Benefits of Travelling in the Shoulder Season of Europe

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Europe in summer can be a pretty crazy place to be. The swell in tourist numbers is obvious almost everywhere. Clearly, that’s because of some unwritten rule that summer is the best and only time you can visit Europe. And yet personally, I don’t really get it.

Certainly there are some destinations that are ideal for summer weather, like Europe’s countless beaches. But I don’t think the same logic necessarily applies to so many other places like national parks, towns and great big cities.

Why? Because those places are even better in Europe’s shoulder season, aka. spring and autumn. Since summer in Europe is getting worse every year, I thought I’d explain why I think it, and spring, are the superior times to visit Europe. Here are my reasons for thinking that the shoulder season is in fact the best time to visit Europe.

When is the Europe Shoulder Season?

First though, let’s be clear regarding when I am talking about. With Europe’s high season covering the continent’s summer months and winter also being rather popular, Europe’s shoulder season is found squeezed in between.

Of course all of this is subject to where in Europe you are, but I’ll continue to speak generally here. Spring typically starts in March 20th/21st and runs through to June 21st/2nd. As for autumn, it runs from September 22nd/23rd to the December 21st/22nd, although you could argue it’s over by the end of November.

Now June can already be pretty crazy if you’re somewhere popular, as can September. Go off the beaten track and they’re perfectly quiet. Still, it’s these shoulder months that I consider to be the best time to visit Europe.

Avoid the Crowds and Support Sustainable Tourism

One of the obvious reasons I prefer the shoulder season in Europe over its summer is the crowds. Europe is by far and away the world’s most popular tourist region. This title naturally brings it with vast numbers of tourists, a large portion of whom come to the continent in summer. The news is brimming with stories of over-tourism these days, in places like Barcelona and Venice. These stories always come around as summer hits.

With peak tourist numbers comes long lines to major attractions and shortages of accommodation. Of course, there’s also just the sense of a place being far too crowded for it to really be enjoyable. I’m constantly stunned by how many people I see standing about with maps open when I’m visiting Vienna during the summer. I mean, how often do you wish there were more tourists around, right?

To get away from the crowds, I’ve taken to visiting more and more unlikely places in the summer months. While I love venturing off the beaten track, I dislike the idea that I can’t go somewhere. Instead, I tend to hold off on these popular destinations until the shoulder season. Even visiting somewhere like Obidos in Portugal during April meant I got great weather but didn’t have to contend with crowds almost at all.

Prague is another great example; the Czech capital may not have the same level of overtourism as Barcelona or Venice, but visiting in summer you could swear it’s close. I’ve visited the city in April, September and November and would happily pick April or November over summer as the crowds are way more tolerable.

By opting to travel outside the high season, you’re also helping make tourism in places more sustainable. Everyone benefits when destinations are no longer overrun and resources like accommodation are able to be properly utilised throughout the year. Spreading out revenue from tourism also means that local businesses see a more balanced and consistent income throughout the year.

You Won’t Bake or Freeze

The next reason may seem strange coming from an Australian, but it’s just way too hot in summer in Europe! I know what you’re thinking; it gets way hotter in Australia than most places in Europe. That may be true, but somehow places feel hotter than they are in Europe. 34°C in Riga this summer was bothering me more than 39°C would back in Melbourne.

I think part of it is that many places aren’t particularly well-designed to protect from extreme summer temperatures in Europe. Certainly finding places with air conditioning is a rarity unless you’re able to afford more upmarket accommodation. This summer I was extremely grateful when places I was staying had a fan. Sleeping with open windows can only do so much and often tend to invite hellish mosquitoes to just add to your sweaty misery.

Then there’s the matter of trying to be active and go sightseeing during the middle of the day. In Australia, we do our best to avoid being outdoors too much during summer, unless we’re at the beach. So the idea of walking around Zagreb or Tirana when it’s 39°C outside seems almost foolish. Even the ability to buy a cold drink from a supermarket to cool off is a challenge in some parts of Europe.

Honestly, winter isn’t too much better either. Even rugged up in winter clothes, trying to spend a moderate amount of time outdoors can be a struggle. And yet none of this is a concern in spring and autumn, when you’re blessed with pleasant warm days and comfortably cool nights. Objectively better.

The Colours of the Seasons

It’s totally reasonable that people like travelling in Europe during summer because the weather’s nice. Clear blue skies are perfect for a lively, cheerful atmosphere, unlike the bleak feel of winter. But I think it’s fair to say that spring and autumn have the ability to really transform a destination with their colour palettes.

With spring, you find plants suddenly blooming and coming alive after the depths of winter. These bursts of spring blossom often create overwhelming splashes of pink and white that are hard not to admire. From Copenhagen to Karlovy Vary and Obidos above, each spring in Europe I’m enchanted by how things change.

And yet, I may enjoy autumn even more. The arrival of autumn brings with it a colour revolution and I don’t know if my experience would have quite been the same were it not for the autumn colours of Meteora in central Greece. The same can be said for trudging through multi-coloured leaves in the forests of the Czech Republic or even the parks of Vienna.

I’d also argue that certain places actually look better under the cloudy weather that Europe’s shoulder season brings. Grey clouds can actually lend some places just the right moody atmosphere, like the mountainous city of Brasov in Romania. Then there are places like Belgium which to me feel kind of wrong with clear blue skies.

Even when they get rainy, there are destinations like Piran that can shine through even on a cloudy October day. Simply put, not every European destination requires the bright summer sun to make them beautiful and intriguing. The shoulder season much better lends itself to bringing the character of a place to the fore.

Do you agree that the shoulder season of spring and autumn are the best times to visit Europe? If not, when is your favourite time to visit Europe? Have I not thought this through? Please share your thoughts and questions in the comments below.