Off-Season Travel

I have spent quite a bit of time in Europe in the winter months, including a Christmas in Venice. Despite the cold, there are some definite advantages to visiting offseason. Aside from the obvious reasons to go in the winter, such as skiing or snowboarding, the lack of crowds is the best reason to visit from October through March. Venice, for example, is a totally different city in the winter, and actually feels quiet and peaceful. (Those who have only seen Venice in summer, when rampaging hordes of tourists overrun the city like army ants, may find this hard to believe.) Also, most towns and cities have some sort of Christmas/New Year’s festival. Museums in all cities are typically empty, especially on rainy days, and hotel rooms are generally cheaper, although the most touristy hotels and resorts will probably be closed or deserted, especially from about December 10 through New Year’s.

If you are considering a trip to Europe in the winter, take a look at a globe. Notice that London is about the same latitude as Montreal and is well north of Maine. The southern parts of Sweden, Norway, and Finland are at the same latitudes as parts of Alaska. Bottom line: it can be bitterly cold anywhere in Europe over the winter, even in places that are roasting hot in the summer. (The coldest I have ever been in my life was in Naples in January.) The cold can be compounded by drafty hotels and the European habit of only heating a few rooms at a time. (More than once I have woken up in a European hotel, let out a breath, and watched a little cloud of condensation form.) Bring some seriously warm clothes, polypro underwear, gloves, a hat, and a lightweight sleeping bag to put on top of all-too-thin blankets in all-too-cold hotel rooms.