What is the best time to visit Europe? Winter or Summer? In Rosies opinion Europe needs to be experienced in as many seasons as possible. Even if you returned to exactly the same city every time…it will look so different and have a totally different vibe in a different climate and season.
In New Zealand we live on the edge of the earth. It takes so long for us to travel anywhere (approx 31 hours to Europe direct from Rosie’s door). Because it costs so much to get to Europe we normally holiday for longer and less frequently than the average worldwide traveler. Squeezing more destinations into our itinerary because of fear of missing out. That is why we want our holidays to be good value for money.
Summer means long daylight hours to be out and about in so we can visit and experience more sights. Great weather, because lets face it, our Kiwi summers arent as good as a European summer either, plus its winter back home in NZ when its summer in Europe, it just makes sense. Win win!
So, if you have never been to Europe before, definitely go in summer. NB to be honest Rosie does recommend and only travels herself in the shoulder season. No school/summer holidays, days still long, prices are cheaper, availability better, crowds are less and the weather still beautiful and a little cooler.
If you have however been to Europe before and are heading back….consider winter for a totally different experience. Rosie and The Operator have been travelling around the Czech Republic and Poland for 19 days in December and it was a magical winter experience!
We opted for a short European trip due to The Operators work commitments. It seemed like a lot of money to spend to go to Europe for such a short amount of time and to only visit 5 destinations! But, it was one of the best holidays we have ever been on for relaxation and fun!
It was cold, a thrilling cold that Rosie has never experienced before, there was not a breath of wind and the anticipation of snow was incredible….we couldn’t wait for it to snow and we were lucky for about 4 days worth throughout the trip. It didnt dampen our spirits in the least, or hold us up. We were the first fools out in it in the morning to frolic and capture the bright whiteness because it was something we had never experienced before.
Sure, the daylight hours are shorter, 0900 – 1600. We learnt to just holiday differently to what we normally do. Lie in a little longer in the morning, now that’s not hard on holiday. Don’t linger so long over lunch so you can maximize sightseeing, easy! The people watching outdoor terraces were closed in winter anyway. What to do then when it gets dark so early….more hot toddies, longer dinners in romantic restaurants festooned with Christmas decorations and roaring fires and visiting Christmas Markets.
Oh, yes….that was what Rosie and The Operator were here for. The European Winter Christmas Markets! A wintery Christmas, how exciting! Literally the polar opposite to us in the Southern Hemisphere where it is summer!
OMG it was totally magic! Each town or city we visited had its own distinct and unique style. The commonality was the steaming cups of mulled wine, the myriad of decorated pine trees unleashing their piney scent in the crisp, cold air of the town squares. The beautifully decorated festive huts selling all manner of Christmas treats and hand made products. The aromas of the stalls cooking legs of ham and sausage over charcoal fires, chestnuts roasting and the sweet smell of cooking sugar as almonds are coated in it. The strings of lights and colourful decorations that lift the whole atmosphere to another level of magic as soon as the twilight hits the streets at 3pm. The Christmas Markets are literally out of this world!
Then when it snows…this whole experience is elevated stratispherically!
By keeping our itinerary small and enjoying 3 to 4 days in the same place we had a truly relaxing holiday whilst experiencing so many tourist and local interactions that we wouldn’t normally have on holiday. For the short time we had, we thought it was incredible value for what we spent, considering Poland and The Czech republic are cheaper, good value places to travel in anyway.
Summer or Winter in Europe…you choose, you cannot go wrong, it is just a different experience.
