For decades, a summer trip to Europe has been considered a must for travelers in the know. And a summer visit to Paris? Une très bonne idée.

But Jason Stevens’ August trip to Paris was anything but “bon.”

“It was crowded, it was hot, in the middle of the day you were looking for shade, I was constantly looking to buy water,” he says. “The major attractions were oversold. I couldn’t get Eiffel Tower tickets — they were booked out for two weeks.”

Even the tickets he did manage to buy — for the Louvre — turned out to be fakes sold from a scam website.

It would be enough to ruin anyone’s vacation. But Stevens wasn’t there to relax. As CEO of the luxury travel company Wayfairer, he was in Paris to see what peak season has become. What he found confirmed what his clients have been telling him: Summer in Europe is no longer the dream — it’s the ordeal.

Jason Stevens' August trip to Paris was a hot, crowded nightmare. Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters

Summer crowds in Paris can be overwhelming — but now an icreasing number of visitors are switching to fall visits instead. Antoine Boureau/Hans Lucas/AFP/Getty Images

Now, the well-heeled travelers who once flocked to the continent in July and August are pushing their trips back. “They don’t want sweltering temperatures, or crowds, or lots of Americans outside of America,” says Stevens, whose clients — about two-thirds of them American — are increasingly choosing fall over summer for their big European getaways.

And after his nightmare August in Paris, Stevens thinks they’re right.

He’s not alone. Across the industry, travel insiders say autumn is becoming a new high season for Europe — a shift driven by rising temperatures, overtourism, and a post-pandemic appetite for quieter, more meaningful travel.

“It was an emerging trend in 2024; now it’s become strong,” he says. “Last-minute bookings are bigger than this year, too. We’re now constant year-round.”

For years, the travel industry has dreamed of expanding the peak summer, and for years, travelers not tied to school vacations have quietly ventured to the still-swimmable Mediterranean Sea in September and October.

The climate crisis is an increasing issue as well. The fact that Europe is the fastest-warming continent on the planet, with 2025 seeing the worst year on record for wildfires, and multiple summer heatwaves, has made the shoulder season more attractive.

Talk of fall being Europe’s “secret season” has only increased its popularity.