Is late September - October the cheapest time to travel to Europe ?

[cyber888]

I'm looking forward to retiring next year, and will no longer need to travel during peak season summer time only. Really looking forward to traveling during the off-season. I guess this is one of the perks of retiring

Been looking at European travel cost (airfare and hotels). And it seems that later September and October are like 50% off the Summer Peak, once the kids are back in school.

Having been to a nice 4 Star hotel in Lake Como, Italy, just before the pandemic, I paid close to $300/night during summer. Looked at their rates for October and it's down to 115-136 euros (which is around $125-150 dollars). I guess winter is also a good time to go.

Care to share when you got the best airfare and hotel rates in different countries in Europe? Thanks.

 

[tulak]

Flights definitely are cheaper in the fall. I see prices drop off towards the end of August. My only concern during September and later is colder weather in central/northern countries.

My personal favorite month is May. It can still be busy, but you get spring time weather and prices are still reasonable.

 

[braumeister]

I have long been a fan of off-season travel. Not only are the fares cheaper, but the crowds of tourists are largely absent, which is a huge benefit in my book. I've been to Iceland in January, England, Germany, and Denmark in February, Norway in March, etc.
Had a wonderful time and didn't have to put up with crowded venues.

Try it, you might like it. For me, the summertime tourist season is just not worth it.

 

[Sojourner]

Late September through early October is my favorite time to be in Europe. For me, those few weeks provide a winning combination of good weather, cheaper airfares and hotel prices, and fewer tourists/crowds.

 

[Bamaman]

We are in Athens, Greece. as I write this. We are experiencing very expensive rooms on our trip. We would expect slightly lesser priced accommodations in the Fall, but not that much.

After being in hibernation for 2 years, real travelers are out in force. Our flight coming over was 100% full, and that is the norm for now.

We have talked to many fliers. Some cheap airfares were experienced just after the.pandemic, but we have been told airfares in the near future are very, very high $.

Who knows what the Fall will hold? Just sit back and jump on a real deal if one pops up.

 

[cyber888]

I did do a search for Sept-Oct and EU fights that cost $1300-$1600 in July are down to $700-$800 in late Sept and October.

I understand that summer travel this time is exploding sky high due to pent-up demands.

We are in Athens, Greece. as I write this. We are experiencing very expensive rooms on our trip. We would expect slightly lesser priced accommodations in the Fall, but not that much.

After being in hibernation for 2 years, real travelers are out in force. Our flight coming over was 100% full, and that is the norm for now.

We have talked to many fliers. Some cheap airfares were experienced just after the.pandemic, but we have been told airfares in the near future are very, very high $.

Who knows what the Fall will hold? Just sit back and jump on a real deal if one pops up.

 

[cyber888]

Yes, this is truly an advantage. We travelled to Venice during summer when it was fully packed with people, kids, tourists visiting for 1 day (the day trippers as Venetians call them) and it's not enjoyable, compared to when we travelled to Venice during winter a long time ago, where the weather was not really cold, and there were only a few tourists - it was the best time to enjoy the place.

I have long been a fan of off-season travel. Not only are the fares cheaper, but the crowds of tourists are largely absent, which is a huge benefit in my book. I've been to Iceland in January, England, Germany, and Denmark in February, Norway in March, etc.
Had a wonderful time and didn't have to put up with crowded venues.

Try it, you might like it. For me, the summertime tourist season is just not worth it.

 

[yakers]

If only flight and room price matters the best time to travel is commonly (normal pre COVID world) the first week of December. Now weather and sunlight are different issues. We love the South Pacific in the first week of December.

 

[Teacher Terry]

3 of the 4 times I have been to Europe were in the months of February, March and October. Much less crowded and cheaper. My Ireland trip is in 20 days and will be interesting to see how crowded it is.

 

[Surewhitey]

We're planning our next trip currently for Italy for Sept with friends. We're finding the non-stop to Rome is best with miles, saving ~$1500 ea.

We'll be doing AB&B's with another couple, so probably not bad there either.

We did a 40 day trip & cruise in 2015 that will be hard to beat. All in Feb - Mar and it was really memorable with no crowds anywhere (worst was probably Rome, but still didn't feel crowded). I also felt like we got more time talking to folks too as they seemed more relaxed.

This was our first time in Europe (& first cruise to Greece and Turkey) and we only spent $9k total. Stole our cruise w/drinks and meal upgrade & patio room... Really enjoyed the whole time and season.

One tip is bring your coat on the plane. Our luggage was left in Manchester and I ended up walking the streets of Paris in a bathrobe in search of a re-sale shop for a coat, 1/2 mile from the rental. I got some attention & gave everyone a good laugh...

 

[Blue Poles]

While not in the timeframe the OP suggested, my wife and I enjoy going to France in early December. Weather is still fairly nice, and the Christmas markets are open. Strasbourg in particular has a great Christmas market.

 

[Freedom56]

I'm looking forward to retiring next year, and will no longer need to travel during peak season summer time only. Really looking forward to traveling during the off-season. I guess this is one of the perks of retiring

Been looking at European travel cost (airfare and hotels). And it seems that later September and October are like 50% off the Summer Peak, once the kids are back in school.

Having been to a nice 4 Star hotel in Lake Como, Italy, just before the pandemic, I paid close to $300/night during summer. Looked at their rates for October and it's down to 115-136 euros (which is around $125-150 dollars). I guess winter is also a good time to go.

Care to share when you got the best airfare and hotel rates in different countries in Europe? Thanks.

I wouldn't visit Northern Italy past mid October due to weather. It's also pretty dead towards the end of October. However Italy around Christmas time is pretty nice if you don't mind the cool temperatures and rain. We will be in Europe from the last week of August through the first week of October. We wanted to avoid the crowds. May though June are good times to visit. The seat sales for that time frame start in September.

 

[brett]

Yes, it can be slightly cheaper or much cheaper depending on where you go.

But...we travel in May/June or Sept/Oct. Not because of the prices. Because of the weather and the crowds.

Italy, Greece, Turkey are wonderful in late Sept and October. Same for May and early June.

We have been doing this for years. Keep in mind that Como may be cooler in late Sept/Oct than Crete or Sicily or Malta.

We a planning a six week fall trip to Greece with possibly an extra week or two in Cyprus. Typically we expect good weather in Greece until at least Oct. 20. After that anything can go. One year we spent four perfect mid Nov. days in Rome. Sky was clear. Light sweater in the AM, short sleeves by the afternoon

We typically stay in small, local places. We often get a discount for cash just by asking. Or by dealing direct. We rented a seaside condo in Kefelonia on our last trip. The cost on the web booking site was 500eurs. We did some googling and were able to identify and contact the owner direct. It took 5 minutes. 500e on the hotel booking side became 350e cash when emailing the owner. Mid October. Booked three days in advance. We are spontaneous travelers. We seldom book too far in advance.

 

[Out of Steam]

By late October, the fewer hours of daylight become a factor, especially in the northern latitudes of Western Europe. It matters more in rural areas than in cities.

 

[brett]

We are watching air prices to Greece for Sept. Sometimes we fly to Athens. Other times we fly to London or another gateway. This gives us flexibility should we decide to spend our last few weeks in Cyprus or fly from Crete instead of going back to Athens. From our perspective we have to change planes once. Could be in NA...or in Europe.

So far we notice two things. Flight costs appear to have increased by as much as 30 percent.

Secondly, we typically see flight prices going down after Labor Day. usually about Sept. 8 or so. Not so this year. The price drop does not appear to happen until about Sept 20...and not by all airlines.

There is time yet for prices to subside based on demand.

 

[Camellia]

We went to Italy once around Thanksgiving, and while we loved the lack of crowds and trip overall, it was quite chilly and rainy and got dark really early. We ended up staying indoors a lot more than we normally would have while traveling.

 

[oiseux]

November, 2nd half January, February, March are generally the cheapest, in my view, except for the occasional event (e.g. festival or trade show). December sometimes inches up around the holidays. However, as others noted, there is a reason. The days are shorter, weather can be damp/cold, opening hours reduced and/or businesses may be shuttered. Usually not an issue in the major capitals, where you can have great experiences, but can be an issue in the countryside.

September and May can still be pretty crowded, compared to these other months. You'll see a lot of retirees and backpackers in September, for example.

I've been to Venice in November and had to walk around the acqua alta. I was snowed out of Meteora, Greece.

 

[brett]

Many people are surprised to learn that there is skiing...and ski lifts in Greece and in Cypurs.

We were very lucky in Rome with four beautiful days in November. We were making our way to South Africa via Milan airport. One nice day in Milan, then it rained cats and dogs. Next day we were off.

 

[Mark1]

...


Care to share when you got the best airfare and hotel rates in different countries in Europe? Thanks.

OK, I'll play.
DW and I went to Paris on direct flight in April one time from Houston for a total round trip price of $292/each. Obviously, they were coach seats. I also bought the tickets in March of 2009.
Actually, if the natural gas flow from Russia to Europe is shutoff this winter, you might find a great deal again next March.

 

[brett]

We have been traveling to Europe for years. Independent, spontaneous travel. We always make our own arrangements.

There is little point to discussing air fares, hotels etc. at this juncture. Or what we might have paid in the past. You are a year away. This is all down to supply and demand. What we paid for a one way bargain fare to Porto, Portugal two years ago will not help you.

My recommendation is to spend time understanding how to take advantage of the various on line tools that exist for travel advice and booking. Especially airline. There are sites like matrixit, googleflights, kayak, and skyscanner are worth a look.

Do not confine yourself to airlines that you are familiar with. There are many great European carriers and discount airlines. Do a search for them and undersand where they fly and how their price structures vary.

As a rule of thumb you will of course always get the best price for off season travel or when demand is low. Next is shoulder season, such as mid Sept-Oct in southern Europe. Highest prices in the summer...especially on air from NA or during specific holiday periods.

We sometimes buy travel products from vendors in other countries. Most often the UK, sometimes Australia, sometimes Thailand.

We came back in late June from five weeks in Portugal. Tourism was picking up as we were leaving and prices were rising because of that demand. So glad that we did not decide to go any later.

 

[Scuba]

November, 2nd half January, February, March are generally the cheapest, in my view, except for the occasional event (e.g. festival or trade show). December sometimes inches up around the holidays. However, as others noted, there is a reason. The days are shorter, weather can be damp/cold, opening hours reduced and/or businesses may be shuttered. Usually not an issue in the major capitals, where you can have great experiences, but can be an issue in the countryside.

September and May can still be pretty crowded, compared to these other months. You'll see a lot of retirees and backpackers in September, for example.

I've been to Venice in November and had to walk around the acqua alta. I was snowed out of Meteora, Greece.

Agree with the point about things shutting down in October or even late September in some destinations. We spent 6 weeks in Greece in 2018, arriving late August and leaving early October. No issues in major cities, but on a couple of the islands we visited, certain activities shut down in mid to late September. One was a ferry trip to a small island near Naxos that we really wanted to visit. We got the trip on the last day it was offered for the season. Many restaurants and small hotels on the islands close in late September as their owners spend winters in Athens.

Really depends on what you want to do. We were glad to leave Greece in early October as the weather was getting too chilly to enjoy the beaches. If we had wanted to focus on Athens and indoor activities, October would have been fine.

 

[brett]

We typically plan to exit Greece by about Oct. 20. Crete...sometimes a little later. Last trip we left on the 15th, and flew over to Cyprus. We had incredibly warm beach weather for two weeks, right up until we departed on the 29th.

Air from Athens or Crete to Cyprus is often the same or less than the cost of a Crete-Athens ferry or flight (assuming carry on only). We often use London or another European city as a hub because on some trips do not know exactly where we will end up. Spontaneous travelers. Always lots of low cost flight to these hubs.


The only reason we left Cyprus on the 29th is that we had hard air reservation home from London.

Air can be surprising competitive with ferry or land transport in Greece. Olympic/Aegean sometimes have incredible fares. We flew Athens-Ioanina and Corfu-Kelelonia for the same price as land/ferry transport on our trip to the Ionian Islands. The former booked a month in advance, the Corfu flight was booked three days in advance while on Corfu.

We have found the week following Orthodox Easter a good time to visit. Hotels opening up on the islands, people anxious for business and not fed up with the tourist trade.

 

[Surewhitey]

Our update is that we got r/t to Rome on about 60k miles from the CC rewards. Nonstop on one leg, 1 stop on the other.

Staying in Minori for a week, splitting a 2/2 flat with friends.

 

[lajolla]

Looks like my H will have a work trip to London sometime in the late fall. I'm hoping to find a cheap ticket once his travel plans get finalized. We haven't decided if we will stay in the UK or go somewhere in Europe for this trip.

 

[brett]

On our last trip we had the choice of connecting in NA or connecting in London/Paris. In London sometimes we have to bus between LHR and Gatwick. Not a biggie except in rush hour and/or one has a tight connection time.

We decided on London. We planned four or five weeks in Greece and two weeks somewhere else. Not certain of the somewhere else other than we had considered Cyprus, Israel, and Morocco.

Israel was a no go because it was a faith based holiday period. Air, hotels, etc were sky high. Too busy. While we were in Greece a $50 fare to Cyprus flashed up so that is where we went! Not at all uncommon for us to travel like this. We are retired so time is not an issue other than the day of our flight home to NA.