I would far prefer traveling in June-July as opposed to mostly in August. Just my personal preference.

Europe tends to vacation in August, I wouldn't worry about closures but places may be more crowded and you may pay more for hotels etc. in the August timeframe (early July perhaps too) depending on your itenrary. I always shoot for June and September travel - weather is great, plenty of daylight and younger kids are either still in school (June) or going back (September). Can't go wrong with either timeframe but check your flight and hotel costs (and availability) for the two time periods. Lots of pent-up demand for travel everywhere.

June all the way for France! No question.

I’m appreciating the insight and experience! We’ve been during June before (with kids) but that was a much different trip much more “go” and beach time vs inland travel.

I prefer September to June, generally speaking. France may still do a lot of shutting down in August, IDK, but in late August and September you really don't see too much of that in Germany IME. And in September, where you could be spending 3 of your weeks, there are numerous fall harvest schedules in the wine regions and elsewhere.

As for school shedding their pupils and families heading out on vacations, it really depends on where you're going to be in Germany. In Berlin and Hamburg, kids are back in school by mid-August in Berlin and Hamburg and a few other places. That subtracts from the competition for rooms in vacation regions to some degree throughout your trip. Many others go back at the end of August or the 1st week in September, which would mean the 2nd half of your trip could be less competitive.

Europe tends to vacation in August

Rick Steves guide books says so too.

Absolutely travel in June. It's not quite as hot for one.

But many countries essentially shut down for much of August for vacations.

And if you can back up your trip into the last of May, Spring airfares are often much less than June-August airfares.

I know you're going for a long trip, but don't try to take on more cities than you can visit comfortably. We now try to stay 4 days minimum in great cities as traveling slower is better. You cannot see all of Europe in one trip.

I agree with David that May-June would be ideal. But June rather than August absolutely. Less hot, less tourists.

Europe doesn’t shut down in August, but this is the time that most schools are on holiday, so it’s busier and accommodation prices can be double or triple the June rate. Why go when it’s full of kids, busy and expensive? I would aim to be leaving by 1 July or arrive around 1 September. Daylight hours are better in June and there is generally more colour in the gardens.

If you are hiring a car, the price tends to be based on the day that you start your rental, therefore hiring a car for a week on 31 May tends to be considerably cheaper than a week’s rental starting 1 June.

No one knows what’s going to happen Covid wise, but the recommendation to limit the number of countries that you visit still stands, otherwise, you can spend half the trip trying to stay updated with the various requirements. You can easily spend your entire 4-6 week trip in France or Italy and not get to see the entire country.