Who needs a Schengen visa: holders of Indian, Pakistani, Filipino, Chinese, and many African passports, among others. Who does not: Americans, Brits, Canadians, Japanese, Australians, and other visa-exempt nationalities, who get 90 days in any 180-day period (plus ETIAS from late 2026).
The rule everyone gets wrong is where to apply. Under Article 5 of the EU Visa Code, you apply to the country of your main destination: most nights or the primary purpose of the trip. First country of entry is only the tiebreaker for equal stays.
Sources: U.S. State Department, IATA Travel Centre
Schengen visa requirements hinge on your main destination and first entry point; get those wrong and the application bounces.
Visa shopping, applying to the consulate with the lowest refusal rate regardless of your itinerary, gets applications refused. The fee is 90 euros, non-refundable, and a refusal for wrong-consulate goes on your record. Apply where your trip actually goes.