All around Europe. Best time and route?
 

Hi
Could anyone advise me on the best time of year to see Europe?
will be starting in northern France and will have a few months to spare.Intend to see as much as poss in about 5-6 months so plenty time. Anyone done this can u tell me bout ur trip?
Also what sort of budget would u reckon for 2 ppl on one bmw dakar per day?
thanks

Time of year:

April to September.

In your position, I would shoot down to southern Portugal mid April, and go southern Spain, Barcelona, south of France, northern Italy during May and June.

It is too hot in the south over July and August, but perfect in northern Europe.

So come July I would want to be away from the Med coast. Perhaps a spell in the Alps, then head to Prague (lovely town), some of the southern Polish towns and then spend August in Norway checking out their great coast.

Cost:

A lot. Camping and picnicing, I would budget, 50 quid a day. You want to eat out in the evenings don't you? That's the whole point.

If you are heading through NW France drop me a line. I can feed you, at the very least.

Simon

April might be a bit too early, even for Spain and Portugal. I spent all of May riding around Europe this year - headed down to Spain and Portugal the first week of May, and it was kind of cool for most of the month. I found myself using an electric vest and heated grips more often that I would have thought, and that was on a ST1100, which has a pretty big fairing.

My suggestion would be June and July. You won't have to carry as much kit for cold weather riding (and cold weather in general) if you depart at the start of June, and July is nice and hot. Plan to get your trip done before August, though - all of France is on holiday that month.

It's a safe bet that you will be well ahead of the holiday crowd in June, but once you get into July, stay aware of when the big holiday treks start up in Netherlands, etc. I flew into Paris one year (both myself and a moto), got off the plane, and only managed 50 km in 7 hours heading south. I had happened to arrive on the worst day of the year for Dutch folks heading to Spain via France - an absolute grade A traffic jam - I thought a nuclear reactor had blown up in Holland, it was like watching refugees stream out of World War II.

Michael

Times and weather aren't too difficult to work out. Costs vary enormously - eating and drinking in Poland or Romania (for example) are a fraction of the cost of Italy or France. Scandinavia is even more expensive. Best to work out what your budget is, what you really want to see, and work from there. If you want advice on any of the route I did this summer, take a look at Kevin Payne in Travellers Stories. Ask if you need anything else.

I did a Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, France and back to Germany in two weeks in Sept 04. I would hit the northern countries when it is warmer months and then head south towards the autumn and fall. I did not hit Poland, but the roads in Czech, Hungary and Romania are nice.

I did this ride on a cruiser so I stuck to the paved roads.

NB

Hello,

Best time of year to head down to Portugal an southern Spain its May in June and July temperatures can reach 40C, and you will avoid the Holiday season.

Bgrds
Anton