It’s a fair bet that those who have long made Europe their home struggle with the same question I do -- where in Europe can you go in the dead of winter and reasonably expect to encounter truly warm weather?
How I have tried to find such a place! Results have been mixed. Larnaca, Cyprus; Tangiers, Morocco; and Perpignan, France, are just some of the areas I have tried in the winter months, only to find the perks of summer, such as outdoor dining and strolling on the beach, were very nearly as out of reach there as they had been back home. Granted, it’s nice to trade in the ski jacket for a windbreaker, and to catch a glimpse of vivid blue skies or seas, but, oh, for a few more degrees!
How can you plan a European winter getaway that won’t leave you cold? Here’s a possible approach:
Grab a copy of the international edition of USA Today, or log onto www.usatoday.com and take a look at the newspaper’s European weather map. Sure, temperatures fluctuate, but the map will give you an easy-to-follow visual of the cities blessed with favorable temperatures here and now. Looking good at present, which is mid-January, are Faro, Portugal; the entire south and eastern coast of Spain; Corsica; and Sicily.
Based on this, it’s time to seek out some more long-term climate data. Find this at www.weatherbase.com. What are the average January temperatures for selected southern European cities? Let’s take a look:
Ajaccio, Corsica, France: 48 °F
Barcelona, Spain: 48 °F
Catania, Sicily, Italy: 51 °F
Faro, Portugal: 54 °F
Iraklion, Crete, Greece: 53 °F
Lisbon: 51 °F
Olbia, Sardinia, Italy: 50 °F
Palma de Mallorca, Spain: 49 °F
Valencia, Spain: 50 °F
Traveling a bit farther off the continent proper, you can find these temperatures:
Funchal, Madeira, Portugal: 61 °F
Paphos, Cyprus: 55 °F
Valetta, Malta: 54 °F
If you’re willing to fly still farther, but happy to stay within the territory of the EU, you can always head to the Canary Islands, which are part of Spain. According to www.spain.info, the average January temperatures for the islands are about 65 degrees.
If you’re traveling to anywhere mentioned above, Canaries excepted, you can leave your bathing suit at home, but you just might find yourself needing your sunglasses for an hour or two. And who knows, maybe your visit will coincide with the winter version of a heat wave!
Where have you ventured for a successful winter warm up?
Ryanair Check-in Fee
I just returned from a fabulous weekend trip to Venice for Carnivale on Ryanair. When I got back I read the article in the January 26th edition of the Stars and Stripes about how Ryanair is encouraging people to travel with only hand luggage, and charging a fee for using the check-in counter. I only had carry-on luggage but wasn't allowed to use the online check-in service--I tried, and had to call the Ryanair help center at the cost of 1.86 euros a minute to find out that those of us with American passports can't use the online check-in service.
Does anyone know of a way to contact the powers that be at Ryanair so we Americans living in Europe can start a letter-writing campaign to get this rule changed? It's ridiculous to be charged an extra fee for the privelege of arriving an hour earlier and standing in line, when I WANTED to use the online check-in service!!
Cyprus is defiantly the best
Cyprus is defiantly the best place for a winter holiday! Like you said, you can't have a bath in the sea... but the weather it's perfect for traveling around, visiting places... there's no powerful sun to bring you down, no snow... just a perfect warmly weather. Moreover, all the Cyprus hotels < http://www.1770getaway.com.au/Cyrushotels.html > are very cheap compared with France, Spain or other European countries.