Europe split in 2

Downside is buying airfare two times, but I tend to favor getting in a fall trip and a spring trip if you are able to make it work.
Where is like throw a dart--too many options to name. What's on your wish list?
In November I would do cities, and I would try to do as close to May as possible for more outdoor pursuits in southern Europe.

Sounds like a fun adventure! I would begin by looking up the average monthly temperature high & low, hours of daylight, plus number of days of rain for a major city in each country for both April & November. That will determine for you where your comfort zone lies. For instance, November could be Paris & London, or maybe you’re more comfortable with seeing several places in Spain.

For 2-3 weeks, pick two countries maximum, so you’re not wasting precious vacation time doing a lot of transportation waiting & sitting.

View some of the Rick Steves shows to see which countries appeal personally to you. And pick up one of his guidebooks which has so much valuable advice to maximize your time and answer questions that will save you money.

We traveled in Scotland and England in April and had "early spring" weather. They have some daffodils. You will have some rain; not all the time...the clouds pass quickly. You do run into Spring School Break which brings more crowds in some places. Some factory tours like the Potteries close; although Wedgwood was open. We wore light jackets over sweaters. Bring a tie-on rainhat. I don't like hooded jackets since they can block your view unless they have a built-in bill or you wear them over a ballcap. Wear water resistant footwear. I agree that November would be good for Cities because there are more indoor venues with music and theater. The Great Museums will have wonderful exhibits. Some of the Xmas Markets start around November 15th. Enjoy!

I think that it is great that you will be traveling in the fall as well as the spring.

I have only been to the Baltic and I loved it Might be best to do the Baltic in the Spring. November might be too cold but check on the weather.

I was there the third week to end of September 2019. Went on a cruise. Weather was fine. The leaves were beginning to change color in Helsinki but not in the other countries.

I see that we were wearing warm clothing in Helsinki and the other countries but we were comfortable. In Sweden, I see myself with just a sweater and I even took the sweater off during some of the pictures.

Again this was the middle to end of September. November might be too cold for you and your partner but persons travel to the Baltic for Xmas Markets so maybe not.

Wow! Thank you for all the help so far!

Some bucketlist places are Greece, Italy, Iceland (for Northern lights), Croatia, Amsterdam, Sweden, Norway, Southern France, Spain, Malta, Portugal..... TOO MUCH?! haha oh goodness. Can I manage to split these places into the two trips?

Some bucketlist places are Greece, Italy, Iceland (for Northern
lights), Croatia, Amsterdam, Sweden, Norway, Southern France, Spain,
Malta, Portugal..... TOO MUCH?! haha oh goodness. Can I manage to
split these places into the two trips?

You can group Spain and Portugal or Spain and France, or Italy and Croatia or France (think neighbors, not hopping all over), but I would not do much more than a couple adjacent regions in three weeks. Similarly, you could group the Nordic countries together. Iceland airlines offers some great deals that can make it prudent to pair it with a trip to the continent, but the main lesson I have learned from travel is to take it slow and not spend all my time getting from place to place. There is plenty to see everywhere, and paring down a list is always the hardest part.
You have two main groups--Mediterranean and northern--so I would determine which would be better in fall and which in spring and go from there. I am less well versed in the north, but I can tell you that for sure you would not exhaust places to see in Spain, Italy, or Greece in two weeks--just scratching the surface. Less is More!

Greece, Italy or Croatia would work for April, it can be pleasantly warm, while not yet swimming weather. Not too hot for sightseeing, hiking etc. Northern Light viewing calls for Iceland, northern Norway orSweden or even a bit closer to home with northern Manitoba (Churchill), the Northwest Territories (Yellowknife), the Yukon (Whitehorse/Dawson City) in Canada and of course Alaska.

For winter holidays the Christmas Markets seem to be a big draw and make a nice break from museums and art galleries.

Some bucketlist places are Greece, Italy, Iceland (for Northern
lights), Croatia, Amsterdam, Sweden, Norway, Southern France, Spain,
Malta, Portugal..... TOO MUCH?! haha oh goodness. Can I manage to
split these places into the two trips?

To answer the question, yes too much even for two trips. You said your partner has never been to Europe, but have you? Is that bucket list places you haven't been? Or places they want to see? Regardless you'll need to talk out and prioritize your choices to make sure you don't spend two weeks mostly in airports getting from place to place. Also consider daylight hours in November vs. April - if outdoor activities are a priority, then plan trips accordingly, e.g. the sunrise in Reykjavik in mid-November is 9:50 a.m., great for lights viewing but not so great for a long scenic drive day.

As has been noted already there are some obvious groupings, but I'd stick to a couple for each trip for sanity (your original stated goal) and keep the rest on your bucket list for future travels (children grow up and leave home, I hear). And if you really want to see lights in Iceland, you'd maximize chances by going in November (not guaranteed even then). Icelandair offers stopovers up to 7 days for no extra charge, so you could do that on the front or back of a November trip. https://www.icelandair.com/flights/stopover/

Sounds like 3 trips, to me, given all the countries you identify in your follow-up post.

1. Greece, Croatia and Italy. A trip for March or April ... or Mid-September through October. Avoid summer heat and crowds. Our two trips to Italy were each just short of 3 weeks (one in May, the other started in late September. We never got south of Rome, either time. Croatia alone was 10 or 11 days on an 18 day trip that also included Vienna (4 days) and Prague (3 days).

2. Southern France, Spain and Portugal. A trip for April or May (perhaps March, during Semana Santa on the Iberian Peninsula) ... or Mid-September through October; maybe starting in late October in southern France and then November in Spain & Portugal. We've been to Spain twice. Once for two weeks (in March, including Semana Santa in Andalucia and Extremedura) and once for about 10 days in Spain, on a trip that began in Munich (2 days), then a drive through Switzerland (2 days) and Provence (another week). Never been to Portugal. Been to France two other times. Paris only for a week, once, and this past spring, 4 weeks in Southwestern France, the Loire Valley and then heading to, and including, Paris.

3. Your northern, summer trip. Iceland, Scandanavia and Amsterdam.

Three trips. 9 to 12 weeks, i.e., 3 to 4 weeks, each.

November’s going to be a more likely time for good Northern Lights sighting than April, but early April could possibly still work. That being said, I’d use November for more southern locations (Greece, Malta, etc.) and April for more northerly locations, to beat the heat.

We did have a wonderful time in Greece in April 2018, though. We also visited Iceland for a week one April. Decent weather, but it was too overcast to see the Lights on any night. Florence, Italy was not crowded in November, but I got some cold rain.

Some bucketlist places are Greece, Italy, Iceland (for Northern
lights), Croatia, Amsterdam, Sweden, Norway, Southern France, Spain,
Malta, Portugal..... TOO MUCH?! haha oh goodness. Can I manage to
split these places into the two trips?

I agree that this sounds more like three trips. Or two longer trips. But if you're planning to keep the total travel time to a month it will not work. 11 countries is 31 days is less than 3 days in each country on average, which is way too rushed in my opinion.

And while there certainly are reasons to visit Iceland, the Northern lights is not one of them. As a small island in the middle of the Atlantic it has a very humid climate and hence is too cloudy to be a reliable place to see the lights. The chance of seeing them is much higher on the European mainland. And assuming you are North American it might be easier to just go somewhere in Canada if you want to see the lights.

I respectfully disagree with MangoTree, having had many very pleasant trips in April to several of your destinations as well as early December trips. I have found May, especially late May, to be the new summer for many travelers and Thanksgiving time can be popular with Americans for European travel. I agree with those who think you have 3 trips rather than 2 listed!

I had concerns similar to yours when I researched "Australia" as a destination. That ultimately became a 3 trip prospect for me - and I'm not done yet! I determined the best shoulder season for each area I visited and laid out my must -sees within the different regions. From there, it was relatively easy to schedule and book.

I think you should start by narrowing down what it is within each country that you want to see. You perhaps know that already, but asking posters to help with plans including Scandinavia, Greece, Croatia, and other disparate destinations is unlikely to be as helpful as laying out your must-sees and getting the great advice that travelers experienced in those destinations can give you.

Or, some travelers like to move from place to place without spending much time at any location. If that is you, perhaps you can find a "See all of Europe in 21 days" sort of group tour and review their itineraries. My mother still raves about her one European trip in the '90s that was of that type. It wasn't a bad one and done option for her.

You keep hearing about temperatures and crowd levels and ......

Taking two trips is a good idea if the budget allows. Find some places that interest you and and do some research on the activities at different times of the years. Sure, fewer crowds in the Winter, but the beaches are no fun. Sure the beaches are better in the summer, but the Christmas Markets and the City Lights just arent the same.

Experiening Europe at different times of the year is an excellent idea. The you will have a better understanding and a wider enjoyment that those that "I only travel to Europe in the ...... whatever it is"

”Some bucketlist places are Greece, Italy, Iceland (for Northern
lights), Croatia, Amsterdam, Sweden, Norway, Southern France, Spain,
Malta, Portugal..... TOO MUCH?! haha oh goodness. Can I manage to
split these places into the two trips?”

You could either group adjacent countries, such as southern France & Italy, or do a quick European flight to cover two countries such as Spain & Greece. During my last trip, I flew a multi-city ticket on Delta to London and back home from Amsterdam. During my time in Europe, I flew two cheap Easy Jet flights from London to Ljubljana and from Dubrovnik to Amsterdam with a nice overnight near Amsterdam since I was switching airline companies. Something like that could also give you your time in Amsterdam before flying back home. That trip was for a whole month.

Whatever you’re planning, look up the amount of time for each transportation change. Draw out a calendar and block out the mornings or longer amount of the days that’s transportation. Would you rather “see” another country, or spend that day doing something? That’s a personal decision. : ). I’m very stingy about spending my exciting vacation time waiting for a plane or sitting on a train for more than 2-3 hours. I’d much rather be out having fun!

FYI - Sweden, Norway & Iceland are going to be more expensive than your other choices, in case you aren’t aware of prices.

Hi there, yep lots of great advice here about narrowing down your list to something manageable & more importantly, enjoyable. I agree with Jean about looking at your time realistically, getting to & from airports, usually at least 1.5 hours ahead, transport etc takes time! I quite literally sit down, close my eyes and imagine the arrival. What do you do first? (Get bags, carry on only, grab a taxi or did you book a car?) And then... can you shower at hotel, how do you react to jet lag, what do you really want to DO, did you allow time for lunch? How are your FEET?! Lots of cobblestones!! And do you actually want to take tours, go to ALL the main tourist attractions, see the sites or did you just want to stroll and absorb, maybe pop into a church? At this point, are you exhausted and BTW what time can you check in & are you doing a hotel or AirbnB? Good luck with your planning, keep us posted & there are people here who can help with a more detailed plan! In case this helps, @Fred noted there are cheap flights from SFO to CDG. I added a link to the UA basic economy to Paris in mid October and amazingly, it is non stop from SFO. Probably also possible from LAX. $850- ish. https://www.united.com/en/us/fsr/choose-flights?st=bestmatches&d=2023-10-16&taxng=1&f=SFO&fl=1%2C%200%2C%200&px=1&EditSearchCartId=68058D3F-382B-4DCD-94EB-02AE06F36924&sc=1&r=2023-10-23&frmflxc=1&tqp=R&t=CDG&EdtSrch=1

Arrive in Milan train to Florence trai to Rome: 7 to 10 days
Fly Rome to Split, Croatia on Ryan Air. Split and Dubrovnik at a minimum: 4 to 6 days
Guide to Budva to Perast, Budva, Ulcinj, Ostrog Monestary, Tara Canyon, end in Podgorica: 5 to 8 days
(a room and a guide with a car is about the same cost as a room alone in Italy)
Aegean Air from Podgorica to Athens: 7 to 10 days in Greece

23 to 34 days