Europe in February....where to go?
 

DH and I are planning a trip for next year. The problem is....we are cancelling a trip to Costa Rica and because we purchased the tickets in February we have to use the credit by next February. Obviously February in Europe isn't ideal, and we've done it before (Vienna, Florence and Rome) and Vienna was beyond cold so we are concentrating our search on southern Europe. We would have approximately a week, departing on Feb. 14.

We are on a budget due to high airfare so our choices are limited. My heart was set on Istanbul but I learned, from a previous post, that it could be snowing and the weather just isn't good. I would love to go back to Croatia or try Greece but the airfares are out of our budget right now. So...we are considering:

1) Portugal
2) Spain
3) Provence
4) Southern Italy (Amalfi Coast, or perhaps farther south)

I have never been to any of these places, and to be honest I've never been too interested in Spain but now am giving it some consideration. And Portugal is intriguing but we don't know too much about it. We went to Borders yesterday to browse through some guidebooks on these countries and were pleased with what we saw.

We aren't huge museum-goers. We like to spend a few days in the city but overall prefer to rent a car and drive around the countryside, basing ourselves in a small town. We love beautiful scenery (which, we understand may not be quite as beautiful in February) and small towns and villages, wineries and history. Provence is appealing because of it's mix of Roman sites and small hilltowns, but I'm not sure about the weather.

Does anyone have any experience with these countries/areas in February? Any suggestions? I know that this is vague but I'm a little lost on this one!

Thanks!
Tracy

Beautiful scenery, warm, almond trees in blossom - La Palma in the Canary Islands. Car rental cheap, petrol cheaper than on the mainland too. Rent a cottage on the west side of the island. Have a look at www.islalapalma.com.

You could run into very poor weather in the Amalfi and Sicily, which would include poor driving conditions, and even the possibility of snow in Sicilia. Sometimes February can be beautiful (I live in Liguria, and we had beautiful days this past February -- and a lousy April, May and June!) but even so, it's better to be a museum-and-monument lover, not a country wanderer in Italy in February.

I don't know about Provence (except I'd want to be there for the lavendar), but Menton (on the Cote'd Azur) prides itself on having the most sunny days each year in Europe. You could wander back and forth over the Italian-French border. I'm not much of a fan of the Cote d'Azur, so my personal enthusiasm for that trip would be small.

I think I would to go to Andalucia for a driving tour. Maybe the right mix of old world cities, charming villages, fabulous sites even non-culture hounds find awesome (Alhambra, Cordoba), lots of sun and olive oil.

PS: It may be just my neurosis, but I try to avoid islands in winter in Europe, because you can never be sure that ferries and planes will be able to make the trip if storms kick up.

We Europeans flee to the Canaries in February - but primarily for a beach vacation, maybe hiking, not for sightseeing.

In Europe, Andalucia will probably the best choice. Weather will be good for sightseeing. One week is a good time frame for Malaga, Granada, Cordoba, Sevilla, Jerez, Ronda and back to Malage. Fly to and fro Malaga. Avoid Madrid. It will be bitter cold in February.

Another option would be Mallorca. But if I had to choose, I would opt for Andalucia. There is much more to see.

BTW, Cote d'Azur might be an option, too, but keep east of Cannes. West of Cannes the icy Mistral might blow.

Just to make things clear: Avoid Provence!!! The Mistral is ice-cold and blows through every crack in every house (and the houses there are not well insulated).

Or go skiing in the Alps. (You can also ski in Andalucia.)

The weather will not be guaranteed to be warm in Feb in continental Europe..The Canaries Madera would be a better bet. Have you considered Tunisia? It is interesting and the weather should be good. The Costa del Sol and Costa Brava will be sweater weather but I think much of this area has been over developed and lost its charm. There are some lovely villages in the hills/mountains nearby but you risk bad road conditions with ice/snow.

I wouldnt pick Tunisia for a driving/wandering vacation.

I wouldn't fly transatlantic in February in order to get to an island -- only to find out ferries and flights to the island were cancelled for a day or two, or that I couldn't get off the island.

Andalucia is not like the Costa Brava or the Costa del Sol, and I think ice and snow can easily be avoided there.

Why would the flights to an island be cancelled for heavens sake? the whole point of going somewhere like the Canaries is for better weather. More likely to have flight problems on mainland Europe or in the US before you leave than somewhere in the Canaries.
La Palma is most definitely not a beach holiday destination, it is an island with small villages, lovely countryside, good walking, good eating, good wines, but not good beaches.

I like Europe in February and March. Paris is good then, if you like Paris. And the Scilly Iles, off the southwest coast of England, can be lovely then, with sunny days and interesting walks and fields of blooming daffodils for the cut-flower markets. But both can also be cold and rainy too.

I was in Nice in February a few years ago. Most of the time I was there, the skies were blue and clear, but the sunshine is weak at that time of year and the evenings cold. There were a couple of grey days and some rain. I was in southern Italy early March 2005. Lots of sunshine, some rain, but temperatures cool, nights downright cold. Ditto for southern Spain, Malaga, Seville, Andalusia, although a little warmer in the afternoons. They are all good places for enjoying the culture and long lunches in afternoon sunshine.

Mind you, this is weather we're talking about, and at that time of year it's more changeable and unreliable in these places than it is later.

The best weather I've had in February was in Morocco, every day was warm and sunny in Marrakech. Warm and sunny in Essaouira also, but windy.

Hi, Tracy,
I've been in both southern Spain and Portugal in February. I think the weather there is a pretty good bet, there's not likely to be a whole lot of rain, and temperatures should be very nice. The distances are short, so you could even spend some time in both. The Alentejo in south central Portugal is one of my favorite areas (and there are lots of other fans here, too), and that would give you an opportunity to swing east to Merida and Caceres in Spain, which are both lovely.

Or the Sevilla-Cordoba-Granada circle with time to the white towns could be squeezed into a hectic week as well.

Hotel prices in Portugal in February can be ridiculously low, especially in the Algarve area, so that would fit with your budget constraints as well.

Laurie

February is the best month for appreciating the indoor treats of Paris without the crowds and also to go on invigorating walks in tourist-free tourist areas.

I certainly would not recommened Provence in February unless you enjoy ghost towns. The whole area is geared to summer pleasures and the vast majority of tourist places would be closed until Easter. I believe that the same is true all along the coasts of Spain and Portugal. I have gone to such places out of season and found it depressing.

There will be no guarantee on the weather anywhere. During the winter in recent years, it has been snowing in places like Algiers and Jerusalem, so don't expect a 100% guarantee on anywhere in continental Europe.

I wouldn't have thought this needed explanation, but from January to March the Canary Islands have a storm period, in which flights and ferries may jolly well be cancelled, especically inter-island flights, which many people want to get away from the most overrun parts of the island.

It is one thing to live in Europe and hop a flight for "better weather" and unexpectedly have to wait out a storm. It's another to plan a year in advance to fly Transatlantic and then find your return island flight is grounded when you need to make a connection back to the states.

Sadly, global warming means extended storm periods for a number places, the Canaries included.

http://www.secret-tenerife.com/2008/...-canaries.html

Sicily would be my first choice that time of the year in this situation. I live in northern Canada so find northern Europe warm in comparison so I would probably choose another place myself but for those who are not used to cold temps southern Italy would be lovely.

Sicily has so much to offer and the weather is fabulous. I have not been there in February so am not sure about sites' hours and such. However, I think it would really be worth researching.

I loved Spain in January and early February. I was based in Madrid but took weekend trips to Granada, Toledo, Sevilla, and Barcelona. I am from eastern Washington, where we have very cold winters, so perhaps that is why I found the climate, especially in Andulacia, so agreeable.

Thank you all so much for your replies. I found them very helpful and you've given me plenty to think about.

Just to clarify a bit, we do except that the weather won't be particularly warm in most places that we are interested in visiting. I don't mind wearing a sweater and a jacket or coat...but I don't want it to be 20 degrees and snowing!

We will take Provence out of the running, as it doesn't sound like a very appealing time to visit. I will definitely look into Andalucia and parts of Portugal.

I would love to do Sicily but the flight prices are pretty steep (about $1200 pp) so unfortunately it's not in the budget right now. Morocco could be an option...the flights are somewhat reasonable. I would have to do more research because although I've always had an interest I haven't really looked into it too much.

Paris would be lovely as always. We were there in November a few years ago and while it was chilly it made for perfect hot chocolate weather! And the best thing about traveling during off season is, of course, very little crowds.

Thank you all again! I'm going to do some research on the suggestions mentioned and if anyone has any more please feel free to add to this post.

Tracy

<<< Why would the flights to an island be cancelled for heavens sake? >>>

Because if the airport is closed, there's likely to be no other airport around that flights could divert to - and if there is it'll probably be on another island which means mega problems in getting to the right island

Personally unless OP wants to ski in the Alps (and February is the WORST and most expensive time to do so) or do9 some serious city touring I wouldn't even bother crossing the Atlantic and go to South America instead - it'll be autumn there so should be warm

Tracy, I have 3 ideas for you---Feb is not easy:
1. Sicily
2. Barbados
3. Argentina

We definitely aren't interested in skiing (did that once before....never again!) and aren't into laying on the beach. I will continue to scout out flights to Sicily, and will also look into possible budget flights from Rome or Naples. Argentina isn't a destination we really considered before but will certaily do some research. I know that many love Buenos Aires but we will look into other parts of the country as well.

We did lots of research on Andalucia last night and were quite impressed. As of right now we are leaning towards this region.

Thanks again everyone!
Tracy

Living as I do in Italy, and having visited Sicily in stormy weather in spring, I think people have a misconception about winter in Sicily. It can be windy and stormy. (Snow is not unheard of in Palermo.) I think a lot of mountain driving -- and certainly visits to Mt. Etna -- is out of the question.

One could be unlucky or unlucky with the weather. But ferries and planes (espcially out of Napoli) may not always make the trip in high winds.

Those who have read Homer will recall that the winds of Sicily are, literally, legendary. One of many reasons for the proposed bridge across the straits of Messina was to provide constant transport options (and one of the many reasons for its high cost was the need to withstand high winds).

Like I said, you could be lucky or unlucky with flight or ferry connections (at any time of year). But Sicily is an island buffeted by strong winds in winter.

Morocco might be a good alternative. We did the three imperial cities using public transportation. We landed in Marrakech and took the train to Meknès and Fez and returned to Marrakech by first class bus. From Fez we took a couple of interesting day trips via local bus transportation.

Here are the facts :
http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/w...461&refer=

Bob, those charts are for temperatures, not for wind conditions. Flights can get cancelled on sunny days in the 60s, especially out of Napoli.

Nice, for Carnival.

Argentina. February in Europe is just not that fun.

Yikes....flights to Buenos Aires are over $1300 from Charlotte! That is way over our budget, and to be honest if I had that kind of airfare budget I would be heading to South East Asia.

We are looking at spending a maximum of $900-$950 pp for flights. From Charlotte this proves to be a difficult task, one that has us limited to Spain and Germany. However, we could use our flight credits (we will only have about $200 pp) to get us to NYC where flights are much more reasonable. I found a flight to Marrakesh for $750 ($1150 if from Charlotte). We are also still considering Spain.

I hate that flights are so expensive. I'm not a sit-on-the-beach kind of person but maybe we'll research some islands as well.

Thanks again everyone!
Tracy

Hi Tracy,

I was going to recommend Buenos Aires too (very inexpensive once you get there--about 1/3 of the price of Europe for food, sites, etc.) but since you're not city people and you only have a week I don't think that would work. (We were in BA for Thanksgiving last year and it was wonderful. We can't wait to go back and see the rest of Argentina.)

I think Andalucia would be a good choice for you since you like small villages vs. cities and are not looking for hot weather. We spent a week in Seville last October as a 70th birthday gift for my MIL.

I did not love Seville as much as I thought I would (although it certainly can fill 2-3 days happily) but really enjoyed our daytrips to Cordoba and the white villages (Grazelema,Zahara de la Sierra, etc. -- great info in Maribel's guides and on Slowtrav). We did not make it to Granada unfortunately.

Not sure if there are religious holidays during the time you'd like to visit but that's easy enough to check. I also think the orange trees will be in bloom in February and I think that would be wonderful to see/smell.

Best of luck. We often travel to Europe in the middle of February to coincide w/the Presidents' Day holiday (Rome, Paris, London, etc.) and have enjoyed it immensely.

We were planning a very similar trip to Andalucia for that school vacation week but now are considering Mexico after viewing the crazy routes and times of the available flights to Malaga. Some beach and some colonial towns will be a welcome respite from winter snow. Hope you can find an easy way to get there-it looks like it would be a great trip even in February.

Hi Tracy!
I just came across your post this morning. I believe our fellow Fodorite WillTravel (the sweet lady with the family blog - "soultravelers") has spent the past two winters in Andalucia. She always posts photos and great narratives on the blog so you might be able to glean some info on the recent February weather conditions from her?
Good luck deciding! We went to Germany (Romantic Road) in mid-February 2005. It was seriously cold, even coming from Denver where we do have a real winter. The real issue for us though, was that it got dark really early and all the museums and sights closed by 2 or 3pm (they didn't open until 10am either).

Check out my report entitled If this is February it must be Barcelona. For two years in a row we've been in that city in Barcelona and found it delightful both times. Most recently we combined Barcelona with a few days on the Costa Brava just north of BCN and enjoyed that too. Of course, chances for great weather even further south in Spain may be even greater and I must say that I love Sevilla, but give serious consideration to BCN and Costa Brava. We found it delightful and wonderful for walking, and even for dining outdoors for lunch.

University friends from Brooklyn had the same query a few years ago for a January get away: not into skiing, nor beach life they took up my offer to visit our special corner of Italy- Viterbo and Vetralla in central Lazio and had an interesting time soaking in the hot pools when the air temp. was 4° C. They visited Orvieto and enjoyed it even if snow flurries hassled their drive home to Vetralla where a dinner of wild boar stew and roasted potatoes with rosemary had them making a standing ovation to the cook/host. Perhaps the Renaissance gardens were frosted and the castles a bit chilly but the fireplace, music and good friends created for them the mystique of what Italian life was all about...the key is knowing someone in the area , not how much money you can spend.

My husband took a one week trip to Mendoza Argentina last December and really loved it (had been there once before years ago and always wanted to go back) Although airfare is higher than airfare to Europe lodging and food was cheaper. Great vineyards

Tracy: I think that the posters are giving Portugal short shrift. DH and I spent two weeks in Portugal a couple of years ago, in February. We stayed in two different time share resorts, and enjoyed nothing but sun. Yes, it was cold, and we wore jackets, but we drove each day to different little towns in the mountains, or along the ocean, had lovely lunches, (outside a couple of times.) We loved it cuz no tourists were there, just the locals, and Portugal is cheaper than a lot of European places. We found the highway from Lisbon down to the Algarve very modern wide and empty. It's a marvelous country. Give it a look.

Tracy, we didn't have Spain on our radar either until I started doing some reading here. Then we went on an organized tour in 2007 from Madrid to Toledo to Seville to Granada and finally to the Costa del Sol and really loved the trip and the country. Lots to see and do. I don't think you guys would be disappointed.

I went to Sicily in February last year, and the weather was terrific ... not warm enough to swim of course, but I had to buy sunblock to avoid getting sunburned! And it was blissfully peaceful, no crowds anywhere.

hi tracey,

we went to Madrid in February 2007 and it was warn for us - though we come from Cornwall, so perhaps we have low expectations!

andalucia would fit your bill, i think, though it can be cold in the mountains - when we visited granada in november, we were struck by the nos of fur coats for sale in the shops.

I've never been to Portugal, but that would appeal too.

regards, ann

I was in Spain last February and unfortuntely, we hit a rainy week, It didn't spoil our plans but it wasn't as spectacular as it is when it is sunny. You will have a great time there but February isn't guaranteed beautiful weather. We were in both La Costa del sol and Madrid.

Thank you all so much for your replies!! I am going to be researching the trip reports, as I have a lot to think about. Fodorites are always so helpful!

Best wishes,
Tracy