Spain, Greece, or Germany

My vote would be for Germany. There is so much to see, large cities, small cities and everything in between. It isn't as hot as Spain or Greece in the summer. Berlin is great for recent history and Munich is just fun. Rothenburg is worth a stop for its museums, Nightwatchman's tour, and medieval history. Stay overnight. Once you start researching and reading about Germany, you won't be able to narrow your trip down. The weather in the north is cool and the south is much warmer in the summer. We spent two weeks starting in Berlin, then to Weinheim, Heidelberg, Rothenburg, Fussen, then Munich. We are definately planning a return trip soon.

I agree. Unless you are used to pretty intense heat, I wouldn't really consider anywhere in southern Europe as an ideal destination in the summer heat. I'd stick to northern Germany.

Spend a night in Fussen, Germany, the town closest to the castles. One of my favorite places I've been-I really enjoyed their museum.

If I was to visit Spain or Greece in the summer I'd be sticking to the pools and beaches not traipsing around in the intense heat exploring and visiting the sights.

Germany in the summer is much more amenable to such activities although bear in mind that in can still get hot in Southern Germany. I was in Munich a few years ago in June and there was a heatwave with temperatures exceeding 35°c. We spent a considerable time cooling off in the beer gardens and also the lakes that surround Munich. The water is from the snow melt in the mountains so it's quite refreshing and the lakes are surrounded by bars, restaurants etc and there are diving piers in the water. I actually preferred it much more than the sea. If you get up into the mountains the temperatures reduce a little but if it's sunny it'll still be quite warm.

There's also something about the German culture and people that I prefer to the Mediterranean countries but it's difficult to put a finger on it.

Thank you so much for the replies so far.

I prefer Spain and Greece to Germany overall in terms of sights and culture and food, but summer? I would not want to do intense sightseeing in either country after May. The heat in Greece in June just killed us in Athens last year, and I like warm weather.

Germany is also great for contrasts. You don't say how long you have, but with less than two weeks I'd focus on Berlin, Munich, and exploring a bit of Bavaria outside of Munich for the contrast. You do not need to bother going out of your way for Rothenburg OdT, it's supremely overrated and only convenient if you're explicitly doing the Romantic Road/Franconia. There are beautiful, unbombed medieval cities throughout the entire country so organize around the big cities/areas you want to visit and THEN find the charming unspoiled town that's not too far away.

How long will you have?

We visited Spain for 15 nights two summers ago. We just loved it. Was it hot? Yes. We arrived in Seville at 42 degrees (celcius) but the heat didn't stop us. It was wonderful. We spent three nights in Barcelona, four nights in Seville, one night in Granada, three nights in La Carihuela on the beach (just outside Torremolinos) and four nights in Madrid. We saw so much of Spain. I'd return in a heartbeat!

We planned to visit Greece this summer but realistically we needed more time than we have to do what we wanted to do (figured we'd need about 3 weeks). We only have 10 days so we've decided to visit Prague and Budapest instead.

As much as I love Spain and would recommend it anytime, summer is not when you want to be there unless you like it hot. While Germany is crowded in summer, it's also more pleasant in terms of climate and has more festivals and outdoor activities. Plus, it probably has the most English speakers in terms of the tourism industry. Viel glück!

Joanne, we will be staying about 12 nights. Good to hear your thoughts on Spain in the summer.

If you want to find a nice spot on a beach, either Spain or Greece. I particularly like the north coast of Spain (Basque region) in the summer months. It's the ideal time to be there (the rest of the year is rainy and cool). Southern Spain and Greece will be quite hot, again great for the beach but not so much for touring.

If you primarily want to see sights, I'd go with Germany. It may be hot there but not relative to Spain or Greece. You could even go further north into Scandinavia. Summer is the best time to visit there for decent weather.

I would go for Germany. Germany is a good second European experience, after England and Scotland. The culture is likely more familiar.

I would consider to include Switzerland and Austria, depending on your available travel time and budget.

Hogan with just 12 nights, if you want to visit Spain, I'd choose either the north or south. Not both. You could have a really nice trip just in Anadalucia. Or you could include Madrid.

3 nights Seville
2 nights Granada
3 nights Malaga or even where we were, La Carihuela (if you'd like beach time)
4 nights Madrid (we took the train and stopped into Cordoba for half day en route from La Carihuela to Madrid)

We had a driver bring us from Seville to Granada and stopped at an olive farm, Ronda and Setenil de la Bodegas on the way. You could make a stop for a night or so en route if you wanted. That would be a lot of changing accommodations though.