October - November Travel in Europe, Architecture Lover

I was in Denmark in October 2015 (albeit early October), and we found the weather very pleasant. It was generally in the low 50s with spots of rain here and there. We had a wonderful trip, and there were very few tourists. We never waited in line for anything, and often had museums, palaces, etc., nearly to ourselves. I would definitely go back during this time of year. I can't speak to Norway, but I would suspect Amsterdam and Stockholm would be relatively similar.

Only note that the later into fall you go, the shorter the days get. And the change is fairly dramatic.

The large cities - Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, Amsterdam - will be just as beautiful, at least in regards to their architecture, which you are interested in. The rural areas and possibly some gardens will not be as nice and, of course, the weather will be cooler (even cold if you're talking about November) especially in Oslo and Stockholm. The earlier in October you go, the nicer the weather is likely to be. Either way, for cities it's not an issue, especially if you're used to cooler weather.

Visit the Gamla Stan in Stockholm. It has some great old architecture.
Visit Nyhavan in Copenhagen. Nyhavn is lined by brightly coloured townhouses built with wood, bricks, and plaster. The oldest house, at dates from 1681. And of course Amsterdam is the most unique with its narrow leaning 17 th century brown brick canal houses including the Anne Frank House.

Norway I have not been there but someday I would like go see the natural formations the Fjords

Some random thoughts on your post:

Are you interested in Art Nouveau? Brussels is famous for this, but I preferred the houses in Antwerp. There's a two block street there with some lovely specimens, called Cogels Osylei. Here's some pictures to whet your appetite: https://cheeseweb.eu/2012/03/zurenborg-antwerp-belgiums-art-nouveau-neighbourhood/

For Brussels, ARAU is an organization that does architecture tours; they started with Art Nouveau but have branched out. Brussels has some gems mixed in with a lot of ordinary or downright ugly buildings, so a tour is particularly useful here. http://arau.org/en

For more modern architecture in the Low Countries, be sure to go to Rotterdam. Get the free architecture walking tour map from the tourist office (the regular city map is not free) and explore. Don't miss the Cube Houses, and be sure to go into the Cube House Museum to see some stunningly unique interior design. http://all-that-is-interesting.com/cubic-houses-rotterdam

I went to Amsterdam in September 1990; the weather was very cloudy and somewhat dark, and the city looked very grey. I went to Paris on the same trip, and Paris was notably brighter, sunnier, and less rainy, so Paris was much prettier and more appealing than Amsterdam on that trip. I went back to Amsterdam in spring 2012 and there were more days of sun; the city was more attractive as a result. Just my personal experiences, but if you're going in autumn, be prepared for clouds and low light levels, which definitely influence not only how a city looks, but also (at least for me) enjoyment.

None of your cities/countries are cheap. Norway is definitely the most expensive. However, walking around Bergen is lovely - some of the residential neighborhoods in the center look like a movie set. I wasn't as taken with the architecture in Oslo, and found the Aker Brygge development particularly ugly. Gamla Stan in Stockholm is lovely too, as said above.

Wow, thank you so much for the quick responses, everyone! I can't wait to delve into the suggestions here in terms of architectural sights to see. I checked out the Cube House Museum and got very excited to see that in real life at some point (thanks for the fantastic recommendations, Harold!).

I have been to Amsterdam during a layover and it was relatively grey which, like Harold, certainly dampened my experience a little. That's my one concern here - I don't have the luxury of being able to return to Europe likely for a few years after this, so I am hesitant about going during the fall in case I feel the same way. If only metereologists were a) accurate and b) could find out weather half a year from now (haha). All in all though, this has made me feel more confident about going in the fall because I'm not looking for some balmy getaway anyway.

Keep the architecture/design suggestions coming though! I love them!

I think of Norway for its natural beauty more than an architectural destination. Another option not on your list is Helsinki - it has incredible Art Nouveau neighborhoods and some excellent Modernist and new buildings. Copenhagen also has incredible new and older architecture. For some very modern works, take the train line towards the airport and get off at some of the intermediate stops. You can see it all from the train, so just find something you like and get off. The Louisiana Museum outside of the city is also very worthwhile and is a mid-point stop on the way to Helsingor - an incredible 16th century town. Stockholm is a wonderful city filled with great architecture. All three cities have architectural guidebooks you can get at tourist offices.

In 2015 I was in the Balkans from mid-August through mid-October, and the weather was changing as I got into October. It wasn't yet cold, but there was much more frequent rain. And of course the days were getting much shorter. I need daylight and hate chilly, wet weather, so I was glad to be returning home at that point. I won't be visiting Scandinavia in the fall. A co-worker married to a Finn, who traveled to Finland every year, told me that summer in Finland is "August".

The weather in Barcelona and (even more) southern Spain should be more moderate in the fall. Interesting architecture in both areas.

If you are interested in modern architecture the Netherlands has a lot to offer. This year we are celebrating 100 years of De Stijl. It was an art, design and architecture movement that together with Bauhaus in Germany has influenced art, design and architecture profoundly.
Well known names to this movement are Piet Mondriaan and Gerrit Rietveld.

The Gemeentemuseum Den Haag houses now a large Piet Mondriaan exhibition and in Utrecht you can visit the UNESCO listed Rietveld Schröderhuis. Also read: http://www.holland.com/global/press/article/holland-theme-year-2017.htm

So let me know if this is what you (also) fancy.

"In 2015 I was in the Balkans from mid-August through mid-October, and the weather was changing as I got into October. It wasn't yet cold, but there was much more frequent rain".

It's hard to believe the weather was getting cold and rainy at that time of year in the Balkans. Were you talking about the Baltic States by any chance?

Not cold. A bit cooler (not a bad thing, given how hot summer 2015 was) but distinctly more rainy. It began when I was in Bulgaria and continued in Montenegro and in Zagreb. I assume Scandinavian temperatures would drop pretty rapidly between mid-summer and mid-October.

The mention of Barcelona above made me realize that I should ask: which style or styles of architecture are you interested in?

Barcelona has lots of great Modernista buildings, some of which you can go inside. Antoni Gaudi is the most famous name, but there are many other worthwhile architects of that style. But, if Modernista doesn't interest you, you may want to go elsewhere.

The mention of Seville reminds me that two of my favorite places in Andalucia were former private homes, where you can see the patios and courtyards - the Palacio de la Condesa de Lebrija in Seville, and the Palacio Museo de Viana in Cordoba. The Mezquita in Cordoba is also something, a mosque with a church built inside it (yes really).

Spain is also substantially cheaper than the places you mentioned in your first post, without being any less worthwhile. Obviously, if you want Nordic design, you won't get it in Spain, but if you are "agnostic" about which styles or periods of architecture and design you see first, consider Spain.

If you like elaborate tilework, you can't beat Portugal. There are patterned tile sidewalks in parts of Lisbon, and great tilework in Porto's São Bento train station. Best of all (worth a trip if you love fancy tilework) is the Church of Marvila in Santarem, an hour outside Lisbon - simply amazing!

Prague has many sgraffito buildings - a layer of white stucco is place over a layer of dark stucco, then some of the top layer is scratched away to make patterns with dark layer beneath. I see from Wikipedia that there are buildings in this style in various places; Prague is where I've seen the largest concentration, and they're quite striking.

My first trip to Europe was also in October/November, and I encountered a lot of leaden grey skies. That can be depressing, even if museums in the big cities remain your focus. There is no point in hoping for exceptional weather in Northern Europe at this time, as you are most likely to be severely disappointed. Check the weather averages for your planned destinations, they are your best guide.

So much fantastic and thoughtful feedback. Thank you!

My itinerary is slowly starting to shift, taking on new routes and even timelines based off of these responses. I'm beginning to think I might jump the gun a bit and do one of two types of trips: 1) leave earlier and travel around Scandinavia in late August/September or 2) touch down in Amsterdam and then travel farther south to make the most of my budget.

The thing is, I can be enamoured by practically any period of architecture. Aside from brutalism, I find it all fascinating.

General question for you all and taking a slight tangent here if that's okay - at what point do you think flights need to be booked, itineraries mostly set, for a trip to Europe for about a 1 month span?

Miranda,

In Amsterdam just a few km from the centre you can stay in a eco cabin at Camping Zeeburg, costs 30/35€ / night mid season. There is a tramstop near the entrance. www.campingzeeburg.nl/en/

A real eye catcher is the new EYE Film museum you can see at the backside of Amstersdam Centraal railway station. Not everybodies taste but I like it is the new entrance of the Stedelijk Museum and also (to my opinion) lovely building is Jan Duiker’s Eerste Openluchtschool you can maybe see during one of the architectural tours you can join in Amsterdam. Numerous options about architecture there.

I seem to end up traveling to Europe often in winter. While skies can be grey and days are shorter, one of the pluses is that when the trees are bare, you can see the beautiful buildings that the foliage usually obscures. Another plus is that you have more hours when buildings are illuminated. In summer, you may never see Paris or Amsterdam after dark.

I think October is perfect for Italy. The weather is really nice and the days don't get noticeably shorter like they do further north. They have pretty decent architecture there - not much Scandinavian design though.

I am also very much into architecture and interior design...in Norway and Denmark I've been to a few wonderful buildings. Not sure what style you're into but there are a number of places I have really enjoyed.
Norway
Alesund - The town burned down around the turn of the last century and was completely rebuilt in the Art Deco style. It's quite beautiful. There is a smallish museum of Art Deco in the main town that's in one of the houses. They have some lovely examples of rooms, furniture, and other objects that are great representations of the that period.
Oslo - The opera house is quite spectacular. Made entirely of marble and glass. Very modern in design and worth your time. You can walk up a ramp along the side of the building to the roof and walk around. The nearby business district is also a great collection of architectural masterpieces.
Oslo - the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art. Beautifully designed building and a nice collection.
Oslo - the neighborhood around the Astrup Fearnley is on the old docks section of Oslo. It's a collection of individually designed condo buildings and restaurants. Many of them are quite interesting from a design point of view.
Oslo - the Norsk Folksmuseum has an interesting collection of folk furniture and objects from throughout Norway's history.
Denmark
Copenhagen - Designmuseum Danmark - A collection of Danish-designed furniture and other objects. It's in a beautiful old building with a tea garden at the back that is one of my favorite places in the city. Their gift shop alone is worth the visit.
Copenhagen - The Royal Library otherwise known as "The Cube" is amazing. It's the third building built to house the state's collection of books - sort of the equivalent to our Library of Congress. The other two buildings are still there and they are all right next to each other.
I hope some of these might be of interest to you!

Architecture Lover?
http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/06/06/bourdain-cooper-budapest-sot-ac.cnn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79VoSvlKFVQ

Even Alice Cooper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vApAmydLjjo

And Hugh Jackman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmYk7e9Fdr0

at what point do you think flights need to be booked, itineraries
mostly set, for a trip to Europe for about a 1 month span?

all depends on when you find a fare that does not make you cringe
sometimes the fare will shape the possibilties of your itinenrary for the better or not what you really want
two months in advance at least

I think this would make an absolutely wonderful journey with an eye to design and mostly modern architecture.

Helsinki > Stockholm > Copenhagen > Amsterdam

You could easily slot in Hamburg, Belgium and Paris if you have extended time.