Livraria Lello & Irmão is one of the busiest tourist attractions in Porto these days, a bookstore (please don’t call it a library!) that typically has queues down the street at both the ticket booth and the front door. As you can see here, nobody’s waiting, and I shot this picture in the middle of the afternoon last Wednesday.
October 26, 2016
Album: Portugal [Autumn 2016]
By contrast, I took the photo below in mid-March around the same time — there are already queues.
Residents of Porto, this is why you ought to get a 'Cartão Amigo' for Livraria Lello. Signed, Allergic to Queues (& Fees)
A photo posted by Gail at Large (@gailatlarge) on Mar 13, 2016 at 3:29pm PDT
I’ve been observing the shoulder seasons, and it strikes me that Porto seems less busy in the last quarter of the year (October-December) overall, compared to the first quarter (January-March). I’ve been trying to come up with some theories why. One is that there are more school breaks in the first quarter versus the fourth, but that’s merely a guess on my part. Of course, if you have school-aged children the options for travel are limited to the summer. But if you’re travelling on a short break without the limitation of school holidays, to me it makes much more sense to travel in the off-season.
I understand people prefer to travel in the summer because the weather is better, but if you are the type of traveller who enjoys indoor activities such as visiting museums, shopping, and dining, then it really doesn’t matter what the weather is like. If you’re a hardcore outdoors traveller, then a drop in heat is probably more appealing and you’d be prepared for and unfazed by less-than-ideal weather. In Portugal we’re talking about rain and wind, the snow only appears at high altitude and it’s minimal.
In January, I wrote about taking a winter trip in Portugal and suggested places to go and things to do. This article was geared towards Canadians taking a trip of 7-10 days. Off-season, it’s possible that rural tourist businesses close for the winter, but in the cities this isn’t a concern.
If your visit is from within Europe for a long weekend or less a week in a city, then the benefits of travelling in Portugal (and just about every other country in Europe) during the off-season stack up even more:
- Cheaper flights. Usually much cheaper!
- Fewer tourists. More space to browse, no queuing, shopkeepers can help everyone.
- Service levels improve. In Portugal, restaurant kitchens are tiny-to-small and businesses tend not to hire extra staff when it’s busy. This really sends service down to pitiful levels during the summer.
- Hotels are cheaper. Rates are significantly lower off-peak, and if you’re lucky you can take advantage of special discounts and offers that include extras, such as spa treatments and massage.
- No need for hotel reservations. You’ll be much more free to make last-minute decisions.
- Cities return to their normal rhythm. The locals return from their holidays (August is typically the month everyone takes off), the schools and universities resume class, the sidewalks are uncrowded, streets aren’t choked by tour buses and extra tourist vehicles. There’s space and time to interact with the locals.
Are there any other benefits I’ve missed? Let me know. I’ve got two more trips in store for 2016, both off-season: Madeira and Lyon. I’ll be testing my own list in new places.
