In the early evening, the last ferry departs, signaling the changing of the guard: the day trippers leave, and the overnight guests begin to emerge from their self-imposed isolation. For one night, at least, they reclaim Capri.
Come at night, residents say, and you’ll see an entirely different island: more people wearing dresses and letting their hair down, and the atmosphere is more chic and relaxed.
The busy season for travelling to Europe is upon us again, but for the usual suspects, it brings with it the usual headaches: scorching heat and hordes of tourists. If you’re heading to some of the continent’s most popular destinations, such as Italy, France, Greece or Spain, you’re bound to feel the heat and the discomfort during your trip. But by varying your daily schedule, you can avoid some of the discomfort and jet lag at the same time.
No, not sooner. Much later.
Here’s how to enjoy staying up late in Europe.
Ioannis Giannakakis, CEO and co-founder of Athens Walking Tours, said temperatures start to soar when the Acropolis is at its busiest between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. Since the Greek archaeological treasure is open from sunrise to sunset, he recommends visiting before that peak time or near closing time when the heat starts to subside.
The best way to spend a scorching afternoon is to “do nothing,” Giannakakis says. “Have a drink, sit by the pool, or take a nap.” That way, you’ll avoid the hottest times of the day and the crowds, and be ready for your evening activities.
Avoiding Cruise Ship Crowds
In a city overrun by cruise ship passengers, the influx has a predictable rhythm: Cruise passengers typically disembark in the morning, explore all day, and must return by evening. If you time your sightseeing around this influx, “you’ll avoid more crowds,” says Ivan Vukovic, a longtime Dubrovnik tour guide.
The same goes for places that attract day-trippers who then catch a ferry back, such as Italian islands like Capri, Ischia and Ponza, said Simone Amorico, CEO of private tour operator Access Italia.
At the end of the day, sightseeing…
Popular tourist spots tend to quiet down as closing time approaches and the average tourist starts thinking about happy hour and dinner plans, “which is why I always recommend visiting the main sites in the afternoon,” says Sandra Weinacht, co-owner of tour company Inside Travel Experiences.
There’s a caveat to this tip: the closer it is to closing time, the less time you’ll have to enjoy the place. Alternatively, you might want to look for places that are open late.
Paris’ most popular museum, the Louvre, doesn’t close until 9pm on Wednesdays and Fridays, and offers tours on Fridays at 6pm and 7pm. The Yves Saint Laurent Museum is open until 9pm on Thursdays. In Rome, tour guide and author Katie Parra says the Colosseum and Roman Forum are both stunning from the outside at night, with the latter open until 7:15pm.
…or visit the site outside business hours
Private guides and tour companies can open the doors outside opening hours for a fee.
Nighttime tours of the Colosseum can be more expensive than daytime options, costing around $100 per person, while a private tour of the Louvre requires a “donation” of at least 30,000 euros. Weijnacht and Access Italia can arrange private tours for high-end clients to sites that get crowded at peak times, such as the Vatican Museums. VIP tours of the Acropolis are available after 8 p.m., but they cost around 5,000 euros for groups of up to five people, Giannakakis said.
Explore unique evening experiences
Many popular tourist destinations offer special evening programs during the summer that can make an evening visit even more appealing if you don’t take a traditional tour.
The Palace of Versailles hosts a nighttime fountain show with fireworks every Saturday until late at night, and on several other special occasions. In Rome, Parla recommends taking in an opera at the Baths of Caracalla, the city’s second-largest Roman public baths, built in the 200s AD.
Americans and Europeans have different preferences for dinner, so embrace the European spirit and eat later.
In Paris, “if you’re willing to dine at 9 or 9:30, you’re more likely to get a good reservation and 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, so he recommends booking a table for at least that time, or at the latest, and then enjoying Croatian nightlife, where bars stay open until 2 a.m. and nightclubs stay open until 5 a.m.
Giannakakis said that in Greece, whether in a bustling city or a quaint island, locals wait until at least the sun has set for the more comfortable outdoor dining experience, and it’s not uncommon for kitchens to stay open late into the night to accommodate that schedule.
Amorico says Italians like to eat around 9 p.m. Many restaurants have their last seating at around 9 or 9:30 p.m. If you want to sit with the locals after 10 p.m., stick to wine bars and gastropubs. Pizzerias also stay open until 11 p.m. or even midnight.
Know when staying out late at night can make you less effective
Staying up late isn’t a surefire way to avoid crowds. In destinations with less cruise ship traffic and more hotel guests and nocturnal locals, you can find bustling scenes well into the night. Amorico says he tends to stick to early morning strolls in Rome. Churches open at 8 a.m., so if you go to church you’ll likely find no one there, he says.
Weinacht adds that another way to avoid cruise ship traffic is to stick to local neighborhoods rather than tourist areas. In Rome, for example, Prati is much quieter than the neighboring Vatican district. In Barcelona, staying in the Eixample neighborhood will offer a quieter experience than Las Ramblas, day or night.