see_the_world7

Our kids have a week off in February and that always seems the hardest time of year to plan for me. My husband does not like to ski, so a ski holiday is out.

On our list of places still to visit are Norway, Switzerland, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania, and a few others. From what I've read, it seems that Norway and Switzerland are completely off the list for that time of year (what is the earliest we could go there...is late March/early April ok?). What about Croatia in February? Any other suggestions? We've been lots of places already and it seems that we don't have lots of locations suitable for winter still on our list.

Thanks for the input!

quokka

In case you are interested into festivals and local customs and your week off hits the right dates in late February, Switzerland is worth considering for the local carnival, the Alemannic Fastnacht.

swandav2000

Hi see_the_world7,

Even though you don't want to ski, you may enjoy staying at a ski resort, with the Alps blanketed in new snow and villages looking like fairy-tale pictures. Many of the walking trails are groomed through the winter because winter walking is a hugely popular sport. You'll be able to take cable cars up to the heights, look around, and take some gorgeous walks through the pristine countryside. Your only consideration will be to dress for the weather.

Let us know if you'd like more information or help narrowing down your search for Switzerland --

s

Viajero2

Take a cruise of the Greek Isles; I doubt you have been to all. What about the Canary islands?

afterall

Morocco? Or is that to challenging?

Steve_James

Hi STW - I second Swandav's comment - the mountains can be fabulous even for non-skiiers.

I don't ski - but I've had some of my best winter holidays in the Italian Dolomites. The atmosphere in some ski resorts is magical, with picture-postcard scenery.

Otherwise ... if you want guaranteed sunshine plus historical interest, I'd suggest Luxor in Egypt.

The Red Sea resorts e.g. Na'ama Bay (- Sharm el Sheikh) are also popular winter sun destinations.

What are your interests? It's difficult to make suggestions without knowing what you'd enjoy.

Steve

see_the_world7

Thanks for the replies. We had heard that many of the cable cars in Switzerland were not even open until April or so. If the hiking paths and cable cars are open throughout the winter then we'd definitely be interested even if it is cold. Where would be good in Switzerland that time of year?

We would consider another winter mountain location. We did a winter vacation in Garmisch before without skiing.

We went to Egypt and Jordan last spring, and we've been to Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

Thanks for the suggestions.

swandav2000

Hi again,

The cable cars tend to close in the shoulder seasons, such as in Nov or in late April. But in Feb, they're in full operation, carrying skiers up to the heights.

Lots of first-time visitors enjoy the villages of the Berner Oberland, just above Interlaken in the center of the country. You could research Wengen, Mürren, and Grindelwald for those. Other people enjoy Zermatt. If you'd like to see fewer English-speaking travellers, you can journey to the area around St. Moritz. They all will offer winter walks, toboggan rides, and picture-postcard views.

Info --

www.wengen.com
www.wengen.ch
www.zermatt.ch
www.engadin.stmoritz.ch

Train information for all these journeys at

www.rail.ch

Have fun!

s

see_the_world7

Thanks...what about hiking trails? Are most of them still passable? or would there be too much snow?

We had looked a little at Switzerland before (without a set time period) and would most likely travel to the Oberland area like you mentioned. We hadn't narrowed it down anymore than that. We were also told by friends that Lucerne (Luzern) was really nice.

My husband is a landscape photographer in his spare time and an important part of our trips for him are getting great photos in the right light. I know the rail system is supposed to be really great, but we're wondering if we would need to rent a car in order for him to have the freedom to reach the places he wanted to go or to stop whenever he wanted. Would a car just be a hinderance in Switzerland? Would there be must advantage to having one at all?

swandav2000

Hi again,

No advantage to a car at all. The mountaintops do not allow any cars at all -- you ascend by train or cable cars. The mountain passes will be closed because of snow. The cutest villages (Wengen and Mürren) do not allow cars. And of course a car would be difficult in the narrow, medieval, crowded streets of the cities. So, you can see that a car will not give him more access but actually less.

You'll find that there are 2-4 trains every hour, or more, to most destinations you want to see. Trains really are quite easy and convenient to use. There is even a train station in the basement of the Zürich airport. You just pile your cases onto a trolley, and roll the trolley all the way to the basement (there are escalators and elevators). On the way, you should stop at a grocery store, bakery, or cafe to load up on some good snacks (fresh bread, local ham, and of course Swiss cheese and chocolate). Then just buy your ticket, throw the bags onto the train, and sit back and enjoy the ride.

There are many kms of trails that are kept free of obstruction through the winter. If you go to a town's website, click on "winter" and "activities," and they will tell exactly how many kms are kept free. You should also be able to find a map of the winter hiking trails.

Anyway, have fun with this planning!

s

tcreath

I posted a very similar question a few months ago. I settled on Turkey, although the weather won't be fabulous, but many fodorites suggested the Andalucia region of Spain. Never been so I can't comment, but I thought I would throw that out there.

I have been in Croatia in November and some of the towns along the coast were essentially ghost towns...in Trogir we could find only one restaurant open, and we never could find accommodations on the islands. I would assume that February would be even quieter.

Good luck and best wishes!
Tracy

NanBug

Have you considered renting an apartment in a city and taking day trips from there?

We've enjoyed quite a few winter vacations in European cities. There is always lots to do, especially for kids. Tons of museums, music, nightlife, art galleries, film festivals, etc etc, to take advantage of when the weather isn't cooperating.

Best of all, you can usually get cheap winter rates on airfare and apartment rentals.

Have fun!

latedaytraveler

See the world,my suggestion is Sicily. The weather should be great for touring. Sicily has more Greek ruins than Greece in addition to great food and ambiance.

Enjoy!

Bucerias

I love traveling in February and we spent several school winter vacations in Europe. We have enjoyed Copenhagen (dress warmly), Barcelona, and Rome (fabulous!). This year we have rented an apartment in Budapest and am looking forward to the spas, museums, and day trips by train to surrounding towns. I considered Morocco but getting there was complicated and we discovered a great flight from Seattle-Frankfurt-Budapest in about 14 hours on Lufthansa.

see_the_world7

Thanks all. We've tossed around the idea of Budapest and Sicily as possible locations before so maybe I'll look into them a little more. We love Italy (we're headed back for the 3rd time in 2 weeks) and we've focused on different areas each time. We've been to Rome, and have covered most of Italy except the northern mountain areas.

Keep the suggestions coming. We are Americans currently living in England so flights to Europe aren't too bad. We'll be traveling somewhere else when the kids are off for spring/Easter break in late March/early April so I need ideas for then too!

Thanks!

RosieinOz

We are going to Morzine in France for a week over Christmas and from all accounts it's beautiful if you ski or not! I'll let you know in the New Year!
Rosie

Cowboy1968

I would second swandav2000's praise for Switzerland. February is THE best time to experience a true winter wonderland.

Even when you do not ski, you will find lots of less athletic activities, e.g. take cable car to moutains (not the big ones), rent toboggans and go downhill via the service road.

Winter Hiking has become a major asset for Alpine destinations, and you will be surprised how many people go there on vacation and never ski. Trails get groomed regularly, both for hikers as well as for cross-country skiiers (in appropriate locations).

Weatherwise, I could not think of any regions except Turkey or Southern Spain (or Canary Islands) where chances of miserable weather (cool, rainy) were somewhat limited. Against Norway would also speak that it will be dark for many more hours than at more Southern destinations.

Steve_James

The Italian Dolomites are a photographers paradise.

http://www.dolomitigallery.com/inverno/index.htm

http://www.valgardena.it/en/val-gard...o/page120.html

A photograp

Steve

see_the_world7

A few questions for Switzerland. If we only have 8 days (possibly 9) to include travel days from England, is it sensible to split the time between Zermatt and Lucerne? or is it better to just stay down in the Zermatt area? I've also read good things about Wengen and Lauterbrunnen, but since Wengen is a big ski base in the winter we'd probably not plan to stay there. We could perhaps split our time between Lauterbrunnen and Zermatt.

Which of those locations would be bests for scenic hikes and great photos?

Also, our children are 6 and 8 and we often try to rent self-catering apartments or cottages. This is easier with kids since they can go to sleep earlier. Can anyone recommend a self-catering place in any of these locations? If not, we'd try to search out a hotel that offers connected rooms.

Thanks for the advice.

swandav2000

Hi again,

Yes, it's a perfectly good plan to split an eight-day trip between Luzern and Zermatt. Because Luzern is only an hour by direct train from the Zürich airport, it makes a good last-night base. So you could do 5/6 days at your mountain location and then 1/2 days in Luzern before you fly home (if you fly from Basel, it will be a little less convenient as you'll have to take a bus from the Basel bahnhof to the airport).

I think using Luzern and a mountain destination is a better idea than having two mountain destinations. I think the diversity and variety will be more enjoyable.

As to whether you should choose Zermatt or Wengen as your mountain base -- well of course that's a really subjective decision. Lots of folks love Zermatt and lots of folks love Wengen (I'm in the Wengen camp myself as I think Zermatt is too overbuilt). Zermatt, by the way, is just as much a ski base as Wengen is; I don't know why you would single out Wengen as a ski base.

In Wengen, I like the Hotel Alpenrose. You can find all the apartments and hotels at the sites I gave you above.

Have fun!

s