Why Does Everyone Want to Visit Europe in Summer?

If you’ve been on social media lately, you’ve probably seen photos of at least one of your friends on holiday in Europe.

It’s currently summer in the northern hemisphere, and travelling to Europe when the weather is warm can be lots of fun. That’s one of the reasons so many Australians love to travel to Europe between June and August each year. But the popularity of European summer travel is also precisely why, in my opinion, this is probably one of the worst times to visit.

Many Australians visit Europe in the July school holidays

Over the years, I’ve noticed a clear trend of Australians wanting to take their families to Europe around the 24th of June, returning around the 15th of July. Often, they want to fly into London and then out of Rome. (This is one of the reasons Qantas’ seasonal Perth-Rome flight makes so much sense.)

Many of those Australians have been saving up their frequent flyer points for this exact reason, and are then surprised to find that it’s difficult to find award seats for their family around those dates.

Although it would be great if there was award availability for everyone, the simple fact is that demand for summer travel to Europe is very high. There are many more people who want to redeem their points than there are seats available. This can make it difficult to use points at this time, especially for multiple seats in Business Class.

Don’t get me wrong, I totally understand the appeal of travelling to Europe during their summer. It’s cold in Australia and the warmth of the European summer is alluring. This is especially the case if you want to do outdoor activities like hiking, cycling, rowing or climbing. It’s also true that there are lots of events in Europe such as concerts and music festivals during summer.

I also understand that people with family in Europe want to visit when their relatives have time off over summer.

In fact, I’ve just been to Europe myself and had a very enjoyable time. So, I’m certainly not saying you shouldn’t go! But I am saying that you might want to consider, if you can, travelling at a different time of the year instead.

Why I think summer is the worst time to visit Europe

I’m sure some people will disagree with my opinion on this, and that’s totally fine! But allow me to explain my reasoning…

Travelling to Europe in summer is more expensive

Due to high demand, flights to Europe are often much more expensive during the peak summer period. Unfortunately, that’s not the only part of your holiday that will cost more.

Over the last month, I found that hotel rates in Europe were often double what they would have been off-season. In addition, some places where I wanted to stay were fully booked weeks out.

As the occupancy rates were so high, I also find that the service wasn’t quite as good in some places. For example, I often had to wait longer than usual to check in and I was unable to secure late checkouts at some hotels, even with top-tier status.

Of course, I understand that this is always going to be the case when the staff have more guests to look after. But if you don’t have to travel during the high season, then why not go another time?

Internal flights, trains and buses within Europe are also more expensive since demand is higher.

Major tourist attractions are crowded

When travelling around Europe during the summer, you’re not just competing with all the other Aussies in Europe (and yes, there are lots of them). But this is also when Europeans and Americans have their long summer vacations. Many Europeans travel around the continent over summer, and the many trans-Atlantic flights are all full at this time of year.

This means you can expect long queues at airports and tourist attractions. Expect long waiting times to enter popular sites. And at times, your visit to a famous art museum or historical attraction could leave you feeling like you’re on an assembly line.

Airlines and airports are also more stretched and therefore less able to recover from delays. Inevitable strikes by air traffic controllers, airport and airline staff – sometimes planned for the busiest summer travel days – also don’t help.

The weather is hot – but not always in a good way

The weather in Europe is hot at the moment. That’s usually a good thing, but sometimes it really can get too hot.

If you’ve been following the news lately, you may be aware that Europe is currently experiencing a severe heatwave. This in itself wouldn’t be so bad, until you consider that most European buildings are designed to retain heat. Most higher-end hotels do at least have air-conditioning, but some hotels – and most houses and Airbnbs – do not. This can make it uncomfortably hot even when you’re inside.

The extreme weather, including intense summer storms, also causes disruptions to public transport. I experienced this in the Netherlands during that very hot week in early July, when many trains were cancelled.

There’s more award availability to Europe outside of summer

The trip from Australia to Europe is a long one, which is why it makes such a difference to be able to fly in a premium cabin.

It is possible to find Premium Economy, Business or First Class award seats to Europe during the northern summer, but seats are much harder to find than at other times of the year. This could be because airlines know they can fill their planes with fare-paying customers. It could also be because award seats sell out faster, since they’re in high demand. It’s probably a combination of both.

In general, if you do want to redeem frequent flyer points to travel to Europe in June or July, you would need to book around 10-12 months in advance to have much of a chance. This means booking around August for travel in June or July of the following year.

For example, if you have KrisFlyer miles, there are still a few Business Class award seats available on Singapore Airlines to cities such as Frankfurt in Germany.

But by travelling outside of the peak European summer period, you’ll have a lot more award flights to choose from. For example, if you hold KrisFlyer miles, you can often find even better award availability to Europe on Singapore Airlines outside of the peak summer period.

If you have Velocity points, finding reward seats to Europe on Singapore Airlines, Etihad or Qatar Airways is also easier during off-peak periods.

Finding reward seats to Europe on Qantas and its partner airlines during June or July can be nearly impossible. Again, travelling at other times of the year opens up more options. Especially if you don’t want to spend 40 hours in transit to get to Europe!

If you do want to use your points to travel to Europe – or anywhere else, really – holding points in a flexible credit card rewards program like Amex Membership Rewards can be a great idea. That’s because credit card programs allow you to “warehouse” your points in one place, then transfer them to a choice of different airlines as you need them. This allows you to maximise your options and increases the chances of finding suitable award flights.

When is the best time to visit Europe?

So, if it’s not summer, when is the best time to visit Europe?

Winter isn’t for everyone, but has its advantages

Winter is the least busy travel period in Europe. Things aren’t too crowded and prices are lower. However, it can also be very cold in winter and some tourist destinations in southern Europe, like many of the Greek islands, are not open for tourism in winter.

Personally, having grown up in Canberra, I don’t mind a bit of cold weather. I find the European winter bearable with a few layers of clothing and a proper European jacket. I understand that this doesn’t appeal to everyone. But the upshot is that Europe has some great winter sports including skiing.

You could also embrace the European winter by visiting the Santa Claus Village and catching the northern lights in Rovaniemi, Finland. Many countries such as Germany and Switzerland also have excellent Christmas markets if you visit in December. You can truly experience a white Christmas!

And if you don’t like cold weather, the temperatures in places like Portugal, southern Spain or Malta are still quite mild during winter. It might be too cold to go swimming at the beach, but you’ll miss the summer crowds and pay a lot less.

Spring or autumn is the perfect middle ground

Personally, I find that the autumn and spring shoulder seasons are the best times to visit Europe. Between September-November or April-May, the weather is pleasantly mild. But most of Europe and North America are not on holidays, so tourist hotspots are much less crowded.

What do you think? Share your opinion on the AFF forum:

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 70 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.