BostonJon

Hello, my family of 3 (parents + 14-yr old) is trying to decide whether to visit Ireland, Spain or Italy in August (or maybe Spain + Italy). Teenager has never been to Europe; parents have been to Spain & Italy (long time ago) but not Ireland. We'll have about 12 days and a very modest budget. One factor is relative costs of the 3 countries. Is there much difference?

yk

While you should consider costs, you should also consider the weather in August. I'd never plan a trip to Italy or Spain in August unless I have nowhere else to go in the world.

janisj

I agree - I'd personally not plan a trip to most parts of Italy or Spain in August - especially on a modest budget. Relatively few high end places have decent air conditioning, and almost no budget properties have it.

DalaiLlama

Your statement "very modest budget" has me worried. Ireland is the most expensive country in Europe, up there with Norway. (Didn't used to be not very long ago, but the last ten years have been incredible).

In other respects, if you find something affordable, Ireland is probably a better choice for August, a bit less overrun than Spain and Italy where it is also a lot hotter.

August is the month where all of Europe takes vacations, and many flock to those southern countries, so it is peak rush and peak pricing everywhere even before you count tourists from overseas.

Please use the internet a lot to google options in Ireland and compare availabilities and prices, but keep an open mind about going to other places.

Research Portugal, especially the north (not the completely overrun Algarve in the south where more English and German and Scandinavian is heard than native tongues), you could quite likely find nice places you can afford, it is a great part of the world!

The heat is relative - some people can't stand it when it gets just into the 80s, they already need air conditioning, which is not widely available in Europe, so they complain.

others love the sun and heat and warm nights and and seek it out, thinking of 90s and 100 as just right for summer, hence the popularity of those hot places in summer.

You need to know what your own tolerances are, you can't go by what others say.

cruiseluv

In 2006 I spent the whole month of August between Spain and Italy and had lovely weather. It was warm , but it wasn't scorching hot. This was mainly in Northern Spain, Lucca and Venice. With weather you really never know.
I would certainly not recommend Southern Spain (eg Andalucía) in August!

Many hotels in Italy and Spain(not in Northern Spain though)lower their prices in August.

Are you into historic type of sightseeing or do you prefer just a relaxing vacation?

BostonJon

Thanks folks, these posts have already been very helpful! I may have overdone things a bit with my "very modest budget" comment; perhaps simply "modest" would be more accurate. I had no idea Ireland was so expensive relatively speaking. I'd also thought of Portugal, having greatly enjoyed that country myself a few decades ago. We'd lean more towards historic places but with some relaxation time mixed in