Dear Forum Friends & Family, <BR> <BR> We NEED to travel to Europe to use some travel vouchers. Work restraints limit my travel from January through May of next year. My wife have yet to visit Italy and are tentatively planning that as our destination. What are your suggestions as far as when to go? <BR> <BR> Or, would you recommend somewhere else entirely? We've been through Paris but not much else in France. All over Germany, Austria and parts of Switzerland. <BR> <BR> Looking forward to your insightful reply's and opinion's. <BR> <BR> Danke shun! the teutonic turnip

Italy in May is superb! Warm, sunny, yet not so packed with tourists as the summer months. We just spent some time in Tuscany and on the Riviera and thoroughly enjoyed both areas.

Absolutely, another vote for Italy in May!! May and October are the very best months anywhere in Italy. In October in northern Europe there is more of a chance of rain, but it's still a great time of year. Enjoy.

Italy would be superb at any time of the year!!! We went in April and it was fabulous. Not too hot and not so touristy.

We were in Italy in March. We travelled between Rome and Venice. In some places it was quite warm but in other places it was chilly and we needed jackets. It was still considerably milder than March in New York City. I thought it was a fine time, spring was arriving and there were few tourists. I think though that March next year might not be a great time to go to rome because of the celebrations for the year 2000. I think it will get be hard to get accomodations there and possibly elsewhere, most particularly as Easter approaches.

I always vote for France BUT NOT THIS TIME...everybody, it's ok, this is not a misprint. <BR>GO TO ITALY!! Airfares to Italy are usually higher than those to London or Paris, for example, so use your vouchers to get the biggest bang for the buck... <BR>April/May in the southern part of Europe is really wonderful (good weather, lots fewer tourists), so be glad you "need to travel" when you do!!

Lucky you to need to travel to use some travel vouchers! We were in Italy from the end of December to 26th January 1998 and it was wonderful. We are from Australia and quite enjoyed the cold, crisp weather in Rome. The sky was blue and the days were clear. There were not too many tourists either and prices were apparently reasonable. We wore coats and gloves (things we don't wear here) and didn't feel the cold at all. We were there for a month and did not see one drop of rain. We travelled from Rome up to Florence, Turin, Modena, Venice, Rome, Naples, Amalfi and back to Rome by train and the weather was perfect. <BR>Good luck.

My husband and I were in Italy May 1998 and the weather was perfect! I always like to travel to Europe around the late April, May timeframe because of the weather, it's not quite the high tourist season, so it's less crowded in midsummer, and prices haven't gone up completely. <BR> <BR>We went to Rome, Naples, the Amalfi Coast, Venice, and Milan. <BR> <BR>There is so much to see. Italy is a great place to visit!

How about Tuscany & Cinque Terre in late March, early April? I'm extending a ski trip in St. Anton to travel further in Italy, probably for another 2 weeks. Is this just too early for enjoying these outdoor regions? I loved my last first trip to Italy in March -- NO crowds anywhere!