Where to go
Best places to travel in August: five trips for late summer
In August half of Europe is on holiday and the other half is at a festival. These are the places we would choose, from Edinburgh at Fringe time to the clifftop hikes above Norway's Lysefjord.
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The Royal Mile in Edinburgh is closed to traffic and there is a juggler every few paving stones. Someone presses a flyer into your hand for a comedy show starting in twenty minutes in a cellar below the street, while a piper plays to the same crowd. It is August and the city has swollen to several times its usual size.
August is the main holiday month across Europe, and many of the famous southern resorts are hot and full. So we picked places where August gives something back: the world's largest arts festival, a tomato fight in a Spanish town, Norway's mountains at their best, a port city that lives on its waterfront in summer and a long Turkish coastline for reliable sun.
Short answer: where should you go in August?
Edinburgh is the stand-out choice in August thanks to the festivals that fill the whole month. For mountains, go to Stavanger and the Lysefjord. For sun and swimming, pick Valencia or Alanya, and for a cooler city break choose Hamburg.
Best for culture: Edinburgh
Best for hiking: Stavanger
Best for city and beach: Valencia
Best cooler city break: Hamburg
Best for families and sun: Alanya
The Caledonian
The facade of The Caledonian in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh: the Fringe and a city of festivals
Edinburgh runs several festivals at once in August. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the largest arts festival in the world, with thousands of shows in venues from churches to student bars. Alongside it run the International Festival of opera and classical music, the book festival and the Military Tattoo on the castle esplanade.
The best advice is to plan less. Book tickets for a couple of shows you really want to see, then leave the rest of each day open for whatever happens on the street and in the small rooms.
The catch: hotel rates hit their annual peak and much sells out by spring. Book early or stay a little outside the centre. Read our Edinburgh guide, or see the best places to visit in Scotland.
The Caledonian: the castle in your window
The Caledonian is the old red sandstone railway hotel at the west end of Princes Street, and many rooms look straight up at the castle where the Tattoo takes place. It sits just outside the busiest festival streets, yet the Old Town is a ten-minute walk.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at The Caledonian
Prestonfield House
The drawing room at Prestonfield House in Edinburgh.
Prestonfield House: a country house in the city
Prestonfield House stands in parkland at the foot of Arthur's Seat, with peacocks on the lawn and drawing rooms in deep red and gold. After a long day of shows it is a place to retreat to, and the Old Town is a short taxi ride away. Book it if you are celebrating something in festival month.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Prestonfield House
Las Arenas
The pool at Las Arenas in Valencia.
Valencia: La Tomatina in Buñol
On the last Wednesday of August thousands of people pelt each other with overripe tomatoes in the streets of Buñol, a small town west of Valencia. La Tomatina lasts an hour, and numbers are capped, so tickets must be bought in advance.
The rest of the time Valencia is a city with a beach on its doorstep, a long park in the old Turia riverbed and paella in the region where it was born. Sit on Malvarrosa beach in the evening once the heat has eased.
The catch: Buñol is packed on the day and you will get filthy. Wear clothes you can throw away and bring goggles. Read our Valencia guide.
Las Arenas: right on the beach
Las Arenas occupies a restored bathing house on the beach, all columns and white facades, with gardens running down to the sand. In August you swim before breakfast and take the tram into town once the sun drops. It is pricey, and the area is more promenade than city.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Las Arenas
Hotel Victoria
The lobby of Hotel Victoria in Stavanger.
Stavanger: Pulpit Rock and Kjerag at their best
August is one of the best months for the big hikes around the Lysefjord. The snow has gone, the paths are drier and days are still long enough to walk to Kjerag without rushing. Pulpit Rock, Preikestolen in Norwegian, is shorter and manageable for most people used to hill walking.
Between hikes, Stavanger is a food city. Wander the white wooden houses of Old Stavanger, eat by the harbour and take a boat along the Lysefjord to see the cliffs from below.
The catch: Pulpit Rock is crowded in the middle of the day. Start early or late, and check the forecast. Read our Stavanger guide.
Hotel Victoria: by the harbour after the hike
Hotel Victoria is one of the oldest hotels in town and faces the boats in the harbour. After a day in the mountains you step straight out to the restaurants on the quay. The rooms are classic and full of character, though the bathrooms are smaller than in Stavanger's newer hotels.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Hotel Victoria
25hours HafenCity
The lobby of 25hours HafenCity in Hamburg.
Hamburg: summer on the Elbe
Hamburg in August is a city that lives on its water. People sit on the sandy riverbanks of the Elbe at Övelgönne watching container ships slide past, sail on the Alster lakes and buy fish at the harbour's Sunday morning market.
See the Elbphilharmonie from its public plaza, walk the warehouses of the Speicherstadt and give an evening to St Pauli. The city stays green and mild compared with the south.
The catch: the weather is northern German and can swing from sun to rain in a day. Bring a jacket. Read our Hamburg guide.
25hours HafenCity: cabins by the harbour
25hours HafenCity has rooms fitted out like ship's cabins and sailors' stories on the walls. It is in the harbour district, a short walk from the Elbphilharmonie and the Speicherstadt, and children tend to love the theme. If you want classic calm, stay by the Alster instead.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at 25hours HafenCity
Granada Luxury Beach
The pool at Granada Luxury Beach in Alanya.
Alanya: long beaches and the warmest sea
The sea on the Turkish Riviera is at its warmest in August, and the coast around Alanya has long sandy beaches that suit families. The town has a castle on the headland above the harbour, and boat trips run along the coast to caves and swimming spots.
Ride the cable car up to the castle, walk Cleopatra Beach in the evening and spend a day driving into the Taurus Mountains, where it is cooler.
The catch: midday is fiercely hot and the big hotels are full of families. Keep to the shade and the pool between noon and four. Read our Alanya guide.
Granada Luxury Beach: everything in one place
Granada Luxury Beach is on the sand at Avsallar, west of Alanya, with many pools, water slides and restaurants included in the price. In August it helps to have everything close when it is too hot to go far. It is big and lively, so it suits people who like a busy resort.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Granada Luxury Beach
Good to know before you book
Edinburgh sells out: hotels fill early for the festivals. Book before Easter if you can.
Ferragosto on 15 August: a major holiday in Italy and parts of southern Europe, when beaches and roads are packed.
La Tomatina needs a ticket: participant numbers are capped and tickets are sold in advance.
Mountain weather: paths are drier than earlier in summer, but conditions change fast. Check the forecast before long hikes.
August travel: frequently asked questions
Where is the best place to travel in August?
Edinburgh for culture, Stavanger for hiking, Hamburg for a cooler city break, and Valencia or Alanya for sun and swimming.
When is the Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
The Fringe runs for more than three weeks in August each year, at roughly the same time as the International Festival and the Military Tattoo.
When is La Tomatina?
La Tomatina is held on the last Wednesday of August in Buñol, near Valencia. Participants must buy tickets in advance.
Is August a good time to hike Pulpit Rock?
Yes, it is one of the best months, with little snow and long days. Start early or late to avoid the busiest hours on the rock.
Where can you go in August to avoid extreme heat?
Edinburgh, Hamburg and Stavanger have comfortable summer weather without the intense heat common in southern Europe in August.