EuroVelo 5 - Via Romea Francigena: which way and when to ride
The best month for EuroVelo 5 - Via Romea Francigena is October: 72% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In October the wind barely favours either direction — on average 0.1 km/h along the route (ERA5 2006–2025, daytime 9:00–18:00).
Also passes through France, Belgium, Switzerland
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22% | 24% | 82 | 7 °C | 0% | 71% | 9.0 † |
| February | 34% | 26% | 78 | 8 °C | 0% | 57% | 10.3 † |
| March | 53% | 27% | 85 | 12 °C | 0% | 34% | 11.8 |
| April | 65% | 28% | 75 | 16 °C | 0% | 13% | 13.5 |
| May | 66% | 32% | 93 | 19 °C | 1% | 3% | 14.9 |
| June | 60% | 28% | 78 | 24 °C | 13% | 1% | 15.7 |
| July | 50% | 24% | 68 | 26 °C | 29% | 0% | 15.4 |
| August | 51% | 24% | 74 | 26 °C | 27% | 0% | 14.1 |
| September | 72% | 24% | 84 | 22 °C | 4% | 1% | 12.5 |
| October | 72% | 23% | 96 | 17 °C | 0% | 8% | 10.8 † |
| November | 48% | 27% | 109 | 12 °C | 0% | 35% | 9.4 † |
| December | 28% | 24% | 91 | 8 °C | 0% | 63% | 8.7 † |
Best months are all months within 3 percentage points of the best one. † less than 11 hours of daylight — long stages get tight.
Wind by month
| Month | Wind Canterbury → Brindisi, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Canterbury → Brindisi | Headwind > 15 km/h, Brindisi → Canterbury | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +0.8 | 4% | 6% | either |
| February | +0.5 | 5% | 6% | either |
| March | +0.7 | 4% | 6% | either |
| April | +0.5 | 3% | 4% | either |
| May | +1.1 | 2% | 5% | either |
| June | +1.3 | 1% | 4% | either |
| July | +1.9 | 1% | 5% | either |
| August | +1.5 | 1% | 4% | either |
| September | +0.8 | 2% | 4% | either |
| October | −0.1 | 3% | 4% | either |
| November | 0.0 | 4% | 5% | either |
| December | +0.6 | 4% | 5% | either |
Stages
The route is split into 27 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
How to read the numbers
Wind is the 10 m wind of a 25-km grid cell, daytime hours 9:00–18:00 local solar time; at saddle height in a sheltered valley it is weaker, on a coast or ridge stronger. A positive value is a tailwind. ERA5 slightly over-counts days with ≥ 1 mm of rain (by about 5–7 percentage points) and underestimates daily highs by 1–2 °C. Good day = less than 1 mm of rain between 9:00 and 18:00 (riding hours, local solar time) and a high between 10 and 30 °C; rain at night or in the evening does not spoil it.