Europe is a beautiful place to visit throughout the year, and The peak of the summer in August can be an exciting time to visit as you will have the prime weather to enjoy at beautiful beaches that are sometimes underappreciated throughout the rest of the year.
Read on to discover ten of the best European places that you can experience in August.
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1. Medeltidsveckan in Gotland, Sweden
The island of Gotland is Sweden’s largest. It’s located south of Stockholm in the middle of the Baltic Sea and not only is it beautiful, but it’s home to a fascinating cultural event as well. Medeltidsveckan, or Medieval Week, has been held annually since 1984 and is an immersive celebration of medieval activities and culture. It’s a popular tourist attraction for many reasons, and it’s a great place to eat some interesting food, watch demonstrations, and browse the many stalls at the market to pick up a souvenir.
2. Culture Night in Reykjavik, Iceland
Reykjavik, Iceland is a fantastic destination throughout the year but if you are able to visit on Culture Night, you’ll be able to attend one of the city’s most popular events. This art and culture festival showcases what the city has to offer so you will see anything from professional classical musicians to graffiti artists performing and showcasing their work here. The evening ends with a massive fireworks display. Culture Night is typically held on August 22nd, although the date may vary from year to year.
3. La Tomatina in Buñol, Spain
For a truly unique and messy experience, head to the Valencian town of Buñol to experience La Tomatina. This annual festival takes place on the last Wednesday in August and is essentially a large food fight only using tomatoes. The festival commemorates the events of a Giant and Big-Heads parade in the 1940s – a participant in the parade had their Big-Head fall off and they retaliated by hitting everything in their path. One of the things that was in their way was a vegetable stall and the crowd began to participate in hurling tomatoes at each other. The next year, a group of people planned to reenact the event on the same day and thus, a unique tradition was born.
4. Swiss National Day at the Rütli Meadow in Switzerland
Although Swiss National Day is a celebration that the entire country participates in their own way, Rütli Meadow is often considered to be the best place to commemorate this special day. Swiss National Day has been celebrated since the 1800s and was created to celebrate the unification of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden, an event that spurred the creation of the current nation of Switzerland. The day is celebrated with fireworks, bonfires, singing, historic reenactments, and, of course, amazing food such as Augustweggli Buns. These popular bread buns are on the sweeter side and are a popular dish throughout the country. You can pair it with Rivella, a fizzy drink that is considered by many to see the quintessential drink of Switzerland.
5. Madeira Wine Rally in Madeira, Portugal
If you’re interested in car racing, a chance to see the Madeira Wine Rally is an obvious choice for a vacation. The race is one of the most important put on by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, or FIA, and winds through the beautiful landscape of this Portuguese island. The event attracts tourists from all over the world and is an exciting event to visit. You can also spend time enjoying this beautiful region and sampling the famous wine that is made here. Madeira wine is a type of fortified port wine that has been made here for centuries and was well-loved by many. For example, the first president of the United States, General George Washington, was known to enjoy drinking Madeira.
6. Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland
The famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the world’s largest entertainment festival and features over 55,000 performances in various genres. There’s no limitation on what kind of performance can be held here, so you might find yourself watching a spoken word poetry show in the morning and an acrobatic circus performance the next. The comedy portion of the festival is the most significant, with about 35% of the performances being stand-up comics of some kind.
7. Riga City Festival in Riga, Latvia
This three-day festival is the perfect event to incorporate into your trip to Latvia. It consists of music, dancing, and displays of cultural heritage as well as fireworks and incredible food. Latvia and its neighbors Lithuania and Estonia are often overlooked when considering a great summer holiday, but visiting during August can be a great decision as the weather doesn’t typically exceed 70 °F but is still warm and pleasant.
8. Tallinn Old Town Days in Tallinn, Estonia
This Estonian cultural festival is designed to introduce the Old Town neighborhood of the city to visitors and locals alike and showcase everything it has to offer. It has been held annually since 1982 and is a week-long event that includes concerts, music, dancing, theater, and other forms of live entertainment. It’s a great time to visit if you want to visit Estonia during the summer months as you will get to learn about the history of the city and its local culture as well as immerse yourself in some aspects of it.
9. Formula 1 Rolex Belgian Grand Prix in Stavelot, Belgium
For an exciting car race, head to Belgium at the end of August for the Belgian Grand Prix. The race has been held since 1925 and is one of the biggest events in the Formula 1 season. Its popularity is partially because the course, the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, is considered to be one of the most beautiful.
10. Pamukkale Thermal Pools in Denizli Province, Turkey
The nation of Turkey is a fantastic travel destination for many reasons. One of the most unique is the Pamukkale Thermal Pools which truly look like something out of a fairytale. These hot springs are famous for the natural travertine terraces which take on a shocking shade of white that looks more similar to snow than stone. You can take a dip in these mystical blue water pools which exist at varying temperatures. These are beautiful to visit in August, and you can elongate your vacation by visiting the nearby Hierapolis ruins. Hierapolis used to be a Greek colony and along with the Pamukkale Thermal Pools, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.
Video Guide: 10 Best Places to Visit in Europe in August (for Special Events)
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Travel Resources for Planning a Trip to Europe in August
To make planning your trip to Europe in August easier, we included some of our recommended travel resources below. You can search and find the best flights, transportation options, hotels to stay in, tours/activities, and things you can do at each destination during your trip.
Flights:
Agoda: Search thousands of destinations around the world & quickly compare prices to find amazing deals on the best flights.
CheapOAir: You can find airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, and vacation packages all on one site!
Kiwi.com: What we like about Kiwi is the fact that they are able to create combinations of flight, train, and bus tickets and offer them in a single itinerary. Also, Kiwi has what they called “Nomad” which helps you find the best way of visiting multiple destinations, saving you time and money.
JetRadar: You can search and compare airfares from 726 airlines and dozens of travel agencies and systems.
Hotels:
Agoda: Agoda is one of the world’s largest online travel accommodation platforms with a network of over 2,000,000 vacation rentals and hotels worldwide.
Hotellook: They have more than 250,000 hotels in 205 countries, working with data from more than 10 online booking systems, such as Booking.com, Agoda.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, and others.
Transportations:
Airport Transfers: KiwiTaxi, Viator
Train: EuroRail, Trainline or RailEurope
Bus: Flixbus: Very affordable (as low as $6) and convenient way to transfer between cities in Europe.
Car Rentals: AutoEurope, EconomyBookings, or GetTransfer (transfers & car rentals with a personal driver)
Bike Rental: BikesBooking (Bikes & scooter rentals)
Transportation Comparison: Omio (search, compare, and book tickets for buses, trains, and flights all in one site)
Tours & Activities:
TakeWalks (WalkofItaly): This is our favorite site for walking tours & day trips.
Tiqets: Great site for entrance tickets. It offers directly bookable, instantly available, and completely mobile tickets for museums, shows, and attractions all over the world.
Musement: They have good activities and tours in Italy and Spain, also many great day trips you can choose from.
GetYourGuide: A large number of tours, excursions, and other travel activities
Viator: The largest one. It has everything from tours, attractions, shore excursions, and private guides in over 2,700 destinations worldwide. It also has many transportations and transfers options and some unique experiences we didn’t find anywhere else.
Need help planning a trip to Europe in August?
Want to plan a trip to Europe in August but don’t know where to begin? If you find this type of trip planning to be too complicated to plan on your own, we’re here to help!
At MultiCityTrips, multi-destination travel and complicated itineraries such as a trip to experience special events in Europe are our specialties. Contact us today to learn more about how one of our experienced travel experts/destination specialists can personalize your multi-city vacations at the best price.
Don’t want to start from scratch and need some trip inspiration? Check out our marketplace for customizable pre-designed packages available right now for many amazing destinations.
To learn more about how our process of trip planning works in detail, please see our “How It Works” page or check out our video on “How to Plan a Multi-City Trip to Europe in 5 Easy Steps” here.
Have questions for us? Schedule a FREE Call with us here or contact one of the travel experts/destination specialists at [email protected], call/text us at (888)223-2316 today.
