Why Spring Is the Best Time to See Europe
byCheryl Rosen/
Sure, the living is easy in summertime. But any travel advisor will tell you that travel is easier in the spring. Especially when you are headed to Europe.
As the calendar turns past the first day of spring on Mar. 21, Europe kicks into the best time of the year for visitors, so we asked travel professionals for some thoughts on visiting the continent when it first comes into bloom. Here’s what they said.
“If you truly want to experience a country, it’s best to go when their country folk are going to the same museums, cafes, bars and restaurants you will visit,” says Heather Bannon of Unique Romance Travel in Katy, Texas. “In springtime, the locals are home and not traveling — and this truly gives you the best flavor for the country, unlike in the summer months, when most Europeans are also traveling.”
更不用说在德国和白芦笋Austria; the tulips in Holland; and the Easter markets in Vienna that “have the feel of the Christmas markets without all the tourists.”
班农说:“在希腊和意大利这样的地方,在春季访问意味着您在旅游季节开始时会见当地人……通常很高兴见到游客。”
Heading into her fifth group river cruise this April, Karen Quinn-Panzer of Dream Vacations Quinn Panzer in Milford, Connecticut, finds that “spring comes a bit earlier in Europe than it does in the Northeast. From the splendor of tulips at Keukenhof Gardens to the budding trees along the Danube or the Rhone, it's our favorite time for a river cruise.”
为了增加奖金,“价格较低,您通常可以找到可用的葡萄酒巡游。”
And of course, “spring clothes are cuter and lighter, so you can get more in that 50-pound baggage allowance,” says Vicki Watkins Briggs of Briggs World Travel.
Meanwhile, “Holland and Belgium are so picturesque, they remind me of illustrations from storybooks," says Camille Sperrazza, owner of The World Awaits Travel in Brooklyn. For her, “the highlight was the Keukenhof, a feast of vibrant color, with rows of breathtaking tulips as far as the eye could see. In one area, there was a tribute to Vincent Van Gogh, and tulips were planted in a manner so that one of his famous paintings was recreated. It was truly the most amazing gardens I have ever experienced."
Sperrazza说,另一个亮点说:“正在探索安妮·弗兰克的房子。当我读到她长大的日记时,我从来没有想过有一天会爬上书柜后面的秘密附件楼梯,然后穿过家庭藏起来的房间。安妮(Anne)的卧室仍然装饰着美国名人的照片,磨损和泛黄的原始杂志剪报,挂在墙上,悬挂在时间上,淡化的阴影,仍然被关闭。”
夏季活动
今年夏天,欧洲发生了许多活动。这是旅行顾问向客户建议的一些事情。
对于汽车爱好者来说,奥迪的R8 Spyder欧洲巡回赛的价格为每人7,250美元,提供一天的培训,然后通过德国,奥地利和意大利的阿尔卑斯山享受四天的“壮丽的欧洲令人叹为观止的风景”。该计划于6月启动。
对于艺术家来说,新的国际巴黎艺术博览会将从4月11日至14日将80个国际画廊汇集到凡尔赛宫。
当然,对于皇家追随者而言,英国将在四月份欢迎其最喜欢的新人哈里王子和梅根·马克尔(Meghan Markle)的第一个婴儿。
更新的住宿
In addition to events, The Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel will open this month just outside Athen’s city center; and the Mandarin Oriental will take over management of the CastaDiva Resort & Spa on the shore of Italy’s Lake Como.
In France, La Réserve Ramatuelle in April will introduce a new beach club on the famous Pampelonne Beach. Designed by Philipe Starck (whose work includes Le Meurice and Faena in Buenos Aires), La Réserve à La Plage will include a 120-seat beachfront restaurant from the resort’s Michelin starred chef Eric Canino, and it will have 75 sunbeds.
贝尔蒙德(Belmond)将从佛罗伦萨的贝尔蒙德别墅(Belmond Villa)圣米歇尔(Belmond Villa San Michele)带到历史悠久的城堡,将客人穿上风格(以1100年老式的1100 Musone)启动新的Belmond Castello di Casole。
海上探索
On the rivers, Viking is launching a whopping six brand new longships on the Rhine, Main, Danube and Douro Rivers; while AmaWaterways adds three. Other cruise lines also have new ships coming, including Amadeus River Cruises, Avalon Waterways, Emerald Waterways and CroisiEurope.
Ponant luxury expeditions will sail for the first time through the Mediterranean and the Baltic, boasting an innovative multisensory Blue Eye lounge through which guests can watch the subaquatic world.