I had planned a trip for last week of May - early June of week of horseback riding in the Luberon, then a day exploring calanques in Cassis by kayak, then a day kayaking Gardon river under Pont du Gard - a couple of water activities. Then I was going to train to Chomonix to do a few days of hiking.
So, I am wondering if I have to reschedule and it is possible to travel by early September or late October, could I still plan to hike in the Alps and kayak in the south or will it be too chilly?
Posted by
Austin TX after living in Boulder CO for 25 years
1174 posts
In 2018, we drove from the Dordogne to Nice, stopping to kayak in Cassis and the Pont du Gard.
We left on September 10 and arrived in Nice September 16. We had warm, blue sky weather the entire time, wearing shorts.
We then trained through Lake Como and up to the Berner Oberland, ending the trip October 3.
Again, the weather was warm - we wore shorts to hike in Murren.
Posted by
Washington DC Region, USA
7054 posts
Look at historical weather on https://www.timeanddate.com by city. You can look at prior years by date. It takes a little bit to figure out the site, but not too bad.
Posted by
Sacramento, CA
691 posts
A few years ago we were in Chamonix in late September. The day we arrived, it was rainy, but the next day was gorgeous with new snow on the mountains. We went up to Aguille du Midi early and it was very cold, but some people were out hiking or climbing. Be prepared for changeable weather.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14752 posts
As another anecdotal point, I was in Provence for about 2 weeks last October. I arrived in Aix on Oct 11. I thought it was pretty hot the first week (including the day we took the boat out to the calanques at Cassis although the water was really, really rough) although some in my Road Scholar program wore jackets every day, lol. Then it started to rain and it was a little chilly. Living in N. Idaho I’m pretty cold tolerant and don’t do well in heat.
Editing to add - this is one of the times adding information to your profile might be helpful. If you are from FL, then yes it will probably feel too cold for you to do those activities the end of Oct. If you are from the Northern Tier then maybe not.
Posted by
Avignon, France
17 posts
I've lived in Avignon for a little over a year, so I only have one year of data to comment on.
Last year, the weather really "turned" at Sept 1. July and August were insufferably hot (and humid) - 35 to 40 C each day with ~80% humidity. Starting Sep 1, the weather became much nicer. It was still warm into September, and even into late October. Of course, some days were not warm, and there were a few days of rain. But, being Provence, there were plenty of sunny days!
I just found some of my photos from a trip the last weekend of Sept 2019 at Pont du Gard, and I find a lot of kayakers in them.
Last year, the last weekend of October was about 20 C- warm enough to cycle Avignon to Apt and back in shirtsleeves and shorts.
Bon courage!
Posted by
Paris
7304 posts
October in Provence is still lovely; sea temperatures can vary but in my experience, unless you are unlucky with wind they remain >20°C until mid-October, and kayaking the Gardon river should be OK unless there is a drought (which is more likely in late Sep, before the fall rains, than in late May).
For the Alps, it's a bit more "hit-or-miss" but I have less epxerience.