Airlines are having business class sale to late August. Also in Nov and December.

What's tough about this sale is that I already have a trip for mid July to August 1 so I would have to return home and then head out again in about 18 days to take advantage of this sale. Would be perfect if the sale included departures of about 1 week later at least.

In any event, here are the destinations I'm considering:

1. Dolomites. Fly in and out of Verona so I could spend a few days in upper Lake Garda.

2. Dolomites for about a week and then Austria (Salzburg and Vienna). Fly into Verona and out of Vienna.

3. Nice and Corsica. Fly in and out of NCE, separate flight to Corsica.

4. Portugal. In and out of LIS or into FAO and out of LIS with internal flights between FAO and Porto.

5. Berlin and Copenhagen in and out of one or the other.

Chose most of these because weather is suppose to be good or very good in late August/early September. Been to all of these places but not Portugal or Copenhagen.

Interested in being active, hunting out scenery.

Any preferences?

We were in Portugal in late August, early September and absolutely loved it. I would go again in a heart beat, same time of year, FWIW.

Our son studied in Copenhagen and arrived in August and loved it as well. Great weather and so much to see. We arrived in mid October to visit, and could see why he enjoyed it so much. We had good weather, but a bit windy for a day or two, FWIW.

Yeah it seems to be a great time weather-wise for all of these destinations, especially those from the Dolomites to the north.

But Portugal has great weather from spring onwards.

How are you with crowds? Do you plan to have a car in rural/mountain areas? How long would you have?

Personal views, YMMV...

- Portugal is nice but away from the west coast and the north (Alentejo, for example) it can get very warm.

- For scenery, northern Germany and Denmark are pretty flat. Both Copenhagen and Berlin are fantastic cities, though.

- I traveled around the Dolomites for a few days in August some years ago and there were a LOT of people. However, a driving tour of that part of the Alps is pretty terrific.

- What about a drive that includes the Dolomites over to the Julian Alps in Slovenia? Fly into Munich and out of Vienna or v.v.? Google the places on this map - https://goo.gl/maps/fjxY16e9ARvs29oa9

Yeah I considered Portugal for like April because it's suppose to be very dry and moderately warm (though Porto can still be wet and cool that time of the year).

I would rent a car, no problem doing so.

As far as time, I would be constrained by the dates applicable for this sale. It would be around Aug 20 to Sept. 4 so about 2 full weeks on the ground.

I haven't really researched Slovenia but I guess something to consider. Though don't car rentals typically have restrictions on driving into Eastern Europe? Not sure if Solvenia would be considered such. I went to Austria in 2017, flying in and out of Munich. The Tirol is fantastic but yes I know people say Slovenia is like the Sound of Music too.

I don't quite follow why you'd think Nice would be great weather at the end of August. It's summer so very hot, although heat is subdued a bit due to being on the sea. But due to the holiday period and that fact, I would not choose to go to Nice at end of August myself. Corsica is obviously about the same weather. Besides, August is one of the busiest periods in that area. If you weren't going there until the beginning of September, I could see it but I wouldn't go there on August 20th myself, although I think the worst of it is over by the last week in terms of traffic etc.

You might consider France's alpine lakes area instead.

Not so much any more. You'll need a vignette, obtainable at the border. I believe you'll also need one for Austria.

If it's the Mediterranean beach scene that's calling to you, I'd eschew the whole Côte d'Azur area at that time of year and head to the Languedoc-Roussillon and visit the coastal area between Perpignan and Collioure. You could combine it as we did a year ago with the French Pyrenées. If you wanted to drive, no problem, but there is excellent train service along the coast, all the way into Spain (you do have to change at Port-Bou), and in the Pyrenées there is a phenomenal system of buses (Le Bus à Un Euro - yes, they cost one euro!). Beautiful, varied territory, great beaches, beautiful mountains (and lakes), and few crowds

Not so much the beach scene. I've been to Code d'Azur several times but I've always eschewed staying in Nice itself.

I've only visited here and there the Vieux Nice, especially at night. But now with the tram and other improvements nearby, it looks pretty interesting.

Though probably a big pain to keep a car for day trips along the coast.

But I am definitely interested in the SW of France, particularly Bordeaux. I've visited Biarritz on a day trip and would like to see more. There is a webcam of the Grand Place there with the lighthouse at the end. Really stunning to look at at night, even though a webcam.

Also met a couple from Barcelona who said Costa Brava is great -- never been north of Barcelona.

So many choices ...

Berlin and Copenhagen for 18 days? Yes and hit some neat places in between. Going by car or train or plane?

Copenhagen has a surfeit of easy day trips - Round the Sound circles from Copenhagen via bridge/tunnel to Malmo - train to Lund, Sweden - great university town - Helsingorborg, Sweden for short ferry ride to Helsingor (Elsinore), home of 'Hamlet's Castle' hovering over the Sound - train back to Copenahgen (or drive) - round the Sound easily done in a day

Other day trips - Frederiksborg Castle - lovingly set in a lake - Roskilde for Viking Ship Museum - and many more - leave some days for day trips IMO.

Say 4-6 days in Copenhagen

Then take train-ferry-train to Hamburg via Puttgarten

then down to Hamburg

spend some time in a smaller gem like Celle or Gottigen or others

say 3-4 days there

Train to Berlin (or drive)

Remaining days

Berlin's sights are far apart - and a day in Potsdam for Sans Soucci Palace. For a concentration/work camp Sachenhausen is just a short train ride north of Berlin - there are plenty of other day trips but Berlin's sights will take 3-4 days IME. Even possible to day trip by train to a Polish border town or further - about 2 hours each way or less.

For lots on trains and where to go in Europe on them www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com.

Looking at hotels in Val di Gardena.

Lot of high-priced accommodations, certainly comparable to what you'd pay in Switzerland, though Switzerland seems to have a wider range of accommodations too.

Bordeaux is absolutely electrifying these days! Wonderful city. So amazingly different from when I first came here in the early 1990s and had to wade through piles of crap on the riverside and stacks of needles in the corners of the lovely old places. It's brilliant. Thank you, Alain Juppé!

Biarritz doesn't do much for me, but Bayonne and Hendaye and St-Jean-de-Luz grab me. Lovely part of the world. And if you can slip down the coast to Donostia, so much the better.