As well as ‘providing savings’ to the industry, the shoulder season showcases Europe at its best. As the temperature drops, everyday life returns to the streets. Fall foliage brings out local color, produce is bountiful and winemakers celebrate the harvest in festivals from Portugal to Greece. We’ve selected four luxury aircraft with direct flights from Canada and immediate benefits for travelers.
Where to go: Lisbon
Lisbon cityscape in Portugal.MAREK SLUSARCZYK/iStockPhoto/Getty Images Why it’s worth the trip: Autumn is the easiest, coolest season in this seaside capital, where restaurants, galleries and even nightclubs spill out onto the cobbled streets. You can enjoy free jazz at Parque da Bela Vista every Sunday in September and at the outdoor Fado festival September 23-24. How long to wait: Daytime temperatures range from the low to mid-20s until November, when they drop into the teens. How much you can save: “Flights tend to drop in price for mid-September trips to Europe and then again for mid-October trips,” says Casey Mead of Toronto-based escort tour operator G Adventures. Nonstop flights from Toronto or Montreal on Air Canada start at $366, round-trip, in October. $312 on Air Transat – down a third or more from summer. The food is extremely reasonable, too – you can get a big breakfast for $5 and fine dining for $20. You will practically save money from the city for two weeks. Where to stay: Double rooms at the spotless Hall Chiado start at $150. At AlmaLusa, a historic villa set back from the Tagus River, they start at $370, including breakfast.
Where to go: Athens
People visit a new section housing the ruins of an ancient neighborhood of Athens under the Acropolis museum in Athens on its opening day on June 21, 2019. LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP/Getty Images Why it’s worth the trip: In autumn, you won’t have to compete for tables in the city’s most desirable neighborhoods, Monastiraki and Kolonaki. And if you haven’t had the chance to visit the Acropolis Museum, go now, for one of the most important collections of antiquities in Europe. Two Panathenaic amphorae on loan from the Royal Ontario Museum are on display until January. How long to wait: You simply won’t enjoy a sunny stroll around the Parthenon until September when temperatures reach the mid-20s. They end in late November at around 15c. How much you can save: In late September, direct flights from Toronto start at $429 on Air Canada, about $100 cheaper than in the summer. In October you can fly direct with Air Transat from $410, return – one of the best deals the airline has to offer, although airline spokeswoman Marie-Eve Vallieres urges travelers to book soon to avoid last-minute fare increases. Where to stay: It’s easy to stay cheap in Athens, but the Urban Frame is more stylish than the rest, with balconies in most rooms and prices that are cut in half in October, to $322 a night, including breakfast. Live In Athens has a collection of apartments for couples and families, starting at around $100 a night in October and November.
Where to go: Barcelona, Spain
The Barcelona Design Museum – which brings together collections of Catalan decorative arts, graphics, ceramics, textiles and fashion – is part of the Design Hub Barcelona, the home of the city’s major design organizations. The New York Times Why it’s worth the trip: It has the rich architectural heritage and food culture of a major European capital, with the wild Costa Brava a quick stroll outside the city. Ferries from the terminal in central Barcelona reach the Balearic Islands in six to eight hours. G Adventures offers a program of walking tours in Ibiza designed for the cooler months. How long to wait: The average temperature in October is 21 C, falling to 17 in mid-November. In summer it will reach 30 C most days. How much you can save: You’ll pay slightly more than half the price flying in the fall over the summer. In October that means $388 return from Toronto on Air Transat and $402 on Air Canada. Where to stay: In November, “basic” rooms at the bustling Room Mate Carla, in the heart of Art Nouveau Barcelona, shrunk to $117 a night. In Poblenou, closer to the beach, prices at the Hoxton have been dropping steadily, from $375 in August to $295 in September, $270 in October and $243 in November.
Where to go: Rome
Cafes along Via delle Muratte, near the Trevi Fountain, in Rome on May 7. Francesco Lastrucci/The New York Times News Service Why it’s worth the trip: Autumn is when the locals come out of hiding to enjoy the city, filling the piazzas at night, taking the passeggiata past the Gianicolo Park. “If travelers are looking for a big city experience,” says Mead of G Adventures, “the weather is still beautiful in Rome, the crowds are almost gone, you’ll meet more locals to connect with, and see better museum exhibits on display for the winter months”. The Romaeuropa Festival, from mid-September to mid-November, brings live music, dance, opera and art to venues across the city. How long to wait: For Romans, September still counts as summer, however the evenings are cooler and temperatures drop to 22C by October. How much you can save: If you can travel before November, when routes from Canada start to dry up, you’ll pay less than $425, round-trip, on Air Canada and Air Transat (direct from Toronto only). That’s down from $700 in August. Where to stay: Here’s the rub. Hotel prices in Rome fall in hot August, followed by a rise in September. Prices equalize in October. At Hotel Navona, a super-friendly inn surprisingly close to the Pantheon, you can get a double room with breakfast for $241. Monti Palace, on a beautiful cobbled street lined with vines, a 10-minute walk from the Colosseum, is a step up in terms of price and luxury. A double room, with breakfast in the rooftop restaurant, costs $290 a night. Stay up to date with Sightseer’s weekly newsletter. Sign up today.
