Traveling in August - suggestions/discussion

[FiguringItOut]

I have 6-8 days the 3rd week of August that I'd like to travel somewhere in Europe.
I don't really care that Europe "closes" in August due to their own vacations as I am just happy to roam around the city, sit in the park or on the beach, etc. 

I would be leaving from NY (JFK or Newark) and returning to Miami/Fort Lauterdale.

I will most likely be going by myself, I am fine with renting a room on airbnb or something like that, I'm also fine with being some groceries etc, but do want to try local cuisine.

Where in Europe would you recommend to go that is relatively cheap (flights/accommodations/meals)?

I was thinking Central Europe, but it seems to be more expensive to fly there then to Western Europe for example, however I suspect accommodations there may be cheaper.

I was in Berlin/Dusseldorf/Paris this past summer, so want something new.  I'd like to be in a location where I could take a few day trips to other near by places.

Being near beach/ocean is not important as I will be returning to Miami and hopping on a 7 day cruise. 
I generally want to just walk around, look at architecture, enjoy some local food and culture and relax.

Also, when are the airfares become available to August?  So far none of the searches go that far out and cut off somewhere between April and June.

[Dexterous]

It's good you are okay with avoiding the beaches, because that's obviously where most of the crowds will be. 

Budapest is a great city for seeing architecture, outdoor eating, relaxing in the indoor/outdoor thermal spas, river walks, etc.  Prices can be cheap or high, depending on where you're at in the city.  The area around the embassies are expensive (Andrassy street).  This city is my top suggestion for you based upon the info you provided.  However, here are some other ideas:

If you want to stay/eat for really good prices, then Eastern Europe is the best for that aspect.  Smaller places in Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria can be very cheap (ex: $4 for a dinner).  Sibiu, Brasov, Sofia, etc. are particularly interesting and not very popular for tourists yet, but that might be a long trip depending on layover requirements. 

Switzerland is very expensive in general, but there are actually really nice hostels in some areas that are cheap.  One could fly to Milan or Zurich and take a train to a place like Interlaken, and use that as your hub for visiting the nearby villages (Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, Murren, etc) in the alps.  Hiking is great in August, but you would likely want to cook most of your meals if you chose this option due to the high costs of restaurants.  Most of the hostels have common cooking areas which are fun to use.

Northern Italy has quite a few airports that you can fly to for good prices.  You can use commuter trains or a rental car to visit a lot of countries/towns within a few hours.  If you avoid the huge tourist locations, then prices can be quite good.  I'm going to be living at Lake Garda starting in 2 weeks, so let me know if you go to this part of Europe and I might have a place for you to stay for free.

Portugal and Spain have good prices as well and plenty of cool architecture/food, but several of their top locations will be crowded (ie, Lisbon, Barcelona).

Last, I've heard Krakow is really nice and cheap from some very well traveled people... but I haven't been there myself.

FYI -- I lived in Europe for over 3 years and travel on a frequent basis.

[westtoeast]

Try the app Hopper. It is showing me August dates and I've gotten very cheap tickets that way.

Also I have not checked this out yet... but I keep seeing articles about WOW Air offering ridiculously low fares to Europe right now. Not sure what the August prices look like.

[AMandM]

Maybe fly to Frankfurt, which is often where the cheap fares go, and take a train to Dresden.  Use that as a base for trips to the Czech Republic, Poland, and parts of Germany you haven't seen.

[MsPeacock]

Flights are probably the single largest expense for the trip you propose.  I'd sign up for a daily flight deals email and jump on a good fare to wherever. From the NYC area you will definitely find something. Try travelzoo, Groupon, airfarewatchdog, the flightdeal, etc.

Wow definitely has cheap fares, as does Norwegian air. Both are bare bones airlines.

[JoJo]

How about far east europe?  Kiev or Tbilisi.

I got a really cheap deal to Israel & Jordan last year on Ukraine international air out of JFK and got to stopover in Kiev for 4 days.  Great food, beer.  Did a 2 day tour to Chernobyl which was really weird (but not cheap)

As for Georgia, great food, wine.  with 8 days you could either go to some of the closer mountains for a few days, Kazbegi.  Or head over to Gori or Tel avi. 

[MsPeacock]

Saw a fare, which is now gone, from JFK to Lisbon, Portugal for this summer for $300. There are definitely deals to be had if you are flexible about where and when you go.