Journal
Shoulder Season: the Mediterranean Weeks Worth Knowing
Late May, June and September deliver most of what August promises at two-thirds of the rate. The specific weeks, island by island.
August in the Mediterranean is the most expensive and least pleasant week of the year — full marinas, booked restaurants, and roads that stop moving. The shoulder weeks deliver nearly everything August does: late May and June for long light and the first warm sea, September for the warmest water of the year and emptying beaches.
The specifics matter. Menorca and Mallorca are reliably warm from the last week of May, and September there is arguably the best fortnight of the season. The Amalfi Coast peaks in June and late September; August is the one to avoid. Corsica's maquis flowers in May, and the Lavezzi crossings are calm then. Puglia runs later than anywhere — October lunches on the beach are normal.
The savings are real: weekly rates in June and September typically sit a quarter to a third below the August peak, and the boats, drivers and tables that are impossible in August take a phone call. For anyone not tied to school holidays, there is no contest.