soulseven

We were planning on going to Greece, Italy and maybe France for 3 weeks in April until I was warned about weather not being too warm, and scarce Greek island mobility during shoulder season. I am wondering if the weather warms up significantly from April to May, and if this would be a good time to go.

We would like to have some time chilling on a warm beach in addition to venturing around for the time we are there.

Also, are the Olympics in August going to affect us in May in any way? (ie. lodging, prices, etc.)

This will be our first time to Europe and I would hate to have unpleasant suprises. I am trying to do as much investigation and planning as possible. Any more advice would be most appreciated. Thank you

pdxgirl

I'm sorry, but that has to take some kind of prize for worst topic heading EVER.

soulseven

Thanks for the encouraging response pdxgirl. Have any REAL advice? I wasn't trying to be rude, just real.

m_kingdom

The weather will be warm enough, certainly not cold! This is by average trends, of course there can be bad years, weather is notoriously unpredictable!

The Olympics as you correctly note are in August, so unless you are there in August the rates will remain as per the norm for that season.

FainaAgain

No, the prize goes to "tell me where to go" topic.

francophile03

Actually I've seen worse headings but I'm getting used to them.

Any travel help for soulseven though?

kismetchimera

Must admit that it is an eye catching heading...

I dont know too much about Greece, but if the Olympics Games are in the summer, I dont think that you will have
any problem find lodgings.
In April the beach may not be warm enough to enjoy, especially if you plan to swim..Great for long walks..
May is a good time to go, less tourists around..

francophile03

It is eye-catching, how else does it explain we all are responding to it? But sorry, I do not know about Greece.

carrolldf

I wonder if the title will get it deleted? Could be considered inappropriate language in a title.

soulseven

Again, I am seeking some helpful advice from experienced travelers. I didn't mean to be innapropriate.

Iregeo

Hi soulseven.

I have never been to Greece, so I'm no help to you there. I was in Italy last April and, in Rome and Tuscany it was cold/rainy. When we got to Venice, I wore sleeveless tops and got some color.

Perhaps you want to check a world weather website for your specific locations. It will tell you average his and lows in specific areas during specific timeframes. Good luck.

AP6380

I was in Greece the 2nd week of June a few years ago, and this seemed to be at the very beginning of the beach season. You can look at wunderground.com for averages.

Marilyn

soulseven, I do not think you are likely to find the sort of weather you are hoping for in April. In Italy and France you will almost certainly have some April showers and it could be chilly. May is definitely a better bet, but that is still early for being on the beach on most Greek islands. If you head for Crete, which is considerably further south, you are more likely to find beach weather.

Last May in France it was both rainy and chilly and then there was a heat wave, so as you might guess, spring weather is always a bit unpredictable. Perfectly ok for sightseeing, museums, shopping, etc. But if you have an idyllic image in your mind of the Greek islands, you need to go later. June would be safe.

If May is your only other option, perhaps you can reserve the last week you are there for your beach time.

Chicago_Heather

Soulseven, even in May the transportation to the islands is less frequent. The larger and more visited islands will have the most frequent ferries/flights. Only once have I been to the south of France and NW Italy at the end of the May and the weather was spectacular ... loads of sun and the warm was plenty warm enough to swim.

p.s. The post title caught my attention and got me to respond, so it did the trick.

soulseven

Thanks so much for the advice. God Bless

Chicago_Heather

Guess I should've proofed the post ... the *water* was warm. Oof.

JonJon

I agree that if you are going to the more popular islands you won't have a great deal of difficulty eraching them in April; the weather will not be really really HOT but hopefully will be pleasant enough..May will definitely be warmer than April; prices for the Olympics shoudl affect the Athens area, mainly, and certainly not this early in the year.
Be aware that the beaches there are typically Mediterranean in nature..or should I say Aegean in nature...not the powder-white sand of the Pacific/the movies but still pleasant enough...no great surf, either.
As to the title of your post...to think that Fodors would remove it because of its "language" is about as absurd as some of those posts that SHOULD be removed such as "Where did you leave you heart in Europe?" Have a great trip!

Bird

Months before the SLC 2002 Winter Olympics began, there was a greater demand for more hotel rooms to accomodate all of the pre-games planning. In October it wasn't unusual to see hotel's full with olympic planners, security people, media, athletes, etc. It did effect the hotel prices somewhat. I'm not saying that will happen in Greece - just wanted to give a perspective.

platzman

There is no such thing as inappropriate weather, only people who dress inappropriately (taken from some guidebook I read 15 years ago).
That time of year in Italy and France seems to go up and down like a roller coaster with regard to temps. Don't worry about it. Just bring several light layers (shirt, sweater, rain jacket).
BTW: the topic heading grabbed my attention big time.

mcgeezer

Soulseven,
go to www.worldclimate.com
and you can get an idea what the average rainfall and temp etc.
It's a good website to have in your favorite file when you're planning a trip.
I liked the heading... made me look.