Peak-heat month · scored for August
Coolest places in Europe in August
August is the month the heat and the crowds arrive together. Inland Spain, southern Italy and Greece regularly clear 38°C, and city holidays turn into a search for shade.
The list below is scored specifically for August, which matters: daylight is already shortening in the far north, and Alpine valleys are warmer in August than in June. Ranking shifts month to month, and so does this page.
Scored for 6 nights in August, departing Athens (typical 33°C at home), target 11–19°C, budget €1200. Change any of it on the search.
16 escapes, ranked
- 83
Kilpisjärvi
FinlandExcellent escape
Where Finland goes vertical and empties out completely.
14°C- Rain
- 36%
- Daylight
- 17h
- Crowds
- Almost
- Est. trip
- €1,725
❄️ 18.4°C cooler than home - 82
Rovaniemi
FinlandExcellent escape
The Arctic Circle with a functioning bus network.
19°C- Rain
- 32%
- Daylight
- 17h
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Est. trip
- €1,525
❄️ 13.6°C cooler than home - 82
Abisko
SwedenExcellent escape
The trailhead for Sweden's great Arctic walk.
14°C- Rain
- 34%
- Daylight
- 17h
- Crowds
- Quiet
- Est. trip
- €1,780
❄️ 18.2°C cooler than home - 81
Kirkenes
NorwayExcellent escape
The far north-east corner where Norway meets Russia.
15°C- Rain
- 38%
- Daylight
- 18h
- Crowds
- Almost
- Est. trip
- €1,915
❄️ 17.2°C cooler than home - 80
Harz
GermanyExcellent escape
Germany's misty northern uplands, cheap and quietly strange.
19°C- Rain
- 46%
- Daylight
- 14h
- Crowds
- Quiet
- Est. trip
- €1,205
❄️ 13.9°C cooler than home - 79
Donegal
IrelandExcellent escape
Ireland's wild, underpopulated north-west shoulder.
17°C- Rain
- 49%
- Daylight
- 15h
- Crowds
- Quiet
- Est. trip
- €1,445
❄️ 15.3°C cooler than home - 79
Åland Islands
FinlandExcellent escape
Six thousand islands and almost nobody on them.
20°C- Rain
- 34%
- Daylight
- 15h
- Crowds
- Quiet
- Est. trip
- €1,685
❄️ 13.1°C cooler than home - 79
Bornholm
DenmarkExcellent escape
A Baltic rock that turned into a food destination.
20°C- Rain
- 33%
- Daylight
- 15h
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Est. trip
- €1,460
❄️ 12.9°C cooler than home - 79
Gotland
SwedenExcellent escape
A limestone island with a walled Hanseatic town on it.
20°C- Rain
- 29%
- Daylight
- 15h
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Est. trip
- €1,550
❄️ 12.9°C cooler than home - 79
Cairngorms
United KingdomExcellent escape
Britain's own sub-arctic plateau, snow patches and all.
17°C- Rain
- 48%
- Daylight
- 15h
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Est. trip
- €1,485
❄️ 15.5°C cooler than home - 78
Tromsø
NorwayExcellent escape
The Arctic capital: 24-hour daylight and a stubborn café culture.
14°C- Rain
- 43%
- Daylight
- 18h
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Est. trip
- €1,730
❄️ 18.7°C cooler than home - 77
Shetland
United KingdomSolid escape
Treeless, windswept, and gloriously empty.
14°C- Rain
- 51%
- Daylight
- 15h
- Crowds
- Quiet
- Est. trip
- €1,740
❄️ 18.2°C cooler than home - 77
Engadin
SwitzerlandSolid escape
A high, dry, blindingly bright alpine valley at 1,800m.
18°C- Rain
- 37%
- Daylight
- 14h
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Est. trip
- €1,775
❄️ 14.9°C cooler than home - 77
Sognefjord
NorwaySolid escape
Europe's deepest fjord, with waterfalls falling a kilometre.
18°C- Rain
- 46%
- Daylight
- 16h
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Est. trip
- €1,620
❄️ 14.7°C cooler than home - 76
Bergen
NorwaySolid escape
Seven mountains, one very wet, very handsome harbour city.
17°C- Rain
- 49%
- Daylight
- 15h
- Crowds
- Busy
- Est. trip
- €1,645
❄️ 15.5°C cooler than home - 76
Galway
IrelandSolid escape
A soft, rainy, endlessly sociable Atlantic town.
18°C- Rain
- 46%
- Daylight
- 15h
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Est. trip
- €1,555
❄️ 14.3°C cooler than home
August temperatures at a glance
| Destination | Typical high | Rain | Cooler than Athens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kilpisjärvi · Finland | 14°C | 36% | −18°C |
| Rovaniemi · Finland | 19°C | 32% | −14°C |
| Abisko · Sweden | 14°C | 34% | −18°C |
| Kirkenes · Norway | 15°C | 38% | −17°C |
| Harz · Germany | 19°C | 46% | −14°C |
| Donegal · Ireland | 17°C | 49% | −15°C |
| Åland Islands · Finland | 20°C | 34% | −13°C |
| Bornholm · Denmark | 20°C | 33% | −13°C |
| Gotland · Sweden | 20°C | 29% | −13°C |
| Cairngorms · United Kingdom | 17°C | 48% | −16°C |
| Tromsø · Norway | 14°C | 43% | −19°C |
| Shetland · United Kingdom | 14°C | 51% | −18°C |
| Engadin · Switzerland | 18°C | 37% | −15°C |
| Sognefjord · Norway | 18°C | 46% | −15°C |
| Bergen · Norway | 17°C | 49% | −16°C |
| Galway · Ireland | 18°C | 46% | −14°C |
Good to know
- Where is coldest in Europe in August?
- The Arctic edge — Svalbard, Ilulissat in Greenland and northern Norway stay in single digits or low teens even at peak summer.
- Can you avoid the August crowds?
- Yes, but not everywhere. Lofoten and the Dolomites are busy in August; Shetland, Donegal, Bornholm and the Harz are not.