A little about us
About Bigfoot Wanders
How this works · how we check it · what it isn't
How this works
Timing makes or breaks a trip
You've seen the photos: golden light, empty streets, perfect weather. Then you arrive to landmarks packed shoulder to shoulder, dearer hotel rooms, and weather that won't cooperate.
Some travel advice says "go in May" and stops there. Many travellers have fixed dates: work, school or a wedding sets the month. So we start from the month you already have and answer the other question: where in Europe is good then, and what you'll walk into. For 263 places and every month, the weather, how busy it is against its own year, and the available price context. An Overall score combines the measured parts.
How these pages are made
The destination guides are assembled from official data. Weather, crowd and price summaries follow shared wording rules we write and review, filled with that place's own numbers. Destination descriptions and marked editorial notes add context. Every figure can be traced to its source, and the method is public (how we score, the open data).
- Weather that feels like weather: a comfort index built for sightseeing and beaches, from ERA5 (Copernicus Climate Change Service) corrected with observations from 11 national weather services, 2011 to 2025. Humidity and wind count: a humid 87°F afternoon scores worse than a dry one, and a breeze takes the edge off.
- Crowds against the place's own year: Eurostat's nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and region, so "peak season" means peak for that place.
- Cost: Eurostat price levels, made regional where national statistics offices publish regional prices.
- What's on: school holidays from OpenHolidays and official calendars, and a small registry of yearly events, each checked against its official source.
The data is refreshed once a year; the site is rebuilt every month so dates, holidays and "this month" stay current. The date at the foot of each page is when its content last changed.
Some destination images are AI-generated illustrations.
How we check it
Before a scoring method goes live, we test it against recorded guide recommendations and log the result, including any decision to accept a measured trade-off. Weather is checked against local stations and official climate averages; where a figure fails the check we leave it out. Each build checks exported inputs, score cards and key displayed measures against their sources, and checks the site's internal links.
What this isn't
Not a forecast
We describe what a month is usually like, from 15 years of records. Check the forecast before you fly.
Not one-size-fits-all
The scores suit most travellers. If you love 95°F heat or only care about price, re-weight them on any page under "What matters most?".
Not town by town
Figures describe whole regions, and each page says what its region covers. A famous old town can be busier than its region's numbers.
What we never do
No booking links, no paid placements, no sponsored rankings, and no stock photos. The source data and default Balanced scores are shared by every reader. Your priority choices recalculate Overall scores in your browser.
Corrections
We review the data and wording at each refresh and record material corrections on the methodology page.