Mediterranean weather

[Luckysll]

I'm considering a Med cruise for 2008 with either a week in London before or after the cruise. I know from Alaska and Caribbean cruises, that there is a "shoulder" season where prices are a little less, but the weather may or may not be as great.

 

Since I've never been to Europe or the Mediterranean before, what weather related travel advice can you give me? Are there better/worse times to cruise?

[Nanatravel]

Shoulder season might be April, May and first week of June for the Med = Barcelcona, Rome, Florence, Naples, Greece, Turkey, Venice. Also a good time is September anywhere from Amsterdam to Rome etc. It starts to get a little chilly in October, but it could be OK.

 

Bon Voyage

[fern]

We live in Southern Spain on the coast so here is a little information for you.

 

Our climate is very good with February being the coldest month (rarely lower than 14 celcius in the daytime).

 

April good maybe some rain.

 

May & June really good without the fiery heat of August.

 

July & August HOT

 

September very pleasant just cooling off a little

 

October can be good but it also the month when we may have storms.

 

November & December normally like an English spring and January similar.

 

Hope this helps:)

[tom_uk]

I agree with Fern, with the addition that in one or two recent years September has been pretty hot as well.

 

We're going in late June in 2007, and I'm beginning to think that might be a little too late for ideal comfort. We've done two Med cruises so far, late May 2005 and early June 2006, and on both cruises the weather was ideal - hot but not too hot, blue skies, calm.

 

The other advantage (to me, at least) is that in late May/June you've got long, light evenings on the run-up to midsummer day, whereas by late September day & night are equal lengths, so it's getting dark by 7pm or so. As you go into October it gets darker as well as cooler, of course.