Few things can beat summer in Europe, when the weather is at its finest and the region’s festivals are in full swing. August is also a prime time for African safaris, with game-viewing at its best at the height of the dry season.

Enjoy festival season in Edinburgh

Edinburgh is famous for its festivals

Edinburgh Castle from Princes Street Gardens (Photo: Getty Images)

Edinburgh is famous for its festivals, but you’re spoilt for choice in August, with the Edinburgh International Festival, Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe all worthy of a city visit on their own.

The Fringe is the most exciting, when you can see unknown acts in a tiny side-street pub one night and a big-name comedian in their monthly residency the next. The Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa is in the heart of the action and has views of Edinburgh Castle to boot.

Take a tour of Namibia

Animals congregate in large numbers around the dwindling waterholes of Etosha National Park in high summer, making August one of the best months for game-viewing in Namibia.

Most visitors set off on a self-drive circuit round the country, taking in the huge dunes and cracked pans of Sossusvlei, the flamingos at Walvis Bay and the dried-up riverbeds in Damaraland, frequented by herds of desert-adapted elephants, before spending their final few nights in Etosha.

Explore Slovenia’s mountains

The church-crowned island on picture-perfect Lake Bled, Slovenia

Lake Bled, Slovenia (Photo: Getty Images)

Slovenia’s charming capital Ljubljana is peaceful year round – even more so if you’re staying at the Four Points by Sheraton Ljubljana Mons, located where the city meets the surrounding countryside.

Make the most of the long summer hours and head out on hikes to the summer pastures of the Logar Valley, where shepherds still tend their sheep, or up to the snow-capped peaks of the Julian Alps. For a change of pace, rent a pletna boat and row out to the church-crowned island on picture-perfect Lake Bled.

Mix with celebs in Seychelles

Seychelles is a favourite holiday destination for royalty and celebrities

Seychelles beach (Photo: Getty Images)

Made up of over a hundred islands sprinkled in the Indian Ocean, Seychelles is a favourite holiday destination for royalty and celebrities. August is the best month to visit, when you’re pretty much guaranteed perfect weather for basking on its stunning beaches and snorkelling through its pristine waters.

Mahé is the largest island, with the most facilities, but do as those A-listers do and book one of the sumptuous villas at North Island, a Luxury Collection Resort, Seychelles, set on its own private island.

Track bears in Transylvania

A short drive from Bucharest, Transylvania is a wild Romanian region of alpine meadows and deep, dark forests

Transylvania, Romania (Photo: Getty Images)

A short drive from Bucharest, Transylvania is a wild Romanian region of alpine meadows and deep, dark forests. Dracula might spring to mind, but you’re more likely to see bison or brown bears, or maybe even a wolverine, roaming the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains.

Bears are at their most active in August, so you’ve got a very good chance of spotting one if you visit this month, especially if you arrange to spend a night in a hide in the woods.

Hop around Greece and its islands

Summer suits Greece so perfectly it can seem as if the season was made for the country. Surrounded by mountains and ocean, capital Athens and its famous Acropolis are resplendent in the sunshine. Further afield, the beaches of the Peloponnese offer high-season space and seclusion, while the region’s ancient theatre of Epidaurus puts on live performances, much as it did thousands of years ago. For extra peace and quiet, book into The Westin Resort, Costa Navarino on the southwest coast.

Of Greece’s two hundred or so inhabited islands, a highlight is exquisitely pretty Santorini, where Mystique, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Santorini awaits. Alternatively, head for nightlife hub Mykonos, enchanting Corfu, with the beachfront Domes Miramare, a Luxury Collection Resort, or unforgettable Crete, where you can indulge yourself at Domes of Elounda, Autograph Collection, with its own private beach.

Enjoy the delights of Valencia and San Sebastián

August is a great time to visit some of Spain’s regional cities. Valencia is the country’s third biggest (but rarely feels so) and is home to a historic Old Town, the futuristic City of Arts & Sciences and some of the best city beaches in Spain – as well as paella, of course.

On the country’s north coast, the elegant seaside resort of San Sebastián curves around beautiful La Concha beach. Away from the water, the city’s backstreets hum with pintxos bars, the Basque version of tapas. Refined Hotel Maria Cristina, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Sebastian is perfectly placed for both.

Follow the Great Migration in Kenya

August is the best month to watch the Great Migration in Kenya

Kenya (Photo: Getty Images)

The Great Migration is not known as the Greatest Show on Earth for nothing. The mass migration of wildebeest and zebra across East Africa’s plains is a bucket-list holiday experience, and August is the best month to watch the dramatic Mara River crossings in the south of Kenya, when huge herds brave the crocodile-infested waters as they move north from Tanzania in search of fresh grass.

Visiting at the height of the dry season (June to October) means game-viewing in general is at its premium, and you can finish off your safari on the beach at Malindi or Lamu Island – contemporary Four Points by Sheraton Nairobi Airport is conveniently located if you need to stopover on the way.

Relax in Baden-Baden’s hot springs

Baden-Baden is famous for its hot springs

Baden-Baden (Photo: Getty Images)

What better time to visit the town once known as the Summer Capital of Europe than August? The German resort town of Baden-Baden is famous for its hot springs, once favoured by the Romans, and temperature-topping August means you can properly enjoy the resort’s outdoor thermal baths.

Roomers Baden-Baden, Autograph Collection is well placed for taking a stroll or cycle along the Lichtentaler Allee, 2.5km of beautiful gardens and parkland that blossom with rhododendrons during summer. You can catch the annual Philharmonic Park Night if you’re here at the beginning of the month.

Take a walk on the wild side in Zambia

Zambia is the home of the walking safari, and there’s no better time to be out in the bush than at the height of the dry season (May to November), when the vegetation has withered and the wildlife is so much easier to see.

After your once-in-a-lifetime safari, tracking game through the Luangwa Valley or across the floodplains of remote Kafue National Park, there are several excellent hotels to recharge your batteries at in Lusaka, the Zambian capital.

See the Swiss Alps in full bloom

The summer months are a glorious time to be up among the wildflower meadows and waterfalls of the Swiss Alps. The region is at its warmest at this time of year, and the clear skies – thanks to the altitude, the weather’s never humid – make for some extraordinary views.

Go hiking and biking at a wellness resort in Flims or strike out from Bern to take a dip in the aquamarine mountain lake of Blausee and a walk round Lauterbrunnen, one of Europe’s most picturesque Alpine villages.

Published: July 26, 2022

Last Updated: June 19, 2023

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