August is the best month for summer vacation. The heat is already subsiding, the sea has warmed up to its maximum temperature, fun music and gastronomic festivals are taking place in Europe, religious festivals are taking place in Asia, with elephant processions and torch dances. We’ll tell you where to go to sail along the ancient routes of the Mediterranean on a sailboat, feast at a medieval feast after a knight’s duel, enjoy a music festival or dive aboard a sunken ship.
1. Berlin, Germany – clubs, shopping, dance and beer festivals
Berlin is one of the most fun capitals in Europe, where you can find entertainment for every taste and budget – from first-class museums and galleries, to electronic music clubs and theme parties. Berlin is also a great place for shopping, with all the major brands and many designer boutiques. There are noisy festivals here all year round – on the first weekend of August the International Beer Festival will be held, at which 360 German breweries will treat guests to 2.5 thousand types of beer. And from August 11, one of the best contemporary dance festivals in Europe will begin in Europe, it will last until the end of the month.
2. Coast of Turkey – a trip on a sailing yacht in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas
In August, on the Turkish coast, the air temperature rises to 30-33 degrees, the Mediterranean Sea warms up to 27° C, the Aegean Sea – to 25° C. The best vacation at this time is a trip on a traditional sailing ship gulet along one of the ancient Blue Cruises routes. Cruises last from 2 to 15 days, you can rent a small sailboat for four or become one of twenty passengers on a large gulet. While Turkey’s beaches are crowded, gulets stop at small islands with secluded lagoons, caves and beaches, nature reserves and diving centers, next to Greco-Roman ruins. Almost all Blue Cruises depart from Bodrum.
3. Visby, Sweden – flowers, ruins and a medieval festival with knights and minstrels
Visby is a medieval town on the island of Gotland, it is called the city of roses and flowers because of the abundance of gardens, flower beds and medieval ruins. The entire city is listed as a UNESCO heritage site. The fortress wall surrounding the city center and the Cathedral, built in the 13th century, are perfectly preserved; the art museum has a large collection of modern art. There are many beaches a few kilometers from the city where you can sunbathe and swim. Every August (6 – 13 August 2017) Visby hosts the world’s largest Medieval Festival. The program includes knightly fights, feasts with musicians and jesters, masquerades, and craft fairs. Master classes and a puppet theater are organized for the youngest guests.
4. Cook Islands, New Zealand – paradise beaches and lagoons, coral reefs and unforgettable diving
The Cook Islands are 15 islands and atolls in the Pacific Ocean, where it is best to visit in August – when there is no precipitation and the temperature does not exceed 28 ° C, and the water in the lagoons is warm and crystal clear. The capital of the island state is the island Rarotonga, surrounded by coral reefs. A volcano rises in the center of the island, surrounded by tropical forests. The entire coastline consists of snow-white beaches, approached by palm trees. The island’s coral reefs are unique – 70 species of corals of all colors and shapes and rare fish live here, there are underwater caves and canyons. The island is very popular among lovers of diving, snorkeling and underwater fishing.
5. Budapest, Hungary – Castles, Baths and the Sziget Music Festival
Budapest is the only capital of Europe with hundreds of baths and mineral springs. It has low prices, excellent service and many attractions: museums and cathedrals, the Royal Palace, Vajdahunyad Castle and the most beautiful parliament building in the world. From August 9 to 16, the legendary Sziget music festival will be held here for the 25th time. The headliners of the anniversary Sziget will be Pink, Billy Talent, Pj Harvey, Kasabian, The Kills. And on August 20, all of Hungary celebrates St. Stephen’s Day – fairs, festivals and concerts take place on the streets of the city, the holiday ends with fireworks on Mount Gellert.
6. Sri Lanka – waterfalls, palaces, diving and carnival processions with elephants
Sri Lanka is a quiet island in the Indian Ocean with magnificent ancient temples and palaces, untouched nature and excellent beaches. At the top of the mountain Sigiriya lies in ruins a fortress built in the fifth century, with preserved frescoes of beautiful women. In Polonnaruwa there are unique palaces, temples and Buddha statues. The coast of Sri Lanka has more than a thousand kilometers of sandy beaches with palm trees, coral reefs and rare fish. Divers come here from all over the world to see amazing corals, underwater rocks, grottoes and sunken ships. From July 29 to August 8, Kandy, the ancient capital of the island, will host one of the most beautiful Buddhist festivals Esala Perahera, when the tooth of Buddha is taken out of the temple and carried around the city at the head carnival procession with 200 elephants, musicians and torch dancers.
