joduhl

After a month of many many days of below freezing temperatures here in Vermont, we have committed to being elsewhere next winter. We will both be in our 70s, have traveled a great deal in Europe but never stayed anywhere for more than a couple of weeks. So far, I have made a deposit on a VRBO apartment in Valencia mid December through end of January (45 days total). We stayed previously in the same apartment and really liked it and Valencia is the trip we had planned in March 2020, and luckily canceled at the very last minute because of COVID. I have done research and Dec/Jan temps in Valencia are typically high of 60, low of 40, much, much warmer than here.

My question - where to go next, for about 45 days? I am thinking of either Montpellier - another city we liked although were only there for 1 night - or Porto - where actually we will be this April for a few nights. I am constantly checking the temperatures of each and they are in the 60s during the day now, which seems perfect to me. So I guess my questions - in which place would we have the best options for day, overnight trips. Or, do we stay entire month and a half in one place, or break it up and go to both? Anyone with experience staying long term in either Montpellier or Porto?

Thank you!

hetismij2

Don't forget in your planning you have exactly 90 days available to you, including arrival and departure day, assuming you a) don't have an EU passport and b) you haven't visited Schengen in the 180 days before your arrival. You will also need a minimum of a day to move from one place to the next, depending on how you are doing it.
You could wait with deciding on your second place to stay until you have been to Porto. It would be awful to book somewhere now only to find you don't like it there or feel you have seen all you want to see in April.

bilboburgler

Just a thought and maybe not what you want to hear but when it gets to cold for in the UK I go to the Canaries, Morocco, Tunisia or Egypt. Marakesh is especially pleasant with many multi-lingual locals happy in English, French, German and Italian. Normally nicely warm and good value

Traveler_Nick

A couple of thoughts.

Make sure any place you're staying has good winter reviews. The fact it's warmer than Vermont can mean the apartments have a lower level of heating and weather sealing. Especially if the place is mainly rented out during the warmer months. Look for winter reviews.

I'd personally avoid any place that mainly caters to the beach crowd. Off season towns like that can really close down.

hetismij2

The Canaries are generally warmer than mainland Europe being a good bit further south. Not sure I would want to spend 40 odd days on any one of them, or even any combination of them though. The 90 day rule still applies too. Popular with northern Europeans. They can be wet and may be a bit windy, but are rarely cold (unless you go up the mountains, when you can have snow).
In Portugal the Algarve is also popular with over-wintering northern Europeans and generally warmer.

aulop

Hi
I have stayed in Braga which is close to Porto. I enjoyed it and used it as a base to visit other places .

The winter is the rainy season in Portugal less so the further south you go to the point that there's almost no rain in the Algarve.
The same applies to temperature - warmer as you go south..
However the Algarve is really geared towards summer tourism. The Algarve in the winter is more for peace and quiet.

From a cultural, historical, social point of view there's more to do, to see, to experience in Porto. Porto also has a good public transit system, national and international trains and Airport.
The food is good and so is the wine.
You should also be able to make your money go further in Porto.

My only drawbacks are the rain and the temperature but compared to Vermont cold weather and snow shoveling it will feel way better.

Happy travels

joduhl

Yes. We will be careful about the 90 days. Re reviews - I am reading them obsessively and paying attention to the ones from winter months. Please keep the advice coming.

MmePerdu

I was in Malta for a couple of weeks in December a few years ago & found it very pleasant. I’d happily spend an extended visit there.

gooster

I too would consider further south, perhaps to the Algarve. In France, you can get some bitter winds, even in Montpellier. Look at Menton for the milder weather (or Nice for a bigger city) if you are planning on January. But either will be colder than southern Spain/Portugal. Sicily could be a choice as well, although that too is not as warm as you might expect.

HelenaFatima

Hi! I like your thoughts!

Next winter might be warmer... or not. Let's hope it will be warmer. Probably it will not be!

This winter, we lack water. Warmer enough, I think. Let's hope not having another winter like this one.

cheska15

We come from a cold place in Australia where it gets down to -7 in winter with lots of sunshine, so I thought we would be prepared for spending six months (September to March) in Nimes. We were not prepared for the dampness, and when the wind blows it is freezing. We went to Nice and Menton in February and when it was windy it was really really cold.
If booking accommodation check the heating and also if the place has double glazing and insulation

joduhl

very good advice! I said in my original post that we had many days below freezing, but in fact we have had numerous days this past January when it was below zero F! We had no degrees!!

geetika

cheska is right, many places in Europe can be damp in winter, even if the temperatures aren’t very low. Old buildings with damp walls add to the discomfort, plus the wind chill factor. The central heating system too may be old and not very efficient. I know this for a fact from many regions in France, anecdotal evidence from other countries. You’d definitely want to check on this when researching places to stay.

balthy

I was in Cyprus early last month and thought the weather was perfect, it was warm, sunny and perfect for sightseeing. It did rain some days, it’s winter, can’t get away from that and the mountains have snow but all in all it was delightful. First time I’ve been in the dead of winter and expected it to be awful weather wise. Some days people swam in the outdoor heated pool. Staying somewhere with heating is essential for cooler evenings and staying in or close to a town/city. I thought it was better than Sharm el Sheikh for weather.