Hello
We have one week in Europe to plan in November.
We need to choose where to go anywhere i. europe for a week. We would like to avoid lots of rain.
We are looking for a place to walk around to discover the area. We don’t mind taking a train for a day trip to visit nearby.
Any ideas?
Posted by
NYC area
2982 posts
When in November? I ask as the Advent Markets in Austria open in Innsbruck on Nov. 15 and in Salzburg on Nov. 21. SO worth going to experience.
https://www.tyrol.com/things-to-do/events/all-events/e-christmas-market-innsbruck
https://www.salzburg.info/en/salzburg/advent/salzburg-christmas-market
Posted by
UK (London - Chelsea Harbour)
162 posts
November (at least later in the month) in Europe is all about the magic of Christmas. Wherever you choose will be sparkling with lights. Italy, Southern Spain, and the south of France will have walkable, non-freezing temps, probably with less rain than in the north. Barcelona is magic at that time of year - just as an example.
But Europe is huge and there is much to choose from. :-)
Posted by
Washington DC
28107 posts
Weather varies a lot from year to year as well as from week to week. If rain is your major concern, you can find monthly-average statistics in Wikipedia's articles on most cities and towns of tourist interest. I don't pay much attention to the temperature data in the typical monthly-average charts, because they often cover 20 or 30 years, and we all know temperatures have gotten a lot more extreme recently. I don't know how predictive the precipitation data is; I hope it's more meaningful than the temperatures.
One place I'd consider is Madrid. It has many magnificent side-trip possibilities, including Toledo, Segovia and Cuenca. It's also easy to reach from many places in the US. If you want a somewhat smaller city, Seville would be a good choice. You could day trip to Cordoba and Carmona, and it has the advantage of being quite a bit warmer than Madrid in November. However, you may find airfare to Seville significantly more expensive.
Barcelona also looks like a good possibility, and you might have easy transportation choices to that city. Although farther north, Barcelona is usually a lot warmer than Madrid in November. Good side trips include Girona and Figueres (for the Dali Theatre-Museum).
Although temperatures should be reasonably mild in Rome, it gets considerably more rain in November than the Spanish cities I've mentioned.
Remember that there are no guarantees where weather is concerned. Choose a place with a lot of indoor sightseeing options if you are really concerned about rain. November tends to be a fairly wet month in Europe, and the days are quite short.
Posted by
OP
152 posts
Yes, it is huge and this is why it is so difficult to chose. We would rather go at the start of November so the weather is nicer.
We had thought of going to Lisbon but we were told by locals that it rains a lot.
Then we considered Bologna but we are worried about rain.
Crete was an option but it may have major sights closed with tourists gone.
Maybe Puglia?
Posted by
Washington DC
28107 posts
Odds are Spain will be drier than Italy, but Puglia will probably have considerably less rain than Lisbon (statistics there look pretty depressing). Check train availability for day trips, though, and choose your home base wisely. Trains don't go everywhere in Puglia. And I'd expect some of the cute little coastal towns might be pretty dead in November. That's just a guess, though; I don't travel at that time of year. I liked Lecce a lot, but I don't know how easy it would be to get around there via train or bus. Puglia is a long, skinny region; you can't cover its entirety from one base.