I will let you know when I get back. I am going the first week in August to France. I cannot imagine it being any more hot or humid than Virginia in the summer. We are going to be 94 F on Saturday, 95 on Sunday and 96 on Monday, and the humidity will be sky high, and I cant imagine France being that hot. Of course, I have never been there so I really don't know. I am about to find out

namtrag - one BIG difference, when it is 95 in VA you <u>can</u> go inside an air conditioned bldg if need be. No such option (well, almost none) in France/Europe.

Don't get me wrong - I go to Europe in the summer - but a/c makes a huge difference . . . .

For Germany, August will be a perfect month. Best chance to catch good weather, less traffic on the Autobahn, no crowds.

Switzerland is terrific in August, too. (If you leave out August 2005, that is.)

School starts mid August.

Weather in France can vary so much that it makes it difficult (for me anyway) to pack.

First half of August in Bavaria is mostly okay, in the 2nd half temperatures usually drop.

We will be traveling to Germany, Switzerland and France in August ... and have found that the hotels are cheaper!

I would recommend Scandinavia in August: Scandinavians have already taken their vacations in July and at the end of June (Midsummer is a big thing there), the weather is more stable, pleasantly warm (70s, sometimes upper 60s), the gardens are at their prime... however if you venture to northern Norway some of the mountain overpasses close already in the middle of August. I was once caught in a sudden snowstorm in early September and it was in southern Norway. The big, plump pillows of snow looked so unreal on fresh, green birch leaves.

Just to flip this around a little bit...I think August is a bad time to visit the US, yet many take a holiday there that month. Florida in hurricane season anyone? Monsoon rains or wildfires out west? How about the heat and humidity of the northeast? Living in Texas I have to agree with Missypie. I am looking forward to my August trip to Paris, especially since I am neither childless nor retired and must travel in the summer or winter anyway!

Time is more important than the weather! Hot; wear less. Cold; wear more. AC is expensive and expensive to run; Europeans opt for simpler comfort means. Years ago, Chicagoans slept on roofs or travelled to Northern Wisconsin. If physical comfort is a priority...October.

We live travelling in spring and fall, with October being our favorite, since weather is still nice enough in most places, and all the family groups are out of the picture. We never leave vacation in summer, since we don't enjoy hot or humid weather, and the crowds that occur in the summer months. I imagine it's worse in Europe than in the US during the summer since most vacation at the same time, the land mass is much smaller and supports more people than the US, and a lot of places don't offer air conditioning. We have also heard of a lot of closures in August due to the continental vacation ritual. Cities should be open and running. Guess it depends on your tolerance of the problems mentioned by others in this post.

Keep in mind that there's a big difference between living in a hot, humid area and being a tourist in a hot, humid area. It's much easier to deal with heat and humidity as a resident than as a tourist.

But, as pointed out many times on this forum, if you must visit hot, humid places at their weather-worst, there are ways to ease the impact of the heat and humidity.

&gt;It's much easier to deal with heat and humidity as a resident than as a tourist.
Why would that be?

Wow- the concensus seems to be anywhere but southern Italy- just where we're headed in August.
It's a matter of a good airfare for me. Crazy to brave the Amalfi coast for the first time? The Veneto? Is that the most humid area? I'm getting very nervous! We don't have much heat or humidity where I live in the SF Bay Area. The perfect summer destination if you don't like heat!

logos999-

just guessing, but I think Rufus meant that perhaps a person who resides in a place with hot/humid weather is usually living in a house and/or working in an office with air conditioning.

A tourist is out and about most of the day, often outdoors and therefore more uncomfortable than the person who's working comfortably in their office.

The bay area always seems freezing cold in the summer to me....bring on the heat and humidity!

We spent 3 weeks in Paris last August. We found more to see and places to eat than we had time for (even though some restaurants were closed), fine weather and less crowds in terms of transportation, etc. It was an absolutely fine time to be there.

We had three nights in Madrid in late August 2005, and the temperature got up as high as 100F or so. But it was not so bad, because we had a lovely 4* hotel with great air conditioning. And the hotel was for a cheap price as well.

London and Amsterdam were fine in August 2005 in all respects.

I wouldn't want to visit somewhere like Rome or Paris in August without staying in a nice, airy, air-conditioned room. I am fine with a closet-size space in the winter, spring, or fall, but I'd find that unbearable on a hot, humid day and night.

we live in Italy, and we always go on vacation in august because, as mentioned before, that's the month that most businesses close and Italians can take their vacations. I think a really nice benefit of going to Italy in August (instead of, say, October) is that you get to visit the beaches. I would say that it's better, and less crowded, to go in June or July, but August is still summer. and still perfect beach weather.

Also, many cities have begun to take initiatives to make people stay within the city, rather than all taking that mass August exodus. I know Bologna has activities now for summer, and the town I live in, Macerata, is actually the MOST fun in August, when opera season, town markets, and jazz concerts in the squares take over an otherwise non-touristy, non-populated town.

The main problem for us is that many shops and restaurants take their ferie (vacation) in august, and therefore some of our favorite restaurants remain closed. Still, as cities become more popular August destinations (in comparison to, say, beaches and mountain towns), more restaurants in our town, at least, are taking their 2 weeks vacation a bit later--around late September.

Anyway, this year there is a good chance WE'LL be in Venice in August too--never been during that month, but hopefully it will be nice!

&gt;chepar
Right, I think this interpretation only applies to people from the US.

logos999,

I kind of agree with you about the heat/humidity. I've lived in Florida for 30+ years and haven't gotten &quot;used&quot; to the heat and humidity yet! There's nothing like getting into an air conditioned(?) car that's been sitting in the Florida sun for more than 15 minutes and have it take 20 minutes to get below surface-of-the-sun temperature.

In Florida's case, I think the tourists handle it better than I do.

logos--mostly applies to people from countries with good air conditioning, but it also applies to other countries as well.

Locals usually are experienced in making lifestlye adjustments to help them through hot and humid periods--closing down in the heat of the afternoon, staying indoors with little physical activity.

Tourists will often feel that they must press on no matter the weather as their time is limited--and they have a point. It was really hot in Amsterdam when we were there last week--so we could have sat in the shade and had some cool drinks through the afteroon, but how many chances would we have to see the Van Gogh Museum? So we went to the museum instead.

&gt;closing down in the heat of the afternoon, staying indoors with little physical activity.
What about the thing called work? Wonder what my boss would say ;-), commuting, doing the laundry, shopping, housework etc..., while tourists can stay in one place relaxing and enjoying themselves. Not at all obvious to me why locals have it &quot;better&quot; and can avoid hot weather.

logos999: I think the main point is someone from the very hot/humid parts of the United States (Florida, the Eastern seaboard, Texas, etc.) or from plain old hot places (like Arizona and Nevada) are generally very spoiled. We have a/c'd homes, a/c'd offices, a/c'd stores/malls, very well a/c'd cars. And not the often under powered a/c in many places in Europe - but full powered forced air units that blow a gale and practically freeze your tail off.

So many people in the States basically are in cold air all summer - except for construction workers, and those sorts of outdoor jobs. They dash from their a/c'd house to the a/c'd car to the a/c'd Macy's down the street, or to their a/c'd office.

And except when they are on vacation or out by the pool or maybe playing softball - many are just not out in the heat so much.

But on holiday in Europe we either don't have a/c in the hotel or if we do it might not be as efficient as we're used to. And many sites are not a/c'd or are out of doors.

That is why it is easier for some of us to cope w/ August heat at home than when on holiday

I agree with janisj.

I just read an article by some important health agency in Italy the other day. The article stated it was &quot;not healthy&quot; for people to go from cool a/c rooms out into the hot summer weather and so most places only have the a/c set so that it is about 4 or 5 degrees cooler than the temperture outside.

Not what we are use to in the states.

I often get very cold in a/c places including supermarkets here where I live (Sacramento Valley). There is too much of an extreme between the outdoors and the indoor a/c places.

But in Italy at least August can be brutal IMO between the heat and humidty. The only time in my life I almost passed out was in Florence although that was during a very hot and humid late June rather than August.

Being in the mountains, such as the Dolomites is extremely delightful. But I can't handle the cities in August. But we are all different of course.

bulldawgz, only you can decide which will be the best time for you to travel. Only you know how you can handle extreme heat and humidity which you will probably have in August. Best wishes to you regarding your decision.

&gt;freeze your tail off.
We're having this 10 months a year, no A/C needed. The 2 warmer months people actually enjoy a little warmer weather. It's over so quickly, why would you want to &quot;freeze you tail off&quot; during that period. It's not even really hot and humid in summer compared to places like Singapore, Southern China, Australia or Miami. It's in fact very moderatly warm, nothing compared to the 40+C degrees found in most of the arab states in summer. I've spent two weeks in Italy in august every year for more than a decade and loved it, not a thought about needing A/C. A getaway from the rain for a few days... It must be Americans who hate summer ;-)

Like I said before, it can't be any hotter there than in the Southeast US. I have hosted French teenagers a couple of times, and they came for 3 weeks in July. They had never felt heat like this, occasionally, perhaps, but not day after day. I am looking forward to going to France in August to get away from the heat here in Virginia. A lot of times we don't even get under 80 as our low in August.

revisiting the heat issue: it is supposed to be 96 in Paris today. When we go in about 10 days, it's supposed to be mid 80's high, mid 60's low.

The difference is there heat index according to the Weather Channel website is 92, actual temp is 96. Here in Va, actual is 97, heat index is 107.

I am not saying it would be comfortable in Paris today, but it looks like they have much lower humidity than we do.

Believe me, Paris can be just as humid as anywhere in Virginia where I am also baking at the moment

We leave in a bit over a week for our trip to Germany, Switzerland and France and I've been keeping an eye out on the weather over there. I too live in Northern Virginia and am baking in the heat.

We can only hope that it breaks a little before we all go. The normal high in Paris in Aug according to the Weather Channel is the mid to upper 70's

Enjoy your trip. I'll return to my contention that the United States, heck North America, this time of year has variable and generally unfavorable weather conditions. We too are looking forward to our visti to France next month. One thing I have learned living in Texas is when it comes to weather, as with the stock market, experiencing the average is the exception rather than the rule.

ALL Europeans have the month of August off for vacationing, and usually travel to somewhere where it's warm. All of the beaches and areas with nice climates will be saturated by European Families. Labor Day should be a good bet, and will probably be less-expensive if you plan for Sept - Oct., rather than Augusttrying to go early. Stay-away from August if you can. It will be a crowded nightmare for the month of August! Try out Spain in the fall! It's beautiful, and Bordeaux is the bordering town to Northrn Spain. You could go on to San Sebastian Spain after you visit Bordeaux, France. Check it out, and have a great trip!

amy

One important thing to remember. It's terribly HOT &amp; Humid in August in France &amp; Italy. I was in France one August, and thought I was going to die of the stinch! Remember not too many Europeans wear deodorant, nor do they shower daily, and with air conditioning not being a European priority, you're going to get a &quot;WHIF-Full&quot; anywhere you go. It's nicer in the fall, kids are back in school, and you won't run into family vacationers before starts. Do the Fall Route most definitely!

Oh, give us a break about the deodorant. Most tourists do not smell like roses.

August 2006 was the coldest August in more than 20 years in France. In any case, August is one of the best times to visit Paris, and it is the second cheapest month for hotels after February.

Amy smells like a troll to me

&quot;ALL Europeans have the month of August off for vacationing&quot;

Nonsense. Complete and utter hogwash.

I don't know that many people are against European August travel in an absolute sense. But August does have some disadvantages that some other months do not have. As do January and February.

August disadvantages:

It tends to be a hotter month than most. You can take some actions to reduce the impact, but generally it is more likely to be unpleasantly warm and humid than in May or June in much of Europe.

Many residents do have a portion of the month off increasing the number of European tourists.

Of course, we do a lot of our travel in the late June to mid-August timeframe as Mrs. Fly is a schoolteacher. So sometimes we just have to deal with it if there's a place we really want to visit.

Update: After 'watching' the weather for many months and nothing that the weather over in Europe was hot, hot, hot (june/july '06) my husband and I anticipated a very warm trip for our upcoming trip at the end of July/ beginning of August '06.

Wrong. In Germany and Switzerland it was very chilly and rainy ... so much so that I had to buy a warm, long sleeve pullover and wore pants just about everyday (I threw those pants out after the trip). :)

One sad thing about travel in August is that many cities do not have operatic or orchestral or theatrical performances, at least not on the scale that they do in other months.