4 Reasons Why This Fall Is Actually The Best Time To Visit Europe

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With the official start of the European summer, American travelers are flocking abroad to enjoy a summer vacation in Europe.

According to Allianz Worldwide Partners, a travel insurance company, the number of Americans traveling to Europe this summer will be 55% more than last year. Popular destinations on many travelers’ itineraries include London, Paris, and Rome.

But far from being a dream vacation, traveling around Europe this summer can be a harsh reality: Massive crowds, heat waves, and high prices can ruin your plans.

Instead of visiting Europe this summer, here’s why this fall is actually the best time to go:

1. Cheaper flights

Flights to Europe are exorbitant this summer, but those prices drop immediately as you enter fall.

You can pay up to 50% less to book a flight from the US to Europe in September, October or November compared to July or August.

Now that summer is in full swing, it’s getting harder and harder to find good deals on airfare to Europe. But if you advance your travel dates a few months, you’ll find great prices on airfare to many European cities from the United States.

According to the Hopper travel booking company, the cheapest time to fly to europe for the US it is between October and March.

2. Lower prices

It’s not just flights that are cheaper in the fall. All in Europe it will be cheaper in September, including hotels, rental cars and even excursions and restaurants.

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For example, Positano, Italy’s famous Le Sirenuse luxury hotel, costs upwards of $3,000 a night for a room in July or August. But come October, that drops to $1,000 a night.

You may be thinking that it’s still not a great deal, but the principle also applies to cheaper hotels. A hotel room that costs $300 a night in the peak summer months can cost $100 a night in the fall.

You can save big on a European vacation simply by moving your dates back a couple of months and traveling in the fall instead of the peak summer months.

3. Less crowds

This summer is expected to be one of the busiest on record in Europe, with a 55% increase in tourism compared to last summer.

Visiting Europe in the summer means fighting excessive crowds, especially in popular tourist destinations. If your idea of a fun vacation includes crawling through the Louvre or making your way to the front of the Trevi Fountain for a photo amid thousands of tourists, then summer is a great time to visit Europe.

But if you’d rather enjoy empty streets, uncrowded museums, and no lines at tourist attractions, wait until fall.

The tourist crowds in Europe largely disperse from September onwards. In the fall, you can enjoy a Santorini sunset or a beach day on the Amalfi Coast without having to share the experience with large crowds.

4. Better weather

Finally, autumn can offer better weather in many parts of Europe. If you’re looking for a beach holiday, September can still feel like summer in many parts of Europe, including Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, and Greece.

There are still plenty of sunny days, and the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas are still warm enough for swimming in September.

For the past few summers, many places in Europe have been experiencing record high temperatures and extreme heat waves that make summer travel unpleasant.

So visiting during the fall can offer a welcome respite from the heat. Cities like London and Paris are much nicer in the cool fall months than they are in mid-July.