Where To Go In February
If it feels like winter has gone on forever, perhaps it’s time to take a break from the harsh British climate and explore further afield. Chilly conditions remain across northern Europe, but you can escape it – maybe with blue skies too – in southern Europe. Or invest more travel time, and the world opens up, as summer takes full effect in far-flung locations.
Where should your next holiday be? Here’s some of our top picks to help ignite your imagination.
Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India
India’s top tourist offerings are found within the Golden Triangle – the as-the-crow-flies line that connects the capital of Delhi, the Taj Mahal and the ‘pink city’ of Jaipur. So it’s convenient that India’s best tiger-spotting opportunities lie a detour away from the Taj Mahal and Jaipur, at the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve.
Covering 151 square miles, it attracts wildlife lovers from all over the globe as it’s teeming with the rare Bengal Tiger, which hunts during the day, making them a likely find on the safaris, which take place at dawn or sunset. These safaris might also uncover leopards, wild boars, deer, gazelles, cobras, vipers and tortoises. Now protected, the park was once a royal hunting ground for the Maharajas from Jaipur, so keep an eye out for the 10th century fort too.
Cote d’Azur, France
Arguably Côte d’Azur was the original European winter destination: it’s where Queen Victoria and other British nobility trotted off on holiday in the coldest of months, making it the fashionable destination it still is today.
With temps only just in double digits, you’ll still need to wrap up warm, but bring your sunglasses too. As it’s off-season, you’ll appreciate that the crowds are smaller, so you’ve more space to amble down Promenade des Anglais in Nice, and you’re more likely to get a table at hotspots like the Eden Roc Grill or Louis XV, Alain Ducasse’s restaurant that boasts three Michelin stars.
As the spiritual home of the big impressionists, make time to see some art: Musée Picasso in Antibes, Musée Matisse and Musée Marc Chagall, both in Nice, are a feast for the eyes.
Chiayi County, Taiwan
This year, the lunar new year takes place on 17th February, bringing in the Year of the Horse. How better to welcome it than watching hundreds of lanterns take to the sky in Asia? Taiwan Lantern Festival is one of the main festivals in the continent, taking place in Chiayi County. This year, its theme is its ancient forest of Alishan.
Festival organisers have taken steps to ensure the environmental impact of this longstanding tradition is minimised: it offers incentives to return lantern papers and frames, bolsters the spectacle of lanterns with light projections and music, and it uses LED lighting too. You can also buy bags and items made out of recycled lanterns – what a keepsake that is!
Budapest, Hungary
If staying in Europe in the depths of winter, it helps for the destination to have warm outdoorsy activities, and lots of indoor pursuits too. Budapest has both those things in abundance. It’s hugely famous for its thermal baths – there are 100 in the capital alone, which use the natural heat and mineral-rich waters to create a relaxing (and toasty!) way to spend a day.
When the night falls and you’re looking for something else to do, the city’s ruin bars are an experience. These are hidden in plain sight across the city, and the most famous is Szimpla Kert, a rough and ready bar in the centre of the city that also hosts a slew of events: wander in any time, and you might find a concerts, party, club, exhibition or, on Sundays, a farmers’ market.
With all that going on in addition to the big ticket attractions like Buda Castle and a cruise along the Danube, it’s a capital that’s certainly worthy of a winter visit.
Yosemite National Park, California, USA
A kaleidoscope of colours, Yosemite National Park is a bucket list destination at any time of the year. But in February, it truly becomes magical. That’s when the phenomenon of the Yosemite Firefall happens.
This occurs for only a couple of weeks each year, when the sun is positioned so that it hits the Horsetail Waterfall at the correct angle at sunset. The red-orange light against the darkening, mountainous background makes it look like the waterfall is made of fire – hence the name ‘firefall’.
The park is a four-hour drive from San Francisco, making it one of the most accessible national parks in the States. It’s such a popular event that all the park’s advance tickets sell out instantly. However they release a new tranche two days in advance, so it’s still not too late to see this incredible sight.
If you’re heading away this February make sure to pack a Switched On Travel Insurance policy. It’s feature packed cover is available to buy online or over the phone. Policies provide a 24/7 emergency helpline and gadgets are covered automatically. Find out more by visiting the Switched On travel pages.