The best time to visit Europe (from someone who plans it for a living)

Every spring my inbox fills with the same question: when should we go to Europe? The honest answer is almost never July. Here is the breakdown I share with clients, including the two shoulder windows I keep for my own travel.

Late April to mid-June

Mild weather, gardens in bloom, restaurants not yet on summer schedules, and hotel rates still 20–30% below July peaks. The downside: a few destinations (the Greek Islands, parts of the Amalfi Coast) are not fully open until late May.

September to mid-October

My personal favorite. The Mediterranean is still warm, the kids are back in school, and Tuscany is in harvest. Book hotels four to six months out, September fills up faster than summer with returning advisors.

What to avoid

• First two weeks of August, locals close shops, prices peak, heat is brutal.
• Christmas week in Paris or Rome, beautiful, but every museum is mobbed.
• Easter week anywhere in Italy or Spain, religious holidays shut more than you'd think.

How I'd plan it for you

Tell me roughly when you can travel and roughly where you want to go. I'll come back with two or three windows, the rate difference between them, and what's actually open in each. No pressure, no fee for the conversation.