Europe without the crowds: Why off-season travel is having a moment

For years, Indians have followed a familiar pattern when planning European holidays. Their travel to Europe is largely concentrated between May and September, with demand peaking during the May-June school-holiday window and continuing through the European summer months of July and August. Most trips happen when the region is warm and sunny. But these months also mark the region’s peak tourist season, making destinations both crowded and expensive.

Travellers are also rethinking their holiday plans, as unrest in the Persian Gulf and subsequent restrictions make travel to this region challenging and connections to North America costlier. Airlines too have shifted their focus, with carriers such as Germany’s Lufthansa adding more flights to Europe. 

In 2019, Europe recorded an estimated 270 million international tourist arrivals during the core July–August period; by summer 2025, that figure exceeded 300 million. Travel is heavily concentrated in a handful of destinations and weeks, and the pressure on infrastructure has intensified dramatically. Cities and islands, including Barcelona, Venice, Santorini, Amsterdam, and parts of coastal Spain are now dealing with soaring summer visitor numbers. 

Travelling outside the busy season can, however, completely change your experience. Between April and June and September and October, with fewer tourists, you stand a better chance to book hotels at cheaper rates and witness shorter queues at ticket counters and popular destinations.

View from the Calvari Staircase in Pollença
| Photo Credit:
Bhavna Satyanarayan

Mallorca unhurried

Mallorca, one of Spain’s Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, is one of the best places to experience this difference. The journey begins in Europe’s big-city hubs: Frankfurt’s steel-and-concrete rhythm, Amsterdam’s endless terminals, the sprawling airports of Paris. Around 2.5-3 hours later, you descend into Palma, flying over sandstone, sunburnt terraces and sea-soaked promenades. I land there in December, when the island is far less crowded than during the summer months, when tourists make a beeline for it.

In Palma de Mallorca, the capital and largest city of the Balearic Islands, we walk into Japo Santa Catalina, a Japanese-fusion restaurant, without a dinner reservation and find a table immediately. Outside, the streets are lively but not crowded. Locals move between cafés and bars, taking their time over drinks. The relaxed, almost village-like pace is a big contrast to the island’s busy summer reputation.

Mallorca has been a top European destination for years. In July last year, over 25 lakh tourists visited, even though only about 9.2 lakh people live there year-round. Each year, the island welcomes around 1.4 crore visitors. During peak season, tourists outnumber locals by more than 14 to one, and the island’s services struggles to keep up. Locals say that in the busiest weeks, visitors spend just seven minutes at cafés and restaurants before moving on.

Church of Santa Eulalia in Palma de Mallorca
| Photo Credit:
Bhavna Satyanarayan

But outside the peak months, Mallorca feels completely different. In central Palma de Mallorca, Can Joan de s’Aigo, which dates back around 1700 (it moved to its current location in 1977, after the old building deteriorated) the historic bakery gives us a glimpse of this slower rhythm. It is famous for ensaimada, the spiral-shaped pastry, dusted with powdered sugar and filled with cream, pumpkin jam or chocolate. Inside the bakery, the mood is unhurried, with locals chatting over coffee rather than tourists rushing through tightly packed itineraries.

Paired with a thick, decadent hot chocolate, the ensaimada makes for an indulgent afternoon break. What lingers most, however, is the relaxed pace of the room. We order a Coca de Patata next, a soft, slightly sweet bun that’s especially popular with coffee or hot chocolate, and Cuarto, an airy sponge cake traditionally eaten dipped into thick chocolate or ice cream, before looking around Palma’s imposing La Seu Cathedral and Palau de l’Almudaina, the old Moorish-turned-royal palace.

Historic wooden tram in Söller
| Photo Credit:
Bhavna Satyanarayan

Beyond Palma

As we travel further into Mallorca, the pace is even slower. A short 45-minute drive Palma takes us to Sóller, 30 kilometres away, a town set between the mountains and the sea. Its famous wooden tram runs from the main square to the harbour, taking half an hour to cover the five-kilometre distance. In summer, lines for the tram often stretch down the street as people wait to board.

Off-season, we can settle into a leisurely journey past citrus groves, flowering plants and sun-warmed stone houses before reaching the harbour. Some beach bars remain closed, but enough cafés and restaurants stay open to give the waterfront a gentle, lived-in atmosphere.

Further North is the town of Pollença, about 60 kilometres from Palma. Its most famous spot is the Calvari staircase, a steep set of 365 stone steps leading up to a small chapel. Every Good Friday, the staircase hosts a free solemn religious procession that attracts big crowds. In summer, tourists climb the steps for sweeping views of the hills. But when we visit, the climb feels peaceful and quiet. The staircase, lined with cypress trees and stone railings, is mostly empty, and the nearby Church of Our Lady of the Angels, with parts dating back to the 13th Century, stands quietly in the afternoon sun.

Waterfront in Palma de Mallorca
| Photo Credit:
Bhavna Satyanarayan

Summer tides

Mallorca is far from unique in this respect. Across Europe, many of the continent’s most famous destinations experience dramatic seasonal swings in visitor numbers, with tourism arriving in waves during summer and receding just as sharply afterwards.

Take Venice, for example. It gets about 2.5 crore visitors each year. On busy summer days, up to 80,000 tourists pack into a city with fewer than 50,000 residents. On Santorini in Greece, cruise ships can bring in 10,000 people in a single day, filling up the island’s narrow streets and viewpoints.

In Barcelona, the La Rambla central thoroughfare frequently becomes what locals describe as a “human traffic jam”, while in Croatia, the walled coastal city of Dubrovnik can fill with cruise passengers within hours of several ships docking at once. Its compact old town, deep harbour, and fame from Game of Thrones make it an easy, high-demand stop on Mediterranean cruise routes.

Mallorca is one of Spain’s Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images

The trade-off

Travelling outside the summer peak inevitably comes with compromises. Some seasonal businesses close for part of the year, particularly beach clubs, nightlife venues and restaurants that depend heavily on summer tourism.

The weather also changes. While Mediterranean destinations remain milder than much of northern Europe, daytime temperatures typically hover between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius, while evenings can dip into single digits. The sea is rarely warm enough for swimming, and shorter daylight hours limit the time available for sightseeing.

But when the crowds leave, they are replaced by something rare in Europe’s top spots: space. Cities begin to feel less like stage sets designed for tourism and more like places where people actually live. The key to enjoying Europe might not be finding hidden, little-known places. More often, it is about picking the right time to visit.