Best time to travel?

Jan/Feb will be cold. Southern France and Italy less cold, but not warm. I think September is one of the nicest times to travel in Europe, period, as it's after the Europeans have finished their holidays, but the weather is still fantastic (although it can be quite warm - that's my idea of fantastic).

jan/ feb wet and cold. Dark early. So if just going by weather , aug/sept will be nicer . Italy in August , very very hot, so I would choose to go in September, starting north ( Paris and Germany) and ending up in Italy later in September. Hotels in PAris are often discounted from mid july thru August, but rates then go up in September as that is a very busy season for trade and fashion shows . You will have to balance your desires and budget . Personally I think visiting wineries etc would be more fun in aug/sept then in the cold dark winter, but thats just my feeling. Rome had snow last year in winter( a bit of a freak occurance) , so when people say Italy is warmer then say Germany they are of course correct, but thats because Germany is going to definatley be alot colder , with some places definately getting some snow( its not Alberta, but its not California either , lol ) . My neices live in Germany , and they get quite a bit of snow, so definately depends WHERE in Germany one goes too( just like Canada, you live in a place that always gets some snow in winter, and I live in same country , but rarely get snow)

I would vote for October or Sept/Oct. A few less tourists with generally dry, mild weather.

August for me is the most unpleasant time to be in Europe. Too many tourists, too hot and too little air conditioning. I have had some great January/February vacations but i go where i can embrace the cold and use it to advantage. London? Paris? naaa. They would just be miserable. The world class time to visit Europe is September and October or April and May. Or at least i think so.

We are winter travelers. I do it for the cheaper airfare and accommodations. I also do it to beat the crowds. I just walked right up to Mona Lisa in the Louve (well up to the barrier anyways). I have seen videos where there is a line to see Mona Lisa. We are from Florida and we do not mind bundling up in our boots, sweaters, scarfs, jackets. I really would not have it any other way. We miss out on flowers, leaves on the trees, and gardens. Since we have the best beaches in the world here in coastal St Petersburg, Fl, I am not really interested in other beaches and swimming.....unless it is a thermal bath in Budapest. I may be a minority here but I really wouldn't have it any other way. But in past research for trips, sometimes winter travel leads to closures of sights, like castles, wineries, vineyards, etc. I was investigating France and found that many of the champagne makers, close up shop to tourists interested in touring the property. In the Czech Republic, many of the castles are closed in winter months.

September is a great time to tour vineyards and breweries. Maybe start at your furthest north point in August and work south. I love September into the first half of October, crowds and prices shrink, weather is generally nice for travel.

Thank you all for your great information. I was originally looking in to possibly travelling in Jan/Feb, but after reading all of your posts there a definite advantage in waitin guntil Aug/Sept/Oct. We love to visit when the weather is nicer - but not too hot. We travelled to India last October (2011) and the weather was still well above 30 dgrees everyday. Although it was bearable, I would have preferred a little cooler temps!! To top it off, it is always great to save money - thank you for letting me know that the prices decrease after the summer months!! Do you think that it would be possible to travel London, Paris and down to Italy in three weeks! Also, do you find it easier to travel abroad from cities in the south or the north?

For the last five years I have been traveling to Europe in October. I have gone to either Spain or Italy and have found the weather perfect at that time. The last two years I went to Spain. I brought along a light weight jacket that I stored in the front zipper pocket of my suitcase. I did not have to take it out and use it even once! I was more than comfortable in shirtsleeves.

Michelle, hotel prices will absolutley NOT drop in September for Paris, guarantee you that, book early or you may have to hunt for what you want in your price range.

You may see air fares from Edmonton go down for mid-September or later; trans-Atlantic fares the last two years have risen substantially im mid-May and stayed up until the beginning of fall (and then by relatively small discounts.) Of course if you are flying on business, the sky is the limit. Be sure to shop for open-jaws flights, into one city and out of another, to save time if not money.

January and February is my favorite time of the year in Europe... mainly because I love winter sports. If you're not into that stuff, though, it can be kind of overcast and damp most places. August can be pleasant north of the Alps, but you could get hit with short heat wave. September is probably ideal for outdoor-type activities, because temperatures are usually mild and it's one of the drier times of the year. Plus, there's all the fall festivals. One of the best-kept secrets about Germany: most of the vineyards are on public land, so you can walk through them at your leisure. There's some vineyards along the mountains within sight of where I live, and many of the hiking trails I often take with my dog weave through them.

have been to italy in february and march and it rocked. also ireland, spain, and italy in sept/oct and the weather incredible. i would echo the sept/oct timeframe as well as march for me. my february travels have taken me through the netherlands, brugge, germany, france, prague, etc.. it is like seattle wet and maybe some snow. but the wine is fine inside.