Round trip around some of Europe

[Biker-Girl01]

Hello all, 

My partner and I are looking to do a trip down from France to Italy as for as Florence then over to Croatia through Slovenia. Down the West coast of Croatia and back up the East side to start making our way back to Calais through Austria, Germany and Belgium. I was wondering if anyone has done something similar and can give any advice on when’s the best time of year to go and any places that are worth visiting. Seen some lovely places but would like to hear other people’s opinions. 
 

Thank you in advance 

[S-Westerly]

All I would say is try and avoid July and August.  These are peak holiday months and everywhere will be crammed and more expensive too. Also the potential for really hot (+30C) for days on end which doesn't make for fun riding especially in heavy traffic. 

[Biker-Girl01]

Thank you S-Westerly for taking the time to respond and for the advice. As we don’t have kids we are looking at going within school time to cut down the cost and for it not to be to busy. Definitely want the nice weather but that hot would be a bit to far 

[keith1200rs]

The Croatia tourist season can be a bit short. We went in September 2017 and flights stopped at the end of September. A lot of the restaurants didn't have much inside space so relied on people being able to eat outside. They were trying to extend the season so you might be able to go in October. We stayed in Trogir which is a beautiful place.

[Nick the wanderer]

Have you thought about what sort of mileage you want to cover in day? That's getting on a 3000 mile round trip. (I used London as a starting point and down to Dubrovnik) That's a lot of miles in the saddle, either allow plenty of time and/or be very flexible.

[Gerontious]

September. Crossing soon after the August Bank Holiday. Kids are back in school. Holiday season effectively over but it’s still warm and the amount of daylight is long enough. Set a goal but be very flexible. I can’t count how many times I’ve set a goal and then changed plans due to all sorts of reasons. Sometimes due to avoiding bad weather and that includes excessive heat. Or simply because I arrive in a region and it’s so unexpectedly nice I decide to stay there.