Europe is undoubtedly in for a great summer this year. In addition to the concerts and festivals that will be in full swing and the many beautiful beach destinations, major sports events such as the football championship in Germany and the summer games in Paris are also taking place.
Also, Check: How to visit multiple destinations for the lowest price.
As hosts of the football championship, Germany joins the ranks of one of the top summer destinations booked on Kiwi.com this year by travellers from Europe. The increase in demand has seen the ticket prices from Europe to Germany rise by 46%, averaging €168.74. The Danish fans are choosing football over the beach, with a fantastic jump of 327% more travellers booked on Kiwi.com heading to Germany than in 2023. More surprisingly, possibly thanks to the ‘Ted Lasso effect’, we also find Americans in the top ten nationalities heading to the country.
Bookings made to travel between 14 June and 12 July show that the top nationalities to visit Germany are British, Romanians, Spanish, Danish, Polish, French, Italians, Hungarians, Serbians, Americans, Austrians, Albanians, Croatians, Slovaks, Bulgarians, Swedes, and Portuguese – almost all participating in the football championship.
Meanwhile, the world’s sporting elite will be battling it in France. For the period of 25 July to 10 August, Kiwi.com global booking data indicates that 46% of travellers to France are heading to Paris, where the main event will take place, and the cities of Lyon and Bordeaux are also top destinations this year – the locations for the football tournament for the games. The beach is not forgotten, with the traditional destinations of Nice and Marseille also making it one of the top five destinations in France for the summer.
The top five most booked routes are all to Paris:
- Prague to Paris
- London to Paris (up 45% compared to last year)
- Barcelona to Paris (up 53.8%)
- Madrid to Paris (up 53.8%)
- Rome to Paris
Also, Check: How to visit multiple destinations for the lowest price.
Away from the sport, when it comes to traditionally popular destinations, travellers are choosing Barcelona, London, Rome, Paris, and Milan most frequently. They are followed by the more exotic Istanbul and Tirana—which started to gain popularity in the last years and made it to the top 10 in 2024—alongside Lisbon, Madrid, and Warsaw.
The routes from London to Istanbul and from London to Barcelona are the top two so far for this season. Among the top 10, Kiwi.com data shows that bookings for the route Paris to Barcelona are up 34.7% compared to last year, Budapest to Istanbul is up 36.7%, and Madrid to Warsaw jumps up to 125.8%, indicating potentially a shift to more unconventional summer destinations in the hope of escaping the rising temperatures.
Summer flight tickets from Europe are currently just 10.4% more expensive than last year. Short-distance flights increased by 15%, medium-distance by 5%, and long-distance flights decreased by 8.3%. With the average booking window (the time in advance one buys their ticket) currently at 38 days, many are yet to book their summer getaways.
