One perk of working in the travel trade is we get invited to try out new travel products and offerings. The vendor’s angle is quite clear: they want us to love it, so we can sell it to others. It’s a reasonable bargain, but the vendors don’t really want travel-trade people taking up valuable space during times when they could easily sell those spots for full price instead. As a result, we often end up travelling in the off-season.
For any European destination or product, that necessarily means we’re there October through March (with the exception of the Christmas Markets, which are a little island of “high season” in an otherwise slow tourist month).
The funny things is – we’ve come to really enjoy Europe in these off-season months. Yes, we have to pack coats, gloves and hats, but we also don’t have to share the tourist sites with overwhelming throngs of people. There are trade-offs involved here, and the “right” answer really depends on how much you value warmer weather versus how much you hate crowded places.
It seems the word is out, because we’ve recently been fielding a fair number of inquiries about the Mediterranean and Europe in the off-season. I personally think it’s a great idea, but it is worth noting a few things:
- Latitude – The northern Mediterranean (Spain, Italy, Croatia, Greece) share a latitude parallel with the Great Lakes. Venice, Italy is at the same latitude as Montreal. The weather is more moderate in the Mediterranean but be advised that it’s much further north than is generally perceived.
- Air Schedules – Even when the commercial aviation industry is operating well (it certainly wasn’t in 2022), there is reduced service to Europe in the off-season. This a purely a function of supply and demand – fewer people are going, so there are fewer planes going there. This may make your routing more complicated, or it might make it slightly more expensive to fly there.
- Seasonal Businesses – If you’re a shopper when you’re on vacation, there will be fewer choices in some tourist towns – many shops only operate May through September.
- Major Attractions – the big “tick in the box” attractions in Europe are open year-round; however, if they need to do partial or temporary closures for maintenance work, that will happen in the off-season. This usually isn’t a big problem, but if you’re going to Europe to specifically visit a certain attraction, it is worth verifying it will actually be available to you.
When you travel to Europe by river or ocean ship, you are protected from the crowds when you’re on board. However, travelling in Europe is about being on shore, and besides the occasional “skip the queue” excursions that some cruise lines offer, it will be more crowded May through September. But the weather is usually beautiful.
So that’s your trade-off. Here are a few quiet season Europe travel opportunities:
Today’s Travel Opportunities
Miami to Barcelona with Oceania Cruises – 14 nights, departing April 6th, 2023
- $2299 per person for a Veranda
- Visit Nassau, Bermuda, the Azores, Madeira (Portugal), Granada (Spain), Aliconte (Spain)
- Optional Air add-on $700 pp
Miami to Rome with Oceania Cruises – 16 nights, departing March 22nd, 2023
- $2799 per person for a Veranda
- Visit the Bahamas, Bermuda, Azores, Madeira, Malaga, Monte Carlo, Florence/Pisa
- Optional Air add-on $800 pp
Venice (round trip) with Uniworld Boutique River Cruises – 7 nights, departing April 2, 9, 16, or 23 OR June 25th
- Fares from $2699 per person
- Includes transfers, a selection of shore excursions in every port, open bar, and Wifi on the ship.
- Visit Venice, Chioggia, Burano, Mazzorbo.
- This is on a river ship that enables you to immerse yourself in Northern Italy.
- Bob and I did this cruise last year and loved it! – here’s a link to our video: https://youtu.be/QRIHi6SED6g
- Optional land package add-ons to Milan (3 nights); Switzerland by rail (5 nights).
- More details here: https://pamperedcruiser.uniworld.com/us/river-cruise/italy/venice-and-the-jewels-of-veneto/2023-venice-to-venice
(NEW!) Viking River Cruise to Provence AND the Rhine River – 14 nights – FREE FLIGHTS
- Fares range from $5999 per person in June 2023 to $5299 per person in October 2023.
- INCLUDES FLIGHTS, transfers, a shore excursion in every port, beer/wine with meals, and Wifi on the ship
- Fly to Marseille in the South of France, board at Avignon, then visit Arles, Viviers, Tournon, Vienne, Lyon, Burgundy, Breisach, Strasbourg, Speyer, Rudesheim, Koblenz, Cologne, Kinderdijk, before finishing in Amsterdam
- This itinerary has French farm to table food, visits to wineries in multiple regions, Roman ruins, plus all the art, history and culture Western Europe is famous for.
- More details here: https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/cruise-destinations/europe/lyon-provence-and-the-rhineland/2023-avignon-amsterdam/index.html?agenturlid=pamperedcruiser
Already booked directly with Viking? Get it touch with me as soon as possible! Viking makes it really easy to book with them online… and sometimes you just phone for information and you end up with a tentative booking! This is all great customer service. But don’t worry, if you want to work with us, just get in touch as soon as possible to let us know about your reservation. We’ll look over your reservation to make sure you’re booked at the best price, and we’ll always be able to add extra onboard credits for you to spend on your trip. I’m sure you know by now, but there is no fee to work with us, and you’ll pay the same price as you would by booking direct. Plus you get extra onboard credits you wouldn’t otherwise receive. When you work with us you’re supporting two small business owners, and there’s no risk because all your payments go directly to Viking.
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Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
