Help planning backpacking route across Europe

From where are you coming, on your way to Scandinavia? How are you getting there? Where do you intend to go, once you’re finished with your Scandinavia leg?

If you’re starting by flying to Copenhagen (as we did this past September, and intend to wind up in, say, Estonia or Latvia or Lithuania or Poland, then go from west to east. If you intend to backpack thru Scandinavia, then swing south (Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, etc.), then starting in Finland and going from east to west makes sense. Are Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark (but not Iceland?) all intended?

This past September, we visited parts of Scandinavia - Denmark and Norway - but weren’t backpacking. We rented an electric VW in Norway, driving thru fjord country and high mountain terrain (where camping huts for backpacking were abundant), but also used relatively cheap Norwegian Air for flying long distances within Norway, and from Copenhagen to Trondheim, and Oslo back to Copenhagen. Trains, at least in Norway, are expensive but effective. Maybe buses would be the way to go., if cost is a concern. In Denmark, we used trains for trips beyond Copenhagen, to Helsingør and to Roskilde, then buses within town. Bicycles are are big in Denmark, Netherlands, and Belgium, if bikepacking for part of your time is something you might entertain.

Are the British Isles part of your plans? To reach them, a ferry might the way, unless you flew, or took the Eurostar train thru the Chunnel. Even with with 3 months, you’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so if trains are part of the equation, some kind of train passes might be warranted.

Have you thought of what the temperatures are likely to be? Scandinavia in Spring - cool to cold, probably still some snow and rain; Middle East in summer by the time you get there - very hot. I’d be thinking about reversing the order so as to be in Iraq in spring and Scandi in summer for better weather and long daylight hours, possibly even their midsummer celebrations.

If you want to visit Scandinavia, starting in Finland is a bad idea since it's not in Scandinavia. But do you want to include Finland as well? Any other places you want to include?

A bit more information would be great, like where you're coming from. And I agree that doing it south to north sounds like a better idea for a spring trip. Baghdad gets hot in the summer.

We need to know the (tentative) bigger picture to be of much help. What countries do you intend to visit? Are you more a city person or a countryside/scenery person? And how tight is your budget?

These are just some random thoughts.

Scandinavia is very expensive (especially Norway). Being there in the summer would give you more daylight hours to enjoy all the money you'll be spending, but I realize you may be planning to begin your trip in May or even early June.

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland are a lot less expensive than Scandinavia.

Overnight ferries are available for some trips within Scandinavia (including Stockholm to Helsinki), and they can be a good deal compared to hotel rates on land. However, those ferry prices can escalate rapidly as the travel date approaches.

Train tickets in many cases are cheaper if purchased early, but read the change/cancellation rules carefully.

Norway's geography is really challenging, so if you want to see scenery beyond the (highly recommendable) Norway-in-a-Nutshell route, you'll probably need to use some buses in addition to trains. Norwegian inter-city buses are not particularly cheap.