travelfan1

Here's the background....until he retires in about 3 yrs my DH can take limited vacation during the school year...visiting Italy in February... with a much anticipated extended trip the minute he retires!

For us the problem with the summer is the crowds and more importantly the heat....we, especially DH, are not fans of heat. Temps in the 70's are okay, high 80's are pushing it, especially if it's humid. Enter Russia, enter also lots of $$$ and more difficult travel logistics. Because I'm always planning ... in doing a little research on the Loire Valley I read temps are usually in the 70-80's, dropping into the 60's at night. Is this accurate?
It started me thinking...could we possibly visit this area in mid June?? Do hotels have individually controlled AC....anyone familiar with Italy's hotels will understand why I ask.

Would like opinions, thoughts, recommendations please!!

PS And if you ask why Russia...DH wants to visit for historical reasons! I want the palaces, cathedrals, etc!

Thank you once again you "all knowing" fodorites!!

kopp

Hello travelfan1,

I would never ask WHY you would want to visit Russia. I would ask WHY NOT?

If it's cathedrals and palaces you're seeking, look no further than St. Petersburg and Moscow. Unbelievable beauty!

That is not to discount the Loire Valley. It is certainly a treasure-trove. In fact, I am heading that way next springtime.

All I'm saying is that you will not want for beauty and history in Russia. It's got both.

chevre

These are such different places, weather aside. I've only been to St. Petersburg and a week would leave me with more to see. As for weather, I was in St. Petersburg in July and it was in the low 80s and humid. Air conditioning wasn't that prevelant either. On the other hand I just returned from Paris and it was sunny and a dry 75, though... 6 days earlier it was about 90 and quite humid. As for the Loire, I've been twice and at the time you're going and it was as described, 70s. Ultimately it's a bit of a crap shoot. You're more likely of course to hit cooler weather in northern Europe. As for sites, the Loire has lot's to see and I love it, however I would be hard pressed to compare it to Russia as they're so different; food, culture, history. If it's money I would choose France. If it's weather I don't think you need to worry about heat too much in June in that part of France and it will likely be nice and cool in Russia too.

nytraveler

Well - there's nothing wrong with visiting Russia - we've been several times and love it. But it's only cold in the winter - unless you're talking about Siberia - and even that has a sort of summer.

In the summer you're liable to get quite warm weather in St Pet and evenmore so in Moscow - and AC is very scarce (much more so than western europe).

I would think your chance of finding hotels with AC to be better in the Loire (although we've been in late May and didn;t need it - but stayed in castles with natural cooling due to thick stone walls).

djkbooks

We visited Russia for two weeks in mid-June. It was very chilly most of the time. 60's, sometimes 50's, during the day - seemed colder, as it rained off and on as well (which never hindered our plans). The one place we expected cold weather (Kizhi Island) turned out to have the nicest weather during our trip (low 70's).

But, everywhere we went everyone was talking about the brutal heatwave the same weeks the year before.

Marc_David_Miller

I live in Moscow part time, and travel all over mostly European Russia. On the average, Moscow and St. Petersburg are about 10-15 degrees cooler than New York City. That said, it was in the 50s in late March in Moscow, 94 in Kazan and Moscow this May, and I've seen freezing temperatures in St Petersburg in May.

It's likely that at least for Moscow and St. Petersburg you will be fine-Moscow June averages are 51 low, 70 high, and St. Petersburg 52/68. Most of the better hotels in both cities are air conditioned (not the mini-hotels in St. Petersburg); the cheaper hotels often will not turn their air conditioners on unless absolutely necessary

Marc_David_Miller

Also as djk mentioned it does often rain, at least briefly, on a daily basis in June, especially in the Baltics (St. Petersburg); we always recommend to clients that they take a small umbrella with them while touring.