Finding an affordable way to fly to Europe in summer can be a challenge. Even for an economy seat, you might be staring at $1,200 to $2,000 roundtrip fares. Why? Because you’re running that search alongside roughly 20 million other Americans doing the exact same thing.
June, July, and August – commonly known as peak summer months – are a pricing nightmare for travelers and a dream for airlines, which charge millions of passengers four-figure fares each year. That kind of demand sends airfare soaring and leads many travelers to tuck their tail and run before even getting started.
But don’t give up just yet. I’m here to show you there are ways around it. As always at Thrifty Traveler, we love aiming for sweet spots – the nooks and crannies of travel booking where you and I can beat the airlines at their own game.
Here’s where to look when booking a summer trip to Europe in 2026.
Using Cash? Aim for August
We search for summertime airfare to Europe every single day at Thrifty Traveler Premium, and when we find it, we send it to our Premium flight deal alert subscribers. Those subscribers already know what I’m about to tell you: The vast majority of cheap summer fares to Europe can be found in August.
It’s not a new trend, but it is shifting slightly. Where August fares used to pop up primarily in the last two weeks of the month – when many families are already back in school and unable to travel – that timeline is creeping earlier. We’re now seeing solid value even in the first few weeks of August.
Take this Ireland deal, for example.
We rounded up all the nonstop flights to Dublin (DUB) priced under $600 roundtrip. While we found the usual low fares during the off-season months of February and March, many of the best prices extended into August as well – particularly in the second half of the month.
In that same week, we uncovered a slew of stellar fares in the $400s roundtrip to Florence, Italy (FLR). This list was even longer, including some near-record-low prices from smaller regional airports.
If you pull up Google Flights search results for these fares, you can see exactly where prices start to drop. After the first week of August, airlines begin pricing flights more like the shoulder or off-season rather than peak summer.
A few days earlier, we saw the same pattern for flights to Ibiza, Spain (IBZ). This search from Austin (AUS) showed what travelers from dozens of U.S. cities also found: summer flights at fall prices – as long as you travel in August.
August is the clear winner when it comes to summer airfare. If you can squeeze your trip in just before everyone heads back to school, you can save hundreds of dollars on every ticket.
Use Those Points and Miles
If you’re able to travel in August, you can do just fine paying cash. But if your plans require flying in June or July, it’s time to break out the points and miles you’ve been hoarding.
We've found several ways to use points and miles to fly to Europe this summer – and the hits just keep coming. Italy or Malta, anyone?
We love this sneaky workaround for booking Delta flights using far fewer points. By redeeming Virgin Atlantic points or Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles – which you can transfer from many major banks, as shown below – you can book Delta’s nonstop flights from New York (JFK) to Catania, Italy (CTA), Malta (MLA), or Sardinia, Italy (OLB), starting at just 53,000 points roundtrip.
Best of all, these fares began in April and were bookable through June – and even through August. No waiting until October or November for prices to drop.
Points and miles can sometimes cut straight through the highest summer fares, giving you peak-season flights without paying peak-season rates.
Business Might Be Best
Over the past few years, an undeniable trend has taken hold for Europe flight deals during peak summer: The best value is often in business class.
Yes, it costs more points or cash than economy. But you also get so much more – especially when it comes to comfort. Instead of dreading the journey, you can make it part of your vacation in a seat like Condor Airlines business class.
These nearly half-off business-class fares on Condor – along with some sneaky competition from Singapore Airlines on the same routes from JFK – were strong deals any time of year. But with July and August availability wide open, we couldn’t wait to send this deal to our Thrifty Traveler Premium members.
The same trend holds true for travelers using points and miles. These Brussels Airlines business-class seats were bookable from 60,000 points each way – or even fewer during a recent transfer bonus – with plenty of August availability.
Brussels Airlines may not offer the flashiest business class in the sky, but it’s still a comfortable ride to Europe with strong peak-season availability. Plus, Brussels is an easy jumping-off point to almost anywhere else on the continent.
Travelers with Air Canada Aeroplan points, Avianca LifeMiles, or United miles could all book these seats in August – and I hope they did.
Bottom Line
To avoid four-digit airfares to Europe this summer, focus on three major sweet spots: August, points and miles, and business class.
Whether it’s flying at the tail end of summer, maximizing your points and miles, or sitting up front, those strategies give you the best shot at beating peak-season prices – and actually enjoying the journey along the way.
