Best time of year for a European cruise?

[MCLuv2Cruise]

Hi,

 

My husband and I are thinking of booking a Med. cruise in 2008. Does anyone have a suggestion on the best month to go? We were thinking Aug., Sept, or Oct.??

 

Thanks!

Christina

[Sue L]

My favorite time in Europe is end of Sept or Oct, the weather is beautiful with cooler temperatures and less tourists. I have never been on a cruise in Europe though just land trips.

[DrivesLikeMario]

The 'shoulder season' is usually the best because there are fewer crowds and it isn't as hot as the summer months. (Air conditionining in Europe is not like in the US.)

 

May and September are best because it's still warm and the majority of the venues/attractions are still open for the longer summer hours. If you wait until October, you may have more wind, rain and cooler temps, but obviously even less crowds than in May or September.

[mikemary945]

We cruised with Celebrity from Venice to Barcelona in August of 2004, just before the Summer Olympics. We preferred to cruise in May or early June, but had schoolteachers in the group, and had to wait until late June. By then, the next cruise with the itinerary we wanted wasn't until the first part of August. The weather was very hot. Some of our group didn't handle heat well, and were forced to cut back on shore excursions. Athens, Dubrovnik and Santorini were incredibly hot. Temps got a bit better once we started up the coast of Italy, but we still baked at Pompeii. If you're looking at Aug - Oct, I would choose Oct.

 

No matter what, it's the trip of a lifetime.

[Dame Delilah]

We have family in Northern Italy (Trieste) and generally travel there once a year. We find the best time - climate wise - to be late April until early July.

 

After July it gets a bit warm (even though we are from Arizona, much of Italy is not air conditioned!) If you go in Aug, Sept or Oct--you may find the entire town (at least in Italy) shut down--since they have all gone on holiday. :eek:

 

Anyway, you will love it!!!!:p Go whenever you can--and Just ENJOY, Enjoy, enjoy EVERYTHING--Love LIFE!!

[TravlGrl]

Have only traveled Europe by land, and love to travel in September. Great time to go because:

• The weather is still nice, and not chilly yet
  
• Kids are back in school, so not a lot of other travelers
  
• Tours are cheaper because it's the off-season
  
• Lines are generally shorter wherever you go for those same reasons
  
• Co-workers are likely back in the office after having taken their summer vacations, so you're not battling for vacation time :)

Have fun!

[lephysteria]

We went to the Med in May. It was nice. The weather was starting to warm up, but it was still really pleasant.

 

I think Mid Sept to early Oct would be best if my choices were Aug - Oct :)

[MCLuv2Cruise]

Thank you everyone for the quick response!

[uktraveller]

We have taken lots of holidays in the med area and if your choice is August , September or October then I would recommend Sept.:) :)

 

Avoid August because of temperatures often over 40 degrees C and crowds (almost everyone in europe holidays in August!) and by October the weather could well have become very unsettled. (Altho' who can predict the weather?).