My friend and I are planning a trip to Europe in the spring... probably France, England, and Italy for starters. I was just wondering what month would be better to go - April or May? I didn't want to go in June because I heard it's too crowded, but how is it in May? <BR> <BR>Also, is April still very cold in Europe? I was hoping for temps. more in the mid 60's to 70's? Anyone willing to help?

Remember in May 2002, there will be a lot of public holidays in Europe. 1st, 9th (Ascension Day), 19/20th (Whitsuntide), 30th (Corpus Christi). <BR>This makes a lot of longer weekends when Europeans tend to go away for a couple of days. <BR>Weather in April and May is very unpredictable. You will not find real cold weather though. Wet, yes, but sunny and warm too, hopefully. You will find nicest temperatures in Southern France and Italy, of course. <BR>Your programme sounds still very vage. Do you intend to do all the three countries in one trip? If yes, I hope you have at least two, even better three weeks planned.

April is better (the public holiday thing), start in the south, move north. If you have only two weeks, you can hit only the big cities (Rome/Venice/Florence; Paris; London) with maybe a daytrip or two into "the countryside". Driving is pretty much out in that time frame; you'll need overnight trains and/or planes to cover that much territory. <BR> <BR>Once you get three weeks, your schedule can be a little looser, with time to see the countryside, and actually drive places. <BR> <BR>Get brochures from various tour companies to get an idea what sort of itineraries make sense, and what you can see in the time allotted. Advisory, though: you can't cover as much territory as a tour company, because the time-consuming stuff, like finding the hotel, finding the right train platform, getting tickets for sights, etc., is all arranged way ahead by the tour company and their experienced guides. Indies will have to do all that stuff themselves, which seriously cuts into your sightseeing time.

We found the Rick Steve's website helpful in the initial planning stages of our three-week trip last May. We didn't take one of his tours, but he does lay out some decent itineraries which you can build on and mold to meet you own particular desires. We've taken two trips at the end May. The first, to Paris for 8 days (one daytrip to Giverny). The last was three weeks in Italy. Weather was nearly perfect (except for our 3 nights on the Amalfi Coast -- 2 days were rainy!) We noticed more European tourists than US/Canadian on both trips. Next Spring we're planning on the last two weeks in April - one week in London, the other in Paris. This is a gamble for us, because I've heard that in spite of the song, April in Paris is usually chilly and wet. (But it was only 80,000 ff miles in April....) If you only want a taste of each, you could do 3 nights each in Rome (or Venice or Florence), Paris and London. I wouldn't suggest any fewer nights in any of them.

We always go in April now - to both England and France and find the weather usually very decent. It can be cool but not cold (better then heat for sightseeing!!). The flowers are blooming and there are leaves on the trees. The crowds are less then other times we have been there, but nothing is vacant of people by any means. If Easter falls in April that will increase crowds (the locals are out too then). The highs will be in the 60's (at most) and there will be some rain. We have never had more then one day of rain and/or cold weather tho, maybe we have been lucky in that respect. Wear layers and you will be fine.

May..go in May!!! The fields are yellow, the leaves and flowers are out in abundance. And it is a bit warmer. I have never really noticed that much of a difference in the number of people around in those two months...but the more English people on vacation, the better chance you will have of meeting them. I say go in May!

Hi, Anne, <BR>I have been going to Europe for several years in the months of March and October. The beginning of our trip we see very few tourists, and they are mainly northern Europeans. The end of our trip, April, sees many more tourists, from all over. The weather has been great for us in each of those locations during our trip. So, Anne, I would say, for many reasons, go in April. <BR>Have a wonderful trip! <BR>Gigi

I would definitely choose May, preferably late May, for the longer daylight hours and warmer -- and usually drier and sunnier -- weather. April can still be quite chilly and rainy, especially in France and England.

No question about it. May can offer a few degrees more warmth, but, the tourists have arrived!!! If you want nice temps and fewer people, go in April. April in Paris...need I say more?

Hopefully, we will be there for 3-4 weeks. Since their are so many holidays in May, does this mean that alot of the attractions are closed? <BR> <BR>I had a feeling May would have more tourists, but not as many as say June or August right? Would May have the same amount of tourists as say, September or October?

Anne -- Yes, in May you will have fewer tourists than you will in June-August. I was in Paris and Bruges in late May-early June of this year and it was delightful -- Paris was warm and sunny and dry; Bruges was cold and grey and wet. I have also been to Paris in August which I loved also, but in May I felt there were more Parisians there and fewer tourists.

Anyone want to give advice about what I should expect in England during May? Perhaps less tourists, but how is the weather?

Anne- we were in England the 2nd week of May this year-when we landed at Heathrow it was sunny and 70 degrees-we drove up to Chester,the Lke District and then down to the Cotswolds and finally back to Heathrow==total days 6 <BR>The day after we got to Chester it turned to 50 degrees and RAINED all the way up and back down to Heathrow==then we flew to Rome the end of that week and the weather was 80 degrees and SUNNY-took a cruise to Corsica,Italian RIviera and weather was off and on rain and 70 degrees--then hit Porofino,St.Tropez and Monte Carlo and NIce where the weather became 80 degrees and BEAUTIFUL---all of this weather was between May 8th and May 25th! Hard to predict--but you can depend on RAIN for ENGLAND-even in May-Paris-Rome-South of France is a best bet for NICE weather-ie.75-80 and sunny--However-I wouldn't ever let the weather deter me from going to ENGLAND--just pack clothes to layer and a jacket for rain and don't worry--You will have a great time!

Anne, <BR> <BR>According to weather.com, May in London is as follows: <BR> <BR>Avg high 61 <BR>Avg low 43 <BR>Precipitation 2.2in <BR> <BR>Since this is a historical average over several years, it seems that it would be much more useful that 1 or 2 examples of someone's 3 or 4 days in May of one particular year. The site can even get more specific, with temps by days of the month, or info on other cities around England and the rest of Europe. Hope that helps you.

I noticed that someone posted that in May, France has many holidays. Do England and Italy have alot of holidays in May also?

May is a great month for tourists. That's why I travel October through April. <BR>

It will well depend on where in England you are. But May can be absolutely gorgeous, blue skies, fluffy clouds, temps in the 70s. Or it can be grey and miserable, with temps in the 50s. The further north or west you go the more chance you will have of the latter. But again, English weather at any time of year is highly variable. You can't count on anything.

Do the attractions close down in France, Italy or England when the national holidays come around?

Just bumping. I'd like to know more about closings on these public holidays. Do restaurants close too? Is public transportation affected?