Temps and tourists June and July

[NCteacherlovescruising]

It looks like the average high temps in Rome and Naples are very similar from mid-late June and mid July. What about crowds. Would there be much difference between visiting June 24-July 1 and July 12-19?

[marazul]

No difference in crowds.  

[CruiserBruce]

You are talking a 2 week difference...not really any significant difference in either. Maybe a little warmer,  but still warm. You might be over thinking this a bit.

 

The last few (like 10) summers have been record setting warmth in June and July. We saw temps near 100 in Italy in early June 2017, central Europe broke all kinds of records last July. We are in AMS right now, heading to Paris today, last week was pretty warm by their standards here. 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

8 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

You are talking a 2 week difference...not really any significant difference in either. Maybe a little warmer,  but still warm. You might be over thinking this a bit.

 

The last few (like 10) summers have been record setting warmth in June and July. We saw temps near 100 in Italy in early June 2017, central Europe broke all kinds of records last July. We are in AMS right now, heading to Paris today, last week was pretty warm by their standards here. 

I’m sure I am overthinking it. It a trait I just can’t seem to shake. Sigh. We live in Charlotte, so we are used to hot summers. 🥵 

 

Hope you enjoyed Paris!

 

[Langoustine]

Crowds? Both June and July will be equally unpleasant.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

On FB, the Europeans are saying July and August will be worse and y’all are saying it won’t be. I’m so confused!  Lol

[CruiserBruce]

22 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

On FB, the Europeans are saying July and August will be worse and y’all are saying it won’t be. I’m so confused!  Lol

Worse than what? June? Could be...maybe. Can you predict WITH ACCURACY what the weather will be in NC in July or August? What the stock market will do? It will be very warm to hot in June, July and August in the Med.  It will be crowded. If it's 20% more crowded in July and August as opposed to June...you won't know...you have never been there before.  I am in Paris right now. It's crowded,  warmer, and we had strong thunderstorms last night and tonight. But we are enjoying every minute of it. It is what it is, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

3 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Worse than what? June? Could be...maybe. Can you predict WITH ACCURACY what the weather will be in NC in July or August? What the stock market will do? It will be very warm to hot in June, July and August in the Med.  It will be crowded. I am in Paris right now. It's crowded,  warmer, and we had strong thunderstorms last night and tonight. It is what it is, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. 

No, the crowds. Oh, and btw, a rainy day in Paris is better than any day at home!

Edited June 18, 2023 by NCteacherlovescruising

[CruiserBruce]

Just now, NCteacherlovescruising said:

No, the crowds. 

I edited my comments...please read again. As mentioned before,  you are over analyzing this. You are going to enjoy the heck out of this.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

1 minute ago, CruiserBruce said:

I edited my comments...please read again. As mentioned before,  you are over analyzing this. You are going to enjoy the heck out of this.

I’m sure we will. I mean, we can’t go wrong going to Europe!  I can’t help it, I over analyze everything and it takes me forever to make a decision about everything…from what color to get on my nails, to planning a cruise, buying a house. Everything. It’s sucks to live in my brain. 😝 

[CruiserBruce]

Another thought. We did the Med for our 20th anniversary.  Our first Med, and European cruise. Absolutely loved it. In August, 20 days. Waiting for the schedules to settle for 2025, our 40th,  and our 5th European cruise. Likely going to be later July into August.  Hopefully going to include Isreal and Egypt.  Already counting the days...

 

Please go and enjoy. Don't sweat the little things, especially the things you don't have any control over.

[marazul]

The only thing you need to know is to pack as for a Charlotte summer.  

Going into churches in Italy and Greece requires you to cover your shoulders and knees.  That means short or cap sleeves are ok and one inch below the knees is ok too. 

 

And chill! It will be wonderful. 

I take it you booked the Greek cruise.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

36 minutes ago, marazul said:

The only thing you need to know is to pack as for a Charlotte summer.  

Going into churches in Italy and Greece requires you to cover your shoulders and knees.  That means short or cap sleeves are ok and one inch below the knees is ok too. 

 

And chill! It will be wonderful. 

I take it you booked the Greek cruise.

Yes, the weather appears to be the same as here. Hot or hotter!  Lol I am aware of the dress code for churches. 
 

I take chill pills but I guess they aren’t quite strong enough for things like this. Lol

 

We have not booked anything new. Still discussing. I found another option dh is more open to and that’s two MSC cruises round trip of Rome with 3 days in between. One on the Seaview and the other on the Divina. Financially it makes more sense because of flights.  It also gives us all the major places we want to see.  No this or that, we get it all. Plus it would give us time to go to Florence, Rome and possibly Venice which were at the top of our list. Plus Santorini and Malta. 

47 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Another thought. We did the Med for our 20th anniversary.  Our first Med, and European cruise. Absolutely loved it. In August, 20 days. Waiting for the schedules to settle for 2025, our 40th,  and our 5th European cruise. Likely going to be later July into August.  Hopefully going to include Isreal and Egypt.  Already counting the days...

 

Please go and enjoy. Don't sweat the little things, especially the things you don't have any control over.

Sounds amazing!  I don’t know if we’ll ever get back to Europe. Too many other places we want to see. 

Edited June 18, 2023 by NCteacherlovescruising

[marazul]

8 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

Financially it makes more sense because of flights.  

 Make sure you price a "multi-city" flight, such as CLT-FCO going out and ATH-CLT coming back.  It will be about the same price as a round-trip CLT-FCO-CLT. The only flight you would have to add is one-way FCO-ATH or NAP-ATH on Aegean.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

5 minutes ago, marazul said:

 Make sure you price a "multi-city" flight, such as CLT-FCO going out and ATH-CLT coming back.  It will be about the same price as a round-trip CLT-FCO-CLT. The only flight you would have to add is one-way FCO-ATH or NAP-ATH on Aegean.

When I checked earlier today, the multi city flights were quite a bit more than round trip. Also had to deal with a layover in London, where they could potentially lose our luggage and I have to get on another flight. I’m terrified of heights and flying. Round trip Rome is nonstop. One and done would be so much easier for me and hopefully my doctor will give me something that will knock my wimpy butt out!  She usually gives me Ativan for domestic flights. We were looking at flying into Athens and out of Rome to avoid the flight from Rome to Athens. We also like the convenience of it if them both being out of Rome.

[ollienbertsmum]

14 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

I’m sure we will. I mean, we can’t go wrong going to Europe!  I can’t help it, I over analyze everything and it takes me forever to make a decision about everything…from what color to get on my nails, to planning a cruise, buying a house. Everything. It’s sucks to live in my brain. 😝 

We live in the Southern Med and we dont have a/c.  However on our first cruise, on a tour of Rome my DH got a horrible heat rash that meant he had to forego Pompeii the next day.    That was July.  Being used to the heat does not even make you immune.  We did go on to have more July cruises though.  Female members of the party  carried umbrellas.  Really helped.  
 

When DH retired from his career in teaching we went in October/November.  I would recommend but know that not everyone can do that.   There were still crowds in October though.  You cannot avoid them, you are one of them 🤷🏻‍♀️

Edited June 19, 2023 by ollienbertsmum
Made it clearer

[Hlitner]

18 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

On FB, the Europeans are saying July and August will be worse and y’all are saying it won’t be. I’m so confused!  Lol

You are overthinking.  In many ways, the weather in southern Italy (including Rome) is similar to what you get in Charlotte.  So once you are in the summer, it can hot (in Rome it can become miserably hot because of the geography of the city).  As to crowds, you are talking about a city with a population of around 3 million, and tourists add to crowds.  Some would say the "tourist season" begins around Holy Week and extends to early October.  Our own experience is that Rome is always crowded with tourists at the more popular sites.  

 

DW and I prefer to travel in Italy during May or October (some would call this the shoulder seasons) but I don't think that makes a lot of difference in major cities like Rome and Florence.

 

Hank

[NCteacherlovescruising]

3 hours ago, ollienbertsmum said:

 

When DH retired from his career in teaching we went in October/November.  I would recommend but know that not everyone can do that.   There were still crowds in October though.  You cannot avoid them, you are one of them 🤷🏻‍♀️

 

One of the things I look forward to most about retirement is being able to travel off season!  
 

13 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

You are overthinking.  In many ways, the weather in southern Italy (including Rome) is similar to what you get in Charlotte.  So once you are in the summer, it can hot (in Rome it can become miserably hot because of the geography of the city).  As to crowds, you are talking about a city with a population of around 3 million, and tourists add to crowds.  Some would say the "tourist season" begins around Holy Week and extends to early October.  Our own experience is that Rome is always crowded with tourists at the more popular sites.  

 

DW and I prefer to travel in Italy during May or October (some would call this the shoulder seasons) but I don't think that makes a lot of difference in major cities like Rome and Florence.

 

Hank

I think it has been established that I overthink/over analyze everything.  🤪  Being a teacher, my travel options are limited to peak seasons. I only have 6 more years and then we can travel whenever we want!  

[Hlitner]

1 minute ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

 

One of the things I look forward to most about retirement is being able to travel off season!  
 

I think it has been established that I overthink/over analyze everything.  🤪  Being a teacher, my travel options are limited to peak seasons. I only have 6 more years and then we can travel whenever we want!  

Been there :).  DW was a teacher which also limited our travel time.  In our younger days, we spent many Julys sweating our way through Europe.

 

Hank

[NCteacherlovescruising]

11 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Been there :).  DW was a teacher which also limited our travel time.  In our younger days, we spent many Julys sweating our way through Europe.

 

Hank

You are very fortunate to have traveled to Europe so much!  I’ve waited for this my whole life!! I know that’s contributing to my indecisiveness. I want it to be as perfect as possible because I don’t know that we will ever go back. While this is my dream vacation, my husband has places he’s always wanted to see too. 

[princeton123211]

23 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

On FB, the Europeans are saying July and August will be worse and y’all are saying it won’t be. I’m so confused!  Lol

I think the disconnect here is that we are not saying it won't be, we are telling you that you shouldn't base your travel decisions on it. A couple weeks will not make any difference with crowd levels or temperature. 

[ollienbertsmum]

It is still June.  It is really hot now in the southern med.  OnTV they were showing Royal Ascot saying that it was baking there.  
 

However rain stopped play at the women’s Ashes.  I think that was a little further north.  
 

Just book your holiday and take an umbrella- you will need it for the sun or rain. 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

3 hours ago, ollienbertsmum said:

It is still June.  It is really hot now in the southern med.  OnTV they were showing Royal Ascot saying that it was baking there.  
 

However rain stopped play at the women’s Ashes.  I think that was a little further north.  
 

Just book your holiday and take an umbrella- you will need it for the sun or rain. 

Yeah, I'm not going to worry about the weather in our decision.  With my job, I have to go in the heat.  

[-Lew-]

On 6/18/2023 at 2:28 PM, CruiserBruce said:

I am in Paris right now.

 

Hey @CruiserBruce...

 

How would you rate your Paris accommodations?  If it's recommendable, I'd love to hear about it for our week in Paris in October 2024.  Thanks...

[CruiserBruce]

36 minutes ago, -Lew- said:

 

Hey @CruiserBruce...

 

How would you rate your Paris accommodations?  If it's recommendable, I'd love to hear about it for our week in Paris in October 2024.  Thanks...

Hilton Paris Opera. 4 star hotel, moderately close to the major sites. Nice hotel, great customer service. Good benefits if you are a Diamond. If not, I would recommend at least buying the buffet breakfast,  maybe a lounge level room. The lobby bar is gorgeous...one of the most amazing locations. You need to have a drink there, although it can get a little loud if crowded.

 

If you can travel by public transit,  train station behind the hotel, several metro lines and bus lines in the area. You absolutely don't want to drive in Paris. 

 

Definitely can recommend,  and happy to answer any other questions you might have.