We are starting to plan a 3-week road trip for next year. The proposed loop starts in Munich - Prague-Vienna-Budapest-Zagreb-Trieste-Venice-Innsbruck-Munich. We are seasoned drivers in Europe and have been to most of the locations except for Czech, Hungary & Croatia. All of our lodging will be planned & confirmed.

In 2011, we did a similar trip in May to France for 10 days. One of our best trips. Had a great time & no major surprises. Met a lot of great people, stayed in various types of lodgings & ate at wonderful restaurants. We've also driven in Italy, Greece, Germany, Austria & Switzerland. But always in May or June. Now we're thinking maybe fall.

So now I would like your opinion on when to do this new trip. Looking for plus & minuses. Thank you.

Too bad you had no major surprises since they are what makes a trip unique!

I prefer May for the longer daylight hours. However, I think for much of your itinerary the weather will be warmer in September.

I can't think of any other factors than the two I've given. Both months are great travel months.

I was in Prague-vienna this September, not a day of sunlight!! Although Prague was slightly better than Vienna. But I dont think this happens every year, September seems to have lower rainfall averages than May.

<< not a day of sunlight >>

It may not have been sunny but I'm sure it was not night the entire time.

May---daylight and flowers !

You might need to check whether your rental car allows travel to everywhere on your list (some restrict taking a car into certain countries and you have to rent there). You will also need vignettes for some countries (Austria for one).

kybourbon --> good tips, I need to look into that.

Is there a vivid fall, w/spectacular colors, like here in the USA? If not, then I'm back to May/June like we've done in the past.

May. Better (cooler) weather usually, longer days and the locals are not yet fed up with hoards of tourists. We always travel in May if we can - with late Sept/early Oct as a fall back.

In midsummer will do only colder areas (Switz, Scand, Ireland, Scotland etc)

In Italy, I prefer May for the same reasons, but also because the countryside is at its greenest, the poppies and wild broom are blooming, and the wheat fields are beginning to turn gold. Between Trieste and Venice, the season may be a bit later, but still, it would be greener in May, as I think all of Europe would be.

I've never been in Croatia or the Czech Republic in autumn, but in most of Europe, and certainly in Italy, you don't get the brilliant colors that you get in eastern Canada or the Northeast of the US.

I hate to disagree with most everybody. I prefer September and early October. The weather is more predictable and there are fewer European tourists once vacations are over. I have been along the Croatian Coast in September, and it was marvellous. I grew up in southern Bavaria, and have experienced that in general the weather was better and reliable in the early Fall.

I agree that there really are no fall colors that can compare with those in New England and the Aspen colors in the Rocky Mountains.

Hi,

I'm with treplow on this. We also prefer late Sept. to mid October over any other time of year. We've done a number of trips to the Switzerland, Austria, Bavaria and the Italian Dolomites in the fall.

Hi
Several years ago we did a route and hit much of the same cities - Rothenburg, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Venice, etc. It was for 3 weeks starting in mid Sept and it was great. Less tourists, and we did not have any rain. In fact, the day before we left, I had to change our packing because it was going to be warmer (upper 70s) in both Prague and Budapest. In Venice it was great also, no canal orders since the temperature was milder and less tourists. Also, if you time it right, you could actually hit the Oktoberfest in Munich since much of it is in Sept (which we did do on a separate Sept trip and had great weather then too).

On a separate trip that we did Munich, we did have some rain, but check the weather sites and see which months generally have the more. Since it is not predictable, as usual, just take a rain jacket and keep trekking.

Have a great trip.