Q: We are a family of four, two adults and two children, aged 10 and 14. We have planned a weeklong vacation in winter to South Europe, two or three countries, one of which may be Greece or Italy. We have a budget of ₹1.5 lakh per person. We are open to spending more on travelling by Eurail and staying at Airbnb options.

Marco Says: 
Your email has left me a bit perplexed. Because I don’t, in fact, see a question that I can answer. I do have to comment on one thing that I noticed though: that you and your family intend to travel in winter. I hope you’re aware that Europe—even relatively warmer southern Europe—does get cold in winter. And, perhaps more to the point, virtually all coastal destinations shut down between November and February. If you don’t intend to travel to one of the Greek islands or Italian coastal destinations and want to hang out mainly in big cities such as Athens or Rome, it may not matter much—hotels, restaurants and shops will still be operational. But any travel off the beaten track is not going to be very rewarding. I suggest you postpone your trip—to the ‘shoulder season’ of April to June, when the tourist hordes won’t yet have arrived and you will probably get good deals on hotels and travel. And do write back when you actually have a question!