Weather - Western Med.

[DKNE]

It will only be my 2nd time in Europe. Last year was in July, Eastern Med. and it was super hot. This year we are going end of April/beg of May. What are the temperatures like at this time of the year, for Spain, France and Italy. Not sure if I should bring shorts and tank tops, or warmer clothing. 🙂

[mapleleaves]

There are sites that provide historical data.  Just plug in the name of each town you'll visit and go back 5, 6, 7 yrs.

Very easy to do, takes 2 or 3 minutes per port.   It's no guarantee but gives you an idea.

https://www.wunderground.com/history/daily/LEBL/date/2019-5-1

 

The thing about Spring or Fall is that you don't know when a storm may blow in.

We were on a E Med cruise out of Venice in mid-May and had warm sunny weather, just needed a sweater in the evening.  Our dinner mates were on the same cruise the previous week and said it was stormy; rain and cold and needed a jacket every day.  

[John Bull]

 

Generally ideal weather, not too hot, certainly not as hot as July.

Less-crowded too.

As per mapleleaves' post, the weather (as opposed to historic averages) isn't guaranteed.

But more reliable than eastern Med.

 

Much cooler evenings, and lower water temperatures.

Yes, bring shorts etc.

But also a sweater or two & something waterproof

 

JB 

Edited January 17, 2020 by John Bull

[DKNE]

Thank you 🙂

[twruger]

In late Sept/early Oct, we cruised West Med and weather in Spain/France/Italy/Malta was just about perfect.  We would still sweat at times (its plenty humid), and also caught cool breezes.  I'm thinking your timeframe should be similar.

[DKNE]

Thank you twruger

[Bobal]

You may also get rain, so be prepared for that. We had a cruise from Southampton to Barcelona the first week of May a couple of years ago and it rained every day - we didn't even set foot outside the ship on a couple of days because it was raining so heavily. It's unusual, but still a possibility.

[DKNE]

Bobal, that would definitely be a bummer !! 

[Despegue]

It can be anything, but  you can compare the weather with South California in the Southern part of Spain, and Northern California for France and Italy.

 

The Western Med. Is in my opinion the absolute best part of the Mediterranean, with different cultures, great cities and amazing food.