what are some of the things to do if it rains in Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice? dont want to sleep in the hotel, after all. Such a bummer after all the planning that it is raining in all these places? I hate it. Ahhhhh...

Just walk around with an umbrella.

Well...A rainy day is ideal for visiting Museums...<BR><BR>(And collect mushrooms, but there are not much of thoses on the banks of the Seine and Tibre)

<BR><BR>Hotel rooms: they're not just for sleeping!

They make these marvelous things that you can carry with you wherever you go, they fold up so you can put them away if it stops raining, they open if it is raining and you can do anything you planned regardless of the rain.<BR>Look for them in stores near you or wait until you get to Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice. They are called umbrellas.

Make Lemonade (or Limoncello) with all of those lemons......

I love walking around Paris in the rain, but if the thought of doing so really bothers you there are umpteen other things you can do, starting with the obvious - museums - and continuing to:<BR><BR>Go to the movies.<BR>Go to Gibert-Jeune and get lost in the bookshelves for a few hours.<BR>Park yourself at a caf&eacute; and read the newspaper and watch people for a few hours.<BR>Get on one of the city buses that roams way out in the burbs and sit back and enjoy some new parts of Paris.<BR>Do the same with the RER. Ride out to Auvers-sur-Oise, have a coffee, and come back.<BR>Explore all the wonderful old galeries of Paris.<BR>Take a tour of the Ch&acirc;telet m&eacute;tro stop.<BR>Shop, for goodness' sake!

Beyond the above, museums, galleries, cathedrals, etc., at some point during the day, find a cafe with a broad covered terrace in front (one with a great view), sip something (your prefernce), read a book, write post cards, talk to whomever you are with, make the best of it. Have done it in many parts of the world (certainly the cities you mention) and it, usually, soon passes. Often the cafe has closed and you simply have access to the tables and chairs under cover.

What do you do if it rains?<BR>The same stuff you do when it is sunny. <BR>Get an umbrella, raincoat, and some boots and enjoy wherever you are.<BR>It rains (it never fails!) every single time I go on vacation. I guess it rains in Aruba 8 or so days a year, and it poured for a day and a half the week I was there. <BR>Remember:<BR>A rainy day on vacation is better than any day at work<BR>and<BR>Only sugar melts in the rain.<BR>So kwitcherbitchin and get out there Eeyore!

Seriously, try not to let it spoil your trip. . If you dwell on the fact that it is your vacation that you have looked forward too and that it is being ruined, you will get depressed.<BR>Just think of it as if you were a local person, a day of rain, and adapt. Keep in mind that you are experiencing the city as it is, not as you want it to be.

buy a umbrella moron...

Here is a link to an article about the 16 covered passages (arcades) in Paris - perfect rainy day shopping/exploring:<BR><BR>http://www.paris-touristoffice.com/va/parimages/convivial_abri/<BR><BR>And a walking guide (w/map) re the same topic: http://paris.travelape.com/tours/the-covered-passages/<BR><BR>It was VERY cold when I was in Paris last February, so I lingered over lunches of onion soup, and warmed up in wine bars (L'Ecluse in the 6th is cozy) and cafes. Same thing, only with Italian food and wine, in Florence and Venice.<BR><BR>All three cities are actually very atmospheric in the rain. Maybe you'll end up spending more time in their fabulous museums than you otherwise might have. (Seek out the smaller ones that interest you before you go, which you might have skipped in nicer weather.)

We were in Edinburgh in 1998 and had tickets to the opening night of the Military Tattoo. I asked a Scotsman what would happen if it rained at opening night and he just said, "why you'll get wet, of course."<BR><BR>So just get wet and enjoy.<BR><BR>BTW, the only night it rained in our two week trip to Scotland was the opening night and it started at 4pm and went straight through till midnight. And we got wet!<BR><BR>US

thanks everyone for the suggestions

If it rains in Florence and you fel like walking, you can try taking a train to Bologna. The city is lively, not touristy at all, has some great features, is only one hour from Florence and has lots of "portici", roofed pavements that allow people to walk its streets even on rainy days without getting wet (at least you get wet only when you cross the raod).