Herbch

We will be in Florence, Venice and tuscany area of Italy in late June of 2007 (family event). Planning ahead a bit and trying to find out if trains, and buses between cities and from tuscany to where ever are airconditioned?

also museums like uffizi, etc?

also restaurants in florence, venice,?

thanks

PamR

My experience has been that not much is air-conditioned in Italy. And some rooms that are supposedly air conditioned never cool off very much if the weather is really hot. I believe that a hotel I have stayed at in Florence did have air conditioning and it worked well. That was the Hotel Hermitage. It's expensive, though. I think you may need to travel a bit upscale and call the hotels, restaurants and museums to find out to check. I can't recall about the trains and buses. I'm thinking that the better buses (like some of the expresses) have it and I suppose the train does, but there is always the issue of how well it works. In general, we Americans keep air conditioning cranked up a lot higher than the Europeans do. Perhaps someone else can add to this. Good luck!

Dayle

Hi Herbch,

I have not traveled to Italy in June, but have in March, May, and recently last Sept.

I selected hotel that had AC, except in Montalcino (Il Giglio) where it was not needed in Sept. It's a big issue in the cities where street noise is nonstop. I'm a light sleeper so if I can get the double paned sound proof windows and AC, I can sleep! Didn't need AC in Venice in Mar or May. Ocean breezes made it very nice.

Eurostar trains are AC, some local trains are not.

Didn't notice about restaurants. Most were open air and it wasn't needed in the months I've traveled.

I strongly suggest a car for Tuscany - with AC.

Buon viaggio!

Mimar

The other issue is the hotel may have airconditioning, but they don't turn it on til June or July. Or at all after September.

Adapt your travel to the Mediterranean life style. Be out and about mornings and evenings. Rest in the afternoon. Close the shutters/curtains when you leave in the morning to keep out the sun.

It can get quite hot in Italy in the summer, but nothing like, say, Arizona. And it isn't terribly humid in general. If you restrict yourself to only airconditioned places, you'll probably be dining in soulless hotels instead of sidewalk cafes.

travelgirl2

The local train (circumvensia) between Rome and Naples was torturously hot, with no a/c. Not sure if this is common or a 1-time thing, but we were sweltering in late June/early July.

Can't recall if the larger train line between Rome and Venice had a/c, but I don't recall being uncomfortable.

nytraveler

Many local trains and buses do not have AC. We took ICE from France through Switzerland to Rome - and it had AC - but cooling capacity was extremely limited - even though the train was not crowded.

Many restaurants do not have AC - frequently open to the outdoors instead.

Many hotels that have AC have a little cooling - not at all what you expect in the US. I always ask if the AC can be controlled in the room - so at least you can get as much as the machine can provide. When it's cenral they seem to set it at about 85 - except for 5* hotels - which I have always found deliciously cool.

constant

Many intercity pullman buses and the intercity trains are air-conditioned. For example, SITA buses in Chianti are A/C when it's really hot. Some large hotels in cities are A/C but most accommodation is not. The very high price of electricity and the laws protecting the appearance building facades make A/C expensive. However, I have seen agriturisms that offer A/C. Normally it's not necessary - ceilings are often very high and shutters have all kinds of adjustments to handle direct sun.