Where in Europe for 10th Wedding Anniversary?
 

Hi All,

I want your help in deciding where should I be looking at to spend a week either end of Feb 2018 or start of Mar 2018 for our 10th Wedding Anniversary. A little bit about us: We are both in our 30's with a 4 year old (whom we most likely WILL NOT be travelling with). We live in Boston, USA and are ideally looking for slightly warm weather to travel to. We don't want Caribbean beach weather but not a lot of snow or freezing weather either. Reasonably warm could be around 60F during the day and a little lower in night.

We like a little bit of adventure (like Snorkeling, Scuba, Sky Diving, etc), Scenic Sights, exploring Historical Places, etc. Ideally our day would involve one activity, walking or biking through the town to explore sights, eating at fun places, catching a show in the night, etc. We are open to keeping a big city as the base and then exploring other towns as day trips OR visiting one city for 3 days and another one for 3 days if that is recommended. Also, we are Vegetarians (no fish or meat), so any additional tip on that side would be appreciated. Budget would be about $3000 for the entire trip.

I have seen decent airfare from Boston to Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Copenhagen, etc but don't really know what would be a good choice for a week (both weather wise and interests as described above). I really want us to have a vacation to remember and am looking for your help & guidance.

Thanks again.

Feb/March is still winter in most of Europe - certainly not scuba diving weather! Skiing is an option in the Alps, but it is likely too early for enjoyable spring/summer activities like hiking or cycling.

Southern Spain or Portugal will be warmer, as will the Canary Islands. You could also look at Sicily.

I would consider moving your trip to Late May/June or Sept to get better weather given your interests.

For a single week, having a non-stop flight to your destination can really be an asset. Barcelona is very experimental with food & has a very strong tourist infrastructure, so you would have an easier time tracking down fun vegetarian food with lots of variety. If you have a curiousity to see Barcelona then late Feb/early March is a good time to go since you're ahead of the tourist season, when Barcelona can get unpleasantly swamped with tourists.

Still, at that time of year you can't rule out the possibility of blustery, chilly wet weather. Barcelona has a lot to do indoors, but if you really are looking for a mainly outdoorsy vacation with a high likelihood of sunny dry weather, then it's easier if you look to some other part of the world than Western Europe.

<<We don't want Caribbean beach weather but not a lot of snow or freezing weather either.>>

Yeah. Cross Denmark off your list. The southernmost point of Denmark proper is north of Boston.

We were in southern Spain this past March (the 18th through 4/1) and enjoyed pleasant daytime temps with cooler nights. Granted, it can change from year to year, but yiu might look hard at Andalucia. We had a fantastic time and I think it could otherwise fit what you want. The crowds weren't overwhelming either. Just be aware that Easter is 4/1 next year and that Holy Week is a big deal in Andalucia. If you're into experiencing that, then cool. Otherwise plan to go before it.