Amsterdam & Paris in late March/Early April...Am I nuts

My wife and I are scheduled to go to Amsterdam & Paris at the end of
March and beginning of April. We will be taking a river cruise
through the Netherlands and Belgium for the first 9 days and then will
be in Paris for 2 days upon returning. From what I have read, the
average temps are highs in the mid 40's and lows in the mid 30's. Are
we crazy to be going when it is still so chilly? Is it generally
humid or not at that time of year? While in Paris, we are looking for
an upscale, but not terribly costly accomodations. Any
recommendations.

Mike [on Tue, 13 Sep 2005 14:12:00 GMT] wrote:

My wife and I are scheduled to go to Amsterdam & Paris at the end of
March and beginning of April. We will be taking a river cruise
through the Netherlands and Belgium for the first 9 days and then will
be in Paris for 2 days upon returning. From what I have read, the
average temps are highs in the mid 40's and lows in the mid 30's. Are
we crazy to be going when it is still so chilly?

It depends.
If you prefer a quiet cruise, not too many tourists around, and if you
prefer to stay indoors for a while, it's OK. But don't expect to be on
the decks for a long time, unless chilly weather is your favorite.

Is it generally humid or not at that time of year?

You never know. in March and April, everything is possible from very calm
and sunny (10-15C) to cold (snow!) or wet (rain storms and lots of wind).
So yes, bring sweaters and a warm rain coat (or two).

Also, bring your camera. In that type of year, the skies can change by
the hour. In the mornings, sunrise over damp fields and small wooden
bridges can be awesome. You'll possibly see impressive black clouds.
You'll see windmills turning rapidly.

--
Low Countries By Bike - http://lowcountriesbybike.ardane.com
Riding on two wheels in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany

On Tue, 13 Sep 2005, Mike wrote:

My wife and I are scheduled to go to Amsterdam & Paris at the end of
March and beginning of April. We will be taking a river cruise
through the Netherlands and Belgium for the first 9 days and then will
be in Paris for 2 days upon returning. From what I have read, the
average temps are highs in the mid 40's and lows in the mid 30's.

That doesn't sound right at all. According to
http://www.weatherbase.com/ , the average high and low for Paris in March
is 10 C and 3 C (51 F and 38 F respectively). In April, it's 13 C and 5 C
(57 F and 42 F).

For Amsterdam, it's 8 C and 2 C in March, and 11 C and 4 C in April, so
it's 1 to 2 degrees Celsius cooler than Paris.

--
Yves Bellefeuille

Martin [on Tue, 13 Sep 2005 16:52:46 +0200] wrote:
On Tue, 13 Sep 2005 16:24:36 +0200, Erick T. Barkhuis
-o-m wrote:

You'll possibly see impressive black clouds.

of mosquitoes over Volendam?

Mosquitoes in March?
This thread is NOT about New Volendam in NSW, Australia. At least, that's
what I thought.

--
Low Countries By Bike - http://lowcountriesbybike.ardane.com
Riding on two wheels in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany

Martin [on Tue, 13 Sep 2005 17:04:21 +0200] wrote:

I was assuming Mixi's predictions [...] were correct.

You were....WHAT!??


--
Low Countries By Bike - http://lowcountriesbybike.ardane.com
Riding on two wheels in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany

We were in Paris last March (middle of month) and the weather became
quite nice. Started out cold first day or two but was in 70's by the
end of the week.

Tom

It should be a bit warmer than that, though the weather can be
changeable, and you can't rule out a cold snap for a few days in late
March.

But it's hardly crazy to visit at that time. Plenty of people manage
to live here all year round, and plenty of Europeans would be taking
weekend breaks in both cities about that time. It can be lovely if the
sun shines, and if it doesn't there's plenty to do under cover.

PJW

On Tue, 13 Sep 2005 14:12:00 GMT, Mike
wrote:

My wife and I are scheduled to go to Amsterdam & Paris at the end of
March and beginning of April. We will be taking a river cruise
through the Netherlands and Belgium for the first 9 days and then will
be in Paris for 2 days upon returning. From what I have read, the
average temps are highs in the mid 40's and lows in the mid 30's. Are
we crazy to be going when it is still so chilly? Is it generally
humid or not at that time of year? While in Paris, we are looking for
an upscale, but not terribly costly accomodations. Any
recommendations.

Hi,

it's the beginning of flower season... the end of oyster season....
not bad really... be prepared for cool weather and rain.

but I've had fun in france and the netherlands in april.

Mike wrote:

My wife and I are scheduled to go to Amsterdam & Paris at the end of
March and beginning of April. We will be taking a river cruise
through the Netherlands and Belgium for the first 9 days and then will
be in Paris for 2 days upon returning. From what I have read, the
average temps are highs in the mid 40's and lows in the mid 30's. Are
we crazy to be going when it is still so chilly? Is it generally
humid or not at that time of year? While in Paris, we are looking for
an upscale, but not terribly costly accomodations. Any
recommendations.

--

It is a chancy time but Paris is flexible. If the weather is nice
wander in the sun. If not visit museums. You will not come close to
exhausting either in two days. Perhaps not in two weeks but two weeks
of consistently good or bad weather is unlikely.



Mike wrote:

My wife and I are scheduled to go to Amsterdam & Paris at the end of
March and beginning of April. We will be taking a river cruise
through the Netherlands and Belgium for the first 9 days and then will
be in Paris for 2 days upon returning. From what I have read, the
average temps are highs in the mid 40's and lows in the mid 30's. Are
we crazy to be going when it is still so chilly? Is it generally
humid or not at that time of year? While in Paris, we are looking for
an upscale, but not terribly costly accomodations. Any
recommendations.

March is such a strange month for paris. Last year I was there during
the third week and we had everything from hail to sunny skies and 65
(F)degree weather. The year before it was sunny the whole time and
light sweater weather.
I just got back this weekend and like to stay at the Hotel Brighton.
They just had a remodel and have a very nice hotel. It's located on the
Rue de Rivoli and if you get a room on the front you have a beautiful
view of the Louvre, Tuileries, and even the Eiffel Tower (spectacular at
night with the lights glimmering). the price was 175 euros for a
superior room with Tuileries view. Ask for a room on the 3rd or 4th
floor for a better view.

--
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