chicachina

I am planning a 3-week trip from late mid to early Feb. I mainly wanna go to Switzerland (a few days to ski) and Eastern europe (Poland, Czech, Slovakia, Hungary). Friends are warning me that it's the worst time to visit europe in Jan/Feb. Weather is bad with rain and low temp. Daylight is too short, and it just gets dark after 3 or 4pm.

It really frightens me. Is it really that bad to go europe in Jan/Feb? Any advantage/disadvantage from experience travellers? If I reschedule the trip to mid March, will it be much better?

P_M

I am going to Paris in January. Of course it will be cold, but there are so many indoor things to do in Paris. The days will be short, so I will be able to enjoy the lights for more hours of the day. Airfare was very cheap, less than $400 from Austin, TX. And best of all, it will be very uncrowded. I can't wait to get there have have the Louvre all to myself!! ....OK, maybe I won't be the only one there, but it won't be like the last couple of times I went in the summer and there were long lines and huge crowds. I have also been to England, Spain, and Portugal, and Greece in January and all of those were great trips.

The only way I would recommend against going in winter is if you would have said you have no tolerance at all for cold. But you are a skiier, so you must be OK with that. I say go for it, and don't let your friends frighten you so much.

indytravel

I think some of it depends upon where you're from.

I've been to Germany in February. I can tell myself that the weather there is no worse than it is in Indiana.

I also don't mind watching the sunset during the cocktail hour rather then with my after dinner drink.

nytraveler

Well - I'm not sure where you're from - or what kind of weather you're used to - but in Poland and Czech Republic at least it's more likely to be snow than rain in early Feb. (Naturaly you know Switz wil be covered in snow- since you plan on skiing in it.) But the cold is not artic. If you're not a delicate flower you should have no trouble touring/sightseeing during the day - just be sure you have warm clothes, and good walking boots. It shouldn't be colder then NYC or Boston.

Christina

I don't know where you are from or what you are used to -- but it is winter there in January. Of course there is less light and it's colder, but there is often more precipitation at the end of the year (Nov-Dec) than in Jan-Feb, I believe. It's only 39 F in Prague right now.

I wouldn't go in those months, but I don't like to travel to cold places in winter, I like to stay home with the fire in a warm house and travel when the weather is warmer. That climate is fairly similar to where I live, and I wouldn't tell others Jan-Feb is a great time to visit here. It's a matter of priorities, I don't have that much time or money to travel that I want to invest it in the winter. If you like skiing though, that might be a reason (I prefer to ski in the US Rockies myself, a lot closer).

tedgale

I was in Austria, Slovakia and Hungary in late January this year and thought the weather balmy.

I come from central Canada, where the only good thing about the weather is that Centrigrade and Fahrenheit measures finally converge -- minus 30 being about the same in both systems.

Budapest reached an unusual 17 degrees (low 60s in your parlance, I think).

Few crowds, no snow, post-Christmas sales....and the brightest, clearest days when we reached Venice in early February......

LoriMN

My daughter and I were in Prague in February and the weather didn't get in our way.

There were no lines and we had a wonderful time. Be prepared if you go to any classical concerts in churches to dress warm, there was no heat on. Outstanding concert. We also found the opera there wonderful.

Also be very careful around the train station and in general because of the gypsy's pickpocketing.

We found it a place that we will revisit. Be sure to bring a Czech dictionary it will come in handy. Good luck!

chicachina

Oh, thanks so much! so glad that there're so many responses. I feel much better and encouraged to keep my original plan to go in Jan/Feb.

I am living in southern China (actually Hong Kong). The lowest temperature to reach here maybe 5-10 degree celcius. So I can expect it'll be FREEZING in europe... I have only skiied in Japan and Korea, so it'll be my first time to skii in europe. Hope the whether won't be too bad there.

By the way, there's one more question. I will travel alone. As a single female backpacker (actually I plan to take lots of overnight trains too), it will still be generally safe to go eastern europe? Any city I should particularly avoid?

caroline_edinburgh

The people I know who ski don't go in January - they say it is too cold. I think March would be much better.

mmyk72

Chicachina--
If you are from HK, where temp doesn't even drop below freezing in the winter, then your tolerance for cold is probably fairly low. If this is your first time out of the country, then traveling in the winter may be a big leap. But if you are a seasoned traveler, it can be a nice trip as long as you are dressed warmly.

I agree with the rest about the advantages during the off-season: better hotel prices, no crowds, no lines, better pictures (with no one getting in the way).

My advise is to bring a good outer jacket (buy something that is designed for warmth, not fashion). Outdoor equipment shops have technical jackets that are very light and warm --I wished I had one, but they are expensive. One with a waterproof outer layer is even better because if it snows or rains, you won't get soaked. Some jackets come with an inner layer that zips off. Those are great for the occasional warm sunny days.

Keep in mind also that some sites (like museums, castles,...) have less opening times or more days when they close. Make sure you know the open hours so you won't waste time.

Good luck.

LoriMN

Hi,

I would advise in the Eastern European countries to be very careful travelling at night on the trains. I've heard from friends to be very careful in Romania for safety.

If you will be buying winter clothing Northface makes a wonderful lightweight warm jacket. The material breathes so I take it with me everywhere. Please let me know how your trip goes when you return.

I travelled out of Prague to the Carpathian Mountains near the border of Slovakia and the only English spoken on the train was Hello...thank you. I was overwhelmed when it came time to eat because I foolishly did not bring a dictionary and could not read the menu. I had a child with to feed and how I overcame that problem was to make the sounds of the animals cow, chicken etc. and they pointed at what to order. It turned out great, the food was wonderful.

travelbunny

..depends on what you want to do..great for the "big cities"..if museums, galleries ect are on your list..no lines fewer tourists ect..as others have stated just dress appropriately (check weatherunderground for seasonal av)..Not great for meandering in the countryside..the days are short and some of the lesser known tourist attractions are closed or have curtailed hours (this applies to resort hotels too)..The roads can be slick and unless you are used to winter driving on windy roads can be a very bad idea. Days are considerably shorter given the more northernly lat. than N>A>..so decide what you want out of the vacation and then decide whether Jan is a good time for you.

chicachina

Thanks you guys. I guess I would still like to go in Jan/Feb. I really wanna ski and see the eastern europe. I've been to England, France and Spain before. The eastern europe is always in my dreams, can't wait any longer!

In fact I still get so many questions on switzerland and eastern europe, but maybe I should open another thread with some more relevant topic!