Europe in Winter: 35 Reasons to Visit Off-Season
Insider advice on how to spend the winter season in some of Europe’s top destinations—from Paris to Stockholm. Plus: The Christmas markets and ‘tasteless fish’ dishes best avoided
DECEMBER IS REMARKABLY pleasant in Europe. The shops stay open unusually late. Holiday decorations are abundant. Each country honors traditions that date back a thousand years—fish for Italians on Christmas Eve, bearded Tomte bearing gifts in Sweden, Sinterklaas in the Netherlands. For one month the common cause of Christmas unites a continent that’s often at odds with itself.
Finding pleasure in the months of January and February is another matter entirely. The decorations come down and reality sets in. For most of Europe,...