Fashion, serenity and bargains – 5 reasons to visit Europe in winter
Published on
20 Dec 2022
Published by
The Straits Times
EUROPE – Most tourists choose to visit Europe between April and October, when the continent is warmer, yet also vastly more crowded.
But travellers prepared to brave the chill of winter will be rewarded in many ways. From friendlier locals to fun with fashion, here are five reasons to hit Europe in the off-peak season.
1. Friendlier locals
The first time I visited Venice, in peak season, the locals came across as rude and cold. This surprised me because I had found Italians to be warm, gregarious people – both in Italy and in my home town of Perth.
When I returned to Venice in the low season in winter, the experience was very different. Suddenly, Venetians were relaxed, amiable and welcoming.
I realised the unfriendly behaviour on my first trip was likely a frustrated reaction to the noisy crowds that suffocate their city each summer. I would be grumpy, too, if I encountered swarms of summer travellers every time I left my house.
Some tourists treat destinations as their playgrounds, showing little respect for the city or its occupants.
Before the pandemic, desirable destinations such as Barcelona, Amsterdam, Paris and Florence witnessed protests against overtourism. Locals in those besieged cities pointed out that their quality of life was being diminished by rapidly rising visitor numbers.
Specifically, their gripe was about the extreme crowds during summer. As a conspicuous camera-toting traveller, I have sensed this hostility many times in Europe during peak season. Which is why I now often prefer to travel there during winter, when I am less likely to be an annoyance.
2. Bargains galore
Popular European cities are very expensive for much of the year. In peak season, I have had to pay up to $200 a night for a rundown three-star hotel room with no breakfast.
For that same price, I have secured lovely, modern, four-star hotel rooms with buffet breakfasts, all because I travelled in winter.
From mid-January to mid-March, when the festive season is over and most tourists are deterred by the cold, you will find many of Europe’s key travel costs significantly reduced. Hotels offer great specials due to low occupancy, especially if you book with them directly.
Flights, too, are often much cheaper, particularly if you set price alerts for your favoured routes on travel apps such as Skyscanner or Kayak. You will be alerted when the best off-peak bargains hit the market.
In tourist precincts across Europe, you will also find many restaurants offering lunch or dinner specials in winter, when they need to work much harder to attract customers.
These reductions in accommodation, flight and meal costs add up, especially if you are travelling as a family, when savings are multiplied three, four or five times.
3. Winter scenery
From Scottish mountains and Italian lakes to French villages and Spanish meadows, many of Europe’s most beautiful locations are remarkably pretty in winter, whether kissed by snow or draped in mysterious fog.
Compared with the relentless sun of Perth or Singapore, I find that frosty weather also heightens my sense of adventure. It makes Europe look and feel more foreign and exotic.
So much so that when I visit my ancestral homeland of Ireland, I am disappointed if I cannot see snow on its craggy peaks. As a photographer, I also greatly appreciate the softness of winter light, and the atmosphere created by fog.
Kids, too, love the change of season that is so evident in Europe between November and March. One of my fondest memories from childhood is the first time I saw snow, on a trip to Ireland.
Throwing snowballs and building snowmen with my cousins was magical. As was watching snow slowly tumble from the sky and accumulate on the ground.
4. Skip queues
In Europe’s mid-summer, the sheer weight of visitors at the continent’s top tourist attractions can be dispiriting.
Lining up for two hours to enter the Eiffel Tower, or being wedged in a noisy surge of tourists at the Vatican, can tarnish your dream European experiences.
Here is the good news – from mid-January to mid-March, almost every major tourist site in Europe is far quieter. You will not need to queue for ages outside museums, and so will be able to visit more sites in a day.
Neither will you need to put up with rowdy travellers piercing the serenity of Europe’s most gorgeous parks and scenic spots, allowing you to take in their majesty in peace. Let alone having every other photo ruined by other tourists edging into the frame. In winter, you get a bigger slice of Europe to yourself.
5. Winter fashion
There are only so many ways I can combine a pair of shorts or jeans with a short-sleeve top. And, similar to many Singaporean men, I do not get to vary my wardrobe much of the year in my home town of Perth, one of Australia’s hottest cities.
That is why I have always looked forward to my sartorial changes in colder destinations. Part of the fun of a winter trip to Europe is, in the months leading up to it, scouring shops for cool coats, unique sweaters, woollen hats and trendy jackets.
Of course, also pack insulated garments that will withstand Europe’s sometimes jarringly cold winters. But, for the most part, I find this element of winter travel a true joy.
Ronan O’Connell is an Australian journalist and photographer who is so drenched by sun in his home town of Perth that he savours the contrast of Europe’s winters.
Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.
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