annie_pie

My son & I are planning to leave for a 6 week trip to Rome, Paris & Ireland this coming Wednesday- Feb. 15
I'm a bit concerned about the severe winter weather they're experiencing. We're from San Diego & it's around 80 degrees here. We're using frequent flyer miles & have a lot of flexibility with our schedules so I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to go -say in late March/ April. Any thoughts?
I don't mind cold weather but have some health challenges. Friends & family are discouraging me -feeling I will get really sick. Thank you.

tuscanlifeedit

Did you consider the weather when choosing these dates?

If you can change to April, I sort of wonder why you didn't pick it in the first place.

We choose Feb. because FF awards to Europe are much easier to come by then and usually require fewer award points. It can be very cold, but lines are shorter, reservations easier to come by, and prices are sometimes lower.

But if you are free in April, and tickets are available, you will probably have nicer weather then.

Only you know your health concerns. I have health issues, but tend to get much more ill in hot weather. So if cold makes you sick, change your dates.

daveesl

Hello Annie,

I'm in Rome now, have been for about 10 days. We leave here on Monday and go up to Florence for about 3 days. From there we will go to Paris for a couple of weeks. I am from central Florida, but the winter is our normal time to come to southern Europe because it is far less crowded and less expensive.

Yes, it has for the most part been iffy weather patterns and do not even count on the forecast, as every single service has been just flat wrong essentially every day.

However, with that all said, we have still had a great time and a lot of that comes from really knowing the area and how to quickly substitute one thing with another. If I were coming to Rome for a first trip, then I would probably put off my trip, as things like the Colosseo/Foro have been closed for a week. If you've been here before, then there are lots of other things to do regardless of the weather.

Dress in layers. Be prepared for the worst, but hope for the best. If museums are closed, go to the churches. If the outdoor admission sites are closed, go to the places that are open, like the piazzas.

Before you decide to cancel, be sure to check all the associated cancellation/rebooking fees you'll be subject to.

dave

hsv

Europe weather. Seriously???

sheila

Give her a break; this is the worst weather they've had in decades in north Italy (out of the mountains).

At the moment they do not think it'll be much warmer by the end of the week

HG001London

While you cant be sure it wont rain everyday even if you come in March I would be tempted to wait just a few weeks. If you dont lose out money wise than maybe come start of March, i would be surprised if it hadn't calmed down by then. We had snow here in london yesterday,it was unbelievably pretty where i live in suburbs but it has a habbit of causing problems with trains etc etc. Today though its bright and sunny again!

Have a wonderful trip whenever you go!!!

cynstalker

Hi Annie:
I am in Villefranche-Sur-Mer right now; arrived Jan 20; and yep; it's cold. We even had some snow! We also went to Milan for a few days, and they had 8" of snow on the ground.

During the days it's been as cold as the 30's, and as warm as the high 40's. It's easy to catch a chill; even if you are dressed in layers and have a winter coat. I love this kind of weather; and I think everything is quite beautiful right now; but that's me. It should also start to warm up a bit (slowly).

Are you starting in Italy and heading North? As others have said; it's a <i>great</i> time to be here because there are no crowds. I was able to get tickets to see "The last Supper" in Milan 2 days before we wanted to go; you could never do that in high season.

Good luck with your decision;it's a tough call.

Cyn

qwovadis

weather2travel.com relax go in May you will be fine.
Just a bad cold snap they are poorly prepared for getting
lots of press. The Danube is frozen solid Hungary had to break
out their 1 icebreaker last used in the 80s. No global warming there. I am going in April I have no worries.
Trip Cover always wise I am worried about civil unrest
riots in Greece today so I always stay flexible.

Good luck!

walkabout

Before you cancel, check to see if there are 2 tickets available in late March/April. Chances are there won't be. I travel solo, so have sometimes been able to get tickets on short notice, but trying to find 2 FF tickets on short notice is a little harder.

If there is no availability for March/April, keep checking to see when there is availability. If the alternate dates are acceptable to you, then yes, I would go ahead and cancel, particularly if your health challenges would be exacerbated by the cold weather.

nytraveler

You don't say how badly your health problems are affected by cold weather - but in Feb Paris and Ireland would both be quite cold/chilly - and Rome would be a toss-up. Can be 50 in feb - or you can get snow - any year.

If cold is a problem I would definitely swith to April - since these palces can all be cold in winter - even without the strange weather patterns happening now.

charnees

heating in Italy is not as good as in the US, so you may find that even indoors you have to bundle up, depending on what happens in the next few weeks.

starofthesea

I have lived in San Diego and loved it! The weather there is beautiful. But I also recall that a lot of San Diegans chose to live there to avoid any inclement weather. I remember turning up for work in light drizzle to myriads of complaints. (I realize that this is a generalization, and I shouldn't generalize) Being used to great weather close to all of the time I think makes it harder to tolerate less ideal weather. So, if you can....I would postpone in the hope that weather and thus sightseeing would be a better more enjoyable experience.