In a quandary about where to go next - EDITED

Are you asking for suggestions for early May, or February/March? Makes a big difference.

How warm do you want (need) it to be? I don't think February or March is going to be reliably "warm" in southern France, but lovely in May, I'd expect.

Does it have to be Europe? Does it have to be on the continent itself or would an island that's politically attached to Europe be close enough?

Nowhere in mainland Europe is going to be particularly warm in February, as for most places, it’s the coldest and wettest month of the year.

The south of France will obviously be milder than the north, although the south of France isn’t as cheap as Spain.

Cyprus, Morocco and Egypt will be warmer.

Thank you David for helping me clarify. I really want to visit Portugal this spring. I'm kinda Goldilocks - don't like it too cold and don't like it too hot, so if folks have experience with Portugal (center and north), I'd like them to opine on whether it's a good idea to postpone to May.

Yes, it has to be Europe. For me, it's close, usually 3 to 5 hour flights and a 1 or 2 hour time difference. It also means reasonably priced flights.

I've been to Portugal twice, so long ago that I don't know the exact dates, but probably between late May and late June on both occasions. It would not have been earlier in the year than that. This was back in the late 1970s/1980s. I found the weather generally cooler than I had expected except for a few days on the Algarve. I assume it's the impact of being on/near the Atlantic. I have done no recent weather research, and it's probably trending warmer now, but I cannot imagine going to that area in February or March. (But I'm on the record as hating chilly, wet weather.)

I think you should trust the data you found on your favorite historical-weather website rather than gambling that you'll be as lucky as your friends.

I spent mid March to mid April this year in Tavira on the Algarve and the weather was very mixed, with some days being very wet and windy. Most days averaged 15-19 degrees, although some did nudge into the low 20s. This is milder than Lisbon and Porto, generally.

At this time of year, I head to the Canaries for warmth.

Early May is obviously much warmer than March.

The Canary Islands may be a good option for February/March, the average temperatures hover around 18-20°C, depending on where you are on the islands.

The island of Gran Canaria is nicknamed the "Miniature Continent" because of the diversity of landscapes, from sand dunes to green ravines. It's a paradise if you are into hiking and nature, as a third of the island is designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. Gran Canaria also has quite a few picturesque towns like Arucas or Firgas that are worth checking out.

After a few days, you can hop over to Tenerife to see the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, held every February. It's the second largest carnival in the world, after the one in Rio de Janeiro, composing of more than a hundred dance and music groups. After resting up you can explore the nearby charming town of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, whose historic center has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One can also check out Teide National Park, another World Heritage Site, which is home to Mount Teide, the third highest volcano in the world.

....and the above two posts are exactly why I asked this:

Does it have to be Europe? Does it have to be on the continent itself or would an island that's politically attached to Europe be close enough?

I too was thinking...the Canary Islands, perhaps even Madeira. Maybe the Balerics, or maybe even the Azores...depends on your definition of "warm enough." All technically part of Europe (at least according to some folks, although maybe not so much if you ask the people that live there), though physically detached.

I believe you recently did Morocco, which would be an obvious choice. If you're willing to go even further, there's Cape Verde... ;)

To keep it simple, I suggest you look at the Canaries (although I'd be tempted by any of the above places).

Chaini,
Azerbaijan
Uzbekistan
Armenia
Georgia
Montenegro
Albania

Was in Lisbon this feb, and we had beautiful weather. One day was a no socks and shirt sleeves day, in a little sheltered out side terrace it was in the mid 20s. Beautiful. But work friends went 6 weeks later and had dreadful weather. Its the luck of the draw.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Since I want mild temps and near home (the Azores and Canaries would take longer to get to that SE Asia!!), I'm now thinking about Greek isles in late March.

James - Albania is intriguing. I've put it on my list. I've been to Georgia and Armenia. When I got back from Tbilisi, my taxi driver home from the airport said he was from Baku and I should go there, better than Tbilisi or Yerevan !

It will be chilly in Portugal until May. May is great.

We are not beach people when we go to Europe, since we live on an island in Georgia with a beach. Not sure about the Algarve, since we would never go there.

My suggestion for going somewhere warm in February is go to South America or Australia/

Las Fallas (fire festival) in Velencia might be a good visit. Especially if you visit some islands off the coast during the trip.

Thinking of other southern destinations. Have you been to Malta? Sicily? Tunis?

Chani - We're doing Greece in late March. After super-hot Sicily in July was necessitated by my daughter's school schedule, I decided do go much cooler for the next trip and so I found a good airfare for Greece in March. Last year it was mid-60s almost everyday on Naxos. There were even a few days in the 70s.

This was true in Athens as well.

Mid-60s is my favorite travel weather.

At any rate, we'll be on Naxos from March 19 to 22 and Santorini from March 22 to 24. I found plenty of hotels open and we don't care about beaches so we're fine with cold water.

PM me if you're headed there - it would be fun to meet you!

Have you been to Malta? That’s high on my list for winter travel. What about Sicily?

Sicily. Loaded with sights and beautiful coastline. Ck it out.
Of course summer is xtra hot so March is close to perfect.

How about Malta? Sicily? Should be nice during that time.

You might look at Menton, France. It's supposed to have the warmest weather along the coast in winter. I believe they have a lemon festival in February. I'm a not-too-hot, not-too-cold person also; went to Sicily in late March once and nearly froze on some days (and had perfect weather on others - maybe even too hot at the Agrigento temples).

Oh dear, it seems that my problem is that I've already been to too many places, even Las Fallas in Valenica :-) I was surprised by how beautiful Malta is and how far back their history goes and how varied the sights are. I was so impressed by the Greek ruins in Sicily, among many other wonderful experiences.

Now I've pretty much settled on either Greece or France. If Greece, fly R/T to Athens (repeat visit) and then fly to Heraklion and/or Santorini for about 7 days; at first glance, it looks like there is limited, if any, ferry service in March. If France, fly R/T to Marseilles and tootle around the area by train, bus and/or car for 7-8 days. I'd grateful for any thoughts about the pros and cons and specifics of either plan.

Haven't been to Greece recently. Haven't been to either place at the time of year you're proposing.

I don't think I need to remind you about the mistral, do I? My other caution about southern France is that days and hours of a lot of indoor sights are cut back outside of peak season. I think some of the smaller places may only be open four days a week. You should be fine if you hit all the websites ahead of time and work up a plan of attack, perhaps hitting a larger place or two in the middle of the week. There was a small museum I wanted to see (don't remember which one) that wasn't opening for the season until after my visit, and I didn't even arrive in France until May 1. That was an extreme case, of course.

I enjoyed staying in Avignon and am a bit puzzled about why so many people seem to dislike it. I wandered all around the historic area in my quest for food, and there weren't all that many tourists except along the path from the train station to the Palais des Papes.

I spent a couple of nights in Hyeres so I could visit the island of Porquerolles. The latter was pleasant but for me not worth the hassle. Hyeres has an attractive historic district, and it was nice to be somewhere not full of foreign tourists. I don't think there are any really significant sights in Hyeres. I missed the Villa Noailles outside of town, which apparently sometimes has temporary art exhibitions.

Much farther east I liked Vence. Quite a difference from the tourist-clogged St.-Paul-de-Vence.

I enjoyed the two large gardens in Menton (assume they're open year round but haven't checked) but not the tourist mobs in the old town. Perhaps things are quieter in February/March. Menton is awfully far from your proposed landing point, though.

If u decide on s france then try to incl the calanques . Some Boats leave from Marseille but prob only on calm sea weather days. Interesting limestone formations.

I know....it's not Europe, but CA is nice! :-) Sorry Chani, just had to say it!

Janet - thanks for reminding me of Menton. The lemon festival ends on March 3 and hotel prices drop right afterward. I am torn between starting my trip a little earlier and catching the end of the festival and my inclination to save a lot of money by waiting a week or two . . . and maybe seeing Menton when it isn't chock-full of tourists.

Ann - I believe the mistral affect the eastern coast least, which is where I'm thinking about: Nice (seems like it may be a good base for a few days), Menton, maybe Monaco (so I can add a country to my list ). While I'm quite happy to use trains and buses, I am not averse to renting a car for several days. The nearest airport for me is Marseille so I'd probably spend a day or two (how many needed?) to see the sights, maybe a day trip to Avignon?

Susan - CA is a whole lot more than just nice. Unfortunately it's not close enough. I didn't even get there this summer on my US trip, though I did spend a week in LA, which I expect you'd agree isn't really CA.

Now, I'm thinking about 7-8 days in France, then taking the train from Marseille or flying from Nice to Barcelona for 3-4 nights. The hardest thing for me is keeping my trips to their original length.