What is shoulder season & why is it a great time to travel?

You’re probably familiar with at least one travel destination that has a busy “high season” and a deserted “off season.” But have you heard of “shoulder season?"

We look at what it is, why it can be the perfect time for a vacation, and examples of shoulder seasons around the world.

What is shoulder season?

Shoulder season is the time of year at a travel destination when visitation is lower than at the peaks, but conditions are still good for travel. Shoulder season often falls before and after the high season—hence, the period is like “shoulders” on either side of the peak.

For many destinations, shoulder season falls during mid-to-late spring (with the exception of spring break) and early fall when the weather is still warm, but families aren’t yet on summer vacation for school break. When people refer generally to shoulder season, that’s usually what they mean.

The timing of shoulder season can shift depending on the climate and events, though. For example, the high season in New Orleans is usually considered to be February through May, when the weather is cooler and Mardi Gras and other festivals take place. September through January is shoulder season since it offers the same cooler weather without festival crowds. The city’s hot and humid summers round out the calendar as the low season.

Italy’s millennia-old cities have plenty to offer in spring and autumn, outside the traditional Italian peak season:
 

• Rome celebrates its birthday each year on April 21, complete with fireworks, historical re-enactments, and parades. Spring is also when many fine Italian veggies come into peak season. One notable is the distinctive puntarella, a leafy green used to make the classic Roman salad puntarella alla romana with garlic and olive oil.
• Florence has many spring festivals in the nearby countryside, including in the picture-perfect Tuscan towns of Impruneta, Marradi, and Vicchio. In Florence itself, the Night of the Museums occurs in mid-May with free or reduced admission at institutions like the Uffizi and much later closing times. In fall, head back to the Tuscan countryside for traditional harvest festivals.
• Venice’s size is dwarfed by its global popularity: At just 2 square miles, the historic city center’s charming narrow streets fill up very quickly in summer. That makes shoulder season in March-May and September-November an even more attractive proposition. Visitors in November have a higher chance of witnessing the acqua alta, the occasional high tide that floods much of the city.

Australia’s seasons are famously at opposite times to those in the Northern Hemisphere. Its peak travel season falls from December to February—summer in the Southern Hemisphere. This makes Australia one of the few destinations with a shoulder season during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer months as well as spring and fall.

Take advantage of Australian winter to explore Uluru and the rest of the Outback without the sweltering heat, or head to Sydney for the arts and culture of the Bondi Winter Festival. In spring and fall, head to Cairns on the Queensland coast to see the Great Barrier Reef and ancient rainforests. (Be aware that unlike in most of Australia, winter is peak season in Cairns.)

Costa Rica, along with other tropical Central American destinations like Panama and Belize, experiences its sunnier dry season from December to April or May, transitioning into a rainy wet season from June to November. Peak season falls during most of the dry season, but things start thinning out in April as spring break ends.

May and early June are the beginning of wet season, also known as “green season” because the rains bring new life to the lush national parks and waterfalls. The rains begin gradually and aren’t as heavy as they get later in autumn, with sunny mornings and mid-days common, so this can be an ideal time to visit. Depending on the location and species, many sea turtles have their nesting seasons in this period. 

The Iberian Peninsula’s summer heat makes it a natural candidate for shoulder season visitation. That’s especially true of the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, where towns like Seville and Córdova regularly get summer temperatures in the 90s. It’s not just about comfort, either: Shops and restaurants are more likely to close for a mid-day siesta when things are hot.

In spring, see cherry, plum, and apple trees in full bloom in regions like Rioja and Murcia, or enjoy al fresco dining in Lisbon. In autumn, consider a day hike along part of the Camino de Santiago to take in fall foliage, then tour the ornate Alhambra in all its red splendor. 

Greece is another Mediterranean hotspot where peak season summer crowds often coincide with broiling weather, especially as the Greeks themselves often vacation in August. Spring visitors can enjoy Greece’s many islands in more accommodating weather, such as a wildflower hike in the medieval Old Town of Rhodes.

The traditional olive harvest begins in October, and many resorts and guided tours now offer olive-picking as a bookable experience. Visitors can take part in this whole-community effort all across the country, as well as see first-hand how olives are either cured for eating or pressed for oil. 

Spring in Japan brings cherry blossoms, which draw peak season crowds as they bloom in each region, typically mid-March into April. Plum blossoms are equally beautiful—most visitors can’t tell the difference—and they bloom about a month earlier, creating their very own flower-viewing shoulder season.

Japan is a 4-season destination with events and activities in every season and varying climates from north to south. Winter is particularly intriguing with dog-sledding in chilly Hokkaido, snow monkeys at Jigokudani Monkey Park in the Japanese Alps, and piping hot tonkotsu ramen and other street food in Fukuoka.

As a tourist hotspot year-round, Hawai‘i only has peak and shoulder seasons, with no true off season. Those shoulder seasons fall in mid-January through May (except for spring break in March) as well as September and October. May through October is the “dry season” with the most sun, but the Hawaiian “wet season” from November to April is still sunny and warm, with daily highs typically in the 70s and 80s.

Because the weather is so idyllic, Hawaiian shoulder season activities look a lot like peak season activities: Enjoying the beach, surfing, and hiking are all year-round attractions.

RELATED: The best times to visit Hawai‘i for sun, surf, & more

Orlando is the ultimate summer school break destination for families with world-class attractions like Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, and many others. The weather is better earlier in the year, though, as Orlando’s dry season from November to May features less heat and humidity. Visit the theme parks without the crowds, then branch out to the nearby Space Coast with a stop at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, where AAA members save up to 20% on admission.

Alaska’s short spring and fall shoulder seasons have unique sights in store. Gray whales begin migrating past the Alaska coast in April, and if you’re lucky, you might see baby calves making their first trip north with their mothers from their birthing grounds off Baja California.

Fall brings red, orange, and yellow hues to the already beautiful Denali National Park. And unlike the long days of summer, nights during both shoulder seasons are long enough and dark enough to see the aurora borealis. 

Besides avoiding the crowds and heat of summer (many of Utah’s national parks, for example, reach 100 degrees), visiting national parks in the shoulder season is a chance to see a different side of them. Yosemite National Park’s famed waterfalls, for example, are at their most impressive in spring when the Sierra snowmelt is at its peak.

At Yellowstone National Park, spring is wildflower season with marigolds, shooting stars, larkspurs, and more blooming. In fall, the park’s foliage takes on its autumn hues, and the elk rut season begins, with males making their distinctive (and very loud) “bugle” mating calls.