dem232

Hello everyone! I'm planning a trip to Europe in late October/late Oct-early Nov (approx 10 days). I'm travelling out of Asia, via Frankfurt or possibly Warsaw. I'm travelling on my own (female).
I've dreamt of going to Scandinavia for a while now, but I'm starting to think that it's maybe better to save this trip for later because of the weather. I have my annual leave coming up, so I would like to use this opportunity to travel, even if it's not Scandinavia. I like lively cities with culture and history, I like wandering around, going to museums, bars. Not a big fan of the outdoors and countryside


Places I'm considering:
1) Copenhagen-Stockholm
Pros - always been my dream
Cons - Can get too cold, little daylight. Too expensive

2) Budapest-Vienna
Pros - a bit cheaper than #1
Cons - great cities, but not as exciting as #1 (for me personally). Been to Germany many times, so I think Vienna would be culturally similar (correct me if I'm wrong)

3) Lisbon + possibly other Portuguese cities
Pros - warmer weather, cheaper
Cons - again, great, but no as great as #1

4)?

Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks for reading!

bilboburgler

well a bit more smoking in Vienna than in Germany, while Budapest is a small city the basics are very pleasant and the spa opportunities are very very good.

Portugal will be much nicer, certainly public transport is good and the major cities easy to get to. So for me, Portugal would be a favorite

I would also consider Spain, especially the three cities of Grenada, Sevilla and Cordoba, lots of good museums and bars for people watching while October should still be warm

thibaut

Never been to Stockholm and only one day in Copenhagen Where I didn't see daylight, it was march or April, day starts at about 10 am and finishes at around 4 pm, that I spent in a meeting room ! with a dull gray sky when I was there. Nice but can't see why it would be better than other places.
Not been to Budapest either. Hea'rd it is great. Vienna is ok, but I didn't find it so great.
I love Prague, Krakow which are smaller and walkable cities.
However as Bilbo, I'd go to Portugal : weather will help obviously and Lisbon is beautiful + daytrip to Sintra etc (we did 10 days there some time ago, it was splendid (and try to sleep at Obidos, great walled town) we went from Lisbon to Porto stopping along the way and visiting tons of monasteries, small towns, going to the atlantic beaches, and having great food..

thursdaysd

I've been to all those cities and I would say that Lisbon and Budapest are my favorites. While I would be happy to return to Stockholm I was not impressed with Copenhagen, and I would not visit either in late October.

You could easily split ten days between Lisbon and Porto, although with day trips you could spend all of your time in Lisbon. Splitting time between Vienna and Budapest would also work well, and there are plenty of museums and cafes if the weather is bad.

PalenQ

well a bit more smoking in Vienna than in Germany>

smoking?

If Copenhagen-Stockholm are your dream go for it - cities like that can always be enjoyed but yes possibly funky weather and shorter days. Copenhagen is one of my very favorite cities in Europe -and lots of easy day trips by train from it. Take trains between the two and see the lay of Sweden en route.

Vienna and Budapest can have funky weather then too

Lisbon obviously best for weather and can twin with Porto and stops in between. but to me though Lisbon is neat the pair of other two cities would be my choices above Portugal.

If traveling on own trains are fantastic - for lots of stuff on them and booking own discounted tickets online check www.seat61.com; BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com.

StCirq

Everyone has different tastes. I did not enjoy Budapest one bit. I found it dull and repressed and sadly lacking in residential infrastrucure, like the walkways along the river - sorry, but just not acceptable. Everyone was glum. I hate that. The food was meh. I just did not like the vibe at all and was so glad when we went to Bratislava for a day and night.

I don't like Vienna, either, though I appreciate its historical importance. I just don't like Austria.I associate it with bad stuff and don't like the food.

Odin

<<it was march or April, day starts at about 10 am and finishes at around 4 pm>> Yes, this comment seems familiar. Whilst the days are shorter in Scandinavia, they are not THAT short in March or April. Sunrise is never at 10am even during the years shortest days in December.

I stayed in Lisbon for 3 weeks few years back, at the end of Oct/beg November and the weather was very nice, about 70F. I think any of your options would be great, all the cities are worth visiting, Denmark can be wet & very windy in November but one thing Scandinavia is good at is making their cities cosy and inviting during the winter months.

thursdaysd

Depends on where in Scandinavia. Sunrise is 10:00 am in Trondheim in December and in Tromso the sun doesn't rise at all. However the latest time for sunrise in Stockholm is 08:45, but it sets at 14:52. (See timeanddate.com )

menachem

Stockholm in november is super cosy. Really really nice, as a contrast to the weather. And Stockholm is a gorgeous city too, also in the run - up to Christmas. In november, the city is starting to gear up for that.

https://eternalarrival.com/travel-bl...olm-in-winter/

kja

Yes, Stockholm and Copenhagen will have less daylight than in the summer and will likely be colder than in the summer, but it sounds to me like that's where you really want to go. Check the sunrise, sunset, and climate data on timeanddate.com (this link will get you started).
https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/sweden/stockholm

IMO, 10 days for the two would be a near perfect amount of time (and, depending on your interests, would even give you time for a couple of day trips) and, again IMO, both cities are lovely in the evening / night, too.

fourfortravel

We live in Vienna, and our daughter's Fall Break from school falls on the last week of October. We endeavor every chance we can to leave the region during this week because we know the grey and dreary is fast upon us, if it hasn't already arrived. Our escapes have been to Barcelona, Athens and Venice during this break for the sun and the food (and the cultural highlights, naturally).

Speaking of my favorite sport, if cuisine is a factor in your planning, perhaps Budapest and Vienna aren't for you. Central European cuisine is an acquired taste; it takes awhile to appreciate the simplicity of many of the dishes.

kja

An interesting comment! Although there are (of course) some simple dishes -- as is true in almost any area -- I have thought some of the preparations of these cuisines remarkably complex, with extraordinarily flavorful combinations of well balanced flavors. (As a specific example, some Hungarian goulashes are, IMO, to die for!) And some of the more simple dishes achieve what I considered a delightful taste experience in part because of their simplicity. To each his/her own!.

Fodorite018

We absolutely loved Denmark and Norway in mid-late October. We spent almost 2 weeks there and have no regrets at all. Yes, it can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be. If that is your dream, go for it

fourfortravel

kja, indeed. Each to their own. Having grown up with Central/Eastern European food on the table 6 nights on any given week (Friday was always the church basement fish-fry) I have a fondness for many of these dishes; I could eat "Herring under Fur Coat" at least weekly; and pierogis, daily. Any dish well-prepared can be memorable, of course; my only intention was to alert the OP should they be seeking bold flavors in the regional cuisines, that perhaps expectations should be tempered.

Postscript. You would really die for a Goulash?

KarenWoo

Fourfortravel, although I was born in Massachusetts, my grandparents were from Poland and Ukraine, so I, too, grew up eating pierogis, which I love, along with golompki, kielbasa, cabbage soup and borscht! I don't know what Herring under Fur Coat is, but we definitely had marinated herrings! And on Fridays we always had fried fish, or fish sticks, though not in our church's basement!

dem232, I vote for Lisbon or southern Spain at that time of year. I would prefer sun and warmth. However, if the cold and shorter days don't bother you, then perhaps you should follow your dream and go to Scandinavia.

kja

Not just any goulash!

fourfortravel

KarenWoo, the herring salad is layered: herrings, vegetables; beets; and typically mayonnaise on top, the "Fur Coat." This is a fancy preparation. And yes, there was plenty of all the dishes you mentioned, along with czernina and kishka, both of which I despise.

garybear

If you are flying into Frankfurt, then just about any city in Europe is an easy transfer. For something "non-German" try winegrowing regions of France or cities of Central Europe, i.e., Warsaw, Krakow, Prague, Bratislava, Budapest, etc. Temperatures this time of year in central Europe not too much different than Scandinavia due to the maritime influence on weather in Scandinavia, but more daylight hours. For warmer weather, head south.

KarenWoo

Fourfortravel, thank you for the photo of Herring Under Fur Coat! The presentation is gorgeous, and I love all the colors! It looks delicious!

ticino

If you worry about Sweden being expensive, now is probably a good time to come! The Swedish crown's performance against the dollar and the euro has been the worst of all major currencies and we have very little inflation. I live in Stockholm and was in Vienna earlier this year, I thought eating out was more expensive than in Stockholm. Copenhagen will be more expensive though.

If you decide for this option you should do Stockholm first and come as early in October as you can. Copenhagen is so much further south that the difference with Stockholm can be substantial. Stockholm in November can be (and usually is) a complete misery. If you come in early November you need to like grey (very cloudy from mid-October), tolerate cold weather (very cold after sunset and very heavy snowfall posible) and drop all expectations of "lively". October is usually much better. Djurgården will be very nice (autumn leaves) and even if you aren't interested in the outdoors there will be more people around. An advantage of October over July/early August is that it's better for people-watching. There are hardly any locals are around in July/early August and in general the locals look better and more fashion-conscious than the tourists so if you like people-watching October is more fun.

To me the lack of daylight isn't a problem until the last weekend in October when time goes back one hour.