Come in May and the cafés drag their chairs onto the pavement; come in December and the same streets glow with lights strung between old facades. Autumn turns the forests copper and brings early evenings, so each season gives a trip a different job.
The climate is temperate, between oceanic and continental, with warm summers, moderately cold winters and colder mountains in the south. Pack layers in any month. A Local Friend turns a list of places into a day that makes sense, swapping a long walk for a warm room when it freezes.
