Why are so many against Europe in August??
 

Thank you to all of you who have been so helpful in helping us begin to plan our trip to Italy and France for the fall of 2007! We are planning our trip to Florence and Venice for 9 nights total for then off to Paris for 5 nights and we are so excited!

So now for my question...we have been planning for October, but could swing a couple extra days in if we went the last two weeks in August and include the Labor Day weekend in our travel time home, however I keep reading in guidebooks AGAINST going in August, but find that on this board, many people actually recommend August! Why do so many of the "books" encourage people not to go in August? Is it really based in anything factual, or just "rumors" :). Any opinions about it one way or another will be appreciated!

I suspect because August is the traditional time when Europeans themselves take vacations.

What you <b>didn't tell us</b> us is what those guidebooks give as <b>the reason(s)</b> for not going in August.

August in Europe is high tourist season, a period when many Europeans are on vacation as well as tourists from other countries. The result is crowds.

Just that Europeans are on vacation and that the crowds are huge, huge, huge.

Go whenever you want to! Some folks have a free calendar and can research the absolute best time to go to a given place, and others of us are bound to things like school calendars and go whenever we have a decent block of time.

My first trip to Europe was in August of 1985, right after I had taken the bar exam. We did minimal planning and had little money. We started in Frankfort, drove the Rhine and Mosel, saw bits of Luxemborg, Brussels, Brugge, Antwerp and Amsterdam, then saw Paris and London. We had a fantastic time and didn't know that we &quot;weren't supposed to be there&quot; that month. Coming from the August heat of Texas, the weather felt delightfully cool. The only &quot;August&quot; problem we had was that my traveling companion worked for a major jewlery company and he had wanted to see a few diamond related things in Antwerp but couldn't.

Florence, Venice and Paris are not going to be closed. Go, and enjoy!

I'd go in Aug if it meant a few extra days. Yes, it will be hot, and there will be crowds, but less so maybe at the end of the month. And in Oct, it might rain.

Bigger crowds, that's all about it :) And in some cities , it's very humid..but it doesn't mind very much if you come from an humid place too :))

I agree there will probably be bigger crowds and in some cases, establishments such as restaurants may be closed.

Yes, it will be hot and humid and prices may even be higher (definitely check out that aspect of things).

But, if it gives you some extra days and the other &quot;issues&quot; aren't biggies I would go for it...after all, a lot of other people will be there, too.

Its pretty humid here in Nashville, TN in August, but we are used to it :)!

Paris didn't seem too crowded to me at the end of Aug and it felt kind of cool in the evenings and early mrning.

More than one reason, namely: huge crowds around beach and resort areas, hot weather, closed businesses, i.e. many restaurants. Since the late 30's when Europeans started getting paid (August) vacation benefits, it is the month when many Europeans families leave town for coastal destinations. It can work to the tourist advantage though. I know people that LOVE Paris and Rome in August; quieter they say. Not sure that's as true as it used to. One thing I know, I would not go to Southern Spain or Greece in August if you pay me.

For the places you named, crowds would be the primary issue, along with heat if that bothers you. For other places, there may be the issue of closures of certain sites, stores, restaurants. But, while it may affect some of your choices, I can't imagine running out of alternative things to do in Paris, Florence ans Venice!!!

There are 3 issues:

In much of europe it;s very hot in August and most people prefer to do 8 hours per day walking when it's not 95 and humid

Many europeans have pre-set August vacations - no choice - so everything is especially crowded then - it take much longer to do things and prices in resort areas are very high

In some major cities (Paris, Rome) etc some family run places do shut down for the month (they're on vacation) so you have fewer choices

October solves all of these problems - of which IMHO the first is by far the most serious given the lack of AC in much of europe.

This might not be an issue for you, but for us the 2 biggest reasons we don't go in August (aside from the hordes of tourists) are:

1. Air conditioning. In some restaurants &amp; hotels it's inadequate for our needs or non-existant.

2. Restaurant closings. Dining is a big part of our travel and in Paris at least, the top starred restaurants close during August.

On the Riviera, August is high season and the hotel rates are almost double. For instance, one of our favorites, the Metropole in Beaulieu sur Mer charges 230 euros for a garden view room in October. The same room in August is 430 euros.

You know, I'm glad the guidebooks DON'T recommend going to Italy and France in August (if in fact that's the case) because they think that the majority of shops and restaurants are shut down, and all the locals have left the city to the tourists. In my experience, that's just not true. What you get is still a great selection of the local restaurants (the more expensive splashy ones do tend to take holidays in August-but in Italy, usually only a couple of weeks), most shops are open, and there's not necessarily hotter weather (weather in Europe is so unpredictable-last year in Rome, in August, the weather was delightful-about 85-90 degrees at the end of the month-so you really can't take it as a given that it will be insufferably hot-Venice, on the other hand, was downright cold for a few days after a hard rain fell during the same time period.

The locals who ARE left, tend to be in a much more relaxed state, there's far less traffic (it's the traffic that can really wear on you in Rome, particularly). In Venice-it's quite crowded with tourists in August, but otherwise it's pretty much the same as it is in low season-some restaurants are closed at the end of the month-but I noticed the ones that were, opened back up before the end of August-just before the start of the Venice Film Festival - around Aug. 30th or so.

I fell back in love with Paris some years ago after going back for a visit in August-everyone I encountered was just so incredibly pleasant-I now think it the best time of year to visit-everything you want to see is still open-you just don't have to fight quite so hard to see it. The Left Bank/Latin Quarter scene in August was just hopping-I remember being quite surprised to see how lively it was. Rome's nightlife areas same-Trastevere was packed at the end of August.

If you are most interested in cultural events, you probably do need to go at a different time of year. The cultural season for many events generally ends in July or sooner, and doesn't start back up until mid-Sept.-October timeframe. (However the Arena in Verona, Italy stages its spectacular opera productions until the end of August).

One big advantage of traveling during this time period: hotel rates go way down on most establishments-making it easier to stay at a 4 star than a 2 star, for example.

Depending on where you visit, a lot of local businesses are closed as the owners and their families are on vacation. Elche, Spain is a favorite place of mine and I have spent a lot of time there, none more boring than August. We went out one day and there were 2 restaurants (as in nicer places) open in the whole city. Driving was nice because there were no cars because no one was there. A veritable ghost town.

Then we would drive to the beach, which is about 20 minutes away. Nowhere to park, tons of people (except at the nude beaches which, by virtue of practice, tend to keep the population down). . . not my idea of super fun.

That is Spain, which is a main tourist destination, so my view is a bit skewed (other cities I have spent August include Alicante and M&aacute;laga, both main destinations). There are lots of people and it is really really hot. That said, I still love my Augusts!

3 words

hot
crowded
expensive

Quite the contrary, Europa. Check the hotel rates for the big 3 in Italy and Paris in August-they almost always offer signficant discounts during this time period.

Hotels in big cities are cheaper in August, though. Everyone wants to go out of them :)

that would make sense. thanks

I think it's hot and crowded, too, so I visit northern places, which are at least not as hot.

But next year my son graduates high school, and then, as God is my witness, I'll never see Europe in August again, as God is my witness (apologies to Margaret Mitchell).

I've made several trips in August, I never understand what people have against it. And one trip included both Venice and Paris which people make the big deal about/against. It was hot, and I would spring for air con in your hotel, but besides that, no complaints to share.

I am unsure about other countries but I know Italy in August is not as nice as the other months. It is busy, hot, and a lot of places are closed due to the italians traveling. I run a business in Italy and the managers all take vacations to USA for the entire month of August.

I disagree, Bergamo Girl-I was just in Rome, Venice and Florence last August and the weather was surprisingly delightful-particularly in Rome-you can't make blanket predictions about European weather patterns-it's constantly changing.

And is it not a contradiction to say that it is &quot;busy&quot; yet a lot of places are closed?

Granted, businesses not catering to the tourist trade in Italy DO shut down in August-but I can state for a fact that there were a plethora of great restaurants to choose from that were open and ready for business during that time period-in addition to getting great rates on hotel rooms and especially, apartments.

Going to Italy in August would be a very different experience than going in October because much of Italy shuts down for the entire month!Stores and restaurants post signs stating in vacanza. Towns are quiet, not bustling as they would otherwise be. Until you get to the seaside where you will find all those people who were not back in town. Conversely, October is perfect. Lovely weather, truffle season, all the shops and restaurants open, way way fewer bugs, humidity, etc.

Wow...so this is going to be a hard decision to make! I appreciate all the different views...keep 'em coming!

Overall, I would prefer not to travel in August at all, but sometimes I just have to because of business committments.

Although I often have to be in the cities on business in August, I stay away from them for pleasure (excessive heat and humidity, which is WHY the locals vacate Rome and Paris in August). I head for the hills or the coast. The downside is that hotels can be expensive and hard to find and the resorts can be crowded.

However, I have enjoyed July/August trips to Northern Spain (Asturias &amp; Cantabria), the mountains of the French &amp; SPanish Basque regions (wonderfully cool), the Italian Dolomites, Piedmont (in the moutains around Aosta), Haute Savoie (around Annecy). This August I will spend 6 days in Galicia Spain but am having a really difficult time finding hotels!

Haven't read the thread so I apologize if these reasons have been amply covered:

1. most everyone in Europe also vacations in August. You want to go when everything is open and the waiters are on the job rather than in the Maldives.

2. hot, and either no airconditioning, anemic airconditioning, or unreliable airconditioning.

I've gone to Italy during the last 2 weeks of August for the past 3 years... it's the only time my husband feels comfortable taking 2 weeks off at one time AND we get that extra padding from the Labor Day weekend.

The only time the heat bothered me was in Pompeii and Rome. Even with the heat of the day, I sometimes find that I need a sweater in the evenings in many places, including Venice and Tuscany. If the heat doesn't get to you in Tennesee, then it probably won't get to you in Italy.

The crowds can be bad in the cities, but they never truly bothered us except in Piazza San Marco, Venice, and around the Duomo in Florence. Once you get away from the piazza, Venice is extremely pleasant, though. Also, make sure you make reservations for certain things in Florence and Venice, such as the Uffizi in Florence and the basillica in Venice... this allows you to bypass the long lines.

I've only encountered a few restaurants closed during our visits, and have never encountered a closure of any museums, churches or tourist spots.

Pros: More time for your trip. Some hotels will offer substantial discounts.

Cons: Much higher airfares, <b>Hot</b>, no (or ineffective) air conditioning, huge crowds in most places, many (but not so many you wouldn't still have choices) restaurants/shops are closed.

If I had my choice I'd not travel anywhere in Europe (except for Edinburgh for the festivals) in August. But even in August you can have a wonderful trip.

It's so hot and humid here in Castellon where I live..that I don't mind to travel most places in August :)
Just don't think on Southern Italy (just Rome on the final days of the month), Southern Spain or Greece. The rest is ok for me :)

Crowded.

My sister in law and her family now live in England. Her children are in school eleven months out of twelve. So they have August off. Her husband has five weeks of paid vacation. The same as most salaried people in Europe.

So if most people have five weeks of vacation and the children are out of school during only during August then most of your vacation is taken in August.

In researching my recent trip to Paris I found that a lot of the nice restaurants would be closed in the month of August.

We were also in Venice and Tuscanny last July and it was just unbearable, even in the evening. Very hot and humid. Not enjoyable at all. If you have the option of going in October when the weather is cooler, why would you consider hot and humid August?
I recently retired, so we did a trip to Paris in early May and said we would never go again in the months of June, July or August. Just too crowded and uncomfortable. Paris was 65-70 degrees and very pleasant. I can't see any reason why anyone would want to go in August.

&lt;&lt; My sister in law and her family now live in England. Her children are in school eleven months out of twelve. &gt;&gt;
Do her children go to &quot;Dotheboys Hall&quot; by any chance.

State School children in England &amp; Wales will have 2 weeks at Christmas, 1 week in February, 2 weeks at Easter, 1 week at the end of May, 6-7 weeks July / August &amp; a week at the end of October which adds up to about 3 months. Simialr amoutns of time apply to Scotland but the May through October dates are different

DinPa-there's a world of difference, particularly in Venice, between July and the last two weeks of August. Most Venetians told me (and they were right) that the humidity is much less then, and I would probably not need air conditioning-it was cool several days in August last year-but July (almost always is) very hot and humid.

GirlTravel and dinpa -- I experienced some cooler days in Venice in late August 2 years ago. And also in Tuscany last year... we had to buy sweatshirts during our 2 weeks there because we had several cooler days. I've also heard that July is usually worse than late August.

Thanks Amarena, I'm out here trying to tell people this, but they've got it in their heads that one month is just like the other-Venice is a coastal city, and the temps. are affected greatly by the sea. Like you, I froze and had to layer up in Venice when I first arrived after a hard rain last August, and then, it warmed up nicely to around 84 or so.

TG -- we are the crusaders of ITALY IN AUGUST!! But maybe we shouldn't be, because then it might get more crowded!

oops! I meant GT (GirlTravel), not TG!!

A-my thought exactly!