Off-Peak, On Budget

Contemplating an annual vacation but dreading the crowds of tourists packing every airport, piazza and esplanade? Then take heart, for there is an alternative to overbooked hotels and long amusement-park queues. It's called low season. The weatherman may not be able to promise perfection, but low season is the time of year when the crowds are thin, the experience is purely local and the price is right. Forget Paris in the springtime, and check out these off-peak havens instead.

Style Watch: Rattan Revolution Diversions: All Talk Food: Season to Taste Outdoors: Comfy Camping

ST. PETERSBURG: Russia's cultural capital is arguably at its most romantic in the fall months of September and October,...