Mediterranean Cruises

Thinking of going on Mediterranean cruise next year. Which month is best weather wise?

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Depends on what "best" weather is. Many people complain July and August are too hot. I like heat, and it was fine for me. The other months are cooler as you head away from July and August.

We have been on 2 Med cruises, both in early June. If our schedules had permitted it, we would have gone in May. The fare would have been a little cheaper and the temperatures might have been a few degrees milder. While it was very hot in some of the ports, we found ourselves with a lightweight summer sweater or jacket on some evenings. I'll take hot over rain and chilly weather any time, but others will disagree. We thought the weather was beautiful.

been on a few...go mostly in spring or fall

pros

1, cheaper cruises and airfare

2. less crowded in Europe at the tourist places

3. milder temps

4. kids in school

CONS

1. less choice on cruises and airfare

We just got back a couple weeks ago and it was fantastic weather, still in 80-90's.

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I don't take the heat well, so avoid the Med between mid May and mid September, but others revel in it. Europeans who go between those months are generally looking for a beach holiday, rather than wandering round the sights. It's very crowded in August, when schools are closed, and cruise ships in popular ports will have an enormous number of children on board, upping the number of cruisers who are docking each day.

If you want to visit popular sites, then early or late is best. :cool:

Mid-September until late October is probably best time - comfortable warm weather with less chance of rain than April to early May - when it starts getting too hot.

Mid-September until late October is probably best time - comfortable warm weather with less chance of rain than April to early May - when it starts getting too hot.

Definitely agree. We went started our 21 day cruise on 22 Sept 2013 and wouldn't have wanted it any warmer for walking around (and I'm from Adelaide where it gets 40C plus reasonable often in summer).

We just got back a couple of days ago form 12 night cruise that left on 9/11 from Barcelona to Italy and other stops, this date was a big mistake, it was so warm/hot, what makes the problem worse is to visit some museums and church's also Vatican you have to cover your knees and shoulders ( no a/c in Vatican or the museums we were in) . Lots of walking everyplace we had dome March on last vacation there much better date.

I'll agree with the majority.:)

For sight-seeing I find it way too hot June - August, which is also broadly when kids are out of school.

But March (and even early April) or October might just be stretching it a bit - the weather is less reliable, especially eastern Med., so I'd look for mid-April to late May, or September / early October.

I recall a 10-day Holy Land cruise out of Istanbul in early October - glorious weather in Istanbul & the decks packed with sunbathers on the first day, but on the return the last day was wet, cold & windy and decks were deserted, and it was painfully-cold in Istanbul.

Different folk experience different weather in those shoulder months, because chance plays its part.

JB :)

Thinking of going on Mediterranean cruise next year. Which month is best weather wise?

 

 

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I've been to the med several times with ships of the Navy. Since I remembered those six month cruises and the weather, I recall that June was the best time so we are booked on Brilliance (RCL) out of Barcelona June 30th. The itinerary is looking great (port visits) and the excursions sound great too.

My favorite months in Europe are May through September.

Thinking of going on Mediterranean cruise next year. Which month is best weather wise?

 

 

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hello gklingel. We live on the Med and i can confirm that july and august can be exceedingly hot and temps well in the high 30s to 40s c. At the moment here the temps are a lot cooler in the early mornings and late evenings but between 10am and 6pm are a very pleasant 25c, although there is rain forecast for the next 3 days. Hope this helps. Happy cruising. :)

We have been on dozens (truly) of Med cruises in months ranging from late March through early December. The best time to go depends somewhat on your own preferences and also what part of the Med you intend to cruise. July/August are certainly the hottest months which might suit those that want to enjoy Greek Island beaches and the normal clear sky high pressure systems that oft exist that time of the year. As you move into the spring and fall shoulder seasons, the temperatures usually cool down (it can still be very hot) but the chances of rain/storm systems increase. So we have sweated in August, and been drenched in October :).

My suggestion is to look at the itineraries that interest you. Then simply look on the internet for historical weather norms for each of your ports where you will find the average temps and rainfall. You might want to also consider the pricing of both air and cruises. It is often possible to get some terrific discounts on shoulder season cruises....and you might also save some money on the airfares.

Hank

Yep...gotta specify what your definition of "best" is. My wife loves the heat. Me, not so much. We try to avoid August mostly because of European holiday breaks, way too crowded. July and August tend to be hot, way hot. We went from BCN - Haifa in mid-July this year and it was way too hot, IMO. My wife was okay with it, but man...it was hot.

We're booked BCN-VCE next April, and I'm looking forward to lower temps and smaller crowds. Better chance of rain, but I'm willing to chance it. My favorite time is mid-September to October.

We are from a northern climate, so we are not able to enjoy actively doing things in temps over 30 degrees C (nineties in F temps). The ports in the Med are so interesting, it's a shame to be limited because you just can't take the heat and keep on going.

We've cruised twice in October in the Med and found the daytime temps were kind enough for us to keep on walking and exploring (high 20s C). If it had been hotter, we'd have had to quit. It does cool down in the evenings and early mornings, and remember, the days are also shorter as the calendar moves along.

And if people are saying it's more crowded in the summer than in the fall, let me tell you, it's still plenty crowded in October! For that alone, I would choose a slightly off-season time.