.svg)
Where to Go in 2026: Our Expert Picks
Our 2026 picks: Uganda, Kenya, Australia and Zambia, plus Guyana and Northern Albania. Places that cap visitor numbers and still feel wild if you plan them well.
Discover
For most of the hotels on our Europe list, the best months are not July and August. They are May and June, and September and October, when the weather is still good, the sea is warm or warming, and the villages are quieter. The catch is that many of the best hotels around the Mediterranean and in the Alps are seasonal, so the shoulder months sit right at the edges of when they are open. Here is how we think about timing, and which hotels are open when.
In May and June the days are long, gardens are at their best and the summer crowds have not arrived. In September and October the sea is still warm from the summer, the wine harvest is under way in many regions, and the light softens. In both windows you get easier restaurant bookings, calmer pools and a better chance at the room you want.
There are trade-offs. Early May can still be cool for swimming, especially in the north. Late October brings shorter days and more rain, and some seasonal hotels close in the middle of the month. Some shoulder weeks are also not quiet at all, because of big events, which we cover below.
This is the first thing we check when planning a shoulder-season trip. Dates below are for the current or announced season, and they shift a little each year.
Greece is the clearest case for the shoulder season. In Santorini, Oia is very crowded at sunset in summer, and Canaves opens only from May. Late May, June and September give you warm days, swimmable water and a more relaxed village. On the Peloponnese coast, Amanzoe is quieter still, and May or late September is ideal for boat days to Hydra and Spetses and for the ancient sites of the Argolid, which are hard work in the heat of midsummer.
The Douro harvest usually falls in the second half of September, with no fixed start date because it depends on the year's weather. It is the most popular time at Six Senses Douro Valley and books early. October is quieter, with the vineyards turning color. Spring is lovely too, with green terraces and fewer visitors. Porto is about 90 minutes away by car.
On the French Riviera, June and September are the months we like most. Early in the season, plan around events. The Cannes Film Festival runs from 11 to 22 May in 2027, and dates near it fill early at Cap-Eden-Roc, which sits between Cannes and Nice. Late September and early October are calmer, but remember the hotel closes in mid-October. Across the border, Portofino follows a similar rhythm.
Lake Como is at its best in May and June, when the gardens are in flower, and again in September. Positano in July and August is hot and very crowded, so we much prefer the edges of its season. Our guide to Italy's lakes and coasts covers the hotels and how to combine them.
The Alps work differently. They have two high seasons, winter and summer, with quiet gaps between. At Schloss Elmau, winter sports on the Zugspitze are generally possible from December through the end of April. From late spring to autumn the draw is hiking in the Wetterstein and Karwendel mountains, and some outdoor facilities, like Lake Ferchensee nearby, are summer-only, from June to September. Unlike Badrutt's Palace, Elmau does not close between seasons, so a quiet May or October stay works well, with the spa and the concert program filling the days.
St. Moritz is different, because Badrutt's Palace closes between seasons. For hiking, mountain biking and the lake, aim for June to early September. For skiing on Corviglia, December to March. A trip to the Engadin in May or October means a different hotel.
Both cities work all year, and they make a good anchor for a shoulder-season trip. May and June, and September and October, are lovely in both, with long evenings in spring and good weather for walking in early autumn. In winter they are some of the best places in Europe to be when the coast is closed. Pair London with a few nights at The Newt, with direct trains from Paddington to Castle Cary, and Paris with Champagne, the Riviera in season, or London by Eurostar.
Before you settle on dates, check that every hotel on the route is open. It is easy to plan a perfect week around a hotel that turns out to be closed that week. If you are building a longer trip, our note on why we build every trip from scratch explains how we approach routing.
If you would like help planning a shoulder-season trip to Europe, get in touch.
Every itinerary begins with a conversation. Tell us what you're dreaming of, and we'll design a journey tailored entirely to you.
Plan Your Trip
.svg){kind=icon}
