September or April?

[ikesyd]

Looking at 2015 river cruises in France or Rhine/Moselle. Don't want to travel in June/July and instead looking at either April/May or September/October(leaning more towards this time of year).Would like some feedback if you have travelled at either of these times as to weather(I know this is unpredictable) how busy the towns are & if you double docked with other boats, how many other boats were at the same towns? Any other tips or info would be great. We will be doing the trip as part of a trip through other parts of Europe.

[cbb]

We travel to Europe in April-May and/or September. For the trip you're taking I recommend Sept.

 

We took the trip you're taking in Sept and the crowds were gone and the locals had returned from their holiday so they were happy and most of the stores had sales!

 

The weather was great! Sometimes we've had quite cool days in April in Europe (except Greece, which was fabulous) and while the song may extol the beauty of April in Paris we usually find rain!

 

We thought Giverny was beautiful in September; if you go too early in the season, the gardens may not be in bloom.

 

With the number of river boats now cruising, you are probably going to have "rafting" regardless of when you go.

 

It is a lovely itinerary; you're going to have a great time!

[pacmom]

Personally, we like the fall better. In April, there are lock closures for maintenance and the possibility of higher water due to snow melt. The lock closures are in Germany.. Be careful river cruising can become addictive. Pat

[H2Otstr]

I also vote for Fall. The vineyards are all full of grapes, the weather is usually very nice. April/May can still be quite cool. You can still use the sundeck in the fall.

[ikesyd]

Thanks for the info looks like we will plan for September and probably France. Yes it is addictive we loved our Christmas/New Year trip! Looking forward to our Mekong river trip later this year (had to postpone last year due to broken leg on trip before cruise!).

[4774Papa]

We did the AMA Rhone River cruise in May. The weather was great. It was breezy.