Best Month for Europe

[shofer]

We are looking into a Mediterranean cruise for 2015 and wondering which would be the best month for it. I know August is very busy so would probably skip summer. Are May and Sept/Oct best?

 

Sue

[kuldalai]

The Peak travel months are June and July. August can get very hot especially in Italy . September and October are great months the weather is mild, shoulder peak with less people . So book your cruise for September or October and you will have warm weather and less crowds .

[Keith1010]

I happen to prefer April and mid to late September as the temperature is much more moderate than the hot and humid summer months and many of the ports are less crowded with tourists.

 

Keith

[Emeliet]

It's September / October for me!

[paul929207]

We spent last October cruising the Eastern Med and it was wonderful

[LondonTowner]

I would recommend mid June. Nice long summer days and places not too crowded as children still at school. October is the month in the Med when the weather changes, so it could be glorious or it could rain.

[mapleleaves]

I prefer the end of May when I travel in Europe ... too early for most school kids, vendors aren't burned out from a busy tourist season, and it's not too hot to be exploring.

[Gracie115]

We went once in mid September and once in early May and both were great for weather and smaller crowds, would do either again. Would not go in mid summer unless no other option....too hot...too busy...

[cruisemom42]

People have different expectations as to weather, crowds, and what time of year is best.

 

For me, I like moderate temperatures, few crowds, and I do not cruise the Med for beaches and sun. Thus, my favorite months are April and November. I don't care if it rains a bit, I'd rather deal with that than with the extreme crowds and the heat of these ports in the summer months.

 

Even September is really too hot for me. On one cruise it was over 100 in Athens near the end of September, and equally hot in Israel.

[Warm Waters]

Can anyone tell me what October tempetures are like in the Med? Are we talking warm beach or fall like here in the North East--Boston?

[thepoint]

We are looking into a Mediterranean cruise for 2015 and wondering which would be the best month for it. I know August is very busy so would probably skip summer. Are May and Sept/Oct best?

 

Sue

 

Hi Sue, last year we did the 20 day Med cruise on the Noordam. We started on September 15th. The weather was great. It was warm, but I did not consider Italy, Greece or Turkey hot. I needed a light sweater in the evening, but that was it. I don't recall seeing children on the ship or when we were out on tours. We did a lot of private tours. You will still find large crowds in Ephesus, Athens, Pompeii, and several other ports. Cruise ships usually travel fairly close together, so there will be lots of tourists where ever you go. In my opinion the best months would be September and October. (August is a big vacation month for Europeans.) Have fun planning.

[Warm Waters]

Hi Sue, last year we did the 20 day Med cruise on the Noordam. We started on September 15th. The weather was great. It was warm, but I did not consider Italy, Greece or Turkey hot. I needed a light sweater in the evening, but that was it. I don't recall seeing children on the ship or when we were out on tours. We did a lot of private tours. You will still find large crowds in Ephesus, Athens, Pompeii, and several other ports. Cruise ships usually travel fairly close together, so there will be lots of tourists where ever you go. In my opinion the best months would be September and October. (August is a big vacation month for Europeans.) Have fun planning.

 

Hi The Point---what are we talking about for temps in October---mild as in 50-60's or mild as in 70's. What I am trying to find out if it is going to be cold on deck in the daytime in Italy and Greece ports in October? Can you swim or too cool?

 

Thanks,

 

Warm Waters!

[cruisemom42]

Hi The Point---what are we talking about for temps in October---mild as in 50-60's or mild as in 70's. What I am trying to find out if it is going to be cold on deck in the daytime in Italy and Greece ports in October? Can you swim or too cool?

 

Thanks,

 

Warm Waters!

 

Keep in mind the Mediterranean ports cover a wide area from north to south. The temps in part depend on where you are going on your cruise. Also on whether you're talking about the beginning or the end of October.

 

For the most part -- unless you hit unusually cool weather, most of the daytime temps should be in the 70s with the possible exception of a few of the northerly ports, where it may be a bit cooler. By the end of October and in the more northerly ports, perhaps highs in the 60s up to 70 degrees.

 

I never even bring a suit on my Med cruises, so I can't help you there.

[Warm Waters]

Keep in mind the Mediterranean ports cover a wide area from north to south. The temps in part depend on where you are going on your cruise. Also on whether you're talking about the beginning or the end of October.

 

For the most part -- unless you hit unusually cool weather, most of the daytime temps should be in the 70s with the possible exception of a few of the northerly ports, where it may be a bit cooler. By the end of October and in the more northerly ports, perhaps highs in the 60s up to 70 degrees.

 

I never even bring a suit on my Med cruises, so I can't help you there.

 

 

We are looking at Italy and Greece 12 days out on the 28th of October so I imagine too cold? Why would anyone want to cruise when you can not go on deck without freezing your bum off???

[cruisemom42]

We are looking at Italy and Greece 12 days out on the 28th of October so I imagine too cold? Why would anyone want to cruise when you can not go on deck without freezing your bum off???

 

I wouldn't consider a possibly 65-70 degree high (and probably higher in Greece and southern Italy) to be freezing my bum off.

 

Cruising in the Med for many people is more about sightseeing ashore than about lounging on deck. Most cruises only have 1 or 2 sea days for a 10-12 day cruise.

[Warm Waters]

I wouldn't consider a possibly 65-70 degree high (and probably higher in Greece and southern Italy) to be freezing my bum off.

 

Cruising in the Med for many people is more about sightseeing ashore than about lounging on deck. Most cruises only have 1 or 2 sea days for a 10-12 day cruise.

 

 

Very true about sightseeing. I just do not want us walking around in jackets. Hard when you have no idea. That is why I am asking.

 

Thanks,

 

Waters

[mapleleaves]

Can anyone tell me what October tempetures are like in the Med? Are we talking warm beach or fall like here in the North East--Boston?

 

you can find historical data on weather sites like wunderground. Enter the name of each port and pick a couple of dates ... go back a few years to compare.

[Warm Waters]

you can find historical data on weather sites like wunderground. Enter the name of each port and pick a couple of dates ... go back a few years to compare.

 

 

Thanks, I will check it out now for sure. Never heard of wunderground but learn something new every day!

 

 

Waters!

[Karennella]

Keep in mind that in the Med the climate is Mediterranean (obviously!) That means dry in the summer and wet in the winter. My daughter was in Greece once in October and the rain had started.

We go in September but it can still be too hot in the south for our taste. But we were in Sardinia one September with daughter; we thought it perfect whereas she thought it too cold.

[texancruzer]

Been once in early May..... nice when we landed in Rome but by the time we got back after the 11 day cruise (mid May) it was hot already.

 

Been twice in November.

Once in late Nov (we embarked the day after Thanksgiving) and it was nice. Cold at night but wonderful for sightseeing during the day. Carried a sweater most days but hardly put it on. Not a drop of rain.

Second trip was early November. Entire trip was nice except Istanbul got cold on the second day (was an overnight there) ..... due to a front that came through. No biggie since we had jackets. A small shower in Rome pre cruise one evening but again, we had dollar store umbrellas :D

 

This year we are leaving Oct 15th for Rome - embark on the 19th and end in Venice on 31st...... we are just keeping our fingers crossed we don't get the floods in Venice since we are staying a bit after the cruise.

 

Weather is unpredictable...... I plan for all contingencies.

 

And I always use Americanexpressweather.com for planning my trips. Gives great historical data.

[softail]

People have different expectations as to weather, crowds, and what time of year is best.

 

For me, I like moderate temperatures, few crowds, and I do not cruise the Med for beaches and sun. Thus, my favorite months are April and November. I don't care if it rains a bit, I'd rather deal with that than with the extreme crowds and the heat of these ports in the summer months.

 

Even September is really too hot for me. On one cruise it was over 100 in Athens near the end of September, and equally hot in Israel.

 

So you think our cruise from Oct 21 to Nov 1 should be a nice time? My 2 previous have been in early March and May/June. March was not to bad will a little rain a few days and no real crowds but May/June was already getting hot and crowded.

[thepoint]

Hi The Point---what are we talking about for temps in October---mild as in 50-60's or mild as in 70's. What I am trying to find out if it is going to be cold on deck in the daytime in Italy and Greece ports in October? Can you swim or too cool?

 

Thanks,

 

Warm Waters!

 

Hi, I believe that during our entire cruise the average temperature for all our ports was about 75degrees. We started on Sept 8 and ended on October 7. (We spent a week in Rome before the cruise.). We never carried jackets or sweaters. Once in awhile in Rome at night I felt the need for a sweater at night. In the Greek Islands we wore shorts for day tours (and wherever else shorts were appropriate). Oh, we were in Barcelona the beginning of October and it poured the two days we were there. Only time we needed to have jackets.

 

As far as the ship goes, when we were at sea, it was very windy on deck. We only had two sea days and there were people in the pool. If you can get a spot by the glass out of the wind it will be very warm, if not it will be cool because of the wind. We went to 15 ports in 20 days, so the pool was not even on our mind. I would imagine that the pool was probably great when we were in port without the wind. I'll try to answer any questions regarding our experience.

 

Google Average Temperatures and you can search for any place in the world for temps and rain fall. Enjoy your cruise.

[Warm Waters]

Thanks for the input. It seems to me from the responses here is that October there in Italy and Greece going into Barcelona is like the weather here on Cape Cod---cool, rainy and unpredictable.

 

On the open water I can imagine with the wind a real issue. So I have to rethink this and maybe wait to May or June during the dry season. I do not want to be uncomfortable and I do want to get some use out of the Ship.

 

I checked those weather sites and last year for the latter part of October Rome had highs of 66 and lows down in the 50's. So I guess I have to really do some thinking today. I would rather be hot and in shorts than cool and getting rained on seeing the sights.

 

Waters!!

[Keith1010]

Thanks for the input. It seems to me from the responses here is that October there in Italy and Greece going into Barcelona is like the weather here on Cape Cod---cool, rainy and unpredictable.

 

On the open water I can imagine with the wind a real issue. So I have to rethink this and maybe wait to May or June during the dry season. I do not want to be uncomfortable and I do want to get some use out of the Ship.

 

I checked those weather sites and last year for the latter part of October Rome had highs of 66 and lows down in the 50's. So I guess I have to really do some thinking today. I would rather be hot and in shorts than cool and getting rained on seeing the sights.

 

Waters!!

 

Look at mid-September. It won't be cool there. We'e done it many times.

 

But if you want hot and humid go in the middle of the summer. But it will be crowded with tourists and very hot.

Keith

[Gracie115]

Thanks for the input. It seems to me from the responses here is that October there in Italy and Greece going into Barcelona is like the weather here on Cape Cod---cool, rainy and unpredictable.

 

On the open water I can imagine with the wind a real issue. So I have to rethink this and maybe wait to May or June during the dry season. I do not want to be uncomfortable and I do want to get some use out of the Ship.

 

I checked those weather sites and last year for the latter part of October Rome had highs of 66 and lows down in the 50's. So I guess I have to really do some thinking today. I would rather be hot and in shorts than cool and getting rained on seeing the sights.

 

Waters!!

 

 

We went Sept 12th in 2011 for 12 night cruise, it was still warm - 85ish but low humidity, that was in Italy, Israel, Greece. No rain at all. We also went May 1, 2012 for 11 night cruise, it was a bit cooler, low humidity, no rain again, and both times crowds were at a minimum. I would go again at either time...