...in France or Italy is another but we're open to suggestions for other southern European countries.

We'll be in Amsterdam for four nights and then would like to go to France or Italy, most likely by train but if you come up with some sort of fabulous driving adventure we'd do it. We were in northern Italy (meaning Bergamo, Verona, Venice) in August three years ago and it was HOT! Like getting in the way of just thinking of moving some days kind of hot. We'd like to try to avoid this and we have no wiggle room with the month we go.

Here's what we're about: we like to walk, we don't mind driving/taking the train from place to place, we like to see different architecture (well, different than Maine), visit small museums, did I mention walk?, history, we love food but are not foodies and won't pay exorbitant prices for meals, my husband loves castles and forts.

We spent two nights in Verona and four in Venice and could have found more things to do in each if we'd had more time. We're not the day-tripper to Venice types.

But we don't want to be hot.

Could we achieve any of this in the Alps/foothills of the Alps or other mountain areas? We like to hike but I really don't want a hiking vacation. It was quite hot in Bergamo in the foothills of the foothills of the Alps.

We don't want to join the rest of Europe at the beach although I know it's lovely having spent a few days in Bormes-les-Mimosa, France.

Total trip length will be two weeks.

Thank you for your thoughts.

I don't have any guarantees for you--maybe Annecy? August is August, everywhere in southern Europe.

SW France, south of Toulouse, is generally dry heat but can be very hot.

There is a reason for siestas and it's not laziness. If you stay in hotels with AC, stay hydrated and, most important, get out of the sun from roughly 1:00 to 4:00, you will enjoy your trip more.

Now, about the crowds....

Yes, I think the Alps are your bet, unless you want to go to Scandinavia or Iceland. Maybe Russia.

We have friends who have a place in the French Maritime Alps near the Swiss and Italian borders. It is handy for expeditions, if you don't mind vertiginous roads.

The Laws of Physics are your friend. Temperatures drop about 5F for each 1000 feet of elevation, all other things being equal, of course.

Hi soriso,

If August is set in stone and you don't want to be hot, then I think you need to be flexible in your destination.

Have you been to the Scandinavian countries? I haven't yet, but my parents have been twice and just loved it. Very beautiful, lovely people. Nice, long days in August!

At the least, you should head for the higher altitudes of the Alps. How much walking you do would be up to you. The Dolomiti are spectacular!

Hi sorriso, you travel just like my wife and I do and I think I've got a pretty good idea of what kind of vacation you're looking for. But if a main criteria is avoiding heat then avoiding going too far south would be best and that means trying to stay in the northern half of France. Of course there are never any guarantees with weather but at some point during any summer it's going to get hot in the more southern areas.

If you hadn't thought about it maybe you might consider Brittany. A lot of the best places in Brittany are coastal locations and aren't going to be stifling hot, generally speaking. I've vacationed there quite a bit, even in summer, and have never found the beaches or towns overcrowded like on the Mediterranean. Yes, there are crowds but it's not overwhelming and it's quite manageable.

You were mentioning you love hiking, castles, forts and different architecture and Brittany has plenty of these things to offer. Of course, so doesn't every region of France but since you're trying to avoid heat then this area would be ideal for engaging your interests. I just wrote a report about spending 5 days in the area near Dinan (not too far from Saint-Malo and Mont Saint-Michel) and I describe everything you say you're interested in, such as hikes, castles, forts, history, unusual architecture etc. The report is full of photos so you can see what I'm talking about so here is the link: http://tinyurl.com/86s4v8f

I've also got a report about the Gulf of Morbihan area of Brittany that might interest you: http://tinyurl.com/2555vaf

And since Annecy was mentioned I think that could be a decent place to try to avoid heat and it's obviously full of great hiking. It can get hot there but there's no way to predict that with certainty. It might also be cool. Who knows? But since I've written a report about Annecy I'll give you that link too. It's an especially scenic and beautiful area.

http://tinyurl.com/3awectn

I must admit I'm partial to Brittany but I guess everyone has a personal favorite location and in France Brittany is one of mine. I'm pretty sure if you look over my reports that you'll find Brittany a place that suits your criteria well.

"...we like to walk, we don't mind driving/taking the train from place to place, we like to see different architecture...visit small museums, did I mention walk?, history, we love food... my husband loves castles and forts."

This one's not too tough.

Head to the Alsace. Strasbourg, Colmar, Riquewihr, etc. Castle photos w/ town names here:

http://www.dickemauern.de/elsass.htm

Food

http://www.touringinwinecountry.com/alsace/cuisine.html

Check out the Black Forest villages east of Strasbourg - lots of walking opportunities there:

Gengenbach: http://static.panoramio.com/photos/o...l/23231187.jpg
Schiltach: http://www.visoterra.com/index.php?c...t&idPhoto=1544

From Colmar, Switzerland and the Alps are at your doorstep.

Thank you for the replies so far, I can't wait to start researching. Just to try to further clarify the heat; we don't mind hot! We're not looking for 70 degrees in mid-summer in southern Europe--I get it. I'm trolling for the experienced traveller's feedback and am happy to read and research all responses.

Thank you!

Dang; traveler's not traveller's.

Me again. Original post, "we don't want to be hot;" last post, "we don't mind hot." What a contradiction!

We are trying to avoid energy-sapping heat.

I'll be quiet and go read posts now.

We visited Brittany in late August - early September a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it. Trip report: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-movements.cfm

FMT: If we wanted to take the train from Amsterdam to do an itinerary (odyssey?) like yours to Brittany would we need to go to Paris or is there another route to a city where we could then get a car?

Interlaken gstaad.ch zermatt.ch nice cool bautiful head there
Stresa/Baveno in Italy Hotel Grand Dino usually cool in August
but not always but VERY pretty and lots to do like visit Isola Bella truly brilliant.

The only part of Italy that springs to my mind for you is South Tyrol. Large parts of France are certainly easier to navigate in August, though, and you've already got excellent advice on that.

i am going to suggest Brittany too - there you have the best chance of warm but not debilitatingly hot weather, unless you decide to hop over to cornwall, where it is likely to be a little cooler.

That said, when we visited Brittany in July 2 years ago, it was baking hot, even at night. and last year it was distinctly chilly.

so next year, it might be "just right"!

I'd vote for Brittany too . . . or SW England or Scotland (though avoiding Edinburgh due to the festival/tattoo crowds).

If it must be on the Continent - Brittany.

I'll look into it tomorrow for you sorriso. I'm up way past my bedtime right now and need to get some shut eye.

Hi sorriso,

I'm not a train expert but I'm pretty sure your best option would be to take the direct train from Amsterdam to Paris Nord and then take another direct train from Paris Montparnasse to Rennes. The time would be between 6-1/2 to 7-1/2 hours depending on the train, including the transfer in Paris.

For train info I find the easiest website to use to be www.voyages-sncf.com. If you get bumped to the RailEurope website enter Antarctica as your home country/ticket collection country. Often RailEurope has higher prices and doesn't show all the available trains. You can buy tickets up to 90 days in advance and the sooner you buy within that time frame the cheaper they will be.

If you want to learn more about Brittany then check out the link to the thread below, which has lots of general info about what each region in Brittany has to offer. Pay close attention to my advice about doing research on tourist office websites and getting the Michelin maps of the scale 1:200,000 or 1:150,000. Also pay attention to my advice about visiting tourist offices in person. And I know what you mean about hot vs. too hot. Brittany will not be too hot.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic....html#37748007

We've taken the first step...I just sent the deposit for a week in an apartment in Dahouet. Very excited!

Late to the party - I was going to suggest Svalbard.

I'm hoping for stifling heat in Paris this August. It has been cold and rainy in August in Paris for the last 5 years.