Art Aficionados
The continent’s most famous art museums also draw massive crowds. In fact, the Uffizi in Florence may be as well known for the line-ups outside as for the paintings that hang on the walls within. The entrance even features a Disneyesque signboard with estimated wait times. You can skip the queue by booking weeks in advance (tickitaly.com, for one, sells the €6.50 tickets online with a €12.50 surcharge). However, you’ll still have to duck and bob to see Botticelli’s Birth of Venus unless you visit out of season. The same rules apply to Paris’ Louvre. At peak periods you may have to settle for a postcard of the Mona Lisa. After crowds disperse, you can get close enough to crack The Da Vinci Code.
Music Lovers
Orchestras, choirs, and other performing arts groups tend to take breaks during the summer months. So if you long to hear more than a violin-playing busker or quick “best-of” style concert, off-season is the time to go. Take Vienna, its event calendar is crowded then, though the city isn’t. For instance, you can catch a performance at the State Opera House almost any night from September through June. During the same time frame, the renowned Vienna Boys’ Choir sings Sunday morning mass in the Hofburgkapelle. It’s true that late in autumn you may have to bundle up a bit en route. But once inside these stunning venues, nothing seems to matter but the music.
Foodies
Globetrotting gourmets rejoice! Your odds of scoring reservations at Europe’s top-rated restaurants go up when the demand goes down. And you can’t complain about what’s being served: that’s because off-season happens to be in-season for many epicurean delights. Oysters, for one, appear between September and April; truffles are harvested from November to March. Mom-and-Pop places are at their best as well since traditional fare (think schnitzel or goulash) is designed to sustain you on cool days. Sidewalk cafés are open for business, too. Tables often come with propane heaters and you can linger as long as you please without getting dirty looks for monopolizing a seat.
