In the early evening, the last ferry leaves, signaling the changing of the guard. The day-trippers have left and the night’s guests are beginning to emerge from their voluntary isolation. They are taking possession of Capri again, at least for the night.
If you come in the evening, you’ll see a completely different island, locals say. A more chic and relaxed island, with more dresses and loose hair.
It’s European travel season in full swing once again, and regulars are dealing with the same headaches as usual: sweltering heat and hordes of tourists. If you’re heading to the continent’s most popular regions (Italy, France, Greece, Spain), you’re bound to end up feeling hot and cramped for part of your trip. But you can avoid some of that discomfort and jet lag by adjusting your daily schedule.
No, not sooner. Much later.
Here’s how to embrace being a night owl in Europe.
Temperatures start to climb quickly during peak hours at the Acropolis, from 9 a.m. to noon, says Ioannis Giannakakis, CEO and co-founder of Athens Walking Tours. Since the Greek treasure is open between sunrise and sunset, he recommends going before that peak time, or closer to closing time, when the heat starts to drop.
To kill the afternoon heat, “do nothing,” Giannakakis advises. “Have a few drinks, sit by the pool, take a nap.” That way, you’ll avoid the hottest part of the day, as well as a lot of the crowds, and get ready for your evening activities.
Avoid the Cruise Ship Crowds
In cities that are overrun with cruise ship crowds, the pace of the influx is predictable. Typically, cruise passengers disembark in the morning, explore all day, and then have to return to the ship by early evening. If you plan your tours around this exodus, “you’ll avoid more people,” says Ivan Vukovic, a longtime tour guide in Dubrovnik.
The same goes for destinations that attract day tourists who have to take a ferry to reach their home base. You’ll see this phenomenon on Italian islands like Capri, Ischia and Ponza, said Simone Amorico, CEO of private tour operator Access Italy.
Sightseeing tour at the end of the day…
As the stores close and tourists start thinking about happy hour or dinner plans, the most popular tourist attractions are scarce. “That’s why I always recommend visiting the main tourist attractions in the afternoon,” says Sandra Weinacht, co-owner of the travel agency Inside Travel Experiences.
There are caveats to this advice. If you go close to closing time, you’ll have less time to enjoy a place. You can also look for places that stay open late.
Paris’ most popular museum, the Louvre, doesn’t close until 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, and offers guided tours on Fridays at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. The Yves Saint Laurent Museum stays open until 9 p.m. on Thursdays. In Rome, tour guide and author Katie Parla says the Colosseum and Roman Forum are both stunning to admire at night from the outside; the latter is open until 7:15 p.m.
…or visit sites outside opening hours
Private guides and organized tours may also open outside of opening hours for a fee.
There are night tours of the Colosseum that can be more expensive than daytime tours, around $100 per person. However, to privatize the Louvre, you have to make a “donation” of at least 30,000 euros. Weinacht and Access Italy can arrange private tours for high-end clients at popular locations like the Vatican Museums. According to Giannakakis, it is possible to take a VIP tour of the Acropolis after 8 p.m., but it will cost you around 5,000 euros for a group of up to five people.
Look for unique nighttime experiences
Many popular tourist destinations offer special evening programs during the summer that can make a nighttime visit more appealing, even if you don’t opt for a traditional tour.
At the Palace of Versailles, nightly fountain and fireworks shows run every Saturday until almost midnight, as well as a few other special dates. In Rome, Parla recommends catching an opera performance at the Baths of Caracalla, the site of the city’s second-largest Roman public baths, dating back to 200 AD.
Americans and Europeans have different dining preferences. Adopt the European ethic and eat late.
In Paris, “if you’re ready to eat at 9 or 9:30 p.m., it’s easier to get a good reservation and you’ll be surrounded by locals,” says Meg Zimbeck, who runs the food tour company and review site Paris by Mouth.
Croatians “don’t eat before 9 p.m.,” Vukovic says. He recommends booking a table at least then, if not later, and then enjoying the country’s nightlife, with bars open until 2 a.m. and discos until 5 a.m.
In Greece, whether you’re in a bustling city or on a picturesque island, locals wait until at least sunset to dine al fresco. To accommodate this schedule, it’s not uncommon for kitchens to stay open until midnight.
Italians prefer to eat around 9 p.m., Amorico said, and many restaurants offer last service around 9 or 9:30 p.m. If you want to sit after 10 p.m. with a local crowd, stick to wine bars and gastropubs. Pizzerias also serve until 11 p.m. or midnight.
Know when staying out late is less effective
Staying up late isn’t a surefire way to avoid crowds. In destinations with fewer cruise passengers, more overnight guests and locals who enjoy the night, you can still encounter a lively scene well into the night. Amorico said that’s true of Rome, where he prefers to stick to early morning exploring. If you visit churches when they open at 8 a.m., you’ll find them empty, he said.
Weinacht added that another way to avoid cruise traffic is to stay in local neighborhoods rather than tourist areas. In Rome, for example, the Prati is much quieter than the nearby Vatican district. In Barcelona, staying in the Eixample district will be a quieter experience than the Ramblas, no matter the time of day.
