General Europe travel timing

Here are some general comments I hope will be helpful. The forum stands ready to assist with planning details; it's sort of hard to address high-level questions before there's a sketched-out itinerary to comment on.

From personal experience I know how itineraries (and trip length) can expand as one proceeds with trip planning, so I want to be sure you're aware those not traveling on EU passports are limited to spending 90 days within any 180-day period in the Schengen countries. All the places you've mentioned except Ireland are Schengen countries. (The United Kingdom is also not part of the Schengen area, and there are other non-Schengen countries in southeastern Europe.) You need to keep that rule in mind as you proceed, because overstaying the 90-day limit can lead to a large fine and being banned from returning for years. I know you'll have a wonderful time and will want to return.

I regularly take long trips (3 to 4-1/2 months), including some non-Schengen destinations so I don't break the rules. I'm more focused on weather than many others, and I much prefer traveling when the days are long. Therefore, my preference is to fit my trips into the early April to early October time period; I notice the days getting shorter in late September, and my energy level tends to drop. (I realize most folks don't have that problem.) For a trip beginning in the spring, I'd start in the south and work my way north. That accomplishes two things: It increases the odds of nice weather when you're visiting places like Ireland and Scandinavia, and it reduces the risk of miserably hot weather in places like Cinque Terre. Although 50F is a pleasant enough temperature on a sunny day, places like Ireland and Norway are notoriously rainy, and walking around outdoors in wet clothing on a 50F (or chillier) day isn't so nice.

Your initial target list (which I realize is likely to expand greatly in the coming months) is heavily tilted toward countries north of the Alps where unremitting heat is unlikely even in mid-summer. Central Europe (Austria, Czechia, Hungary, much of France, etc.) can get hot but will not be 90F or higher day after day, which is something you could experience in southern Spain or southern Italy. Depending on what additional destinations you decide to add, you might be able to travel mostly in the June-August period, maximizing sunlight, and still not risk a lot of miserably hot days. You'd be assured of longer days at that time of year. But if you're someone who wants to prioritize avoiding hot weather, you'll probably want to start you trip in May (or even earlier, depending on your final itinerary) or extend it into September/October.

However, weather is not the only consideration. There's also the issue of crowded destinations. The June-August period (especially July-August, or so it seems) is the time when more people are traveling. That means high hotel and car-rental rates, long lines and crowded indoor tourist attractions, etc. An outdoor, scenery-focused itinerary will protect you from the seething mobs to some degree. With the exception of a few high-profile outdoorsy destinations (Cinque Terre being one of the major ones; it's grotesquely overrun), the places you'll encounter severe crowding are typically the most famous indoor attractions everyone has heard of (e.g., the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Vatican Museums, Alhambra, etc.) and those tied to recent popular movies and TV shows (e.g., the Churchill War Rooms in London).

One timing issue to be aware of is that some very seasonal (usually due to weather) places don't have enough lodging to meet the demand in the peak season. I speculate that's because it doesn't pay to build a bunch of hotels that will only be well occupied five months out of the year. This is an issue in Norway's fjord country for sure. That's an example of an outdoor destination where you need to book lodging far in advance.

Out of space; to be continued.

Continuing...

I can't say much about finding snow because my goal is precisely the opposite: I hate cold weather. Even on the hottest day of the year there will be snow on the ground at high elevations. If you're looking forward to falling snow, that's a different matter. The Wikipedia entries for major cities usually have a handy climate-summary chart showing monthly averages for various meteorological measurements. I find the temperature data in those charts too limited to be relied on; averages hide extremes, and it's the extremes that can make yo miserable. The precipitation information, though, can be useful.

To see how unpleasant the temperature can be at a particular time of year in a place I want to visit, I use the website timeanddate.com. It has actual, historical, day-by-day weather statistics going back about ten years. It's important to check multiple years, because there's a lot of year-to-year variation. I usually look at the most recent five years. Here's an example:

Amsterdam weather -- April 2023

Use the pull-down box at the right, just above the graph, to change the month and year displayed. Use the Search box at the upper right to change the location.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, some areas are extremely rainy (including the west coasts of most countries), and mountainous areas seem especially subject to unpredictable weather patterns. When you travel with a focus on scenery, you really need to allow yourself enough time in each area to have a chance of encountering weather that will permit you to enjoy being outdoors. Mountain locations can be rather expensive in summer (hiking is very popular), so it's sort of a balancing act between trying to ensure you'll have at least one good day in each area and keeping lodging expenses reasonable. Norway and Switzerland are the places where hotel rates tend to be most painful. The Norwegian fjords will be a must for you, but Alpine regions around rather than within Switzerland (including the Italian Dolomites) may be an option for part of your high-mountain fix. If money is a concern, you could combine something like the Bernina Express with time in the Dolomites and on one of the beautiful lakes in northern Italy.

Most of Europe has superb public transportation (trains supplemented by buses, plus ferries), so renting a car is often easy to avoid. Folks here can help you figure out where you might want a short-term car rental as your itinerary begins to take shape. The fjord area of Norway is one possible such place. The geography there is challenging, there's not a lot of train service, and some buses run only once a day, so you can cover ground a lot more efficiently with your own vehicle--assuming you won't be satisfied with the brilliantly-laid-out Norway in a Nutshell itinerary. Do keep in mind, though, that unless you want to do a lot of hiking (do you?), a lot of time spent in the same lovely scenery may begin to have less impact. I've learned that, for me, two hours is about as much time as I want to spend on a boat tooling around a lake. After that, I get antsy because the scenery on one lake just doesn't vary much. I like to mix up lake-boat trips and time spent wandering around pretty towns and cities. (And I do spend a lot of time in museums.)

If you tell us what sort of things you like to do other than looking at beautiful scenery (why Amsterdam? why Belgium?), folks here may be able to suggest additional places for you to research. For example, are you interested in architecture? wine? Northern Italy with its lakes, mountains, and cute seaside towns/villages (most of which are not as horribly packed as the Cinque Terre) is an area where you'd have a lot of scenic variety. Switzerland, Austria and southeastern Germany have lovely lakes as well as mountains.

A long trip such as you're planning requires some additional pre-trip activities. There have been several threads over the years on this topic. Here's one example:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/how-do-you-do-a-longer-trip-to-europe

And this thread offers some suggestions for how to put together a long itinerary:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/tips-for-building-an-itinerary-for-a-longer-trip

If this is your first trip to Europe, or the first one in a very long time, reading Rick's "Europe through the Back Door" will be helpful.

Be sure to mine the huge volume of helpful information in the "Travel Tips" section of this website. I'd start with "Money", because there's information there that may cause you to re-evaluate the suitability of the ATM/debit card and credit cards you commonly use at home.

https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips

All of Rick's videos can be watched here:

https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen

There are also podcasts, etc.

acraven has provided you with wonderful general planning advice. A very general outline could be starting in the south in Cinque Terre then moving north to Switzerland via the scenic Bernina Express, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernina_Express, from Tirano, Italy to Chur, Switzerland. You will see the Alps and snow without having to drive in it. Take a look at what Swiss towns you might want to visit. After Switzerland move on to Belgium and Amsterdam then Sweden and the Norwegian fjords doing at least part of the Norway in the Nutshell tour, https://www.norwaynutshell.com/, including the Flamsbana train - another very scenic ride. You can deviate off that tour to see more snow at Nigardsbreen and if you want, can hike on the Nigardsbreen glacier (which is unfortunately receding). From Norway fly to Ireland. It is very unlikely you will have to drive in snow during the northern hemisphere's late spring, summer or early autumn.

acraven and trotter thank you for the time you have put into answering me - especial acraven. Greatly appreciated.

We have been recommended to start in Norway and do a 10 day train trip through Norway and the Fjords.
Next fly to Iceland, then fly to Ireland. Iceland I have people I know. Ireland I'm happy to hire a car/motorhome.
Now you have me thinking it might be better to reverse it...and looking at temperatures, I'm also thinking it might be smarter to leave in April. I would love to experience a quaint snow covered village but I definitely don't want to spend my trip in the cold. I guess that's why I thought to start in the North and head down as the weather improves. Very open to suggestions though.

I will have to look into the money side as I'm budgeting $50K AUD tops.

Scenery and outdoors are definitely our thing - not a fan of museums/art galleries but love the idea of walking around towns and exploring. Some interest in Architecture.

From Ireland - fly to Glasgow then train to London (3 nights Glasgow, 5 nights London).
Train to Amsterdam (also have people we know here that's why Amsterdam....and my mother was born in Holland).
Train to Belgium - 5 nights
Train to Paris - 5 nights
Train to Zurich - 2 nights
Train to Salzburg - 3 nights (or 1 in Zurich and 4 in Salzburg)
Train to Venice - 5 nights
Train/hire car/motorhome from Venice to Cinqueterra
Train/hire car/motorhome from Cinqueterra to Florence/Tuscany
Train/hire car/motothome from Florence/Tuscany to Rome
Fly home from Rome

I wish I could look back on what you had written but I can't!

Jen

We lived in Germany for four years and have traveled several times to Europe and seen 80% of the countries in Europe.

You want to see snow. Warning, you don't want too much snow. In the Winter in Alpine regions snow can be a huge problem for travelers, especially if you plan to rent a car. Also, you want to see Norwegian Fjords, DO NOT plan on going in the Winter. Many roads are closed when winter storms hit as late as early June.

If you want to see lots of Fjords in Norway, take a cruise. We did one all the way to the North Cape, it was great.

Norway is very expensive and you avoid paying for expensive lodging and meals while on a ship.

"Would also like to do Norway Fjords, Sweden, Amsterdam, Cinqueterra, Belgium, Ireland."

Many of these places are very far apart. Consider narrowing you travel. I would do a week in Ireland and make sure you to the SW part of the country as well as Dublin, Galway and Belfast. Also, consider some time in the UK, there is much to see.

Still, recommend doing Ireland then the continent, take the train from London to Paris, then head up to Belgium (do Brugges, you don't need much time in Brussels). Then Amsterdam and some of the surrounding countryside.

From Amsterdam head down through Germany to Switzerland. I recommend Interlakken. There is snow and ice on the mountains in the Summer.

From Switzerland, head to Italy. Cinque Terre is nice, but not my favorite place in Italy by far. Have you done Venice, Florence and Rome, or the Naples area?