Whatever the weather
Country Life UK|November 01, 2023
Sometimes, it's best to forget all about the warm embrace of a winter-sun holiday, argues Emma Love, and cuddle up in the cold, at home and abroad
Emma Love
Whatever the weather

THINK of dream holiday destinations for the next few months and it's likely that far-flung tropical islands for a blast of sunshine or tried-and-trusted ski resorts spring to mind. But there's another sweet spot: places that are as joyful to visit in winter as they are in summer, in spite of the weather.

Cities that are sweltering and over-crowded in high season suddenly become less frenetic, cheaper to reach (apart from at Christmas) and, if you wrap up warm, far more pleasant to explore. Hard-to-snag table bookings at the hottest restaurants are more likely to be available, there are minimal queues for blockbuster attractions and hotel rates drop.

In the countryside, a blanket of snow or sugar-coating of frost makes everywhere appear instantly more magical-whether you're into high-adrenaline winter sports, back-to-Nature hikes or admiring the whiteout views from a cosy fireside armchair in your hotel. Here's our pick of where to travel to this winter for an off-the-beaten-track break.

Venice, Italy

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