5 Cities for Atmospheric City Break in Autumn and Winter

In this article, I will tell you about cities that are great destinations for a city break in autumn and winter.

And this time I do not mean sunny and warmer places that we gladly escape to, even for a moment.

Here you will read about 5 European cities that don’t have the best weather, but are just as great to visit during this cold and grey period, or maybe even more interesting, than during the typical tourist season.

For various reasons. It is not mainly about monuments and places to visit, obviously buildings and museums are available for visiting at any time of the year. It is more about the atmosphere.

The choice of cities is not accidental, I visited all of them during autumn and winter, and it was delighting.

And all of them are quite easily accessible outside the tourist season, even for a short trip.

Cities for an atmospheric city break in autumn and winter: Stockholm

Did you expect to see a Scandinavian city here? Although sunny days in Stockholm of course also happen in winter, the city seems rather grey, foggy, a bit like from Scandinavian crime novels. Quite an interesting atmosphere to explore.

Add to it warm colours of the omnipresent candles and lights, which come mainly from pubs, and cafes. It gives super cosy feeling.

There are plenty of cafes in Stockholm, and I got the impression that they are always full. This is because of the widely used custom of ‘fika’, which, to put it simply, can be explained as a calm coffee break with loved ones or colleagues from work.

Cafes invite you with large windows and warm light, as well as the smell of cinnamon and cardamom buns. Just right for the cold weather.

When visiting Stockholm, be sure to include visiting cafes for fika in your daily plan.

Cinnamon and cardamom buns are traditional pastries. If you are in Sweden in winter, around carnival time, it is also worth trying semla, a bun with a sweet cardamom filling.

Lunch

Speaking of food. Stockholm has many options for buffet lunches. It’s often a “pay once and eat as much as you want” type, with water and coffee. It’s pretty good value for money.

But a good warm lunch is a big help when you’re out in the cold all day.

Metro

One of the biggest attractions in Stockholm is the metro, sometimes called “the longest art gallery in the world”. The metro stations look amazing and are a must-see. The most famous stations are: Kungsträdgården, T-Centralen and Radhuset. But there are more stations with art, and you can read about them here.

An interesting attraction and accessible even in bad weather!

During the Christmas period, Stockholm is beautifully decorated, there is also a Christmas market, but it was rather smaller and not very spectacular.

Cities for an atmospheric city break in autumn and winter: Budapest

Let’s the region and move to Budapest. Another year-round city, but in my opinion, it is really worth visiting at least once in the colder months.

There are probably more reasons, but I found 5 of them:

• Cafes, including historic ones
• Warming Hungarian cuisine
• Thermal baths
• Fairytale architecture
• and an increasingly popular reason, namely the very famous Christmas market with light shows.

I have already written a separate post about the details of each of the listed points, which I kindly invite you to read. There you will find information about which cafes are worth visiting, what to eat, what fairytale sights to see and what these baths are all about:

Budapest in autumn and winter: 5 reasons why it is worth visiting

Atmospheric city-break during autumn and winter: Zagreb

Zagreb is and quite close to Budapest, around 6 hours by train (you can even combine visiting both in one trip).

Croatia is not usually associated with a winter destination. And Zagreb is quite often skipped on the way to the Adriatic coast. But out of season Croatia is just as beautiful, less crowded and the prices are also more friendly.

Zagreb is also not quite the Croatia that most people think of. In Zagreb, both the architecture and the atmosphere are more reminiscent of other capitals in the region (a bit of Vienna, a bit of Budapest) than the Mediterranean climate. Although with a Croatian twist.

On the one hand, it is a European capital, on the other hand, a fairly friendly city, where most of the most important attractions can be seen by walking.

I have visited Zagreb many times, including twice around Christmas. Many years ago, I spent December on a scholarship in Zagreb. At that time, the biggest attraction in Zagreb in December did not exist, i.e.:

Advent in Zagreb

Because currently there is one thing that Zagreb stands out, and it is the December Advent in Zagreb.

It is a Christmas market, but different from usual. It is not one big market, but many smaller events scattered around the city. Each in a slightly different style and form. More traditional ones, and more modern ones, with DJs and food trucks.

There is also a great ice rink.

It is really interesting and you can have a great time.

Additionally, Zagreb is not such a well-known city for a city break (although it is becoming more and more popular), we can expect much smaller crowds than in more famous ‘market’ cities. So it’s really many advantages of visiting Zagreb during winter!

I will write more about markets in Zagreb soon in the next post.

Edinburgh

We change the region and move north again. To the capital of beautiful and mysterious Scotland. In my humble opinion, Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful European capitals.

There is something amazing and magical about it. And this is what makes Edinburgh look wonderful in autumn and winter. It is one of the few cities to which rain and fog only add charm. This is mainly because of the architecture and the castle. A bit of a Harry Potter atmosphere, which many people love.

Edinburgh also has cosy cafes and pubs where you can warm up.

And cosy bookshops and second-hand bookshops, of which there are many in the city, e.g.: Armchair Books, Tills or Golden Hare.

In the second half of November, the Christmas market starts in Edinburgh. The market is one of the prettiest I have seen and is in a spectacular place, in Princes Street Gardens with a view of the castle.

Edinburgh is also a great destination for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day due to the traditional, boisterous celebrations called Hogmanay.

City-break in winter: London

You can like London or not, but we have to admit one thing: there is always a lot going on there. You can’t get bored in London, regardless of the season. London couldn’t be missing from this list.

London parks look beautiful in autumn colours. There are many indoor attractions, galleries, exhibitions, museums in the city, including free ones, so even during heavy rains you will have something to do.

Additionally, sporting events, especially football matches or performances in the West End.

The end of November and December are also a special time in London, when there are beautiful decorations, lights, fairs, ice rinks, etc. You can read more about winter and Christmas attractions in London in this article.

Summary

These are not all the cities worth visiting in autumn and winter. Others that immediately come to mind include Copenhagen, Bratislava, Prague, and Tallinn.

All the cities described are of course also worth visiting in spring and summer, because they have a completely different atmosphere then.

This post is subjective, and some of the reasons I write about may seem even funny.

But travelling is not just about checking off more monuments from your list, and also (or maybe above all) about absorbing the atmosphere of a given place.

I hope I managed to show you what you can expect in these cities and convince you that autumn and winter are also a good time to travel around Europe, and not necessarily only to the sun.

Interested in European Christmas Markets? Check out this blog post, where you can find descriptions and 2024 dates of markets in many cities.