The Lowdown on Europe’s Low Season: Part 2

Big savings are, perhaps, the #1 reason for traveling out of season. Airlines often knock a third or more off their peak-period ticket prices and reduced competition means those coveted frequent flyer reward seats are far easier to come by. Ditto for accommodations. You’ll discover that budget and one-of-a-kind lodgings are more readily available, while lavish ones are suddenly more affordable. Sometimes hotels dispense with cost-boosting extras (such as mandatory meal plans or minimum-stay requirements). But on many occasions, they simply drop their prices. For example, one of my favorite European hotels—the elegant Aria in Prague—cuts rates up to 45 percent off peak.

Families

Conventional wisdom dictates that school-age children put off taking vacations until classes let out. But elementary students can usually afford to take time out for a legitimate learning experience. Older ones might also get the nod from teachers—provided they already have good grades and solid attendance records. What’s the catch? Kids must be prepared to stay current with their homework. And parents must be prepared for the fact that family-oriented sites routinely close or have shorter operating hours during low periods. In Denmark, for example, both Legoland and the Tivoli Gardens shut down off-season.

Procrastinators

If it is impossible for you to plot—or pay for—a trip before Easter rolls around again, don’t fret. There are a few notable exceptions to Europe’s seasonal rule. You see, even though summer and weekends year round are peak times for vacationers, they are low times for business travelers. Hence, the types of hotels that cater to them in major commercial and administrative centers lower their rates to fill the rooms suit-wearing patrons vacate. It’s not uncommon to see prices there cut by a third—even a half—or to see extras offered as an incentive. Hotels participating in Stockholm and Copenhagen’s à la Carte programs, for example, give sightseeing passes to top attractions and tours.

Regardless of which category you fall into, you’ll find an added bonus in traveling out of season: namely a more authentic experience. Once the tour buses drive off and the postcard racks are pulled in from the sidewalks, you have a unique opportunity to see Europe in a more realistic light. Better yet, when the hawkers and the tourist hordes disappear, you actually get a chance to rub elbows with residents. Even though the weather may not be at its warmest, the people will be. And for many savvy travelers, that alone is reason enough to embrace the off-season …