PalenQ

Yes places in Paris and Rome and Florence can be mob scenes all summer but those towns are big enough to escape the maddening crowds - most of those towns are normally calm (which means lively) - the towns I was talking of are those like Portofino and Bellagio - the two worst mob scenes in Europe I have ever seen - due to their huge fame and very limited area - places where you cannot escape the chattering masses.

Christina

That's funny, I was just in Paris during second week in October and didn't notice any particular crowds. But I don't do the usual tourist things (I've been there a lot), I guess that's why, and I did them probably even less this time. And I don't even like the Marais very much so don't go there, or St Germain. I don't think I was even in St GErmain this time except once I walked from around the Musee d'Orsay east on bd St Germain but then caught a bus even before I got to rue de Rennes.

I stay in MOntparnasse and it was about like usual. I did visit the Nissim COmondo museum (not that many people there), and the French Legion of Honor only because it was free (and stupidly I had it fixed in my head that it was a museum about the French Foreign Legion, which it wasn't--it's not that interesting). I was even at the Arc and walked down the Champs because I wanted to shop at Virgin Megastore until I remember it closed several years ago (bummer). That street didn't seem any more crowded than usual. Then I went to the WWI museum in the suburb, Meaux, and it wasn't crowded at all.

So I mainly walked around Montparnasse, Parc Monceau, and some other areas, went to a concert in a church, but had no problems at all with crowds. I did go over to the Bastille area once for something, I forget what but didn't venture into the Marais.

so it really does depend where you go. The Marais is just full of tourists. I went by the Orsay and the line wasn't even that long, actually, so it couldn't have been that crowded inside (this was about Oct 10th).

I can't think of too many places that were so crowded I didn't enjoy them -- the Louvre on Bastille Day was one, however, I just left within 10 min (it was free that day). Giverny is probably up there as really crowded, I agree. Gordes in Provence didn't thrill me. I haven't been to Italy, it sounds more daunting than much of France in terms of crowds, actually, in the museums.

I love to go to Europe in summer as it is light out late, you can pack lightly, it's just a time I want a vacation. Conversely to what some think, it isn't peak season at all in most places (especially August), and I often get discounts on hotels (like in Paris or Prague or London). Resort areas are probably peak in August, not big cities, because there is no business travel in late summer and so hotels have more space and discount rates some. People just get too in the mindset that all cities exist solely for tourists when they think about what is peak season, and that isn't true, it is true in areas like the Riviera, Provence, etc., that are vacation areas primarily.

branderson925

Oh god I lived in Florence within a half mile of the duomo. January was fantastic. June when I was leaving was hell.

I mean I loved every minute of living there but I'm using extremes for the sake of this topic/thread