Shoulder season: what you gain, and what you trade

Between the busiest months and the quietest lie the weeks when many places are at their best. What they give, what they lack, and where they work best.

TOLIAI editorial · 2 min read

Photo: Ana-Maria Stancu / Unsplash

Shoulder season means the weeks either side of the busiest period: usually spring and autumn, though every country keeps its own calendar. On the Greek islands it might be May or early October, when the sea is already or still warm and there's a free table on the harbour again. In Japan, it's the time between the cherry-blossom and autumn-leaf crowds. It isn't a compromise; it's often the wisest time to travel – as long as you know what to expect.

What you gain

Space: shorter queues, quieter streets, more time with what you came to see.
Softer light and temperatures made for walking rather than hiding from the heat.
More choice of places to stay, and usually better terms than in peak weeks.
Places living at their own pace: the autumn harvest, markets, festivals that aren't put on for visitors.

What you trade

Weather certainty: spring and autumn are more changeable, so a plan B for a rainy day is worth having.
Some of the sea: in early spring the Mediterranean is often still cool for swimming.
Some services: on islands and in resorts, some tavernas, hotels and ferry sailings reduce or close towards the end of the season.
Shorter autumn days – less light in the evenings, but more reason for early starts.

Where it works best

Italy opens up most widely in spring and autumn: grapes are harvested in Tuscany and Piedmont in autumn, and the coasts – from Amalfi to Liguria – are free of summer traffic, though it's worth avoiding Easter week, when many people travel. In Greece, May, early June, September and early October are usually the best times for walking and swimming on the islands. In Portugal, autumn brings the Douro valley grape harvest and a warm Algarve sea without the crowds, while spring turns the Alentejo fields to flower. In Turkey, spring and autumn suit both Cappadocia and walking the Lycian coast, once the summer heat has eased.

Japan is a little different: cherry blossom and autumn leaves aren't shoulder season there but the peak itself. The quieter time is the weeks before and after – late May, say, or late autumn, when the leaves are falling and the gardens in Kyoto and elsewhere fall quiet again.

Autumn trees over a quiet gravel path in the Okochi Sanso garden, Kyoto, Japan

From Lithuania, shoulder season is often easier too: leave is simpler to take in May or September than in July, and flights through European hubs are less crowded. It's harder for families with school-age children – then it's worth looking at places where your summer falls in their shoulder season, in the Southern Hemisphere for instance.

Tell us when you could get away, and we'll help you find somewhere at its best at that time. First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.