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Would you do Europe in November?
We're putting together our November trip ideas. DH is partial to Central/South America and the Caribbean. I want to take a look a Europe. Is Europe "worth it" for a week in November? We're going the first week (election week so we can avoid all the election coverage) in November.
EDIT: I also saw some deals to Turkey, so we'll toss that into the mix.
I swim because I'm too damned sexy for a sport that requires real clothing.
Re: Would you do Europe in November?
Which part of Europe? Are we talking UK, Ireland, Scandinavia, or Mediterranean? We were in Italy until Oct 14 last year and it was very pleasant. I don't know how much different it'd be 2 weeks later. I swam in the Ligurian Sea in Cinque Terre and was plenty warm walking around Rome.
Any part of Europe. Except Ireland, because I've already been there and DH used to live there.
I wouldn't visit Scandinavia in November unless you're headed pretty far north for winter sports and/or the Northern Lights. November is generally considered the worst of m?rktid, and in southern Scandinavia the days are extremely short, the days are often overcast and frequently rainy, so with lots of clouds, rain, and no snow, it's extremely dark and depressing.
However, that also means that I tend to travel to other places in November if I can. I've been to Spain in late November and Scotland in late October/early November, and I enjoyed both trips.
Whether it's "worth" it is obviously a personal choice. Some places will be quite cold, and others (including parts of Turkey) will have more rain, but whether this is a concern is up to you. If you want to go someplace warm and beachy, it would be a gamble with the weather, so you might want to consider someplace like the Red Sea or the Canaries instead of mainland Europe.
I've been to both France and Turkey in November and enjoyed it. I mean we weren't lying on a beach, but there weren't too many tourists and we had some days with spectacular weather.
I like Europe in November. True, the Med will get rain (Venice comes to mind as a tough bet), but as long as you're dressed appropriately and not looking to lay out on the beach, no big deal. Yeah, it can be wet in Med countries, but not extreme as in terrible. Think 1 day rain, 1 day sun, kind of balance. Not like flooding of biblical proportions or anything
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And yeah, you do avoid some crowds in the off-season and get better values.
GilliC, your ticker made me laugh so hard
Anyway, I wouldn't consider Switzerland in November. It will probably be cold and rainy and none of the ski stations are open (this includes most of the viewing areas on top of the mountains). There's less tourists, but less stuff to do also.
France and Italy could be nice though, less tourists and still plenty to see, but of course you won't be laying out on the beach.
GilliC, your ticker made me laugh so hard
Anyway, I wouldn't consider Switzerland in November. It will probably be cold and rainy and none of the ski stations are open (this includes most of the viewing areas on top of the mountains). There's less tourists, but less stuff to do also.
France and Italy could be nice though, less tourists and still plenty to see, but of course you won't be laying out on the beach.
Most definitely do Europe in November! DH and I spent 10 days in London and Paris right before Thanksgiving this last November and we had the most amazing time. We didn't have any rain for the whole trip (we were really blessed! we expected it to rain a lot), and, while we'd never been to Europe before, we gathered that things were way less crowded than during the busy season. We had an awesome trip with great weather and when we go back to Europe we will probably aim for October or November again!
Europe is always worth it. Even Northern Europe.
Take a look at Iceland as well. The weather is much more mild than most would expect, and travel to there has been fairly inexpensive as of late.
Totally agree. We usually do Europe in February (it's when we have a break from work.) Yes, we have to pack sweaters and wear jackets, but there are less crowds, lines, etc. We just went to Spain this past February and it was actually so mild that there were days I wore a long sleeve shirt, jeans, boots, a scarf, and nothing else.
GP buddy to blenderdance
We have actually only ever done Barcelona in the off season. Rates are better, and the temperature is quite mild. You may need long sleeves one day, and can wear a skirt and short sleeves the next. There are clementine trees all over, and several species of palm trees that grow locally, to give you an idea of climate. I have been in the late fall, and dead of winter, and seen clementines on the trees both times.
Hotel Jazz (sounds silly, lol) is centrally located, slightly swanky, and a reasonable price. You can't go wrong with Barcelona. If you end up there, make sure you visit the Gothic Quarter!