Coastal European Honeymoon Summer 2026

Okay, I know. Tourists run rampant along the coastal cities and towns in the summer, but it seems like this might be the best time for my fiance and I to do our honeymoon. We are looking for Summer 2026 (July/August) recommendations for:

• Coastal/Beach Access (we want to do like… 1-2 days at beach or by water, but don't need it every day)
• Not so hot I want to die — We'd love to go to Italy but we think it is out since the time of year is just not as good
• Great food and culture — we're NYC foodies and love a good meal
• Walkable/Interesting things to see — we would love to just immerse ourselves in 1-2 cities and walk around and enjoy everything it has to offer

We are currently considering San Sebastían or a Greek Island (Crete?), but we know that tourists are brutal especially in the summer. I know it is unavoidable in a lot of ways, but are there any places we can really do? We've also heard a lot about Croatia and Montenegro.

(Our other timing option is late March 2026, which gives us less time to plan. If you want to advocate for us doing shoulder season at any of these places and getting our Sh*t together to plan it quickly, please do so I can bother my fiance about how slow and indecisive we are)