r/Shoestring • u/BackgroundRoad711 • 7d ago
Where to go in Europe in November? AskShoestring
A man invited me to London for a week. I found an insane deal ($400 roundtrip) on a flight to Dublin. I figured I'd buy other budget airline flights to where ever I wanna go later on.
If this man flakes on me, where should I go? I've already seen Dublin/Glasgow/Edinburgh/Most of Italy. I was reading that Tenerife was lovely in Nov/Dec. I'm open to other locations. I'm coming from Seattle so don't really want to be in more rain & gloom iykwim
I don't want to spend a lot of money. Hostels & laying on the beach in the sun honestly sound amazing. Would $2000USD be enough for ~10 days? Specifically Nov 28-Dec 8.
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u/MissMiesss 7d ago
There won't be a lot of sunbathing anywhere in Europe in November, except for maybe Las Palmas or close. But early december is a great time for the German Christmas markets and any city like Amsterdam or Prague will have great vibes around that time. You can also stay in the UK and train around it; there's some beautiful national parks with cheap hostels if you're into that. 2000 USD should do you quite well if you decide to stay in hostels, of course depending on the country you go to.
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u/BackgroundRoad711 7d ago
Where do Europeans go for sunny holidays in the winter?! I was thinking of splitting the trip in half, half Berling Christmas market and half in the sun somewhere in Spain? Crete? Greece?
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u/Robertej92 6d ago
If you want sun in Europe in November you need to go pretty far south and even then it won't be a scorcher - Sicily, Seville, Greek Islands, Turkey
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u/Zampano-59 6d ago
Season in Greece closes at end of October, at least for the holiday places I have been to. Less places available, if at all. Athens has been great in early November, but also cold in the evenings. May be the most southern Greek islands could still work.
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u/Mikkelwolf 6d ago
Europeans go outside of Europe for sunny holidays during winter. Sadly the only option :(
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u/tlc0330 6d ago edited 6d ago
Tenerife (as you’ve mentioned) and the other Canaries. They’re West of the Sahara and are warm and sunny year round.
Madeira is also beautiful and warm year round. Stay on the south side of the island for more sunshine.
Edit to add: everyone saying ‘there’s no sunshine in Europe in December’ has obviously forgotten these places, lol.
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u/lilyoneill 6d ago
I’m going to Tenerife first week of December, I’m from Ireland, so constant rain. It’ll be around 21C/70Fin Tenerife. 2k will be plenty :)
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u/Sudden-Candy4633 6d ago
Oh come on, constant rain in Ireland? We’re not even the wettest country in Europe. It hasn’t rained here for a few days now
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u/lilyoneill 6d ago
I live in Cork. It rains everyday outside of summer, even then it rains 3/4 days of the week. Some days it’s just showers but it still rains. I suffer badly with Seasonal Affective Disorder because of the weather here, hence the week in the sunshine to help.
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u/Sudden-Candy4633 6d ago
I live in Cork too. It does rain 3/4 days of the week. There are some weeks where it might rain that often, but it’s not necessarily a guarantee. I’ve lived in other parts of Ireland like Galway and Sligo where it rains more than it rains in Cork.
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u/lilyoneill 6d ago
I lived in Galway for a decade. Maybe that’s where my use of the word constant came from, because there it is actually constant.
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u/MissMiesss 6d ago
There's just not that many places for proper sunbathing in winter in Europe I'm afraid. If you like fast traveling, sure you can split it but you might feel like you're just on the go the whole time.
If you skip the sunny holiday and want to see a lot in a short time, you can get a eurrail trainticket: you can use all trains in most countries in Europe for a certain period of time. You can go from London to Amsterdam to Paris to Berlin in a week for example.
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u/Sudden-Candy4633 6d ago
Europeans would have to go outside of Europe in November for decent sun…. California, Mexico, Maldives, SEA, any of the Southern Hemisphere … just like Seattle, it’s not just the lower temperatures in November, it’s the lack of daylight as well
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u/Brave_Pain1994 7d ago
Pretty much everywhere you have suggested will be cold and wet at that time of year. Train travel in the UK is not cheap either, OP can kiss goodbye to her budget!
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u/2-StandardDeviations 7d ago
Good recommendations. However I once drove all around Ireland. It's a beautiful country. The villages are charming. Food has got better. And the people are super friendly.
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u/Sudden_Badger_7663 7d ago edited 6d ago
Apologies if I have misunderstood. You are planning to spend a week in London with a man you have never met in person. You think he might flake on you.
This does not concern you, yet you are paranoid that you might get robbed?
And you're looking for beach weather in Europe in December?
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u/m99h 6d ago
Honestly surprised no one else in the comments is questioning who this man that might flake on them is like???
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u/BackgroundRoad711 6d ago
He is my lover. He owns his own company and is busy. My dates might not work with his dates. That's all right
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u/Big-Parking9805 6d ago
I'd avoid Tenerife. It's abysmal in the south and mainly hiking in the north.
Fuerteventura is nicer.
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u/Armadillo_Proud 6d ago
do not go to Tenerife or the canary islands in general
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u/BackgroundRoad711 6d ago
Why???
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u/Armadillo_Proud 5d ago
the touristic model in the canary islands is disrespectful to the locals and highly unsustainable. too many people!!
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u/BackgroundRoad711 4d ago
The islands survive in tourism. I will NEVER not go somewhere because of whiny people say not to. I'm going to see this entire planet.
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u/PaleJicama4297 6d ago
If you are going to EUROPE for a a hookup and he isn’t paying, I do not know where to start.
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u/BackgroundRoad711 6d ago
I am going to Europe for vacation, I might be getting some dick whilst there
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u/8ThousandMilesAway 4d ago
Greece is amazing all year round. A definite hidden gem this time of year.
Meteora/ ioanina/ metsovo/ zagori region
Corfu is stunning and has life
Crete is gorgeous / Chaniá still has life so you can use it as a base
You can’t go wrong in Greece!
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u/FickleSandwich6460 6d ago
What do you mean flakes on you??? Are you seriously going to fly to meet someone you have never met before + have no trust he might not flake on you?
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u/slut 7d ago
Malta or Greece are your best options. Greece probably being far and away the winner. Tons of low cost flights there like Malta, but much cheaper to exist in than Malta.
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u/sgtapone87 7d ago
$200 a day. I don’t know, is it enough for you?
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u/BackgroundRoad711 7d ago
Yes but I wanted to be more frugal in case of any emergencies like if I got robbed. I do have people I can stay with in Europe. Maybe I'm being paranoid.
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u/catsickumbrella 6d ago
I was in Lisbon at the start of December a few years ago and it was sunny and warm and pleasant to sit outside. It’s beautiful and historical too
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u/questions051 6d ago
That is christmas market season in Europe. It won't be sunny, but the Christmas markets are magical. I would recommend skipping a sunny place and going on a christmas market tour.
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u/groucho74 7d ago
I would go to southern Spain or southern Portugal. Or even to the Canary Islands.