When to Visit Rome - April or Aug?

It depends on how well you tolerate the heat. I was there the first week of Sept and it was really too hot for this gal from the cooler climes. The Forum was so uncomfortably hot that it was hard to enjoy it as there is very little shade to be had. If you do go in August by all means get a hotel with AC so you can sleep at night, take a sunhat and get a small handheld folding hand fan.

April. No question. There will be more locals around, and it will not be so hot.

I agree. April for sure. I have been to Rome twice, once in March and once in late October. The weather was beautiful and the crowds manageable both times. April would probably be similar.

April, hands down. I was there twice in February and everything was open . . . except for a couple of ice cream shops that were renovating. This year I was in Sicily in late April and everything was open. Much better to have 2 days less and be able to enjoy your time. . . many fewer tourists, pleasant weather, though be prepared for a little rain.

I don't know what "having the most authentic Rome experience" means. The city will be exactly the same and the monuments will be in the same place regardless of when you go. In August more locals will be on vacation at the beach, but it's not like the old days 30 or 50 years ago when everybody took off in August. Italians nowadays stagger their vacation throughout the summer, so many will be in town. At most they'll head to Ostia or Fregene on weekends.

The only real difference will be the weather. Rome in early August is a lot like NYC in early August: hot. April is cooler and more unpredictable. It could rain or it could be sunny, often in the same afternoon. In terms of crowds, April will have more because in addition to foreign tourists, you will have the Italian tourists, especially the hordes of Italian teenagers on school trips. Actually the absolute busiest tourist periods are Easter week (esp. If in April) and the last days of the month around April 25 (Liberation day) and May Day (Labor day), when many take advantage of the two holidays for a visit to the Eternal city. If you opt for April around those busy periods, book your hotel early because they are often sold out. In August most Italian tourists will head to mountains, lakes and the coast, and not much to the art cities, which are left primarily to the foreign tourists and the locals who aren't on vacation.

So it's really up to you and your tolerance for hot weather. But I'm sure a New Yorker can take the heat of Rome in August. At least Rome is not as humid as NYC and in the evening sometimes you get that Ponentino breeze.

I agree with Roberto, I would take the extra days. Except for the Forum, you can duck into a shady area in Rome. You will notice people crossing the street just to walk in the shade, it's hot but it's doable. Stay hydrated.

Disclaimer: I'm from Miami.

We went in early Sept this year for 5 nights, and the heat was brutal. Mind you - I'm from Nova Scotia, so I'm not super acclimated to the heat (tho we get hot here in July for a few weeks).

If you do go in August, I'd recommend having a very central accom. We had a lovely apartment a stone's throw from the Colosseum, and most days, we'd go back to the apt in mid-afternoon to rest, cool off, sometimes take another shower...lol.

We usually travel mid-Sept, which I find more manageable heat wise. I find the heat bothers me and makes me tired and cranky. On the plus side, great excuse for eating gelato twice a day, and forget wearing makeup - it just melts off - so that made that routine easier!

I'm from Hot Humid Houston and I would NOT go in august! To many hotels do not have A/C. I have been on a RS tour of Rome Thanksgiving time and while cool was nice with less crowds but April sounds perfect.

I wish I could visit Rome in April! If you have that luxury then definitely go then rather than in August...far to hot and crowded for my taste.

I'm not sure where people get the notion that August is more crowded than April in a city like Rome.

The opposite is true and the statistics below prove it (see graph on page 9). August is the least crowded month in the period Apr-Oct in terms of hotel occupancy in Rome, while Spring and Autumn are the most crowded periods.

http://www.comune.roma.it/PCR/resources/cms/documents/Rapporto_Annuale_Strutture_Alberghiere_2013.pdf

I agree, April would be a lot more comfortable unless you are from the South and can tolerate the heat and humidity.

While I am not a lover of hot weather, I really like August in Rome because so many locals leave. The traffic is less congested and yes, more businesses stay open now. BUT there are lots of tourists in the historical area. In April you will have vacationing Europeans, but fewer North Americans with school-aged children to content with. Either time, you can have a great trip. More days is always good. Perhaps you can escape to the mountains of Abruzzo for a couple of nights. Is Rome your only stop or are you headed elsewhere in Italy?

Easter in 2015 is on April 5. If the Roman crowds are around Easter vacation, would they not be gone by the middle of the month?

I am from a hot and humid location, and would not recommend you going in August. We were in Rome at the end of June when the temperatures were hovering near 90 degrees, and I have to admit, it kind of diminished our fun a bit. Go in April. The extra two days are tempting, but if those two days are 90+ degrees, then they are not worth it!

Thanks so much for all of the replies! We decided to visit Italy in April based on the feedback. Sunny days won't be a sure thing, but I think we'll be happier.

There is another current post here that April 25 and May 1 are big holidays in Italy and that week could be crowded, but maybe more in the resort areas (lakes, CT), not in Rome. Hope someone will chime in . . . .

The first few days of May are not a good time to travel in Europe as there can be strikes and you can be caught up in them and unable to get from place to place. As hot as Rome can get in August, I prefer it as so many of the locals are gone and the cities are less crowded. Plan so you can go to churches and museums during the heat of day, take a siesta after lunch and wander around during the cooler evening hours and then have a late dinner like the Romans. It usually cools off quite a bit in the evenings and can be very enjoyable.

I have to disagree with this statement:

The first few days of May are not a good time to travel in Europe as there can be strikes and you can be caught up in them and unable to get from place to place.

You cannot let the remote possibility of a strike be the deciding factor in this choice. For one thing, at least in Italy, trains do run during a strike, although there are fewer runs. For another, strikes (if they happen) tend to start on a Saturday evening and end 24 hours later on Sunday. To lessen the likelihood of being affected by a train strike, you can develop an itinerary that avoids train travel on Sunday. Or plan to have a rental car.

The weather in spring will be rainier over all, but flowers are blooming everywhere and it's just beautiful.

It is true, as Roberto noted, that there are more tourists in Rome in April than in August, if you look at the charts showing hotel occupancy by month in the link that he attached. Rome is so huge that I wouldn't let that be a factor in deciding, but April is clearly not a time when you should just show up without lodging reservations pre-arranged.

Last week in April (Apr 25 and May 1 holidays) and Easter week are the busiest weeks in Italian art cities. It's really important to book hotels ahead during these periods.

In the years when Easter falls at the end of April hotel vacancies in Rome (or other art cities like Florence or Venice) are hard to find and often available only outside the city center.

I will cast my vote for April. We have been to Rome twice in late April and enjoyed every minute of it. The only problem we had was on May 1st, not realizing it was a holiday. Some bus service was a curtailed that day, but we made do by walking. Weather was wonderful!

In 2015 Easter Sunday is on April 5. In 2016 it's at the end of March.

April! We went in June and roasted! Next time we go it will be in the Spring or late Fall.