Meals could make a vacation. Unhealthy climate can break one. Attempt Venice within the rain. Or Córdoba in August. Or any British seaside resort when it’s windy, actually windy.
Worth and value-for-money matter to all travellers. When millennials are requested what they need from a vacation, many cite “Instagrammability”. However when the Telegraph surveyed readers, greater than half rated climate as crucial issue, with price and lodges coming a distant second and third.
Dependable sunshine has been arguably the only most essential promise made to British vacationers because the Sixties, when Franco opened up the Costas to northern Europeans. Swimmable seas, tan-inducing seashores and the correct of temperature for sangria and siestas made for an alluring bundle for households fed up of dashing from the entrance at Rhyl or Ryde to search out shelter in an amusement arcade.
The science of climate is difficult. Averages blur nuances. Does amount of rain matter as a lot as frequency of showers? Chilly winters are nice for skiers, as long as it snows. Gusty mornings and wavy seas would possibly attraction to surfers and sailors. Then there’s the complicated actuality of local weather change. All Europe’s climate is more and more unpredictable, and extremes have gotten the norm. In our survey, we award larger factors for these nations the place we will, to some extent, nonetheless guess on sunshine or dryness or winter snow once we come to reserving a visit.
With all these caveats, utilizing aggregated information from quite a few sources, together with the World Meteorological Group, World Financial institution and Met Workplace, and dealing intently with Rosie Mammatt, a PhD scholar on the College of Studying’s Meteorology Division (cloud physics is her specialism), we’ve completed our greatest to profile and rank 15 of the preferred European vacation locations. We’ve additionally included a science-based forecast of the outlook for Europe this summer time – which is trying loads higher than spring (see under).
15. Eire
The one consolation for weather-beaten residents of England and Wales is to think about Northern Eire. When you needed to make an annual abstract of its climate, you’d merely say “terrible”, except you had been a rain-fiend with a wind fetish. Scots can’t have fun as they know that what occurs there’ll quickly arrive in Ayrshire and the Hebrides. The entire island of Eire will not be very totally different from Ulster. Met Éireann tries to place a constructive spin on the info: “The dominant affect on Eire’s local weather is the Atlantic Ocean.
Consequently, Eire doesn’t endure from the extremes of temperature skilled by many different nations at comparable latitude.” But it surely then concedes that winter means “robust winds with considerable frontal rainfall” and summer time is a combined bag of “heavy dew”, “thunderstorms”, “occasional incursions into the Atlantic of chilly northerly air plenty” and different tourism-repellent occasions. Europe’s second boggiest nation (after Finland) can be considered one of its wettest.
Common nationwide sunshine hours: 2/10
Predictability/changeability: 1/10
Common nationwide rainfall: 5/10
Summer season climate: 1/10
Winter climate: 2/10
Climate variety: 5/10
Complete: 16/60
14. UK
Our weather-obsessed nation will not be very far out within the ocean, however generally it appears like it’s. Climate sweeps over tyrannically, pushed by a wobble-prone jet stream, polar fronts, the dregs of tropical storms and, simply when issues appear to be trying up, beastly blizzards from the east. The forecast is predictable in that we will all the time be certain of changeability, although the south-east does (current spring excepted) have a kind of regular state.
Lots of our favorite home vacation spots – Cornwall, Devon, Western Scotland, North Wales – are beset by rain, wind and worse, even in midsummer. Our low, stumpy hills boast tundra temperatures via to late spring. Scotland is the windiest nation in Europe. Winter walks are normally moist and gusty. Briefly, nobody from wherever else ever got here to those islands for the climate. Has UK tourism tailored? To an extent, however the crumbling transport infrastructure means harmful driving in all seasons. Additionally, Britain’s takeaway tradition (ie seatless, waiter-bereft espresso kiosks and snack retailers) is unsuited to the infuriating changeability.
Common nationwide sunshine hours: 3/10
Predictability/changeability: 2/10
Common nationwide rainfall: 4/10
Summer season climate: 3/10
Winter climate: 3/10
Climate variety: 7/10
Complete: 22/60
13. Denmark
It’s not all the time straightforward to find Denmark on a primary map, because it merges with Germany and tries to get into Sweden. The nation is a patchwork of peninsular and insular territories, that means a basic coastal local weather of delicate, damp winters and funky, unsettled summers. Rain, although, is extra of the mizzle and drizzle sort than Western Scotland-style deluges.
Wind-direction adjustments can have a dramatic impact, and you may financial institution on sunshine and clear skies extra in Stockholm than in Copenhagen. Brief on highlands, Denmark is extra just like the Netherlands than its Scandinavian sisters on the subject of climate and geography. On the upside, it has no perma-night doom-days, so no less than you possibly can all the time see the bleakness.
Common nationwide sunshine hours: 4/10
Predictability/changeability: 4/10
Common nationwide rainfall: 9/10
Summer season climate: 5/10
Winter climate: 4/10
Climate variety: 4/10
Complete: 30/60
12. Norway
The World Financial institution local weather change portal says: “Most of Norway has a maritime local weather with delicate winters and funky summers. Due to the affect of the North Atlantic Ocean, Norway has a a lot hotter local weather than its latitudinal place would point out.” Go to Norway says, of the winter: “Alongside the coast, temperatures normally keep round zero levels Celsius. Inland, the temperatures are principally decrease and would possibly sink right down to 10-20 levels under zero Celsius. Some locations may even expertise a bone chilling minus 40 levels Celsius!” Which matches to point out it’s all a query of emphases.
Oslo’s summer time common is a few levels above Edinburgh’s, although it may be drizzly. Norway’s fjords are huge and deep sufficient to have their very own microclimates. Snow turns the far north and uplands into snowboarding and sledding paradises within the chilly season (headlamps are compulsory). A 1,100-mile-long nation with its nostril within the Arctic Circle is dwelling to a few of Europe’s most thrilling extremes – and should you embrace Svalbard, which has the world’s northernmost settlement of any measurement – now we have right here a vacation spot to excite weather-watchers.
Common nationwide sunshine hours: 3/10
Predictability/changeability: 4/10
Common nationwide rainfall: 6/10
Summer season climate: 5/10
Winter climate: 6/10
Climate variety: 9/10
Complete: 33/60
11. Poland
Get chilly? Generally it’s completely Baltic. The slang expression provides a touch as to the gelid air that may settle over Poland in winter. A big nation, it has an basically continental local weather – that means lengthy, chilly winters and warm-to-hot summers with some rainfall. The place the maritime affect is available in is from the icy north.
The Baltic will not be sufficiently warmed by the Gulf Stream to do rather more than enable ice-free transport; the common temperature is simply 2C to 4C in winter – far colder than the Irish Sea. Lately, the Polish “Tricity” of Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia has gained worldwide traction as a vacation vacation spot, with no-frills flights from UK airports to Gdansk. The typical daytime summer time temperature alongside the Baltic Coast is 22C; the ocean, although, wavers between 12C and 17C – Vaseline or neoprene may be known as for.
Common nationwide sunshine hours: 4/10
Predictability/changeability: 5/10
Common nationwide rainfall: 10/10
Summer season climate: 6/10
Winter climate: 2/10
Climate variety: 6/10
Complete: 33/60
10. Switzerland
With the very best common altitude of any main European nation (tiny Andorra is a wee bit larger), Switzerland is surprisingly unextreme in its climate patterns. Landlocked, it’s protected by the nations that encompass it, although after all the excessive peaks attract clouds after which make sure that to puncture them. The Swiss lowlands endure neither excessive temperatures nor wild climate circumstances.
Even within the mountains, the solar will be scorching – although night-time temperatures naturally plunge excessive up. Autumns will be overcast and winters sharply chilly, however an entire vacation trade has been constructed round dependable snowfall and Switzerland’s lodging and transport methods are geared to permitting metropolis residents to benefit from the slopes.
Common nationwide sunshine hours: 4/10
Predictability/changeability: 5/10
Common nationwide rainfall: 4/10
Summer season climate: 7/10
Winter climate: 7/10
Climate variety: 7/10
Complete: 34/60
9. Germany
With a temperate, wet local weather, Germany has by no means been a hotel-and-sun brochure vacation spot. Baltic seashores conjure photos of woollen trunks and larded swimmers the color of belugas. The wine-growing southwest, although, usually has nice summers in temperature phrases (40C will not be headline information in the way in which it’s within the UK). Lavender, Mediterranean pine, almond and even lemon bushes thrive right here. That stated, there’s all the time the possibility of a rain bathe. Winters within the east will be harsh, which has served Chilly Warfare novelists and filmmakers effectively however can flip a Berlin weekend break right into a moody affair.
Common nationwide sunshine hours: 4/10
Predictability/changeability: 4/10
Common nationwide rainfall: 9/10
Summer season climate: 6/10
Winter climate: 5/10
Climate variety: 7/10
Complete: 35/60
8. Croatia
The Adriatic coast basks in a reasonably slender band of the Mediterranean local weather, on the similar latitude as northern Italy; summer time temperatures vary on common from 26C to 30C within the coastal area, 22C to 26C inland and 15C to 20C within the mountain area.
Variation reasonably than extremes characterises the climate within the shoulder and colder seasons. The warmest – and on the similar time rainiest – area is Dalmatia, which incorporates most of Croatia’s Adriatic islands. However when it’s 30C-plus for days on finish, a bathe will be welcome. Croatia additionally has a ski season however low altitudes make the snow unreliable.
Common nationwide sunshine hours: 6/10
Predictability/changeability: 6/10
Common nationwide rainfall: 5/10
Summer season climate: 8/10
Winter climate: 6/10
Climate variety: 7/10
Complete: 38/60
7. France
The practice journey from Lille to Good is a grand tour of climate and geography. The Pas-de-Calais and Nord areas underneath gray skies are way more miserable than Kent, however a couple of hours on the TGV and you may be dashing underneath a robust solar via areas the place wine, lavender and the climate get alongside famously. France is big, surrounded by very totally different seas and with many latitudes and altitudes and, consequently, it encompasses many climate methods. Meteo France divides the nation into 5 principal areas and every one has attraction for holidaymakers, with walkers loving the cool, excessive locations, sunseekers adoring the Med, and Paris having fun with an outlined, if generally lethargic, summer time season.
Common nationwide sunshine hours: 6/10
Predictability/changeability: 5/10
Common nationwide rainfall: 8/10
Summer season climate: 7/10
Winter climate: 6/10
Climate variety: 8/10
Complete: 40/60
5. Portugal
Balmy, beach-oriented, wine-growing and with the correct of wind to create excellent browsing circumstances, Portugal is nigh-on a meteorological paradise. Based on the Met Workplace, “Portugal will get extra sunshine on common than California”. The caveats are the extraordinary summer time warmth of the Algarve, which is the preferred area for vacationers, and winter within the north. As a result of results of the Atlantic Ocean, the realm round Porto will be topic to robust winds and rainfall averaging as a lot as 120mm (5in) in December. That’s, maybe, why fado isn’t as upbeat because the Seashore Boys.
Common nationwide sunshine hours: 7/10
Predictability/changeability: 5/10
Common nationwide rainfall: 8/10
Summer season climate: 9/10
Winter climate: 6/10
Climate variety: 6/10
Complete: 41/50
5. Turkey
Greater than thrice the dimensions of the UK, Turkey has many climatic areas, starting from the Central Anatolian steppe – the place Lake Tuz dries up within the scorching summer time – to Mediterranean climates on the west and south coasts, to the complicated microclimates of the Sea of Marmara. The Black Sea area is the coldest area in Turkey, making it a summer-only vacation spot for many holidaymakers.
If Turkey is essentially offered to Western Europeans as a mid-market seaside vacation spot, that’s partly because of the package-oriented economics of tourism in addition to geopolitics; Ankara doesn’t need travellers to consider Iraq or Syria, or harsh deserts, once they’re shopping for packages. Winters in Turkey are cloudy with extra rain than many elements of Europe. Chilly Siberian winds could make Istanbul disagreeable.
Common nationwide sunshine hours: 6/10
Predictability/changeability: 5/10
Common nationwide rainfall: 10/10
Summer season climate: 8/10
Winter climate: 5/10
Climate variety: 7/10
Complete: 41/50
4. Greece
Mountain chains run north-south in central Greece and the Peloponnese. Across the highest peak, Mount Olympus (9,572 ft) and alongside the spine of the Pindus vary, it might probably get very chilly. However, except for freak winter lows, Greece is a travel-friendly nation 12 months spherical. Between the delicate, moist winters and the recent, dry summers within the southern lowland and island areas fall pretty shoulder seasons. For the ancients, spring was when Persephone got here again from the underworld, and her mom, Demeter, made the earth bloom for her return. The Mediterranean is in all places you look in Greece, which helps average extremes nudged in by continental lows. Sea breezes offset the acute highs of midsummer. Greece isn’t an enormous nation, but it surely sprawls and stretches and fragments into islands and peninsulas. Consequently, seaside climate is far about compass level and wind. This land of coves, inlets and bays means you possibly can all the time discover shelter and a solar entice.
Common nationwide sunshine hours: 7/10
Predictability/changeability: 6/10
Common nationwide rainfall: 9/10
Summer season climate: 8/10
Winter climate: 7/10
Climate variety: 6/10
Complete: 43/60
3. Italy
The lengthy boot of Italy is a helpful instructing device for geography and meteorology college students. The north is topped by mountain peaks, with dependable snows in Trentino-Alto Adige and Lombardy. Each Cortina d’Ampezzo and Turin have hosted the Winter Olympics, and in 2026 Milan and Cortina will share occasions. Scroll down slightly and you’ve got the sultry summers of Florence and Rome, plus thunderstorms, and funky, generally wet winters.
Southern Italy and Sicily have climates moderated by the Mediterranean, however heat can flip to steaming warmth in excessive summer time. In 2021, a temperature of 48.8C was logged in Sicily – the most popular ever recorded in Europe. Winds can add a torrid edge to the climate. Trieste’s bora – and the fast-moving, baking-hot sirocco from the south – earned their names as a result of they arrive again repeatedly. Italy has the geography and latitudinal vary to make one area or one other engaging year-round. The shore is rarely distant and rolling hills seize breezes even in midsummer.
Common nationwide sunshine hours: 6/10
Predictability/changeability: 7/10
Common nationwide rainfall: 8/10
Summer season climate: 8/10
Winter climate: 8/10
Climate variety: 7/10
Complete: 44/60
2. Cyprus
Generally known as an “intense” Mediterranean local weather, Cyprus’s climate will be extra akin to that of a sub-tropical island. Nicosia routinely tops the summer time rankings, and 40C will not be even information. That season is lengthy, making the shoulders quick, and through what passes for winter, between December and February, the climate is normally delicate and between 5 and 6 hours of sunshine will be anticipated.
The Troodos mountains are excessive however, even at 6,000 ft, the climate will be sort for a lot of the 12 months. Rainfall might make winter strolling a little bit of a slog. Greater than 1.3 million Brits go to Cyprus yearly. Larnaca airport is all the time busy with flights from northern Europe. Individuals know what they’re getting once they vacation in Cyprus.
Common nationwide sunshine hours: 10/10
Predictability/changeability: 7/10
Common nationwide rainfall: 10/10
Summer season climate: 8/10
Winter climate: 7/10
Climate variety: 5/10
Complete: 47/60
1. Spain
Western Europe’s second largest nation occupies its sunniest latitudes. Cooled by sea breezes and lapped by the Mediterranean, it has a topography that ensures climate variety. One author in contrast Spain to a citadel, with a wall of mountains round its edges and a keep-like excessive plateau at its coronary heart. The latter, which is immense, has a median elevation of two,165 ft, making Spain the second highest main nation total in Europe (after Switzerland). The great local weather has made Spain a significant producer of wine, citrus fruits and olive oil.
Spring and autumn in Andalusia, Extremadura and Murcia are sultry when many Europeans are in scarves and raincoats. Galicia and the north are chilly, however then once more, they’ve mountains and attraction to walkers and climbers who don’t need excessive warmth throughout their hols. The primary subject for Spain is midwinter, which turns the central plain gray and bitter. However there’s snowboarding at each ends of the nation, and an hour or so additional on the airplane and also you’re within the subtropical Canaries.
Common nationwide sunshine hours: 7/10
Predictability/changeability: 8/10
Common nationwide rainfall: 10/10
Summer season climate: 8/10
Winter climate: 7/10
Climate variety: 9/10
Complete: 49/60
The European climate forecast for summer time 2024
By Rosie Mammatt
“It’s too early but to say for sure what this 12 months’s climate in Europe will seem like. However by inspecting seasonal forecasts, we will get an concept in regards to the kind of circumstances we will anticipate. Will or not it’s hotter and wetter than common, or cooler and drier than common? Or maybe will probably be distinctly common?
“Seasonal forecasts are presently displaying alerts that almost all of Europe can anticipate hotter than common temperatures. With record-breaking temperatures being reached throughout the earlier two summers, the Mediterranean basin appears set to have one other scorcher this 12 months. Turkey, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Croatia all look set to see temperatures effectively above the seasonal norms. The Iberian Peninsula additionally appears like it is going to stay as much as its well-earned status, with temperatures changing into more and more scorching all through the season. The UK, Eire and Central Europe may also anticipate to see excessive temperatures, particularly within the early a part of the season, with the possibility of maximum temperatures lowering because the season wears on. Scandinavia follows an identical sample, with a heat begin to the summer time adopted by more and more ‘regular’ temperatures.
“Present seasonal forecasts for rain are displaying a divided image. Proof means that Continental and Southern Europe will obtain decrease than common rainfall, whereas Scandinavia appears more likely to get extra rain than regular. So When you’re heading to the Med this 12 months, you possibly can most likely be pretty assured that you simply’ll keep dry. When you’re staying nearer to dwelling, take a coat.”
