What to do on a rainy day on holiday: ideas for any trip

You wake up, open the curtains and see grey. The beach day is off, the viewpoint is in cloud, and the group is looking at you. A rainy day is one of the few things on a trip you cannot plan around, which is exactly why you should plan for it.

The good news is that rain is rarely as bad as it looks at 8 a.m. Here is how to make a wet day one of the ones you remember.

Decide fast, not slowly

The worst way to handle a wet day is to wait for it to stop. You lose the morning, the group gets restless and every plan feels worse by noon. Give the weather an hour at most, then pick something and go.

Check a short-range forecast, and look at the pattern rather than the symbol. Rain that falls steadily all day needs a plan. Showers that pass in forty minutes can be waited out in a café.

Keep a list of backups before you go

The best rainy-day plan is one you made when the sun was out. As you build your itinerary, collect a few indoor ideas for each place and keep them in a list, separate from the days. When the weather turns, you swap one in.

For the days that matter most, such as the one outdoor day you booked a boat for, think about what you would do if you could not go. Check the cancellation terms before you book, and ask whether a rain date is possible.

Museums, galleries and big indoor places

Almost every city has them, and a wet day is the best time to go. Choose one big thing rather than three small ones.

• A major museum. Go for two or three hours, not six. Pick a few rooms before you walk in, and leave when your feet say so.
• A gallery with a café. Nobody minds if you take a break.
• A covered market or food hall. Eat your way round and buy what you can carry.
• A library, a cathedral or a historic building. Often free or cheap and beautiful in a different kind of light.
• A theatre, a concert or a cinema. Look at what is on that night, in the local language or not.

If you have children, science museums, aquariums and anything hands-on are reliable.

Eat and drink slowly

A long lunch is a perfectly good plan. Pick somewhere with a window and make it the main event.

• Try the local specialty you have been saving.
• Take a cooking class or a food tour that is mostly indoors.
• Visit a bakery, a chocolatier, a tea house or a coffee roaster.
• Do a tasting, such as wine, beer or sake, where it is local.

Many places have a tradition built for exactly this weather. In Portugal, for example, a long lunch and a pastry with a strong coffee is a sensible way to spend the afternoon.

Go out anyway

Light rain is not the end of an outdoor day. With the right clothes, some places are better wet: quiet streets, empty viewpoints, a misty harbour, a forest after rain.

• A proper waterproof jacket and shoes that handle wet pavements matter more than an umbrella, which is awkward in wind and crowds.
• Pack a thin, dry layer in a bag, plus a spare pair of socks.
• Put your phone and documents in a waterproof pouch or plastic bag.
• Stay away from slippery stone, cobbles and exposed paths.

Photographs in rain have their own look: reflections, colour and fewer people.

Take a slow day on purpose

Not every day has to be a sightseeing day. A rainy day is a good chance for what you do not usually have time for.

• Wash clothes, repack and plan the next leg
• Read, write postcards or update a journal; our article on how to keep a travel journal has ideas
• Sort your photos
• Take a nap, a hot bath or a long shower
• Play cards or a board game with the group

Build one slack day into any longer trip. If it never rains, you have a free day; if it does, you do not feel behind.

Warm up and dry out

After a wet outing, a few small things help the mood:

• Hang wet clothes properly, in the bathroom or on a radiator if you have one, and stuff shoes with newspaper or spare paper.
• Have a hot drink. The ritual matters more than the drink.
• Change into dry socks as soon as you get in.

If you are staying somewhere with a kitchen or a common room, a wet evening in can be a good one.

Keep a group happy

A group of people stuck indoors can turn on each other. A few things help.

• Agree on a plan together, not by default. Pick two options and let everyone vote.
• Split up for a couple of hours if needed. Not everyone needs to see the same museum.
• Keep a shared list of ideas that people add to, so nobody has to be the one with the answer.
• Set a meeting time and place so everyone can go their own way and regroup.

Our guide to planning a trip together explains how to keep one plan everyone can see, which comes into its own when the plan changes.

Pack for it

Always bring a little rain kit, even in a sunny season: a light waterproof jacket, a pouch for your phone, a quick-drying towel and a spare pair of socks. In cold places, add a warm layer. Our packing list that knows where you are going shows how to build a list around the weather you will get.

When it rains all week

Sometimes it just does. If the forecast is poor for most of your stay, consider what you can change.

1. Move outdoor plans to the best day, and indoor ones to the worst.
2. Add a rest day or a train to somewhere with different weather.
3. Check refund and change terms for any bookings you cannot use.
4. Aim for the moment between showers.

A trip is made of more than its good weather. Keep a few ideas ready, say yes to the first good one, and a wet day becomes the one people mention first when you talk about the trip later.