fall honeymoon in europe

I suggest you edit the subject to "fall honeymoon in Europe?"

I've never been to Europe so I can't help you.

It depends what part of Europe you're considering. I wouldn't go to London in November, but I would go to Spain. London would most likely just be rainy and cold. Are you thinking about a particular city, country...?

I am from Europe! Where would you like to go?

We're going to London and Scotland in January. It's going to be dark and cold but so romantic to hole up in old B&Bs. November is definitely a nice fall month in a lot of places, and the further south you go the warmer. What countries are you interested in?

Also, yay, getting married 8 days after you!

Totally depends on what you're envisioning for your honeymoon. If you are going to Europe for culture, history, food, art, architcture, etc. , then a rainy/cool day is no big deal. I've done Poland in January, London and Paris over the Christmas holidays, Ireland in February, and Italy in the fall, and loved them all. Prices are lower that time of year, crowds are less, and I think it's terrific!

The only part of Europe I've been to is Italy. If you were thinking of heading there I would wait til Spring/Summer as the weather there is pretty darn cold and rainy through fall and winter!

Where do you want to go and what do you want to do/see when you're there?

We went to Spain in May. Inland was cool and wet, but we were there to see museums, go to restaurants/bars/nightclubs, and actually the cool weather and rain was really romantic. Think ducking into a cozy bar to dry off next to a fireplace with a cocktail, or huddling under an umbrella and making out while you wait for the shower to pass. Sigh.

When we got further south and closer to the coast, it was hot, dry beach/suntan weather. That's the area where we wanted to spend more time outside hiking, sitting on patios, laying by a pool, exploring outdoor monuments, etc. So it worked out perfectly.

@kris, that sounds wonderful. I just told FH to start practicing his PDA!

Naha nah nah, November London cold is different. It's that wet cold that gets to your bones and it doesn't have the Christmas spirit yet :-(

Anywho, yay we have a local European now!

Sorry shannah - i updated my title.

we're not 100% sure where we'd like to go, but i know for myself, i'd love to see france, england, italy, greece, germany, etc. france is my big one mostly because i'm french.

being from canada, we're used to the cold but i wasn't sure what the weather was like in the fall in european countries. please pardon my ignorance.

i guess i should ask FH what countries he'd like to see (though he had originally expressed interest in italy and greece) and then post the question again. i don't mind being cuddled up and exploring in the fall/winter...but also don't want to be stuck in the hotel the whole time because the weather is horrible. i'd love to visit for the culture, architecture, food, atmosphere.

thanks for all your feedback.

~d

I would go to France and Italy in a heartbeat in November. Unless you plan on a very long HM, I wouldn't do more countries. How long are you planning on staying?

ETA: I love Greece, but I would go to Greece in summer or spring, not late fall.

H would kill me for posting this picture but this is what I'm talking about. Shhhhhh.

Ooooh, another thing is, if you're into photography, low light and overcast days can make your photos come out better than they would if the sky was really bright.

And also, cool weather can be more comfortable if you're sightseeing in the city. We're mountain people so we might be biased, but I loved getting to pull on a funky hat and a dress with tights and hiding comfy hiking socks and inserts inside a pair of cute knee boots. I felt way sexier and more chic than I would have if I was wearing obviously orthopedic shoes with sweat running down my butt!! lol.

I just asked FH who lived in London for 10 years and he says: Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, or any Scandinavian countries.

kris, love it! FH hates PDA but we're taking our sorry selves there mostly to renew his visa so I'm practicing getting excited and this is another great thing to add to my list! He will learn to love it!

Mrs s - probably a couple weeks. we had originally thought of doing a few countries for shorter visits...then we could eventually go back to the places we loved and explored them further later (for future vacations). but perhaps diving into 2 countries would be better.

krisa - photography is my hobby and agree that pictures would turn out better in low light and overcast weather. i agree as well that a cute dress and tights would be better than a sweaty crack...lol. but it also means packing bulkier clothing. love the PDA pic.

thanks tatyana for your FH's suggestions!

hmm...lots to discuss with FH.

We are getting married in October 2013 and we are looking at London and Ireland.

Lmao! Just say no to crack sweat!

So time-wise, we spent 20 days in just 6 cities. It took us 5 days to cover the stuff that Rick Steves did in one afternoon. But we wanted the freedom to party until 6am with the locals and emerge from our hotel room at 4pm the next day with no guilt. Worked for us! Your itinerary will be really personal to your travel/sleep habits and what you want on a HM. Remember b/c it's your HM, you might want a little more time to stop and smell the roses. But then again you might not. It's really up to you guys.

TripAdvisor forums and www.tablethotels.com were my favorite HM planning tools.

BTW I visited a friend in Paris in November several years ago. Cold, grey, rainy. BUT, for ducking in/out to restaurants, museums and theaters, it was perfectly fine. And also my chocolate crepes didn't melt as fast. So, win win.

Have fun!!

In middle Europe the weather is pretty much like east coast weather in the US, the further south you go, the warmer it gets. Technically. But with earth warming etc. almost two years ago in December every major airport was closed due to severe snow storms, even the ones in Spain.

In November and December, it can get pretty darn cold. But since you are Canadian, you are good to go. anyways, I am gonna try to cover a few countries that were mentioned before.

Germany/Austria/Switzerland: Germany is probably the country out of those where snow is least likely. However, the further south you go, the more likely it gets. In Hamburg or Bremen it will probably be wet cold, in the West a little milder. All the way down in Bavaria it will be cold and snowy. Austria and Switzerland are beautiful. If you like to ski, go there. Bavaria in Germany or parts of Italy (where the alps are) are beautiful too.

The south part of Italy, Spain, Greece, Turkey etc. are usually warmer but most certainly not Florida warm. Well, Turkey might be warm enough, Tunesia (not sure if that I correct in English) too.

England and the whole UK will be damn cold and WET. Mrs. S is absolutely right when she says the cold gets into your bones, just because it is so wet out. However, I LOVE London. It is one of my favorite cities in the world. I would recommend visiting in the summer though. Sitting in Hyde Park or the other beautiful parks, shopping at Pic Circus and visiting London Eye and Buckingham Palace is much more fun in the summer. Cont

Edit for spelling thanks to my phone's auto spell

I am gonna try to list a few 'must see' cities/islands (IMO) by country and if you should visit in the summer or winter.

Dresden, Munich, Black Forest, Duesseldorf (Germany): summer preferred. No good weather guarantee though. If you like to ski, hit the Alps in Germany, Austria or Switzerland as mentioned in an earlier post.

Barcelona, Madrid (Spain): either is fine since you find a lot of culture. If you plan to see the beautiful islands Mallorca, Ibiza, or any Spanish island really (they are all insanely beautiful - if you need more info, let me know), I would recommend the summer. I love Spain, I probably went there 15 times or even more often...

Rome, Venice, the entire Toscana: go in the summer and enjoy the beauty of Italy.

Greece: SUMMER! See white houses against blue sky on the Greek islands. I've only been to Rhodes but it blew me away. If you go, hit the little town of Lindos. It is so picturesque.

Vienna in Austria: either is fine! Very lovely!

The Turkish Riviera is pretty cheap, I loved Bodrum though, mainly because we saw dolphins swimming into the sun set. If you go to Izmir, Istanbul or Ankara (capital), be aware that it is a muslimic culture and you want to wear a little more. the mosques are beautiful and the culture very interesting. CONT

Now last but not least France: either. I think Paris can be very romantic when it is cold out and you can snuggle up at the Eiffel Tower. I have a friend that lives there right now and could probably give me tons of inside info...

Hope this helped. If you have any questions and I forget this thread exists (getting old over here lol), you can PM me any time and I'll be happy to help.