BarbaraAllison7911

We spent the month of March in the south of Spain, Jarez in Andalucia in 2012. However, although temperate we did get a lot of rain. We were lucky to be there for the Easter season, Semana Santa (lots of processions) and also enjoyed the Flaminco festival. With side trips to Sevilla, Rhonda and several white villages in the mountains.

Not sure if you wpuld be interested in Central America, but we enjoyed Costa Rica last winter. Rented a villa in Carillo Beach area with temperatures of 30 degrees and sun every day in March. Ocean temperatures were 28 degrees. We are doing it again this year. People are very friendly.

MmePerdu

Right, southern hemisphere. The possibilities are endless. It sounds to me like you need to narrow down the parameters before there can be any really useful suggestions.

nytraveler

If you want a guarantee of warm weather I would head for southern Spain.

For a good likelihood of decent weather south of the Alps should be good, esp in Feb. March is less iffy.

Paris can be quite wintry or quite mild; in Feb Amsterdam can be very cold and damp and is not a place I would choose.

mamcalice

Having once spent a week in Buenos Aires, I can tell you that the thought of a month would send me back to Minnesota in a second. Rome or Florence would afford you the opportunity for so many day trips.

flanneruk

Anywhere south of Copenhagen and west of Berlin will offer an almost 100% guarantee of avoiding the horrors of the winters most Americans have to put up with.

If you're serious about "living like a local" for a whole month, and aren't reasonably fluent in a foreign language, that means London. At a pinch, Paris or Amsterdam.

Europe's drizzle belt is at its absolute best (and busiest) when the tourists have gone home, institutions like operas and theatres have resumed full service, and - though getting reservations in decent restaurants gets tougher - normal life resumes fully.

The drizzle belt is also designed - in features like dense public transport - to minimise discomfort from the sometimes uncomfortable (but never uninhabitable, the way most of America gets) weather.

Practically the only bit of Europe outside the drizzle belt whose attractions might stretch to a month (Rome), having mediocre public transport, and a predominantly outdoor culture, is just not as pleasant as Europe's real cities in winter.

Practically anywhere else you'll die of boredom a lot faster than you'd die of cold in most of North America.

sandralist

I live in Italy and would not spend February or March in London or Amsterdam due to weather.

You can have a wonderful experience of living like a local in Italy without being fluent in Italian. Much of Italian life is public, even in winter. Italians love to communicate, even if you aren't fluent in each other's language. It is not hard to pick up the routines of shopping, coffee drinking, enjoying meals and the key features of local life in Italy.

I've done extended stays in winter in Rome and Naples and found the public transportation terrific. I did an extended stay in Palermo last winter, and never needed public transportation because the weather was so terrific. Venice and Florence are not my idea of boring, and while I wouldn't like the weather in Verona and Torino, I would be very happy to be there for a month.

Again, while you framed your question as to where would we all go for a month in Europe, if you would be more interested to go to Paris or London for a month you should. It doesn't matter that London or Amsterdam wouldn't be my idea of a winter escape in Europe -- actually I think I would prefer snow to that kind of lousy weather -- but if museums and such and being indoors a lot is what you want, no doubt about it there are great indoor attractions there.

Odin

In recent past winters, Nice and the south of France have had severe winters and even during normal winters, temps can be below zero celsius. This past Feb in London was extremely wet with many areas flooded. Mid March onwards was very pleasant. Southern Europe is not immune from winter temps. Feb/March in Cyprus is starting to come out of winter, but it can be rainy. Houses there are not geared up for winter temps and often do not have heating. although hopefully ones for rentals should have it. However, many prefer this time of year in Cyprus in contrast to the extreme heat of the summer where it is too hot to do anything.

South Africa is fantastic in Feb/March, esp Cape Town and surrounding areas.

travelgourmet

Winters can be unpleasant in their own way in Europe. Yes, it isn't driving snow, but 40F and raining ain't much fun either.

If you want to get away from the cold, I would not be going to Europe. I would look further south. Australia would be great, but it is very expensive.

Argentina might be a nice choice - Buenos Aires is beautiful, the wine country around Mendoza is very nice, and there are all manner of outdoors destinations. Given their recent economic collapse, prices are relatively low.

Asia is also always a good option and very good value in Southeast Asia. February looks to be great times for Northern Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Western Coast of Malaysia.

We actually went to Japan in late March this year (expensive, though). Temperatures were pleasant enough, but it was not what I would call warm. Still, I thought the weather better than a prior trip we took in August, where the weather was oppressively hot and humid. I love Japan, though, and would recommend it any time of the year.

We loved our trip to South Africa, but it was not remotely a budget trip, so I can't comment on what the prices would be like for something longer and more frugal. I'm also a bit unsure what a month visit would entail. But the weather would be right.

Odin

Self catering is inexpensive in South Africa. Shop at Woolworths or Spar. Accomodation can be more pricey in peak season, however car rental is cheap. The exchange rate of the Rand is very favourable at the moment, making South Africa rather inexpensive. If you eat at the Test Kitchen it will be pricey or stay in high end hotels downtown. We rent houses in the Hout Bay area, a bit away from Cape Town, nice seaside town.

travelgourmet

<i>If you eat at the Test Kitchen it will be pricey</i>

But oh so worth it. My best meal of 2011.

sandralist

I think if you stay in the lemons-olives-palm tree areas of the Mediterranean, the days of rain and sub-zero temps are brief, and come March the temps are fine, although there might be more rain.

Coastal Italy and Spain really do have a majority of sunny days, and generally higher temps than many more northern cities in Europe. It is nice to have the lemons, the sunshine, etc. at that time of year, even if you are wearing a winter jacket, and there are many days you can eat lunch outdoors if the sun is shining, right by the sea.

However, if it is also important to have concerts, plays, museums, etc for a month's stay then there are only some towns in the moderate-temp areas that have an abundance of that or easy access to it in neighboring towns.

Christina

<<the horrors of the winters most Americans have to put up with.>>

This is ridiculous, "most" Americans don't have horrible winters at all, this couple is from Minnesota which is a most northern state that borders Canada. The winters there are very cold, but that are not in the majority of the US. I don't know how much knowledge you have of the US climate, but winters are no worse than in much of western Europe in much of the US, and they are better in parts of it. YOu could avoid Minnesota weathers just by going to NOrth Carolina or California or many other places in the US.

MmePerdu

Christina, the phrases used by flanneruk regarding US winters are dragged out and reused regularly, apparently when there's nothing true or useful that comes to mind.

sandralist

yes, how one longs for those imaginary balmy UK winters

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-26081187

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...e-Britain.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...w-returns.html

http://mc4-inspirasi.blogspot.it/201...christmas.html

BigRuss

You want to go to Europe and avoid Minnesota winter, go to:

(1) British Overseas Territories: Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands;
(2) France, specifically the regions of Martinique, St. Martin or Guadeloupe;
(3) Netherlands, specifically Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Sint Maarten or one of the various smaller ones.

Other than that, much of Europe can be a crapshoot. Anyplace in Scandinavia or from Central Europe (north of the Balkans) to Eastern Europe will resemble your home state.

Consider: Minneapolis is just south of the 45th parallel; Milan is north of it.

IMDonehere

Consider: Minneapolis is just south of the 45th parallel; Milan is north of it.

Consider this useless, as just one fact is stated and the most important have been omitted. Milan is protected from harsher weather by the mountains while Minnesota is victim of things like Alberta Clippers. There is usually little snow in Milan as compared to northern Minnesota where, depending on the exact location, there can be more than 10 feet during the winter.

menachem

Barcelona, Balearics?

bvlenci

As I understood it, you're not looking for balmy beaches, but just a mild place to spend part of the long winter.

I think Rome offers all you want. I used to live in New Jersey, and before I married my current husband and moved here permanently, I used to try to come to Italy for two weeks every March. My logic ran like this:

By March I was starting to get heartily sick of a New Jersey winter, and a few weeks in Italy always promised to be more spring-like. Also, by the time I got back to New Jersey, I could be fairly sure to see signs of the coming spring, so the worst was over.

February and March are actually my favorite months in Rome, which is one of my favorite cities in the world. (London and New York are the other two.) It doesn't often go below freezing in Rome, and then only overnight. I've never seen a frozen puddle there. Snow is even rarer, and it's gone by noon. If you travel into the countryside, you'll already see daffodils and fruit trees in bloom in February. Our daffodils always bloom in February, and we live two hours' drive north of Rome. Almond trees usually bloom in late January.

Drizzle and mist are definitely possibilities in those months, but there's plenty to do indoors. (I wasn't sure I understood what FlannerUK was trying to say, but he seemed to think Rome was an outdoor destination.) Rome has dozens of first-class museums, and most of them are very reasonably priced. The churches of Rome have wonderful art on display, and all of them are free to enter. There are many interesting archaeological sites that aren't as famous as the Colosseum, but cost much less. Then there are opera, concerts of all types, and temporary art exhibits.

You could easily spend a month in Rome without running out of things to do and see. Many days would be pleasant enough for a stroll in one of the parks of Rome, or for a day trip outside the city.

You can get a weekly transport pass in Rome for €21. The monthly pass is only €35, but it's for a calendar month, so if you arrive mid-February, it would only be good until the 28th. It still would be cheaper than two weekly passes.

I would love to be able to spend a month in Rome, but I have to be satisfied with brief visits, which, fortunately I can take fairly often. The Monti neighborhood is good, but look into the street the apartment is on, and don't rely on the description of the neighborhood. Trastevere is also nice; it's a bit overrun with tourists in the summer, but it's lovely in the winter. It's a large area, and some parts of it are nicer and more convenient than others.

Bedar

Agree with Russ - go to the Carib. Winter weather in Europe is too chancy. If you MUST cross the Atlantic, go to Morocco or the Canary Is.

BigRuss

<<Consider: Minneapolis is just south of the 45th parallel; Milan is north of it.

Consider this useless, as just one fact is stated and the most important have been omitted. Milan is protected from harsher weather by the mountains while Minnesota is victim of things like Alberta Clippers. There is usually little snow in Milan as compared to northern Minnesota where, depending on the exact location, there can be more than 10 feet during the winter>>

Consider the foolishness of the riposte above, which misses the point: that nearly all of continental Europe is north of Minnesota such that even "southern" areas are not within the part of the northern hemisphere being warmed by the sun in winter, thereby negating the notion of the OP that Europe has many a place to go that would be balmy compared to Minnesota.

Or perhaps IDH just likes to miss points.