Crowds and weather in Italy, Greece, Ireland

Andrea, It would help to know about yours and your children's interests. It can be hot any where in Europe during any given week in the summer time, just like in the US. Last summer I experienced 100 degree weather in Amsterdam and 50 degree weather a few days late in Scotland, which then went back up to 85! Also, you have crowds at main sights everywhere in Europe in the summer. The trick is to get a bit off the beaten track for at least part of the time. If you really want cooler weather and smaller crowds head north. There are fewer people and your odds are better for cooler weather if you head to places like Scotland or Scandinavia. I have to let someone else speak for Ireland as it's been tooooo many years since I was there. ; ) Pam

We are not really "big" city people. However, if in Italy or Greece we would be interested in visitng Rome or Athens for a reasonable time and then venture to a more country setting (or visa versa) or seaside villages. We would certainly hit highlights such as the Colisseum , Sistene Chapel, etc. My 13 year old in particular is not a big museum fan but would enjoy ancient Roman sites. In Greece we would want to see the Parthenon and areas related to mythology. My 17 year old is interested in "natural" and archeological sites; she is very well read and likes ancient ruins. My main concern is at first blush, many travel books seem to discourage "summer" travel due to crowds and very hot weather in Italy and Greece. I'm not sure if late June and early July constitute "summer" travel. We want to have an enjoyable time and patience is not one of our virtues. If Italy and Greece are difficult at this time we would probably lean more toward Ireland (not my 13 year old's first choice). My childrens' concern is that they might be "bored" outside of Rome and Athens. Though I think we can always find interesting areas to visit.

Many years ago I was in Greece the month of July. It was definitely summer then. ; ) What my traveling companion and I enjoyed most about the trip was that we accepted the slower pace of the Mediterranean in summer. We spent some time in Athens, but then went to the islands. We visited Crete, Sanorinin, Paros and Spetses. When you slow down you can take the heat. We mixed up our trip with beach, ruins and museums. And we went to cafes about 5 times a day. ; ) From Spetses we were able to do a day trip to Mycenae and Epidarus. On another trip I also visited Delphi, Corinth and Corfu. I really enjoyed Corfu. There aren't a lot of ruins, but it was a restful place. See Gerry Durell's books about his family's time in Corfu between the wars. Also, Mary Stewart has a book This Rough Magic which also about the island. Of course, another Mary Stewart book, Moon Spinners takes place on Greece and is a great film with Haley Mills and Peter McEnery. ; ) For specific info about Italy, you might want to post in "to the Boot." For Greece, you might get more info in the section on Eastern Europe. Pam

We took our kids to Ireland in June/July 2009. The kids there were still in school, so the crowds weren't bad. We really lucked out with the weather -- cloudy and 60 the first 2 days, then sunny and 75-80 every day after that.

Weatherwise Ireland will be OK. Italy and Greece will be very hot unless it's a very atypical year. I know you get some hot days in Spokane, too, but Italy and Greece don't have air conditioning everywhere like we are used to here. Personally I would not go to Italy or Greece in June even if it was for free. For me it would be some kind of masochism. Being from Seattle area I don't tolerate heat very well.

We were in Rome at the end of May and had a couple scorching days. In fact, that's where we got a tan! The rest of the time in France was so cool that we had to bundle up. That was mid June. So hard to say. July last year in Brighton, York and Canterbury were coolish and very comfortable. London in July (one day) was so hot, I thought I would pass out.

(Edit). Hello Andrea, I think your concern about the heat and crowds and high prices for rooms in Italy and Greece during June and July is realistic. Austria and Germany and parts of France, and Ireland, are likely to be less hot. You are not likely to find interesting archaeological sites at the Scandinavian countries, but I guess your children would like travelling in Norway and Sweden. Those are the most tranquil countries in Europe. I think the best art in the Scandinavian countries is at Copenhagen. Sweden has a good medieval castle at Kalmar. You mentioned an interest in Ireland. Have you considered going to Ireland and England ? If your children want to see very old things, old and ancient things can be seen in the British Museum in London.

BTW there are very interesting archeological sites in Scotland, particularly in Orkney. If you are interested in Scotland check out Historic Scotland at http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/. I think that surprisingly there are archeological sites in Scandinavia as well. Look on the web under the different countries. The sites in Scotland date back to neolithic times. The Brochs, stone rings, standing stones, forts, castles etc. You even get Roman Ruins at Hadrian's Wall. ; ) Pam

Thanks everyone for all your input. It gives us more ideas to think about and a bit more insight into what we could expect at that time.