Best month to travel (march, april, october)

A lot of smaller places may still be closed in March. April is beautiful, October gets into harvest time, which means wine festivals!

Our preference is Sept/Oct. Generally is drier than the spring months and warmer since the summer is winding down and cooling off. March and April will be rainier, especially Paris, and cooler as the transition to summer begins.

Not only will the weather be better, but so will the food. Early spring is a dead time, too soon for local fruits and veg.

While touring Italy last Fall, we were told that air conditioning is mandated to be turned off in hotels as of the end of September for "energy conservation." Can be uncomfortable if you experience a warm spell like we did in October.

We were in Italy in late May and most of the hotels didn't have their air conditioning turned on yet. They said they don't turn it on until June 1. We were hot and miserable a few days.

I was told in Civita di Bagnoregio that Rick Steves were there the first two weeks of April this year. I'd say he knows what he'd doing!

I've been to Paris twice in early October and it was great, but it's not off season then--in fact, it's fashion week for the first 10 days or so of October so book your hotel early. March is less crowded and you'll have far fewer crowds and lines at sights. You'll also probably be able to take advantage of winter/early spring airfare deals; there never seem to be as good of deals in Sept/Oct. So it depends on whether fewer crowds/better deals are more important to you, or whether weather and leaves on the trees are. Either way honestly these are great cities and you can't go wrong.

Paris....March 1993.....Wednesday morning....I decided to have some fun and count the number of tour buses parked around and near Notre Dame.....84. (Granted, Notre Dame is a popular place to park tour buses when parking near a hotel is limited.--but still.)

Paris has a slow season?

I like traveling in May as I find the weather is warm (but not too hot) and the crowds are less than what you see in June-August. Never traveled in fall but I am sure I wouldn't mind that for the same reasons I like May. I also find the exact same airfare in May than I would in March/April. Departure costs with Air Canada start rising mid May and generally stay there until mid September...what I have noticed anyway...

We usually travel in March because, other than Thanksgiving and Christmas, both of which are family time, spring break is the only time I can get off for more than a week at a time. Still, the weather was perfect in Rome and Florence in March 2008 and in Paris last March. In fact, we left snow in Alabama to arrive in perfect spring weather in Paris in March 2009. We also enjoyed good weather in Amsterdam in March 2007. I would prefer to travel in May but March has provided the benefits of decent weather, less tourist congestion and reduced costs due to the off-season. At a winery along the Mosel, near Bernkastel-Kues, I learned that the current decade has had the earliest springs and best growing conditions in several decades. So, overall, March has its advantages.

I prefer March or October since the crowds are thinner, and nothing is so cold that a jacket won't handle. Stay clear of Italy and Spain during Holy Week -- life is a madhouse and lots of things are closed.