Europe in February, where to go?

That time of year, I would go somewhere South of Rome, Greece or Southern Spain where it will be comfortable.

The other alternative is to make a ski trip out of it and go to the Alps.

... if Alitalia is still in business in March...

Thank you to Tom and all of you who replied to my post. I know that Alitalia is in a shaky position financially, and if they stop running I will probably lose my credits and not take this trip. However, I'm trying to be optimistic. I would really value any suggestions on where to travel in Europe in February. Someplace on the warmer side would be ideal as we are not skiiers. And someplace that can be enjoyed/covered in 1 week. Most of the travel books - including Rick Steves -tend to recommend that you go to Southern Europe in the spring or the fall, but offer no suggestions on where to go in the winter.
Thank you again for you thoughts and suggestions.
Beth

I'd have to say southern Italy would be a good bet; or how about flying into Rome and going on to Sardinia, Sicily, Malta or Cyprus? I'm thinking positive thoughts Alitalia! Best wishes, Maggie.

Beth: You want warmer weather in February in Europe, and that means limiting yourself to the very southern edges of Europe--southern coastal areas or islands of Portugal, Spain, or Greece are candidates. Most of Europe is considerably north of most of the US in latitude and, not surprisingly, has the weather you'd expect of a northern location--which I suppose is the reason you're finding that many travel books, including Rick's, don't offer many travel suggestions for winter. Two kinds of travelers do enjoy Europe in the winter: winter sports enthusiasts or those going to Europe in the winter to enjoy indoor cultural activities in Europe's museums, etc. If you're not in either of those categories, and since you're locked into going in February to take advantage of the airfare credit you have before it expires, then seek out the southern edges of Europe; Maggie's and Brad's suggestions (above posts) are good--except that I would caution that you might be surprised by how cool and damp Italy south of Rome can be in February.

Paris. I've been in winter and it's wonderful (fewer crowds)--I think I've read Rick and his wife go every winter for this reason. My first visit to Paris was actually in the winter, and it was great to see all the big sights then, since on subsequent visits in spring and fall there were huge lines for all of them! So we spent our spring and fall visits doing more outdoorsy, warm weather activities.

Or if you've been to Paris, really any big, vibrant city would be great. I've also visited Amsterdam, Brussels and Bruges in March, and it's nice to see the big sights and museums without too many other tourists. The weather was decent, too--50s and cloudy.

Even southern Europe won't be warm, so I wouldn't use weather as a criteria.

Christy (above) said what I was trying to say in my 1st post: probably not going to work well to use weather as a criteria for where to go, for the reason she gave: in your words, you're unlikely to find a place on the warmer side in Europe in the winter. There are wonderful things to do in Europe in the winter, but enjoying warm weather isn't one of them.

I have always been extremely intrigued by Malta. If I were you, I would be heading there in February.

I assume that you already have this information, but if not:

http://www.airlineroutemaps.com/Europe_2/Alitalia_europe_rome.shtml

GK

Hi Beth, Why wait until Feb. Try to arrange a trip around the Christmas holidays. There are so many beautiful cities that decorate and have wonderful street markets for the holidays. My choice would be Salzburg or any of the little towns in middle Germany.