Traveling in summer
In summer, it is good to travel around the countries of Benelux, Scandinavia, the Baltic States and the UK: Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Brussels, London, Dublin will most likely be remembered for clear weather and lack of heat. Norwegian fjords, snow-white beaches of Jurmala, cozy Tallinn, and also usually gloomy Belgium, Holland, the north of France at this time are friendly and sunny.
Summer is not the best option for sightseeing trips to the southern countries of Europe, except for the Atlantic coast, where the wind reconciles with the heat. Do not be tempted to combine, for example, a holiday at sea in Italy with a tour of Rome: in the summer in Italian cities is unbearable heat, and the farther you are from the sea, so it is ruthless. Vienna, Paris, Madrid, Berlin in June-August will also meet you with a very high temperature, uncomfortable for walking.
From the second half of June begins the beach season, which lasts until mid-September. In Barcelona and Valencia, Nice, Biarritz and San Sebastian have all the advantages of city life, such as restaurants, museums, promenades, you can combine with excellent beaches.
For the inhabitants of Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, the peak of the summer season is in August, when they are amicably on vacation: the highest prices for hotels, the most crowded resorts, many closed shops and restaurants in large non-resort cities are waiting for the traveler in August. Another great option for August is Scandinavia and the UK, where the autumn is already felt, but the light day is still long.
Amsterdam. Illustration from the book
Traveling in autumn
September is an ideal month for a vacation both at sea and in big cities! Parents
schoolchildren have already left the resorts, in big cities life has returned to the usual routine, new exhibitions are opening, the theater season begins from the end of September.
October is also good for sightseeing tourism, but it is also the best time to go to the vineyards, watch the gathering, admire the red leaves.
November is unpredictable. For sightseeing trips, a good option would be cities,
where an abundance of museums, theaters, shops and restaurants will not let you get bored even in bad weather. Excellent choice in November - the city of the south of Europe, where crowds of vacationers have already disappeared, and prices for vacation have fallen. Nice, Florence, Naples, Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia - in November they are not very wet, but warm. Good in November and London with its surroundings.
London. Illustration from the book
Traveling in winter
Winter is not a reason to refuse to travel around Europe. Only you need to choose the right direction. Do not forget that it's getting dark early in the winter. For example, in December Copenhagen twilight begins immediately after lunch. Data on the time of sunrise and sunset in the city of interest to you is easy to find on the net.
End of November and most of December - the right time to travel to Europe
for the Christmas mood. Fine Christmas markets work at this time in Vienna and Munich, in Stockholm and Riga, in Nuremberg and Budapest and many other cities. It should only be borne in mind that the whole Christmas atmosphere is evaporating already on December 25, and on the last Saturday before Christmas, there is a time of peak loads of stores and unprecedented queues. If you plan to buy at this time gifts, then remember that there are almost no Christmas discounts in European stores.
Among the options for the January holidays can be recommended two. Firstly, it is certainly mountains, especially the Alps. There are not only beautiful landscapes and alpine skies waiting for you, but also spa centers and a rich evening life. Another good direction is the south of Europe. Southern Italy, the Mediterranean coast of Spain, Portugal at this time are incredibly beautiful: tourists are few, the sun is warming, sales are on, the sea whispers.
In February, all-season destinations are good, for example the Canary Islands or Madeira, where you can admire nature, go to a spa and, if you are lucky, dive into the ocean. It is also possible to spend time on weekends in the southern European cities: Rome, Florence, Naples, Barcelona or London, where because of the Gulf Stream is much warmer than in Moscow. Travel to Vienna, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Amsterdam is best avoided because of unstable weather, although museums, theaters and restaurants, of course, work in the winter.
Europe in winter. Illustration from the book
Travel in the spring
The best time for sightseeing trips around Europe is spring and autumn, when the weather
allows maximum long and comfortable walking through the streets.
Since March begins the most beautiful time for travel, when it is already warm, but still
not hot. There is a theatrical season, museums are pleased with exhibitions, and nature begins to wake up from the winter outside the city. Virtually any direction will be fine. In addition, March and April - the time of Easter festivals and markets. Significant European music festivals are usually timed to Easter, for example in Lucerne or Salzburg.
Warm sea in the first half of May is difficult to find, so for trips to the May holidays it is necessary to plan excursion trips or choose resort destinations and hotels with well-developed infrastructure (spa, swimming pools), where you will not depend on changeable weather and the cool sea. So, in Mallorca or Sicily you can combine a couple of morning hours by the pool with sightseeing trips after lunch.
Illustration from the book
Air routes
If you are free to choose the direction, you can use the search engine www.skyscanner.ru, setting the departure airport and dates, but leaving the "Where" field empty. So you can understand where in the dates you need, the tickets are cheaper than all. Convenient service offers www.buruki.ru: the site has a calendar for finding tickets, taking into account the price, direction and number of days you want to spend on a trip. The easiest way to find out about new directions is to subscribe to the airlines you are interested in.
Take advantage of these tips and your journey will be excellent!
Based on the book "Suitcase mood".