Travel in June and July

My family, including 2 children, will be in Rome, Positano, CT, Venice beginning July 10 - Aug 3rd. We know it will be hot, but we'll do as other's have said...out early, in an a/c apart midday, out again at night. This worked great during July 2009 when we were in Southern Spain and the temp was 104 degrees farenheight! We had an amazing time, just as I'm sure we will on this next trip, heat and all. I can't wait!

It will be hot and crowded and especially so in beach areas (CT/Sorrento). For me the heat isn't really a bother. I really haven't found it any worse than Vegas which never bothered me either. I do hate the crowds though.

Andrea - only problem is if you wait to be able to travel during shoulder season, you won't be traveling with your kids. If you want to see Italy WITH your children, then just go. We've been 3 times now, twice with our kids and those trips were in June and July. Some sites were crowded but even the teens agreed to do those early (i.e. St. Peter's). We took advantage of anything that could be booked online ahead of time (Ufizzi). And we didn't "wing it" as far as hotel reservations. I'd book them now especially if you are trying to get either quad or 2 rooms. Yes, it was hot. We'd head back to the hotel after late lunch to rest during the heat of the day and then be out very late at night - dinner doesn't start till 8:00 anyway. It was a good schedule for us and my kids loved Italy. It is their favorite country.

You can always pull the kids out of school for an educational trip. Most school allow and encourage this. The summer is one of the busiest times in Italy so if you can wait and go during the less busy times of year you might want to. You'll find heat and crowds in the cities you've listed during the months of June, July, August and September. Donna

You asked the same question - different locations in the Greece section and, unfortunately, you will get the same answers hot and crowded. For obvious reason this is the most popular time for Americans, Canadians, Europeans, etc. to travel. We know from experience since we were both in education. We slipped around the edges a bit by leaving the day school was out. One year we miss read the school calender and actually left three days before school was out. Good thing that my wife had a very understanding principal. And we tried to be home by third week of June. The first two weeks of June worked well but you could feel the crowds beginning to grow as we moved through June. I am guessing that July would be worse. And it can be hot but you just adapt to the Med schedule and follow local practice for dealing with the heat. Up earlier till about 1 or 2 pm and then a two or three hour break in a cool place. And back out in late PM and evening. You will have daylight until quite late easily 9 pm or more depending on where you are. With a little effort you can work around but not completely avoid the heat and crowd problem. Now that we are retired and traveling in October we can tell a big difference. Any way for you to move back 30 days?

Unfortunately, this is the only time we can travel this year and soon our oldest will be heading to college. We really can't pull the kids out of school as our oldest is in several AP college level classes and can't afford to miss the time as she is a good student and trying to keep her grades up. Thanks for the hints about resting during the afternoon and then going out again in the evening.

We went to Italy for the first 3 weeks of June and the temperature wasn't too bad until we got to Rome, rather pleasant mostly. The crowds are what they are. I would book tours for the Vatican and get appts/tix ahead of time at museums where available as someone mentioned above. In Rome, the traffic/parking pedestrian etiquette (lack thereof) annoyed me far more than any of the tourists clamoring for a picture on the Spanish Steps or Trevi Fountain.
Just go, it will be fine and amazing.

We are planning our Italy trip during the same time – last week of June and first week of July. My husband is a teacher, so this was really the only time we could take two weeks to go. We will be visiting Venice, Rome and Positano. Our game plan going in is to book as much in advance as possible and schedule our days to allow for rest and to remember to stay hydrated. Yes, our understanding is that it will be very hot and very crowded, but we would rather have the experience of going than staying home. Hey, it can be uncomfortably hot and crowded here at home in Chicago during that time too!

Been to Italy six times in July and August. Yes. It will be hot and crowded. Everybody's there. I enjoy the liveliness of the whole scene. Seems like there's always a quiet church or a shady cafe where you can collect yourself. Consider adding a week or more. It will make a big difference. The Hotel Pupetto in Positano is xlnt for a refreshing break at the seashore. Located on its own beach. I say take the kids while they are still living with you. We did. Twenty years ago I borrowed the money so our family could travel for a full month in Italy. The loan was paid off long ago but the good memories remain.

Hate to be a grinch but Italy in the summer is to be avoided. It really is VERY HOT, CROWDED, and more expensive. Nothing worse than planning a great trip and then dealing with long lines, stifling heat and overbooked public transportation. The shoulder season is gorgeous there and you have a great ion of where to stay and what to do without dreading the mob scene. I have a couple friends who went in July and said never again. Too much aggrevation in every respect. I just went for the month of October and it was spectacular. I always took my kids over Spring Break and that was nice as well.

My husband and I went to Italy for 3 weeks in July, 3 years ago, because July was the only option for us too. We had a great time. I would add that we spent a whole 10 days in the cooler mountain regions and Lake Como, and shorter amounts of time (2-3 days each) in the cities and Cinque Terre. In the interest of full disclosure, several years ago my husband was alone in Rome in July and he was quite aggravated! But I would not let the threat of heat or crowds stop you - just accept that both may be intense, splurge for lodging with air conditioning, and dive in!

I've seen several posters mention that it's going to be hot during this time. How hot is hot? We were in Thailand in August and it was HOT and sticky. I live in Southern California and it gets to be 100+ some days during the summer. Is this what is meant by hot? I just need to let my family know what to expect :) Thank you!!

Laurie, it'll be more humid than where you are, but NOT like Thailand! In Italy, when the temps go up, so does the humidity. Ever wonder why I'm not "Eileen IN Texas"?!? Andrea, The World has the same idea as you about visiting Italy in the summer...sorry 'bout that! BUT, you can cope...DO make any pre-reservations you possibly can before you leave the USA - for the Uffizi, for example. That's not someplace you want to be without a go-to-the-front-of-the-line reservation!!! Your family just might mutiny...Make sure to plan your sight-seeing very carefully - it's very likely that at some point you'll have to drop something (probably because SOMEONE has dropped LOL), so be sure that all of you got to see the things most important to you. Plan your route well - you don't want to be running all over town trying to get your sight-seeing done. It's too much exertion. Stay well hydrated. Take breaks - for water, even for coffee or wine (gets you off your feet and hopefully out of the sun), and be sure to stop for gelato ('someone' has to perform quality control). Get plenty of rest; traveling is exhausting anyway, but Italy in the summer is particularly rough. It doesn't matter what age you are. Sunscreen (watch your 3-1-1 if you're doing carry-on only). What kills me in Italy in the warmer months is that I don't often get ANY relief from the heat; if I come across any A/C I commit it to memory - I know I ain't gonna see anymore for a loooong time! The museums, restaurants, gelato shops, retail stores, and hotels often have NO A/C, and I rarely see a ceiling fan. So - get a hotel with A/C (very important!), and bring a hand fan (I buy bunches as souvenirs when I'm in Europe!). You can have a great trip, as long as you are prepared. Maybe it won't be as bad as you expect ;-)

To find out about average temperatures during different months in different parts of Italy, go to RS 2011 Tours and click on Italy and then click on whatever tour covers the parts of Italy you want to visit. Along the right hand side of the page is Weather in Europe (or something like that). Click on that and up pops a weather chart (hopefully).

Thanks to everyone for their encouragement and great ideas of how to make it work. We bought our plane tickets so we're ready to go.