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Advice on order of itinerary

My friends and I will be backpacking Europe from the very end of April through mid June this year. I am looking for some advice on a possible order of countries to visit during this time. Obviously would love to maximize nice weather as best possible.

We were originally planning on flying into Barcelona, training through Southern France, Northern Italy, Switzerland, Southern Germany, Austria, then North through various cities and finishing in Amsterdam, Paris, and London in June.

However, I am getting worried about the weather/scenery in May, particularly in Switzerland (currently planned for mid May). I would love to see green and wildflowers. Would it be better to start north and move south to try to get better weather in Switzerland, Italy and southern France? I understand it is somewhat of a trade off either way and also unpredictable, but I didn’t know if there was generally a best route for traveling Central/Western Europe in May and June.

Thanks for any thoughts/advice!!

Posted by
3277 posts

If going to the Berner Oberland in Switzerland it’s possible that the trails will be open in late May but there’s no guarantee. This is one area I would visit during the summer or early fall, especially if I wanted to see wildflowers. Although you may be able to see the Lavender fields in Provence in June.
Are you going to eight countries in four weeks? Each country will have their own COVID restrictions making it harder to keep track of what is required.

Posted by
8161 posts

If you are interested in seeing the tulips near Amsterdam (at Keukenhof), keep in mind that it closes for the season on May 15th, so you would have to get there before then. https://keukenhof.nl/en/