Europe in winter depressing?

I was in Cinque Terra in late October. I would recommend Italy in the winter. Crowds, weather and prices are at their most manageable. Italy in the summer is less bearable because crowds are big, prices are high, and the weather is hot and sticky.

Travel North of the Alps in May through September. Maybe May or September is the best recommendation, Weather is good, crowds are reasonable and prices are lower than summer.

You probably won't do much hiking in Switzerland in the winter. Like Canada or Colorado, mountain trails close in the winter and don't open until well into the spring.

If you're in Switzerland and it's foggy, do what the Swiss do...head to the mountains where you're in the sunshine above the fog. If you're not a skier, you can take a winter hike or simply enjoy a nice warm meal or drink in a cozy restaurant. It's a beautiful country any time of the year. Of course, I'm biased...I chose to move here from the US.

I would very much enjoy a trip to Europe in the off season. I've been twice...once in March and once in October and had a blast both time. I enjoy the lack of tourists, lower hotel prices, no unexpected heat waves.

My husband and I were in Switzerland in the winter. He ski's. but I do not.
Our trip was flying into Zurich and taking the trains to Zermatt. We stayed a La Petit hotel for a week. I loved the views of the Matterhorn. Took the lifts as a foot passanger to the top of the Kline Matterhorn. Road the cog railway to the top. Took the other lift to the top on the other side. We ate Raclette and Fondue. Took a horse drawn sleigh ride. The views were spectaular and as a foot passager on the various lifts I got to see all that he did without skiing. We do ski vactions every winter for my husband. When we went to Vail Colorado area I also went dog sledding and snowmobiling too. We were in Cinque Terra in Sept. The taxi driver told me his vacation starts in Nov until about March, because of the lack of crowds. He said many things are closed then. Someone else would have to tell you about that area in January. If it was me, I'd do a week in Switzerland and then find someplace warm to visit too.

Yan, I have only traveled to Europe between December and March. I don't find it depressing, but it is cloudy and cold. The tough part about Europe in the winter is that it gets dark so early. So you have to be creative about finding things to do from 17:00 to 22:30. I find that this is the best time to have a town to yourself. It's dark and little is going on (depending on the town) but it's so still and quiet that it's refreshing.

The CT doesn't get a lot of snow. I wouldn't worry about the hiking being any more difficult in the winter.

Most of my trips to Europe have been during the "off-season". When people asked me about the crowds at "such-and-such-a-place", I usually reply, "What crowds?". From my perspective (coming from someone who hates hot weather and loves the cold), the only down-side of Europe in the winter is that there isn't much activity in some of the smaller cities after the sun sets.

We did Switzerland in March or April a few years ago (so my mind is gone, who cares?). We don't ski but it was close to the end of the ski season so it wasn't crowded. On the other hand, we got a fabulous deal from one of the private railroads that run the Glacier Express, nothing was crowded and we had a wonderful time. I even talked the engineer on the non-tourist-version Bernina Express (in off season, it is just a train from Tirano to St. Moritz) into letting me go into the cab with him for about an hour. Absolutely spectacular! Ruined only by the fact that I forgot my camera.

I did Stockholm and Iceland in January last year.

Very cold days, and early nights, but a wonderful trip.

There were hardly any tourists is Stockholm....I think there were about 10 people in the Vasa Museum.

We dressed warmly, and adapted pretty easily to the darkening afternoons and early nights.

The cold and snow were real pluses for us!

I was in Paris in late January last year and it was lovely. But of course, I don't think Paris can be depressing at any time of year....

Thanks for all your reply. The reason we chose to go end of the year is because we can't get away from work other times of the year. Besides, it will be a different experience all together compared to the picture postcards scenery that we often see in advertisements and tv. I guess i just don't want to travel half the continent there to find that we could not walk the hike in cinque terre that i so desperately wanting to experience. And yes i do want a relaxing holiday rather than competing with the summer crowds.

I've been to Italy twice, both times in November. I started in northern Italy and worked my way south. The weather was great - not the terrible heat of the summer. Last year I was planning to go the last week in October but changed plans when I found hotel rates in places like Venice dropped to 1/2 on Nov. I personally would rather be a little cool than too hot, especially with cheaper hotels and no lines as a bonus!

I personally would rather be a little cool than too hot
Especially since ice is a precious mineral in much of Europe!