Pack a small umbrella, a light raincoat with a removable liner
and an extra sweater and you’ll be ready for most weather, but
you can always add to your all-weather wardrobe while you’re on
the road. Not surprisingly, the climate varies widely throughout
Europe as well as within each country. Currents in the Atlantic
Ocean tend to moderate temperatures along the western coasts,
even in Iceland. However the climate of larger countries can
span a wide range of temperatures and conditions. Remember if
you are travelling from the Southern Hemisphere that the seasons
in Europe are the reverse of those where you live! Using the
Alps as a rough dividing line for the continent's climate,
summers in the north are mild while winters can be cold and wet,
whereas south of the Alps summers can be hot and dry and winters
damp and cool. As always, temperatures are cooler at higher
altitudes. Northern Europe (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway
and Sweden) has a temperate, pleasant climate thanks to the Gulf
Stream. Winters ca