3 in 4 Europeans set to travel this season, seeking quieter spots

Roughly three in four Europeans are planning to pack a bag between October 2026 and March 2027, and many of them are looking beyond the familiar postcards. For households across the continent, the coming months are not about staying home but about trips to see relatives, smaller towns and quieter regions.

That is the picture from the latest Monitoring Sentiment for Intra-European Travel Autumn and Winter 2026/2027 report, based on an online survey of 6,000 respondents from Germany, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Poland and Austria, all of whom had taken at least two overnight trips in the previous three years. According to the findings, 76% of Europeans intend to take an overnight trip this season, a 3% rise on last year. The full coverage is at https://www.euronews.com/2026/11/11/76-of-europeans-are-planning-an-autumn-or-winter-trip-heres-where-they-are-going.

What stands out is when people plan to go and why. Travel intentions peak around Christmas, with 23% of respondents expecting to be away during the festive period. For many, December is about people rather than places: 34% say visiting friends and family is their main motivation for travelling that month, compared with just 10% across other months. After a quiet January, plans pick up again through February and March, when 29% of respondents expect to travel.

Eduardo Santander, Chief Executive Officer of the European Travel Commission, welcomed that late-season lift. “It is particularly encouraging to see an increase in intention during February and March, typically quieter periods of the year, as well as a growing interest in off-the-beaten-track destinations,” he said. “These two trends combined could be leveraged to reduce tourism congestion and create new opportunities for local businesses in established and developing destinations alike.”

That interest in quieter corners is real and measurable. Some 54% of respondents say they are drawn to remote or less-visited spots, with the Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland, Belgium and Austria topping that list. For travellers, a trip might mean a smaller town or a lesser-known region rather than the same crowded capitals. For the guesthouses and restaurants in those places, it could mean new winter custom.

Still, the mood is not carefree. Financial pressures are the leading concern for 37% of would-be travellers, followed by geopolitical instability at 23%. Extreme weather (10%) and overcrowding (9%) also feature. When choosing where to go, safety comes first for 20% of respondents, with Polish travellers (45%) along with British and Spanish travellers (both 43%) the most likely to avoid destinations with direct safety risks. Pleasant weather (15%) and attractive prices (14%, with 11% specifically seeking low-cost destinations) also shape decisions.

Where are people actually going? France, Spain, Italy, Germany and the UK lead the list, and 64% of respondents favour travelling within Europe. Southern Europe and the Mediterranean remain the draw for 53% of those surveyed. Western Europe is quietly gaining ground, attracting positive sentiment from 23% of respondents, a 5% increase on last year, and proving popular for sun and beach trips (25%), culture and heritage (18%) and city breaks (16%).

Country by country, the patterns are telling. French travellers favour Italy (15%) and Spain (11%); Spanish travellers look to France (17%) and Italy (13%); Dutch travellers head for Spain (16%) and Germany (14%); and British travellers name Spain (12%) and France (11%) as their top picks. Among the 4,555 respondents who said they were likely to travel within six months, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Germany emerged as the most popular destinations.

Most people prefer to keep things simple. Single-destination stays remain the format of choice for 60% of travellers, rising to 69% among those seeking sun and beach, 67% for skiing and 66% for city breaks. Even so, 36% plan to visit multiple cities within one country, and 4% intend to cross borders within a single trip.

Leisure is the driving motivation for 71% of respondents, with Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands ranking as the top destinations for such getaways. City breaks account for 19% of plans, culture and heritage 18%, and sun and beach 18%. As for what people most look forward to, natural landscapes lead at 19%, followed by gastronomy (16%) and local culture (15%). City breaks are especially popular in October and November (23%), while culture and heritage trips are favoured from February to March. In both cases, travellers typically budget between €501 and €1,000 (30% and 28% respectively) for a stay of four to six nights (39% and 46%).

People are also committing earlier and travelling more often. Some 38% have already partially or fully booked their next trip’s accommodation or transport, up 5% on last year. Over the next six months, 56% plan two or more trips within Europe, while the share planning just one trip has fallen from 45% in 2025 to 38% in 2026. Stays of four to six nights remain the norm (43%), and longer trips of seven to 12 nights have edged up from 30% to 32%. Budgets are shifting too: trips costing up to €500 have fallen by 3% to 13%, while 27% intend to spend between €501 and €1,000.

Taken together, the research shows a continent that is not staying put. Europeans are planning more trips, booking earlier, venturing further from the well-worn paths, and, above all, using the darker months to see family, soak up culture and, for a growing number, discover places their neighbours have yet to find. Whether those intentions survive a winter of tight budgets and geopolitical worry is the question the spring travel figures will answer.