Reflections: On Escaping Europe's Summer Crowds
We've been hearing reports from Rome. It's already chaos with an unusually busy (and early) tourist season, the Jubilee in full swing, and a new Pope. We almost never recommend taking an August vacation in Italy (or in Southern Europe, for that matter). Americans are often surprised to see that many businesses have completely shut down, cities have vacated, and everyone has left for the beach. Certainly, airfares and hotel rates are at their peak. Europeans take August very seriously. It's the vacation month.
But more recently, the crowds have bled into the shoulder seasons of May-June and September-October, effectively taking advantage of good weather and moderate prices. We've all seen the viral videos of wrap-around lines at customs in the Lisbon Airport and the unruly queues awaiting ferries in Amalfi. The beaches are packed with umbrellas and for anyone who's not into crowds (ourselves included), it can be an uncomfortable situation.
So, where to go in Europe for the summer? There are a few spots across the Med that are still relatively undiscovered, so you can get your sunny fix. But other, more broad options include Northern Europe, Scandinavia, and the Balkans, where the weather is warm - but not hot - the rains have relinquished - and the prices and availability generally remain stable. There are lovely little boutique hotels all along the sandy German, Danish, and Swedish coasts that are popular with nautical enthusiasts. Explorers will relish in adventurous forays through Albania, Montenegro, and Bulgaria. And the windier Atlantic Coastline of Portugal, Spain, and France offers less popular enclaves that are a kite-surfer and vinophile's dream.
In our Twelfth Edition, we share the dreams of a carefree European summer. We feel remiss in not having yet mentioned our favorite movie of recent, 'Call Me By Your Name,' and its evocative Northern Italian villa and gardens. It will get you in the mood for travel. Our favorite client finds include an artsy boutique on the coast of Bordeaux, a chic waterside stay just off-the-beaten-path in Crete, and a private island with a lighthouse in Sweden. We recount time spent in unexpectedly cool Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. But our main feature focuses on Slovenia, a country that straddles the West and the East, a place of geographic juxtapositions – offering Alpine hikes, vineyards, and Mediterranean coastline – all within a few hours' drive. We call it "Europe in Microcosm" because it is just that: all the delights of Europe in one tiny nation that is only now starting to hit the general traveller's radar. But go before it, too, gets "discovered."
Return to all the articles in Edition Twelve
Photo Credit: Syllogi
