Hello all,
We are planning to spend about 3 weeks in France in September.
Here is my problem. I don’t do very well in the heat. In the Midwest, I literally hibernate for summer. I much prefer Europe in winter. With this information, where would you suggest for mid September?
We love both cities and countryside, hiking, visiting museums and chateaus, gardens etc. I don’t like shopping, unless it’s an outdoor market.
Any suggestions?
Brittany, Normandy, Pays Basque, Pyrenees and the Alps all give you a good chance of avoiding the hottest temps.
I was in Alsace mid September a few years ago and it was lovely! I think most places in Europe are quite nice around that time of year.
It can be quite hot in Paris in September, and in many parts of Europe, even England. Every year is different. I agree with brad’s list for your best options.
I, too, hate the heat. I am no fan of summer. If I were traveling in September, I would choose Sweden and Norway. Second choice would be the UK, although my daughter was married in Liverpool in early October about 10 years ago and the weekend was in the 80s…was a fluke then perhaps, but maybe not a fluke any longer. I prefer winter travel, otherwise early spring or late autumn is my second choice. (Third choice perhaps Estonia and Lithuania…I’d need more research to decide on number 3.)
I also don’t mind early sunsets as there is no reason to stop your day. Also, Sweden strikes me as a very outdoorsy country regardless of weather.
We go to Paris in October for this reason. I would. probably try Brittany in September, perhaps St. Malo or if you have a car one of the smaller villages near the sea.
I have good experiences with the weather in September in France with actually every region north of Dijon. So Normandy, Brittany, Loire, Alsace, Burgundy and so on. If the weather is too hot inland you can quite easily go to the coast with the first two if necessary.
janettravels44 we will be in Paris Oct. 6-14 and then Lyon for a few days before heading to Spain. We've not been to Paris in October, before. I'm wondering what your experiences with temperature and rain have been then. i don't want to hijack your post Ginger, but if you can, could you reconsider the timing of your trip if October turns out to have better weather?
Lindy, Oct 2019 and Oct 2021 it was warm (in the 70s) in Paris for appx the first two weeks, then appx mid-month/4th week it turned wet and rainy and in the low 60s.
One thing to keep in mind when you make your plans is that September has historically been prime strike season!
It won't be potentially terrible if you are renting a car.
Lindy, ask away. The more the merrier and more info will be shared!
We could do October if it’s more pleasant but not pouring rain every day. We have been to Brittany and Normandy multiple times in winter! It’s a hit and miss with rain.
Wray, this is the ticket we have to use from 2020 cancellation. The fee to change to another country is $2K for both of us!
This is a "Weather History" website, which I've found useful. Instead of looking at weather average charts, it gives the actual weather that occurred. If you check out a few past years, it should give you a good idea of what to expect.
https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/france/paris/historic?month=10&year=2019
We were in the Champagne region mid September - it was great. But weather is weather and it's getting harder to predict. On May Split was glorious the next May same week it was rainy and chilly.
