Choose an allergy-free destination
Do you suffer from hay fever? Keep this in mind when choosing a holiday destination. In some countries, the hay fever season starts earlier or later than in the Netherlands.
Depending on climate, season and plant growth, the concentration of pollen differs per destination. Please adhere to the following rules of thumb when choosing a destination.
Beach holiday
There are only two places where you are safe from pollen: on the coast and high in the mountains. That is where the pollen concentration is lowest. The pollen season starts later in those places and also ends earlier. In dry areas, pollen concentrations are lower than in areas with a temperate, humid climate.
Avoid forests
Wooded areas are not suitable if you have hay fever. The pollen of trees is heavier than grass pollen. As a result, they remain suspended in the air in strong concentrations.
Pollen high season in different countries
In the overview below you will find information about the months in which you will be most bothered by pollen.
- Netherlands: May-July. You are best on the coast. Be careful when you go home in the evening. Then the concentration of pollen is higher than elsewhere.
- Belgium: April to June. On the coast, the pollen concentration is lower than in the interior and the Ardennes.
- France: May-July. France has many different areas, each with its own trees and plants. The pollen concentration therefore differs per area.
- Germany: February-August. Tree pollen is active from February to June and grass and plant pollen from June to August. The coastal regions in the north have a shorter pollen season than the western and southern areas.
- Spain: March-September. It is less humid here, so compared to the countries in Central Europe, the pollen concentration is low.
- Portugal: March-July. In June and July the grass clumps are active, from January to October they are different grass and tree species. Portugal is only truly pollen-free in November and December.
- England: June-late July. In the north, the pollen season starts later than in the south. Hay fever is mainly caused by grass and plant pollen. In the mountainous areas of Scotland and Wales, the pollen concentration of plants and grasses is much lower than in the rest of the country.
- Sweden: April-September. The pollen period around and in Stockholm is from March to September. The period of grass and plant pollen is from May to September.
