Euro trip planning (April – May 2019)

You don't have enough time for Barcelona or for Amsterdam. I urge you to choose one or the other. Your odds of decent weather are better in Barcelona.

I know nothing about serious hiking and have never been to Europe in April (don't like chilly, wet weather), but I suspect your trip is earlier than many would recommend for outdoor activities in mountainous regions. I like the amount of time you're allowing for the early stops, though.

Mid April is still ski season typically, so hiking is questionnable. How will you fly from Salzburg to Barcelona? Sounds like that could be a very long travel day. I also think you should cut Barcelona as it sticks out like a sore thumb on this itinerary.

That time of the year can be iffy if you are going for the hiking. In the Alps, You can get spring rains which produces mud, but there again sometimes spring weather is glorious there.
Unless you have a specific reason for going to the Black Forest region that time might be better spent in Munich or elsewhere.

I don't know if it will make a huge difference, but if it were my trip I would reverse it and start in Barcelona and Amsterdam in April and end in Chamonix in May. This would allow you to be in Amsterdam at the time of the year the tulips are in bloom, and would give you a couple of extra weeks for the mud to clear in the mountains. Just an idea. You might want to look into the things that are open at the time of year you go to France too, I know in some other regions there is a period between ski season and hiking season where there are a lot of lifts and hotels shut down. Have a great trip, it sounds like fun!

@acraven Thanks for the comment. It’s so difficult to choose between the AMS and BCN, think the 4 of us must vote. We are not serious hikers but like being outdoors, will definitely do the easier trails. This is the only time of the year we can go to Europe (April 2018 we went to Italy and France in mid-May and had absolutely wonderful weather – some days too hot (in Chamonix, Venice and Rome)

@Emily Thanks for your comment. We were in Chamonix end of May and Aiguille du Midi was closed for maintenance. We are going earlier in 2019 as we want to go up to the highest point in Chamonix and not for skiing. Most lifts are closing end of April so we want to do the lifts and some easy hiking on lower level. To answer your question, we will take the train back to Munich and then a flight to Barcelona which is 2 hours (plan for now). Still difficult to decide.

@David. Thanks for the comment. This is the only time of the year we can go due to limited days of leave for the 4 of us (this year we went to Europe in mid-May and had absolutely wonderful weather – some days too hot (in Chamonix, Venice and Rome). Trust end of April for Black forest will be okay. We really want to explore the black forest area.

@Tamara Thanks for your comment – we thought about that – but we were in Chamonix in the last week of May this year and Aiguille Du Midi was closed for maintenance (not sure if this was a regular thing for that time of the year) which was a big disappointment, that’s why we are going back next year and thought to rather go in April. Think we need to reconsider both options again. Thanks 

"We love nature, hiking & sightseeing... Countries / places we want to cover: French Alps (Chamonix), Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Barcelona & Amsterdam."

The others are correct about high-elevation hiking at that time. There are plenty of very nice places to spend time in nature where your chances for reasonable weather are much better. That said, you have an obvious attraction to the Alps that clearly requires your presence there, and you probably won't be swayed from spending a week there. Give it a shot.

There's nothing wrong with Barcelona or Munich/Salzburg but these places in particular involve a lot of transport time, logistics and hassle in between Switzerland and Amsterdam. I would work on streamlining this part of the itinerary for a ground-travel-only visit. You really can't "cover" Austria with 3 nights in Salzburg, or Germany with 3 in Munich and 3 in the Black Forest (which does put you in further jeopardy of crummy weather.) And your short time in A'dam doesn't do justice to the Netherlands at its most beautiful season of the year (think tulips.) More time in between Switzerland and Amsterdam will probably help you keep your boots dry.

Gengenbach is a pretty good choice after Luzern. It's not in the Black Forest exactly but you can easily day trip to hiking places IF the weather is cooperating. The other advantage is its proximity to Strasbourg, FR and to Freiburg as well as Gutach, home of the Black Forest Open-air Museum (Vogtsbauernhof.)

Further north on your way to the NL is the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, (a UNESCO World Heritage site south of Koblenz) where a couple of premier hiking trails await you. Hike from castle to castle and town to town along the Rheinsteig or the Rheinburgenweg (Rhine Castle Trail.) The Rhine castles number in the dozens and are genuine medieval structures (unlike the faux-facade-castle Neuschwanstein.) Most can be hiked to, and some, like Marksburg and Rheinfels, can be toured. Besides its historical importance and attractive old-world towns and castles, the Rhine region tends to be warmer and drier for outdoor activities than extreme southern Germany. Trains serve both sides of the river - which makes it easy to get back to your base after a one-way hike.

Further north on your way to A'dam are the cities of Aachen and Cologne. Maastricht (NL) is nearby and also very worthwhile. And if you don't get out into the NL countryside outside A'dam (preferably on bikes) you are missing a treat.

April 19 is Good Friday, April 21 is Easter Sunday. I'd check carefully for closures of sights and restaurants.