europe trip itinerary 12 days

Ultimate Europe trip itinerary for 12 days

We have all had a romanticized idea of travelling to Europe. Afterall, where else in the world can you go from lush green plains to pristine river valleys to alpine mountains to gorgeous lake sides in a day-trip by car or a coach? I got the chance to explore Europe in 12 days thanks to an ultimate Europe trip itinerary.

It was a 12 day group tour through MakemyTrip  travel agency.  And contrary to popular belief against group travel,   I had an absolute blast with my group.

We were to cover 7 countries during our trip – Italy , Austria , Switzerland , Germany , Belgium , Netherlands and France . So without further ado, here’s my Ultimate Europe Trip itinerary for 12 days.

12 -DAY ULTIMATE EUROPE TRIP ITINERARY

Day 1 : arrival in italy – milan – at leisure.

Welcome to Italy !

We landed in Milan – the fashion capital of the world. It’s the second largest city in Italy and also it’s business, design, fashion & music capital.

My first memory of Milan is nothing short of a Fashion Week parade. It’s early morning & stepping down from my coach, I see an elderly but immaculately dressed lady walking her Poodle.

The poodle was wearing (PICTURE THIS) a pink leather jacket with a pink cap, pink shoes & a golden belt.

I pride myself on my dressing but the poodle’s style quotient put me to shame. Be mentally prepared to feel underdressed in every nook & cranny of this wonderful city.

We checked-in at the Idea Hotel Milano San Siro  in Milan and had a sumptuous buffet breakfast.

—> Book your stay at the Idea Hotel Milano San Siro by clicking here.

FOOD WALKING TOUR OF BRERA

We had the rest of the day at leisure so we decided to get a taste of the best foods in Italy and opted for the Milan Food Walking Tour of Brera . WHAT? Don’t judge me. We had an hour of chilling at the hotel post the breakfast.

Besides, it was a walking food tour so we’d be burning calories when we were not consuming them.

• If you opt for this tour, then you’ll have to get to Central Milan, near Lanza-Bera Underground Station. It’s approximately 10.5 km from the hotel, so you can either take a cab or a 42 min Line 1 subway (cheaper option).
• From there your guide will take you along the Brera neighbourhood as you sample all kinds of foods -pastries, salami, mortadella, parmesan with a sample of local beer (1 bottle per couple), risotto and an aperitivo (you have non-alcoholic options too).
• Then you’ll get to taste lasagna and meatballs, followed by two flavours of gelato.
• The tour finishes with a wine-tasting near Largo la Foppa, central Milan.
• The tour is a 2.5 km-3 km walk so wear comfortable walking shoes.
• During the tour, your guide will tell you about the origin of the food, along with stories about how the Brera neighbourhood has evolved during the years besides entertaining stories of Milan city.
• The tour is a must do if you want to experience authentic Milanese culture. We spent the rest of the day walking the streets and exploring the city.

TIP – Vegetarian options are also available so specify your food choice at the time of booking.

DAY 2 : MILAN CITY TOUR – VENICE

After enjoying our breakfast, we checked out of the hotel & began our city tour of Milan. Our guide for the holiday Mahendosh Daruwalla along with our driver Enzo took us to the grand Duomo di Milano & it’s magnificent square.

DUOMO DI MILANO

• Milan’s cathedral is the symbol of Milan and the 3rd largest church in the world.
• Our guide Daruwalla tells us that the cathedral had taken 430 years to complete.
• And right from it’s inception in 1386 to the facade’s finishing touches in 1813 under Napoleon, a Gothic style of architecture was adopted.
• It has more than 3,500 exterior statues and 52 massive columns supporting it from inside.
• The stained glass windows create bands of coloured light that light up the otherwise gloomy interior.
• I suggest you take the lift and get to the rooftop of this incredible cathedral. Enjoy the splendid view of Milan city from there. You can come down walking, using the staircase.
• The mall area nearby has plenty of shopping places, places to eat and drink. The street musicians also add to the overall charm of the place.

TIP – Do not try to feed the pigeons in jest. You’ll be charged for it.

From there we headed to the Scala Museum & Theatre.

SCALA MUSEUM AND THEATRE

• It has an interesting collection of Opera related memorabilia It has exhibits which depict the history of La Scala & Opera.
• If you climb up the stairs, then you’ll see many posters of performances at the La Scala.
• At the entrance of the museum, going left will give you a chance to see the Royal Theatre from one of the upper boxes.
• Going right you’ll see exhibits & artefacts related to famous composers and opera singers.
• The exhibits include musical instruments, costumes, stage decorations and paintings of the artists.
• There is a gift shop in the museum where you can buy souvenirs if you’re an Opera enthusiast.

Photo courtesy – TripAdvisor @David H

Subsequently, we proceeded to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele.

GALLERIA VITTORIO EMANUELE

• It connects the two famous landmarks Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Scala.
• The structure is formed by two glass-vaulted arcades intersecting in an octagon.
• Daruwalla tells us that the Galleria is named after Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of United Italy.
• It was originally designed in 1861 & built by Giuseppe Mengoni between 1865 and 1877.
• The stunning gallery is elaborately decorated with wonderful frescoes and arches. You can also spot Da Vinci’s statue facing La Scala.
• A collection of high-end stores and boutiques welcomes you along with several restaurants & cafes.
• Don’t forget to spin your heels on the private parts of the Bull mosaic. People say that it brings wealth and good luck.

After the city tour of Milan we departed for Venice . Also known as the Queen of the Adriatic, Venice is built on 180 islands. These islands are connected by over 400 bridges with hundreds of canals criss-crossing the town.

I remember seeing  Bollywood chartbuster songs that had been shot here. It was finally the time to experience them, not in reel but in real.

Sailing in a special water taxi, we reached the St. Mark’s square.  Daruwalla tells us that Napoleon had called this place – “ Drawing room of Europe “.

And we could see why. Boutiques, museums, traditional cafes, historic buildings – were all well organized and arranged around the square.

The place was full of pigeons and people. Clearly the heart of Venice was everybody’s favourite.

The best thing to do here is sit in a cafe and enjoy the free live music that’s playing around you.

The coffee was a bit expensive I must admit. It didn’t feel good to pay 2 Euros per person to pee either. But then the place more than makes up for it.

If you don’t like touristy places, then get lost in the alleys and walk across canals on beautiful bridges. Enjoy the architectural genius that is on display everywhere.

You can see various sights in the city tour like Bridge of Sighs , the Doge’s Palace , St. Mark’s Basilica , Clock Tower & the Murano glass showroom . But my favourite place was the Church of San Moisé.

Take a ferry ride from the ferry wharf near St. Mark’s square. And then explore the buildings and beauty of Venice sailing through the supposed “romantic city”. To be honest, the water had a stench to it so I was a bit let down .

The surroundings however were beautiful and compensated for the unpleasant smell. You might be pestered by tall black guys to buy cheap imitations of big brands but just refuse politely and do your thing.

After exploring Venice we returned to the city and checked-in at B&B Hotel Padova in Italy.

—> Book our stay at the B&B Hotel Padova by clicking here.

DAY 3 : AUSTRIA – INNSBRUCK – SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL MUSEUM AND SHOWROOM

Post a hearty breakfast, we made our way to Innsbruck  (the capital of Tyrol) in Austria . The alpine scenery of Innsbruck together with it’s charming meadows set against snowy peaks is a sight to behold.

Nestled amidst snow-capped mountains, the city of Innsbruck is spread out along the banks of the River Inn.

Upon arrival, we proceeded to an orientation tour of Innsbruck seeing sights such as Goldenes Dachl – Golden Roof, Hofburg, Hofkirche, St. Anne’s Column, Stadtturm, Triumphpforte , and Helblinghaus .

I remember walking on the streets of Innsbruck and seeing a university campus with snow capped mountains in the background.

I can’t tell you how jealous I was, of the students there. Who wouldn’t like it if education seemed like a day-trip in nature’s lap!

Then came the time to visit the world famous Swarovski Crystal Museum & showroom at Wattens .

SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL MUSEUM AND SHOWROOM

Swarovski Kristallwelten was built in 1995 in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the crystal brand Swarovski. The absolutely unusual gorgeous green entrance to the museum will catch your attention. It truly is a jaw dropping sight.

There are stunning crystal works on demonstration in the museum.

Don’t forget to see the Centenar – largest jewellery stone in the world.

One of a kind dome ceiling inside & spectacular scenery outside the museum are the highlights of the place. Admire and shop from one of the largest Swarovski crystal collections in the world.

I couldn’t resist from buying some Swarovski crystal work myself. You’ll absolutely love the place. Post the museum love, we checked-in at  Hotel Tyrol  for a comfortable overnight stay.

—> Book your stay at Hotel Tyrol – Alpenhof by clicking here.

TIP – There’s a small cable ride outside the museum. So if your inner kid or your actual kid wants to have some fun, you know what to do.

DAY 4 : SWITZERLAND – MT. TITLIS, ICE FLYER, SNOW PARK AND LUCERNE

We had our breakfast and proceeded to Switzerland.  Renowned for it’s snow-capped Alps, lush green meadows & freshwater lakes, Switzerland is blessed with a distinct character & dynamism.

It’s Alps form the bucket list of many a first time traveller. Your adventure begins with an interesting journey to Mt. Titlis .

It’s a hair-raising and unforgettable 45 minute long ride to the top. You’ll be switching 3 different cable-cars in the process. Witness the scenery change from green meadows and scenic lakes to snow clad mountains.

The last leg of the ride is on the famous Rotair, which is the world’s first revolving cable-car.

Enjoy beautiful panoramic views of surrounding glaciers, mountains & scenery.

Once atop Mt. Titlis, witness the breathtaking views of the Alps from either the sun terrace or the “south face window” of the mountain.

Also enjoy a thrilling ride on the famous “Ice Flyer” along with the snow park. After the Mt. Titlis experience, we made our way towards Lucerne .

Lucerne is a beautiful city located at the north tip of Lake Lucerne. Here you’ll see the Lion Monument called Lowendenkmal built in memory of the loyal Swiss guards.

Then you can stroll around the banks of Lake Lucerne to experience attractions like Kapellbrucke – The Chapel Bridge & the Spreuerbrucke, the 2 traditional wooden bridges of Switzerland.

You can also shop for Swiss watches, jewelry & souvenirs at the famous “Bucherer”. Spend the evening walking along the streets of this peaceful city. You’ll notice that everything in the city shuts down pretty early.

People can be seen enjoying their meal and a glass of wine/beer around 6:30. We checked-in at Das Hotel Panorama and had some quality Indian dinner to end the day.

DAY 5 : SWITZERLAND – JUNGFRAUJOCH AND INTERLAKEN

We had the option to either have a day at leisure or embark on a day trip to visit  Jungfraujoch . We chose the latter.

So the plan was that we were to firstly visit Jungfraujoch referred to as the “Top of Europe”  and then the charming town of Interlaken .

If playing with snow has been your childhood fantasy, then Jungfrau is the place to go to. A train ride takes you to the location.

You’ll be amazed at the scenic splendour you’ll witness from the “Cog-Wheel” train. The train climbs up to a height of 11,333 feet to reach Jungfraujoch, the railway station at the highest altitude in Europe.

The Cog-Wheel train is one of the most scenic and incredible train journeys in the world. All you’ll see around you is desktop wallpaper like surreal scenery. Picture postcards all over.

Don’t forget to go through the ice & snow museum with stunning life-like figures.

Post that enjoy witnessing the humongous white mountain peaks all around you.

I remember playing in the snow for atleast an hour and doing the touristy Swiss-flag hoisting stunt for cameras.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t all that cold. The sun was out and I could have done even with a t-shirt.

After getting tired of smashing each other with playful snowballs of fury, we drove on to Interlaken .

Interlaken is a famous Swiss town located in the Bernese Oberland Mountains, between the lakes of Thun & Brienz. We enjoyed some leisurely time in the town & returned to our hotel for a comfortable overnight stay.

DAY 6 : SWITZERLAND & GERMANY – TOUR OF ZURICH, RHINE FALLS AND BLACK FOREST

Firstly we headed for an orientation tour of Zurich after a scrumptious breakfast. The orientation tour included sights such as Bahnhofstrasse, the Grossmünster, the Fraumünster, the Rathaus & St. Peter’s Church .

St. Peters Church was particularly eye-catching. Most noteworthy feature of the church being the 8.7m diameter of the clock face, making it the largest in all of Europe.

Thereafter, we proceeded to Schaffhausen to witness the grandeur of the magnificent Rhine Falls. 

RHINE FALLS

• Rhine falls are the biggest waterfalls in Europe.
• Daruwalla tells us that they were formed 17,000 years ago during the ice age.
• Boat trips can be taken up the Rhine to the falls and the Rheinfall Felsen. We took one and when we approached the waterfall, the scene seemed straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean without the VFX.
• There are also viewing platforms on both sides of the Rhine to enjoy multiple perspectives of the Falls.
• With a height of 23 metres and a width of 150 metres, thousands of litres of water cascades over the rocks every second.

Next stop was in Germany so we drove to the majestic Black Forest in the southwest region of Germany.

BLACK FOREST

• You’ll not only see rolling hills dotted with old farmhouses but also traditional wineries & valleys with lakes, rivers & waterfalls.
• The place is home to some of the world’s best quality wood products.
• Furthermore, they’re also the prettiest and best-preserved forests in this region.
• Almost 200 kilometres long and 60 kilometres wide, they are the most stunning and favourable holiday region in Germany.
• Black Forest farms, Black Forest gateau, Bollenhun hats & cuckoo clocks – the Black Forest embodies everything that one might expect of a picture-perfect German holiday.
• We took a stop at Hofgut Sternen in the heart of the Black Forest to witness how their famous & original Cuckoo clocks are made.

After exploring the Black Forest, we checked-in at the Mercure Bensheim hotel in Germany.

DAY 7 : GERMANY & BELGIUM – COLOGNE & ORIENTATION TOUR OF BRUSSELS

We drove off to Cologne after having our breakfast. The reason to visit Cologne specifically? To visit the city’s UNESCO World Heritage site, the Cologne Cathedral.

COLOGNE CATHEDRAL

The cathedral is one of Europe’s most spectacular cathedrals. It has to it’s credit the title of being the largest Gothic cathedral north of the Alps.

• The twin spires (standing 157 metres tall) and the beautiful stained glass windows are the highlights of this place.
• Daruwalla tells us that it is a monument amalgamating German Catholicism & Gothic architecture.
• The place became a World Heritage site in 1996. It’s two huge towers form an essential part of Cologne’s skyline.
• The architecture is so mind boggling that you’ll be wondering how on Earth did they make it!
• World War II post bombing pictures outside the main building are heart wrenching. Besides that, there’s also a beautiful fountain outside the cathedral.
• It has the reputation of being the most visited tourist destination in Germany. And I could see why, with hundreds of people around looking at it in awe.

Our next stop was in Belgium  as we proceeded to Brussels –  capital of the European Union.

Upon arrival, we began our orientation tour which included visiting sites like Grand Place & it’s famous guild houses, City Museum, Town Hall, House of the Dukes of Brabant, Manneken Pis, Royal Palace, Royal Park, Palace of Justice & the Museum of Fine Arts.

My favourite places however, were the Grand Place & the Manneken Pis.

GRAND PLACE

• It is the central square of Brussels and forms the heart of the city.
• Being one of the most gorgeous squares in Europe, you can spot captivating medieval architecture in the buildings around the square. The place is a beautiful living breathing piece of history.
• Walking through the Grand Place in Brussels, you’ll see the hustling marketplace and the opulent guild halls.
• There’s a constant buzz throughout. People are walking around, sitting in open air restaurants & cafes, enjoying their beer, coffee, wine & waffles.
• Just the smell of the place still lingers in my mind. I distinctly remember a concert was taking place that day at the Grand place courtyard and there were bands playing live music with bubbly being popped. People had an easy breezy vibe and were just having a good time.
• If you’re in Belgium, then you have to spend time exploring this place. You’ll dig the festive celebratory vibe of the place.
• Portuguese food, English beer and Belgian waffles – what else can anyone ask for?

My other favourite place was the Manneken Pis.

MANNEKEN PIS

This was one weird attraction in Belgium that I absolutely loved thanks to the legend associated with it.

• Manneken Pis is basically a landmark bronze statue. It depicts a naked little boy urinating in a fountain’s basin.
• There are several legends behind Manneken Pis, but the most famous is the one about Duke Godfrey III of Leuven.
• In 1142, the troops of this two-year-old lord were battling against the troops of the Berthouts, the lords of Grimbergen, in Ransbeke. The troops put the infant lord in a basket and hung the basket in a tree to encourage them. From there, the boy urinated on the troops of the Berthouts, who eventually lost the battle. Amazing! Isn’t it?
• A nearby statue of the Manneken Pis eating a waffle caught my eye. It had me wondering what was the boy doing holding a waffle in 1 hand & his junior in the other.
• Nevertheless, do enjoy eating the amazing waffles in the local patisseries. Belgian chocolate is something that’ll win you over!

Finally, to end the day, we visited the Atomium. You must have seen it on banknotes, coins, guide books, postage stamps. The landmark site is a model statue of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times!

The place is celebrating 60 years this year in 2018 , so it’s a place worth visiting. Do visit Adam’s exhibition inside the iconic structure too!

Post the sightseeing and exploration, we checked-in at the Novotel Mechelen Centrum hotel and enjoyed a comfortable overnight stay.

—> Book your stay at the Novotel Mechelen Centrum by clicking here.

DAY 8 : NETHERLANDS – AMSTERDAM

We embarked on our journey to Amsterdam , the financial & cultural capital of the Netherlands.

The best way to experience Amsterdam is through the characteristic traditional canal cruise .

And so we opted for a canal cruise to explore Amsterdam. The glass topped boats offer unobstructed views highlighting the splendour of Amsterdam.

After the cruise, we visited one of the most famous shoe factories of Holland. There we witnessed a demonstration of the history, tradition & making of the authentic Dutch wooden shoes.

After the demonstration, we made a pit-stop at a windmill. Now there were 2 observations about Amsterdam that stayed with me.

Firstly, the country had a separate driving lane for cyclists running parallel to the highway throughout the country. So witnessing adorable little kids in cycle baskets being driven by their parents was quite a sight.

And secondly, nobody ever honked in the country. The only time we saw someone honking was when a fleet of cars was celebrating a marriage near the windmill.

So it was more a sign of joyous celebration than a sign of restlessness to get ahead of the traffic.

Then we proceeded to visit Madurodam . The other option was to visit Tulip Gardens in Keukenhof but since the gardens are only open from late-March to mid-May we chose the former.

• It is a fantasy land of sorts as you witness a beautiful miniature model of a typical Dutch town.
• The miniature model is downsized from the original size in the ratio 1:25.
• There were several miniature buildings, historical monuments & museums besides which you feel like a standing Godzilla.
• My personal favourite were the miniature airports, with little runways and miniature planes & the simulated miniature flyover bridge.
• Do sit in the famous miniature shoe model and enjoy a beer or two at the cafe inside.
• The designing and implementation of the model Dutch town is immaculate. It is such an impressive copy of the real town that it takes you a while after stepping out of the place, to come to terms with the actual dimensions of things in real life.

From there we enjoyed a scenic drive to Paris, France and checked-in at the  Novotel Paris Coeur d’Orly Airport hotel.

—> Book your stay at Novotel Paris Coeur d’Orly Airport hotel by clicking here.

DAY 9 : FRANCE – EIFFEL TOWER, PARIS CITY TOUR AND LIDO DE PARIS

Day 9 and the time of experiencing the most famous landmark in Europe – The Eiffel Tower , had finally come.

EIFFEL TOWER

Firstly we reached the landmark and saw a line which was atleast a kilometre long. It seemed more like a college admission line with students waiting to submit applications than a aspirational tourist line.

Fact : Built in 1889 & designed by the young engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the tower stands 324 metres tall.

We took the elevator and enjoyed panoramic views of the entire city of Paris from the 3rd & topmost level of the Tower.

Right from churches, to canals, to bridges to buildings, the view encapsulated everything the city had to offer.

It’s another feeling to literally be on top of the world and live a first timer’s European dream. Therefore, reaching the top of the Eiffel Tower is when you realise why the place is so hyped up.

Furthermore, there are grass banks and gardens around the place where people can have a picnic of sorts whilst enjoying the view.

The Eiffel Tower comes to life at night as it sparkles for 5 minutes every hour post sunset till 1am. I’d come back to the place after the city tour just to witness this man-made marvel glitter with the backdrop of the night sky.

About 20,000 bulbs (5000 each side) create a sparkling effect over the original golden lighting superimposed on the Tower making it a sight to remember!

PARIS CITY TOUR AND THE LIDO SHOW

We proceeded to explore the rest of Paris on a city tour. It was a delight visiting sights such as Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysées, Grand Palais, Petit Palais, National Assembly, Alexander Bridge, Concorde Square, Magdalene Church, Opera Garnier, Louvre Palace, Cite Island, French Academy, Orsay Museum, Church of the Invalides, Military Academy, Trocadero Square, Palais de Chaillot & the Notre Dame cathedral.  

What’s most noteworthy  about each sight besides obviously the intricate architecture is the respect they have towards their history & culture. Everything is well-maintained and clean.

Thankfully there were no lover’s names imprinted on the walls to tarnish the glorious image of the place. People in Paris appreciate history. Therefore, the place commands respect from others too.

We returned to our hotel to freshen up and chose the optional illumination tour to see the famous buildings dazzling at night along with one of the most spectacular night shows, not just in Europe but the world – Lido de Paris. 

The show is grand with Lido Boys and Bluebell Girls in dazzling costumes giving a scintillating performance for 2 hours. You get to experience the show like a true blue Parisian, sipping a bottle of Champagne and enjoying the royal treatment.

DAY 10 : PARIS – RIVER SEINE CRUISE AND DISNEYLAND

After a delectable breakfast, we went on a cruise in the river Seine . It is one of the most unique ways to explore Paris as you sail past many of the city’s historical monuments.

Enroute you can get another glimpse of the Eiffel tower as you enjoy a drink on a sunny afternoon in the city of romance.

Post the cruise experience, we got the chance to satiate the fantasies of the little ambitious kid within us. As a result, we made our way to Disneyland. It was an adventurous and fun-filled day as we enjoyed thrilling rides & fascinating shows.

We got to meet our favourite cartoon characters and I personally got to fulfill my Disney dream since I was a 90’s kid brought up on the staple diet of Disney cartoons on television.

The resort offers a plethora of attractions & theme parades from the magical world of Disney.

At night we sauntered on the streets wondering why were the closed stores lit up too? Perhaps that’s what made Paris a city in Europe that never slept!

DAY 11 : GENEVA

We checked-out from the hotel after having our breakfast & drove through the various mustard fields of Dijon & the famous vineyards of the Burgundy region to arrive in the city of Geneva.

It was one of the most organized and serene cities I had seen in Europe.

Upon arrival, we proceeded to the orientation tour of Geneva. Firstly we made a stop at the English gardens Jardin Des Anglais  for a leisurely stroll along the beautiful lakefront.

One of the highlights of the place was witnessing the 130 metre-high jet of water on the lake called the “ Jet D’Eau “.

Thereafter we savoured a drive past the Brunswick Monument & saw the Palais De Nations ,the European headquarters of the UNO , the Red Cross Museum & the Botanical Gardens.

Finally, we checked-in at the  Mercure Annemasse Porte De Genève hotel for an overnight stay.

—> Book your stay at Mercure Annemasse Porte De Genève hotel by clicking here.

DAY 12 : GENEVA – MILAN – DEPARTURE

It was the last day of my fairy-tale European holiday as we proceeded from Geneva to Milan. In Milan, we spent some time shopping at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele and then, feeding pigeons in the square outside Duomo di Milano.

After enjoying lunch at an open-air restaurant/cafe, we received a transfer back to the airport from our travel agency. From there we boarded our flight back to India and bid adieu to the wonderful continent of Europe!

PARTING THOUGHTS

It was tough bidding goodbye to Europe after having spent a memorable first 12 days outside my country . This was a vacation I’d taken in the year 2012 but surprisingly still remains fresh in my memory.

Europe opened me up as a person and gave birth to this flame of wanderlust within me which has remained ignited ever since.

So that was Europe and it’s beauty as seen from my eyes. Hopefully my itinerary helps you plan your first Europe trip and you have as much fun exploring Europe as I did.

Make no mistake, I didn’t travel solo but thoroughly enjoyed the trip thanks to the extended family I ended up making at the end of it all.

Being accompanied by a group of travellers didn’t reduce the fun quotient even one bit. I have so much more to explore in Europe, but as a first-timer I was completely satisfied and overwhelmed with the Europe I had seen & experienced.

SHARE  this ultimate Europe trip itinerary with your family, friends, relatives, social circles, enemies, frenemies, travel-group, girlfriends, boyfriends so they too can plan their trip to  EUROPE.  It helps you plan your trip and helps me grow my blog!!

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Vaibhav Mehta

Experiencing maori culture in rotorua – tamaki maori village day trip, when excess ego kills relationships – learning a lesson from “zee”, 40 comments.

Europe is just beautiful. Especially Switzerland, it is like traveling in a dream world. That is my favorite.

I know Peter. Switzerland is a one of a kind dreamy destination for any traveller. My personal favourite was Austria though.

These pictures are wonderful! I can’t believe you were able to visit so many places in just 12 days! I’d love to go to Paris Disneyland some day!

A lot of hardwork that was, wasn’t it? Jokes apart, thoroughly enjoyed the trip and didn’t feel rushed anywhere. Disneyland was a childhood dream come true for me!

What a great travel plan! I’ve been to Germany but no where else in Europe. My husband and I dream of traveling Europe at some point, and a itinerary like this would be super helpful!

Glad to be of help. I hope you embark on your European sojourn soon!

These is definitely a great list for someone who is planning a Europe trip. Can’t believe you visited so many places in just 12 days. Great post.

Great job on your itinerary and on your post! Sounds like you had an amazing first time in Europe. What will you do differently next time? Thanks for sharing!

I’d eat more waffles and drink more beer the next time.

That was a jam-packed trip. I felt like I travelled right along with you. I could totally relate to the honk free environment. Lol. I am born in India but live in Toronto and honestly this place is soooo quiet when you come back from a trip from India.

Honking, the people, general warmth, cleanliness and respect for their own history – took back a lot of things and felt the difference when living in India. Fellow Indian myself.

The description of the architecture allowed me to appreciate the craftmanship and quality of each of these remarkable landmarks. Also the seemingly turn by turn description of what could be found at each of the locations allows the casual traveler insight on must see attractions. A tour of Europe is now definitely on our bucket list.

I hope you experience the wonders of Europe real soon Rebecca!

I’m down for a food walking tour to experience the milanese culture 🙂 I think this is a great combo – eating and walking 🙂 Gotta burn all those calories and keep my body balanced!

Wow, thank you for sharing such your beautiful experience with us! This post made me recall my own Europe trip several years ago. It’s funny that we actually spent only few minutes taking photos of Manneken Pis and spent more time on trying the city’s yummy waffles, LOL. We did not make it to Switzerland and Austria that time, but they are on our bucket list, and we hope to visit these places next year, along with Prague.

The waffles and pizza there were indeed a good bet. I loved the various legends that my guide and a couple of locals told me regarding the Mannekin Piss! Czech Republic is on my radar too!

That is one amazing itinerary. I love Europe and hope to spend a month there in the summer.

Such a wonderful trip! Some of those big churches are just amazing. I feel like they don’t build buildings like that anymore.

True that. That skill in creating architecturally beautiful buildings just isn’t there!

I haven’t been to Europe and judging by the photos, it must be amazing. I hope I can visit it someday.

This sounds like a fully packed 12 days. But such a great way to see so much in a little bit of time.

It must be amazing to travel to Europe. I have so many places on my bucket list. One day, one day…

You will, one day..

This is a lovely itinerary! My friend did this 12-day Europe tour and my gosh, it costs an arm, a leg, and perhaps all of the organs combined hahaha If we were to do this as a family, it would be around US$20,000 and it’s such a big amount in the Philippines.

A great list for a Europe bucket list. I definitely want to see the Black Forest and a bunch of castles in Europe.

This is really helpful and informative! My boyfriend is heading over to Europe at the end of the year, I’ll send him this link! Keep up the good work! I really enjoy reading your articles

This is amazing.I would love to see Europe someday

This looks absolutely amazing. I would love to do this as a family trip when my children are a little bit older. What a great bucket list. You had me a Milan Food Walking Tour lol.

hahaha Milan Food Tour is worth it. Food’s the best way to blend in with another culture, isn’t it?

That looks like such a fun trip! I have only been to Italy but would love to see more of Europe!

Great post, very detailed and through! I absolutely love Europe, I am leaving for Italy tomorrow morning and I can not wait to see it! Thanks for sharing!

I have never been to Europe but I know one day I will make it there. SO beautiful. Great post.

This is such a detailed post, being in UK I must say even local travel agents doesn’t come closer to your plan. Wish I would have come across this post earlier this summer. Missed few places in Germany.😐

Yeah it was pretty well rounded as a trip for a first timer overseas. I’m sure I must have missed a few as well. There’s always a next time to cover it up. What say! 🙂

Dddaaammmmnnnnnnnnnn! I must visit Europe, before I leave this earth! You make me wanna buy tickets right now lol

My dream place to visit one. Those are beautiful view, great pictures as well. Europe has always been my dream destination..too bad it’s too expensive to cover all of it in a lifetime!

[…] country and a traveller’s delight. It is less marketed and underrated compared to the biggies of Europe like Switzerland, Italy & France. That’s the reason it’s unexplored by the majority. Armenia is pocket friendly for […]

Thanks for sharing. Tip.

Thanks for sharing your itinerary, it sounds amazing! How much would you say your trip cost once you arrived in Europe? And how did you conform city to city/Countries?

Hey Jane, did this trip about 12 years back so the costs then definitely would be half of what the costs would be today. So it’d be unfair of me to float a random number for you. But all I can say to assure you is that every experience listed was well curated and worth visiting Europe so you can easily follow, pick some things, and add a few of your own bucketlist experiences to your Europe itinerary.

As for commuting between city to city/countries, if I got you right, it was through a group traveller van. Very convenient, safe as it was the agency’s responsibility to follow the country specific guidelines so those headaches were saved on behalf of the travellers.

[…] And that’s precisely what I did as well. I thought I’d add new memories to my existing bank of wonderful European vacation experiences from years ago by planning a family trip to Denmark and Norway. But the Danish embassy […]

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Finding the Universe

Travel tales, photography and a dash of humor

2 Weeks in Europe – The Perfect Europe Itinerary

Last updated: January 28, 2024 . Written by Laurence Norah - 30 Comments

Are you visiting Europe and looking for the perfect itinerary? Well, you’re in the right place! We’ve travelled extensively in Europe, and based on our experiences, we’ve put together a detailed 2 week Europe itinerary to help you plan.

This Europe itinerary will take you to many of the highlights that we think first time visitors to Europe will want to see and explore for themselves. These include many of our favourite destinations that we’ve visited multiple times over.

This itinerary is aimed at those of you visiting Europe for the first time, or those of you looking for an easy itinerary to follow that covers some of the major highlights of Western Europe. It’s not overly rushed as we think you will get more from your experience if you focus on a few major locations rather than trying to see everything in one go.

The trip as outlined is for 14 days in Europe, but you could make it longer or shorter depending on how much time you have. For example, with 10 days in Europe, you could clip off a day or two in some of the cities, and maybe even skip one of the cities to make it a more comfortable experience.

As well as the itinerary, we’re also going to share everything you need to know to help you plan the perfect European trip. Tips about currency, what to pack, where to stay, how to get around and other considerations.

Hopefully this guide will give you everything you need to know to plan your own perfect European adventure, and of course, we’re always happy to answer your questions in the comments. Now, let’s get started!

2 Week Europe Itinerary

This two week itinerary has you visiting four European countries and five cities. We think these cover some of the top highlights of Europe.

The destinations on this itinerary are all cities, so this trip is aimed more towards those of you looking to explore the cities, which are all full of cultural highlights, fantastic restaurants, and plenty of photo-worthy sights!

But if have your eye more on smaller towns, secondary cities, and rural locations, this might not be the best itinerary for you.

If you’d prefer to focus on one country, take a look at our two week UK itinerary , and our 10 day Italy itinerary for some inspiration.

Days 1 – 3: London

We’re going to start your European adventure with 3 days in London . London makes a great starting point for your European itinerary. It has a number of international airports to choose from, so getting here is easy, and there are a wealth of sights and cultural attractions to immerse yourself in. I lived in London for a number of years, and it’s still one of my favourite cities in the world.

If this is your first overseas trip and you are coming from an English speaking country, London is a good place to ease yourself into the experience. You can acclimate yourself to the time difference and get used to travelling in a new country, without having a language barrier to work with as well.

We think 3 days is a good amount of time to spend basing yourself in London. We’d suggest spending at least two days exploring the capital, and perhaps one day trip outside of London. This might look as follows.

On your first day in London, we’d suggest seeing the major sights around Westminster. This includes the Houses of Parliament , Westminster Abbey , Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, the Churchill War Rooms , Buckingham Palace and the London Eye .

On your second day, which will be a full day, we’d suggest starting at the Tower of London . Get here when it opens to avoid the crowds if you can. Included on the London Pass , or y ou can buy a ticket online in advance here . Using our link saves you some money on the adult admission price for the Tower of London, meaning these discounted Tower of London tickets are some of the best value we’re aware of.

We also recommend checking prices via GetYourGuide here , and on the official website  here , as pricing can vary. You can also see opening times and other information for your visit on the official site.

Once you are done with the Tower of London, you can see more sites in the area like Tower Bridge , Borough Market (a London Harry Potter filming location ), St. Paul’s Cathedral , the Tate Modern , Shakespeare’s Globe and the Shard .

You certainly won’t run out of things to occupy your time! For some more inspiration, see our guides for 2 days in London and 3 days in London . We also recommend picking up a two day London Pass to save money on your sightseeing while in London. You can do that here .

On your third day in the UK, we recommend taking a day trip out of the city. This could be to somewhere like Windsor Castle or Hampton Court Palace , neither of which are too far.

If you really want to get out a bit further, we can recommend perhaps taking a trip to Stonehenge, the Cotswolds, Bath or Oxford. There are a variety of companies who offer easy day trips from London which include a number of these highlights like this or this , or you could do it yourself.

See our guide to taking a day trip to Stonehenge and a day trip to Oxford for some inspiration. If you’re a Harry Potter fan, then you may instead consider a trip out to the Harry Potter Studios where the films were made.

Of course, you will want to adjust this schedule depending on when you arrive and depart London. Our suggestion would be to take the day trip on your last day, overnight in London, and then take an early morning train to Paris.

Whilst you’re in London, we recommend getting around by public transport. It’s the most cost effective and also generally the most efficient way to get around. See our guide to public transport in London for some tips, as well as our overview of how to pay for public transport in London .

If you enjoy walking tours, there’s no shortage of options to choose from in the city. We love taking a walking tour when we first arrive in a new city – it can be a good way to get familiar with the city, plus you can ask your guide for local tips on places to eat and less well-known attractions.

If you do decide to take a walking tour, we suggest Take Walks for small group tour (tours range in length from a couple of hours to full day tours), and Context for private tours. We’d specifically recommend this full day walking tour with Take Walks as a possible option to consider.

You’ll most likely be arriving into London by plane, into one of London’s major international airports. London actually has six airports, but you’re most likely to land in either Gatwick or Heathrow. Whichever one you do land at, we have a guide to how to get from the airport to London .

Well, that’s your time in London covered. Now we’ll suggest a few places for you to stay, before giving you some tips on getting from Paris to London.

Where to stay in London

Some of our favourite hotels, from budget to luxury, in London are as follows:

• The Walrus Bar and Hostel  – A well reviewed centrally located hostel
• The Z hotel in Shoreditch – Excellent value in a popular part of London with great dining options
• Point A Hotel – We’ve stayed here; the rooms are tiny but clean and it’s a great budget option.
• Lime Tree Hotel – A well reviewed boutique hotel, around nine minutes walk from London Victoria
• The  Resident Victoria Hotel – A well reviewed and centrally located hotel offering excellent value for money. The room we stayed in was quite compact, but it had everything we needed
• The Savoy  – true luxury as close to the city centre as you can get!

If you prefer an apartment, then we recommend Plum Guide .

Plum Guide doesn’t have quite so many choices as some other UK based websites , but they carefully curate their listings so their options tend to be of a very high quality whilst still being available at a range of price points. We’ve used them on a number of trips and always had a great experience. See their listings for London here .

If you can’t find what you want on Plum Guide or you want some new options to try out, we wrote a whole post on the best alternatives to AirBnB which you should check out!

How to get to Paris from London

We’d recommend taking the Eurostar train service from London to Paris. This departs multiple times a day, and the journey takes 2 hours and 16 minutes.

This is a lot quicker than flying, especially once you consider you’ll have to get to and from the airport on either end. The Eurostar will take you directly to Gare Du Nord. Get your tickets for that journey in advance here .

We also have a guide to getting from London to Paris which lists all the options you have.

Days 4 – 6: Paris

Welcome to Paris – the city of lights and love! We’re going to suggest three full days exploring Paris, as the city has so much to offer.

After you’ve dropped your bags off at your hotel (or at a luggage storage location ), it’s time to start sightseeing. As with London, the plan is to see the major sights in the city.

We’re going to start off with the Eiffel Tower . This is without doubt Paris’s most famous landmark, and a must-visit when you come to Paris. You can either enjoy the views from below or head up inside the tower to one of the various stages.

If you do decide to go up the Eiffel Tower, we highly recommend you book your tickets in advance. The best place to do this is on the official website . There are often huge lines for tickets on site, and you don’t want to waste time unnecessarily. For a lot more tips for your visit, see our complete guide to visiting the Eiffel Tower .

From the Eiffel Tower, we suggest taking a cruise on the River Seine , which will let you see many of the highlights of the city from the river. You can book a discounted Seine River cruise which departs from near the Eiffel Tower with our link .

Alternatively, you might prefer to do an evening Seine River dinner cruise , in which case this will happen later.

After the cruise, you might consider a walking tour of Paris or a Hop on Hop off bus trip. Alternatively, consider visiting the Musee d’Orsay .

On your second day in Paris, we suggest you start bright and early with a visit to spectacular Sainte Chapelle , one of Paris’s prettiest churches. The stained-glass windows here have to be seen to be believed. Just be sure to turn up at or just before opening time, as the lines get very busy.

From here, you can pop across to Notre Dame if you want. Due to the fire in 2019 this is undergoing significant reconstruction work, so do keep that in mind. From Notre Dame, head across to the Louvre , one of the most famous art museums in the world.

There’s a huge amount to see here, including highlights such as the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. You could spend a whole day here, but you may want to limit yourself to 2 – 3 hours so you can see more of the city! Book your tickets online in advance here .

From the Louvre, if you have time, you might consider sneaking in a wine tasting session , or going for afternoon tea in Paris . From here, it’s time to head up the most famous shopping street in Paris, the Champs Elysees, where you’ll finish up at the Arc de Triomphe .

This massive archway stands in memory of those who died in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. The view from the top is one of our favourite views in Paris, so do head to the top if you have the time.

For your final day in Paris, our suggestion is that you head out to Versailles . This was the palace of French royalty, and is a stunning place to visit. You can book your tickets for Versailles in advance here .

Between exploring the palace and the extensive gardens, there is more than enough to do here to fill from half a day to a full day, which is why we suggest allocating most of the day to it. Then perhaps plan a nice dinner or show for your final evening.

We can recommend the evening show at the Moulin Rouge, and you can read about our experience at the Moulin Rouge here , and book tickets here .

And that’s all your sightseeing for your time in Paris on our European itinerary! For more detailed inspiration for your time in Paris, see our itinerary for 3 days in Paris and 2 days in Paris , which should give you lots more ideas.

For your visit in Paris, we recommend either the Paris Pass , or the Paris Museum Pass . The former includes a number of activities like the hop on hop off bus tour, guided Eiffel Tower climb, and Seine River cruise, as well as all the museums and sights included on the Paris Museum Pass. These both include most of the attractions we’ve listed, including Versailles.

You can buy the Paris Pass on the official site here , and the Paris Museum Pass here .

Again, for those of you who enjoy walking tours, we recommend Take Walks and Context . The former offer small group walking tours, whilst the latter primarily focus on private tours. We’ve taken tours with both companies in cities around the world and are always happy to recommend them.

As an example tour, check out this full day Paris tour , which includes a Skip the Line Louvre Tour, Eiffel Tower, Montmartre & Seine River Cruise.

As with London, the easiest way to get around Paris is to take public transport. Specifically, the Metro is likely going to be the fastest and most cost-effective way to get around.

We have a full guide to how to get around Paris , which should help you plan your transport in the city.

Now, we’re going to share some tips on where to stay in Paris, as well as how to get to the next city on your itinerary of Europe – Barcelona.

Where to stay in Paris

Our itinerary has you spending 2 nights in Paris, arriving by train on the morning of the first day, and departing either by plane on the evening of the third day. We suggest the following options for accommodation in Paris.

• 3 Ducks Hostel .  A well-rated boutique hostel just 2 minutes from the nearest metro and a 22 minute walk to the Eiffel Tower
• Hotel Dress Code & Spa , A highly reviewed centrally located 4 star hotel
• Hotel Ekta Champs Elysees – a well rated 3* hotel just off the Champs Elysees
• Hôtel Eiffel Turenne , A well rated 3* hotel within a ten minute walk of the Eiffel Tower
• Ateliers de Montmartre , An apartment in Montmartre with views of the Sacre Coeur
• Vintage Paris Gare du Nord by Hiphophostels , A hostel located just next to Paris Gare du Nord
• George V – A fabulous centrally located 5* hotel, an excellent luxury pick

We’ve also stayed in Paris with Plum Guide in a gorgeous apartment with Eiffel Tower views. See their listings for Paris here .

How to get from Paris to Barcelona

You have two main options for travelling from Paris to Barcelona, you can take the train, or you can fly.

There used to be a direct night train from Paris to Barcelona, but this was discontinued in 2013. So you can take a train in the daytime (around 6.5 hours journey time) or you can travel by a slower overnight train (around 13 hours).

We think flying is likely going to be the easiest option. There are a number of direct evening flights from Paris to Barcelona, taking just under two hours. Just try to book a flight from Paris Orly or Paris Charles de Gaulle. Many budget airlines operate from Paris Beauvais, which is quite a long way outside the city, and requires a lengthy coach journey.

Check flight times and prices online here . If you’d prefer to take the train, you can check train times and prices here .

Days 7- 9: Barcelona

It’s time for the third city on your European adventure – Barcelona! Barcelona is full of incredible sights, including architectural gems from Antoni Gaudi, a gothic city center, and even a beach!

Again, we think you’ll need 3 days to do justice to all the sights in Barcelona. We’re also going to suggest a day trip from the city to explore some of the surrounding highlights. Here’s how your three days in Barcelona might look.

We suggest starting your first day with a trip to the Sagrada Familia . This was master architect Antoni Gaudi’s final work, and whilst construction was started in 1882, he didn’t live to see it completed. It’s getting there now, but still has some way to go!

The Sagrada Familia is a very popular attraction and they operate a timed entry system. It’s vital that you reserve your timeslot in advance, as otherwise you will end up in a very long queue, and at busy times of year, tickets sell out far in advance. You can reserve your tickets online here .

We also have a detailed guide to visiting the Sagrada Familia which we recommend reading in advance of your visit.

After spending a couple of hours at the Sagrada Familia, we recommend heading across to the nearby Recinte Modernista Sant Pau , a beautiful Art Nouveau style hospital building which has UNESCO world heritage status.

After the Recinte Modernista Sant Pau, continue on to Park Güell . This is a large public park which was also designed by Anton Gaudi, and there’s a lot to see here. Again, this is a popular spot with timed entry, and we highly advise booking this online in advance here .

Near Park Güell is the Gaudi Experience , where you can learn a bit about the man behind some of the wonderful architecture you have been experiencing. You can get tickets for that here if you are interested.

From the Gaudi Experience, you have a few options depending on your interest. If you are using the hop on hop off bus to travel around Barcelona (included on the Go Barcelona Pass ), it continues from Park Guell on to a number of other attractions.

These include the hill top fairground Tibidabo , the stunning Monastery of Pedralbes , and Camp Nou , the home of Barcelona’s football club.

We’re sure one or more of those will be of interest!

For your second day in Barcelona, we suggest starting with a visit to some of Gaudi’s famous houses near the city centre – Casa Batlló , and Casa Milá . These are popular, so try to get here by opening time so as not to have to queue for too long.

Then, continue your day by exploring the oldest part of Barcelona – the Gothic Quarter. Here you can visit the incredible Barcelona Cathedral , the UNESCO world heritage listed Palau de la Musica Catalana , and the Picasso Museum .

For your third day, you could continue to explore Barcelona. You could visit the beach, Barcelona Zoo , the attractions on Montjuic Hill – the list goes on! See our 3 day Barcelona itinerary for more ideas.

However, we think you might enjoy heading out of the city on a day trip to explore a bit of Catalonia, the region which Barcelona is capital of.

A popular day trip from Barcelona is a visit to Girona and Figueres, two lovely towns which are rich in history. Girona is home to stunning medieval architecture, and Figueres is known as the birthplace of surrealist artist Salvador Dali .

You can see our guide to visiting Girona and Figueres in a day here . In terms of tours, we suggest this full day tour which includes Girona and the coast, or this full day tour which includes Girona and time to visit the Dali Museum in Figueres.

The other popular option is to visit the spectacular monastery and mountains of Montserrat, around an hour from Barcelona. You can see our guide to visiting Montserrat here for all the tips you need to do that.

Of course, there are lots of other tour options. You could go hot air ballooning , visit the Vall de Nuria , go skiing (if you visit in winter), go hiking in La Garrotxa , visit the Montserrat monastery – the list goes on!

That just about wraps up our suggestions for what to see and do with your three days in Barcelona.

To further help you with your planning for Barcelona, we have some guides we think you’ll find useful. See our itinerary for 3 days in Barcelona , our guide to Gaudi sites in Barcelona , and our favourite photography locations in Barcelona to get you started.

There are a few city passes for Barcelona, including the Barcelona City Pass , the  Barcelona Card , and the  Go Barcelona Pass . These work slightly differently, and so one or the other might be better for you. See our full break down and review of all the passes in our comparison of the Barcelona Discount Passes .

For most visitors we think the Go Barcelona Pass will offer the best value as it includes the main attractions like the Sagrada Familia, Park Guell and hop on hop off bus tour. We also have a full review of the Go Barcelona Pass to help you decide if it’s going to save you some money.

Finally, it’s worth bearing in mind that Barcelona has a bit of a poor reputation when it comes to petty crime, specifically around pick pockets, and items like phones being swiped off cafe tables. We have not personally experienced this, but have heard firsthand accounts from readers and friends who have.

We have more on this in our section below with tips for safety when travelling in Europe, but just try to keep your valuables out of sight all the time, ideally in zipped and secured pockets.

Now, let’s look at some options for where to stay in Barcelona, before planning how to get to the next city in your Europe itinerary.

Where to Stay in Barcelona

Here are a few options for your stay in Barcelona across a variety of price points, including a number of hotels we’ve personally stayed in and can recommend.

• Hotel Barcelona Catedral – A 4* property in Barcelona in the heart of the Gothic Quarter. We’ve stayed here, and enjoyed the roof top pool and incredible central location.
• Hostel One Ramblas – A very well reviewed and very central hostel option
• The 8 Boutique B&B – A highly rated and well located bed and breakfast
• Duquesa de Cardona – A 4* property on the waterfront with a roof top bar
• Leonardo Hotel Barcelona Las Ramblas – Part of the good value Leonardo chain, this 3* property is a few moments from Las Ramblas. We enjoyed our stay here, and the breakfast in particular was excellent.
• Ohla Barcelona – A very central 5* property with a roof top pool and excellent reviews.

How to Get from Barcelona to Venice

From Barcelona, the next stop on the trip will be Venice, Italy. If you are travelling for less than two weeks, you might want to skip Venice, and head straight to the last city on this itinerary, but for two weeks in Europe, we think Venice is a great addition.

The main option you have for getting from Barcelona to Rome is to fly. Of course, you could take the train, but as the average journey is around 22 hours and requires a number of changes, we’d suggest a flight is going to make more sense.

A direct flight from Barcelona to Rome is just under 2 hours. You can either go on your evening of your final day in Barcelona or the morning of the following day, it’s up to you. We think travelling in the evening makes more sense so you don’t lose time sightseeing in the morning.

Check times and book your flights here .

Days 10 – 11: Venice

You’ve arrived in the fourth and final country of your 2-week European itinerary – Italy! Home to amazing gelato , delicious coffee , and oodles of history.

We’re going to visit two cities in Italy on your European itinerary, both of which are favourites with visitors to Italy – us included! Of course, it’s hard to pick a second city in Italy from all the amazing options, but we think Venice is a must. Naturally, this will be followed by Rome.

We’ve put Venice ahead of Rome for the simple reason that it’s relatively easy to fly to Venice from the rest of Europe, but a little bit harder to fly onwards from Venice to international destinations. Ending the itinerary in Rome should make it easier for you to travel onwards to international destinations.

Anyway, we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

The next city on your European adventure is the beautiful city of Venice. This car-free city is famous for being built across a number of islands, with waterways and boats replacing roads and cars.

Venice is definitely one of our favourite cities in Europe, and was where we had our wedding ceremony with friends and family. So it’s definitely a city that is close to our hearts.

We’re going to recommend you spend two days in Venice. Many people visit the city for a day, which is do-able of course, but to really get a feel for Venice, we think you’ll enjoy spending two days here.

Our recommendation for your two days in Venice is to spend the first day exploring the highlights of the city – places like St. Mark’s Square, the Doge’s Palace and the Rialto Bridge. Take a Gondola ride , listen to musicians playing in the cafes, and get lost down the countless winding alleyways.

For your second day, we recommend taking a boat out to one of the islands around Venice, like Murano or Burano. These are much quieter with a different vibe to Venice itself, and we think you’ll enjoy this as a way to finish off your grand European adventure.

For more inspiration on what to do in Venice, see our guide to spending a day in Venice . We also recommend reading our guide to visiting the Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica .

Of course, if you would prefer to visit another city in Italy other than Venice, you could spend these two days in any number of destinations, including the Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre, Naples or Florence . You could even do a one day stopover in Florence on your way to Rome, rather than spending the two days in Venice. It’s entirely up to you, and depends on the flights you can find.

Where to Stay in Venice

Venice has a great many options for accommodation. Just be aware that many of the properties are old (as is much of the city!), and so elevators are not always standard. In addition, there are no vehicles allowed, so to get to your hotel from the train station you’ll need to take a ferry boat, water taxi, or walk.

• Casa Cosmo – a great value well rated budget option, five minutes walk from St. Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge. Rooms are air conditioned and are en-suite
• B&B Bloom Settimo Cielo – A highly rated and good value B&B breakfast, 10 minutes from St. Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge. Individually designed rooms have en-suite facilities, and there’s a rooftop terrace
• Leon Bianco on the Grand Canal – this historic property with Grand Canal views is where we stayed for our wedding ceremony in Venice. The views are fantastic, and it’s amazing value for the location
• Hotel Saturnia & International – a lovely 4* hotel just moments from Saint Mark’s Square, this turn of the century hotel offers en-suite rooms, a terrace with views, and an on-site restaurant.
• The Gritti Palace – a 5* luxury property right on St. Mark’s Square – this is the place you stay if you want to be in the middle of everything

How to Get from Venice to Rome

The best way to get from Venice to Rome is to take the train.

As always, you’ll get the best prices if you book your tickets in advance. You can check train times, prices, and book online here .

There are also flights, but by the time you have gotten to the airport, checked in, and then collected your baggage at the other end and gotten from Rome airport to the city center, you might as well have taken the train!

Days 12 – 14: Rome

Your next stop in Italy, and the last stop on your Europe itinerary, is the Italian capital of Rome. Founded almost 3,000 years ago, Rome is absolutely stuffed full of historical wonders and attractions.

We think that to do Rome justice, you should spend three days here. Here’s how those days might look.

Start your first day with a visit to the Colosseum . Built during the height of the Roman Empire, and nearly 2,000 years old, this is the largest amphitheatre in the world. It’s a must when in Rome.

Do be aware that like many of the other popular attractions in our itinerary, the Colosseum operates a timeslot system for entry, and you absolutely need to book in advance. See our complete guide to visiting the Colosseum for more on that.

After the Colosseum, we recommend visiting the Roman Forum, which is next to the Colosseum, and usually included on the Colosseum entry ticket. This was the heart of the Roman Empire, and is also a must when visiting Rome.

You’ll likely already be half way through your first day already. We suggest spending the rest of the day exploring the historic city center, with attractions like the Spanish Steps, Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain.

For your second day in Rome, we recommend you head to the Vatican City. This is a city-state inside Rome itself, and is home to the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica. The Vatican Museums are home to world renowned works of art as well as the Sistine Chapel – a masterpiece of Renaissance art.

Both these attractions are very popular, and you will want to plan in advance to ensure you don’t waste time standing in line if you are visiting at a busy time of year. You have a few options.

First, you can take a guided tour which includes the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica like this one .

This will give you loads of information about what you are seeing and ensure you don’t waste time standing in line.

Another option is to invest in a pass which includes skip the line entry or a tour of these attractions. We would suggest looking at the Rome Tourist Card which includes skip the line access to the Vatican, Colosseum, and St. Peter’s Basilica.

You can also consider the Omnia Vatican and Rome Card , although this doesn’t currently include skip the line access to St. Peter’s Bascilica.

Finally, you can book individual tickets here for the Vatican via their official website (or here on GetYourGuide , which is easier to use in our experience).

As of early 2023 St Peter’s Basilica doesn’t actually have an entry fee, but nor does it have skip the line tickets (skip the line tickets used to be an option and we hope they come back soon!). So the best option if you want to skip the line is to invest either in a tour or a pass which includes a tour like the Rome Tourist Card .

You can also book Vatican tickets here , using our link gives you 5% off their usual price for Vatican tickets. It’s a little more expensive than the official website but somewhat more user friendly in our experience.

We recommend allocating at least half a day to explore the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica.

For lots more information on visiting the Vatican City and its attractions, see our complete guide to the Vatican , which has everything you need to know, including all the highlights, tips for visiting, how to buy tickets and lots more.

From here, head along to the Tiber River, and explore Castel Sant’Angelo (get tickets here ). Afterwards you can head back towards the city center, and visit locations like the Piazza Popolo.

If you have time and are interested you could also visit the Borghese Gallery. Note that this is also a timed entry system – see our guide to visiting the Borghese Gallery for more.

For your last day in Rome, we recommend spending some time exploring the Appian Way. This was one of the major routes in and out of the city, and is home to a number of ancient Roman ruins, as well as catacombs. A stop at the Baths of Caracalla on your way out of the city is also recommended.

Another option for your last day in Rome (or your first day, depending on how you decide to structure your itinerary) is to take a walking tour.

We’ve taken a number of walking tours in Rome with both Take Walks and Context , and enjoyed them all. As an example, see this introduction to Rome which includes gelato tasting!

For more inspiration for your visit to Rome, see our itineraries for 3 days in Rome , 2 days in Rome and a day in Rome .

In terms of saving money, there are a number of passes available for sight-seeing. For 3 days, our recommendation would be the Omnia Rome and Vatican Card. This includes public transport in Rome, a hop on hop off pass, and skip the line entry with timed reservations at the major attractions.

There are other passes as well, including the  Roma Pass , the  Rome Tourist Card and the  Best of Rome All Access pass . Which is best for you will depend on how many sites you are interested in visiting, and whether you plan on using the specific features they offer.

That pretty much finishes up the itinerary section of this post. We’ll share with you our tips for where to stay in Rome, before moving on to some practical information to help you plan this trip perfectly.

Where to Stay in Rome

We recommend the following hotels in Rome. The first three are near the main train station, which will make for an easier transfer when you arrive from Venice.

• Gioberti Art Hotel  – 50 yards from Termini Station, a well rated excellent value 4* hotel
• NH Collection Palazzo Cinquecento  – Awesome value 5* hotel just a few steps from the train station
• Hotel Valentino Palace  – a fantastic mid-range 3* property, just 150 yards from the train station
• The  Navona Theatre Hotel – a well reviewed and very centrally located 3* hotel
• The  Mimosa Pantheon Hotel – an excellent value budget hotel just around the corner from the Pantheon
• The  Hotel Navona – a well reviewed 3* hotel next to the Pantheon
• Di Rienzo Pantheon Palace – a centrally located well reviewed boutique hotel within walking distance of Rome’s highlights

2 Week Europe Itinerary Map

To help you visualise this itinerary, we’ve put together this overview map of the stops and route.

2 Week Europe Itinerary Summary:

• Day 1: London. Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, Churchill War Rooms, Buckingham Palace and the  London Eye .
• Day 2: London. Tower of London , Tower Bridge, Borough Market, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe and the Shard.
• Day 3: London. Windsor Castle, Hampton Court Palace, Stonehenge
• Day 4: Paris. Eiffel Tower, Seine River Cruise, Musee d’Orsay, Walking tour
• Day 5: Paris. Saint Chapelle, Notre Dame, Louvre, Arc de Triomphe
• Day 6: Paris. Versaille, Moulin Rouge
• Day 7: Barcelona. Sagrada Familia, Recinte Modernista Sant Pau, Park Güell, Gaudi Experience, Camp Nou
• Day 8: Barcelona. Casa Batlló, Casa Milá, Barcelona Cathedral, Palau de la Musica Catalana, Picasso Museum
• Day 9: Barcelona. Girona & Figueres
• Day 10: Venice. St. Mark’s Square, Doge’s Palace, Rialto Bridge, Gondola ride
• Day 11: Venice. Murano, Burano
• Day 12: Rome. Colosseum, Roman Forum, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain.
• Day 13: Rome. Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Basilica, Castel Sant’Angelo, Piazza Popolo, Borghese Gallery
• Day 14: Rome. Appian Way, Baths of Caracalla

How to Get Around Europe

Europe has no shortage of transportation options to get you from place to place. For this itinerary, we would suggest you primarily use the train to get from city to city.

The high speed trains in Europe run frequently, are very comfortable, and are more environmentally friendly than short hop flights. If you book in advance they can also be cost effective. They also have the advantage that there are fewer baggage restrictions, and train stations tend to be in the city center – unlike airports.

Of course, not every segment of this trip would suit a train. For example, from Barcelona to Venice would take at least 24 hours by train. Also, Paris to Barcelona is a fairly lengthy journey. There is the option to take an overnight train, however it isn’t direct so it takes a while. It does save you the cost of a hotel night though.

For train travel across Europe, it’s important to book your tickets in advance as this will get you the best prices. We recommend thetrainline which supports booking tickets in all the countries visited on this itinerary.

For flights, we suggest you try Kiwi , which includes the major low cost airlines as well the more traditionally priced carriers.

When to Visit Europe

You can certainly visit Europe year-round, although visiting at different times of year will give you different experiences.

For the most part, summers in Europe are quite warm, with temperatures likely to be between 25C & 32C (77F – 90F) on average. Whilst the weather is going to be most reliable in the summer months of June through August, this is also going to be the busiest time of year to visit.

The cities in particular are very popular with visitors, and lines for attractions can be long at these times of year. We wouldn’t say you shouldn’t visit at this time of year, but you should definitely plan ahead and arrange all your entry tickets so as to make the most effective use of your time.

Our favourite time to travel in Europe is the shoulder months of April / May, and September / October. These months tend to offer a combination of reasonable weather and less busy attractions.

We’ve also travelled extensively throughout Europe in the cooler winter months, from November through to March. It never gets much below freezing during this time, so as long as you dress appropriately, we think you will have a great time.

See our guide to what to pack for London to give you some ideas of what you might want to bring along.

We don’t think there’s a bad time of year to travel in Europe. It’s just a question of planning and preparing properly in advance. It is also worth checking if there are any events happening in the city when you visit that might cause it to be busier.

For example, Venice has a major Carnival celebration near the start of the year, and the city is always busier at this time. Other cities also have events, and if you visit during them you will find accommodation prices will be higher, and the city will be busier.

Practical Advice for Travelling in Europe

Europe uses a 220-240V electrical system, so if you are travelling from the USA, Canada, or any other country that uses a 110V system, you will need to check that your electrical items are compatible.

In our experience, lower power items like laptops and smartphone charges are compatible from 110V – 240V, but higher power items like hair dryers and hair straighteners are usually not. The power rating and acceptable voltage should be marked on the device somewhere.

It’s really important you don’t plug a device into a voltage it doesn’t support, as it will damage it. Its best to leave non-compatible items at home and purchase a dual voltage appliance if you need it during your trip, such as a dual voltage hair straightener .

In addition, the UK and continental Europe have two different plug types. Mainland Europe generally uses a two pin system with round holes, whilst the UK has a three pin system with rectangular holes.

For travel, therefore, you will need a travel adaptor like this which will let you plug your devices in. Note that most travel adaptors are not voltage convertors. You would need something like this to convert the voltage.

Internet in the form of free WiFi access is fairly easy to get access too across all the cities mentioned in our article. In addition, since the EU has abolished roaming charges, if you buy a SIM card in one EU country, you should be able to continue to use it in other countries without any additional charges.

Depending on the device you are travelling with, you will have a number of options for accessing the internet when you travel, from picking up a local SIM, to renting a WiFi hotspot, to just using WiFi as you go.

We have a detailed guide to getting online when you travel to help you figure out which is best for you.

The two currencies that you’ll need for this trip are the pound sterling (GBP) and the euro (EUR). The UK (London in the case of our itinerary) uses the pound sterling and the rest of the European destinations on our itinerary use the Euro. Euros from one country can be used in any of the other countries.

In our experience, you should be able to pay for the majority of your travel spending using a credit or debit card. We’d advise getting one of these that doesn’t impose foreign transaction fees if that is an option. Ideally it will also support contactless technology, which will make using it for smaller payments easier.

We would also suggest you always have some cash in the local currency on you for small purchases, tips, and places that don’t accept credit cards (or if there is any issues with your credit card).

There are cash machines available in all the major cities on this itinerary where you will be able to use your bank card to withdraw a local currency. Depending on the policy of your bank at home, you might be able to withdraw cash from these without a fee, but do check in advance of your travel so you don’t pay fees unexpectedly. Some ATM’s also charge a fee.

If there is a fee from your bank for withdrawing cash, you might find it is more cost effective to order some money at home before you leave – or to find a bank account that lets you withdraw cash fee free.

All the cities that we have listed are relatively safe, but of course you should take the same safety precautions when travelling that you would at home. Avoid walking alone at night in unfamiliar areas and don’t leave valuables lying around where they could be easily snatched.

It’s also a good idea to read up on some of the common scams that you might encounter in each city – for example, we wrote a guide to common scams in Paris to give you an idea of what to look out for.

We’d also suggest keeping your valuables locked in your hotel safe when possible, and to avoid carrying large amounts of money on you. We’d also suggest having a good travel insurance policy. Basically, just apply the same safety principles that you would at home to your personal belongings and safety, and you should have a safe trip!

Drinking Water

Unless otherwise indicated with a sign, the water in the taps in all of the cities on our list is safe to drink. In some cities, you’ll also found water fountains where you can refill your water bottle.

The water in Barcelona does have a slightly strange taste due to the high mineral content, and many local people prefer to drink bottled water. However, the tap water is safe to drink unless otherwise noted.

We very much recommend that you travel with a high quality reusable water bottle like this and fill it up as you go. This will be friendlier to the environment, and save you having to spend money on a resource that is available for free.

Walking Tours in Europe

One of our favourite ways to explore a new city is to take a walking tour. It’s a great way to get oriented, learn about the city, its sights and its culture, plus get local tips on places to eat, drink and see from the guide.

We’ve taken walking tours in cities around the world, and we nearly always use one of two companies – Take Walks , and Context . Both of these companies offer small group walking tours in all the cities we’ve covered.

Take Walks offers tours with groups of up to around 14, whilst Context offers more private and semi-private tours. Here are some example tours to consider for the various cities in this itinerary.

• This London In a Day tour visit the highlights of London in one day, including the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey & Changing of the Guard.
• This introduction to London Tour which includes many of the highlights of the city
• This tour of the Chruchill War Rooms in London
• This full day tour of Paris which includes a Skip the Line Louvre Tour, the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre & a Seine River Cruise
• An introduction to Paris Tour , which includes the Louvre, Opera Garnier and the Champs-Elysees
• A full day tour of Barcelona which includes a visit to La Sagrada Família, Casa Milà & the Gothic Quarter
• This Rome In A Day Tour which includes a guided visit and skip the line entry to the Vatican, the Colosseum & a tour of the Historic Center of the city
• A full day tour of Venice which includes St. Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, & a Gondola Ride

Of course, this is just a sample of some of the many tours available, which vary in length from a couple of hours to a full day. We suggest taking a look at all the walks on Take Walks here and Context here . Note that all bookings through our Context links save you 10% on the tour price automatically.

Finally, there are of course a multitude of other options for walking tours. If you would like more options, we suggest looking at the listings on either GetYourGuide or Viator. These two sites have tour options from a wide range of companies, and you can read reviews from other travellers prior to booking to decide if it’s a good option for you.

Saving Money in Europe

Europe, and western Europe in particular, is not exactly known for being a budget destination. The cities in particular are fairly expensive. Your main costs on this trip are likely to be the flights (biggest cost for most), accommodation, attraction entry, transport between the cities, and eating out.

To help you control these costs, we wanted to share some of our tips from years of experience travelling in European cities, so you don’t spend money unnecessarily. Even if you’re not on a tight budget, there’s no need to waste money when you don’t have to!

Use City Passes

All the cities in our itinerary have one or more city passes to choose from. City passes generally include either free or discounted admission to the major attractions in the city, and may also include other benefits.

These other benefits will vary, but will generally include things like fast track entry to some attractions, inclusive public transport, hop on hop off bus tickets, and discounts on meals and other activities like walking tours, wine tastings, and so on.

We have used a number of city passes during our travels in the cities in this itinerary, and our recommended passes for you to consider are as follows:

• For London: The London Pass. Available in durations from one to ten days, covers all the major attractions in London. See our full review of the London Pass here , and buy yours here .
• For Paris: The Paris Pass or the Paris Museum Pass. The Paris Pass includes entry to most of Paris’s major museums, plus includes attractions like a HOHO bus and Seine River Cruise. The Paris Museum Pass just covers attraction entry fees. See our full review of the Paris Pass here , and buy your Paris Pass here . We also have a full review of the Paris Museum Pass here, and you can buy it here .
• For Barcelona: The Go Barcelona Pass , Barcelona City Pass and Barcelona Card . These vary in what they cover, and whilst we suggest you pick up at least one of them, the best one for you will depend on your interests. See our full comparison of the Barcelona City Passes for more information.
• For Rome: The Omnia Rome and Vatican Card or the Roma Pass . Both these passes include free public transport in Rome, as well as free and discounted admission to attractions across the city. The Omnia Rome and Vatican Card also includes skip the line access to the Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Basilica, as well as other Vatican attractions. It also has a hop on hop off bus.
• For Venice : We have never used a discount card in Venice. However, there is a Venice Pass which includes many of the museums and churches that is well worth checking out.

If you are planning on seeing a number of sights in each city you visit, a city pass can definitely save you money. Some of them will also save you time, as they offer skip the line benefits. However, we do recommend doing a little bit of reading on each pass to make sure it makes sense for your specific trip.

Note that city passes are often not as good of a value for children (especially young children) and those who are eligible for discounts at many attractions (seniors, disabled, EU university students), so do check if you qualify for any discounts before buying a pass.

Book accommodation and transportation in advance

The two major costs on your trip are likely to be accommodation and transportation. Our major tip for both of these is to book them in advance.

For transport in Europe, the best deals are nearly always to be had if you book as far in advance as possible. The cheapest tickets on flights and trains always sell out first, and then the prices will increase.

We recommend you check your flights and book in advance here , and your trains here .

Accommodation is not quite so straight forward, as prices can dip and rise depending on demand. However, in our personal experience, prices tend to be lower if we book further in advance. Plus, you can often take advantage of free cancellation policies, and re-book if the prices drop.

Also, don’t forget to look at accommodation options beyond hotels. Short term apartment rentals can be very cost effective, plus they will allow you to prepare some of your own meals if you want, which will also save you money.

We generally use booking.com for booking our hotels, and they also include apartments. We also use Plum Guide regularly. There are plenty more options though – see our guide to some AirBnB alternatives to give you some ideas.

Invest in a Guidebook

We recommend investing in a guidebook, especially if this is your first trip to western Europe.

Investing $15 to $25 in a guidebook can save you much more in time and money. A guidebook can cover much more in-depth information than we can in this blog post, and means you’ll have all the information you need at your fingertips.

For this trip, we recommend the Rick Steves Best of Europe guide . If you had to pick one guide book, that would be our favourite – it covers all the destinations in this itinerary (plus many more!) and has lots of practical information, tips and advice to help you plan. We use and love it.

If you have room in your bag, we can also recommend the Europe through the Back Door book , which has a lot of general travel advice for Europe.

Other options to consider include Lonely Planet’s Western Europe guidebook and/or the Insight Guide to Western Europe .

Be sure to purchase a recently edited/updated version of the guidebook. So make sure it was updated in the last year or so. Most guidebooks are updated every year or two to make sure the information is as up to date as possible.

If you are not sure which guidebook may be best for you, you might want to browse in your local bookshop or library before picking one.

Use Public Transport Effectively

The cheapest and most effective way to get around the cities listed in this post is to take public transport (well, after walking of course!).

Each city has its own public transport network, with various fares and ticket options. Learning how to use these properly will save you money.

For example, in London, it’s possible to buy individual tickets using cash. However, this can be twice as expensive as using an Oyster Card or Contactless bank card for your travel. In Paris, you can buy tickets individually, or you can save money by buying booklets of ten tickets.

In addition, many of the city passes we recommend come with some sort of travel card, which can also save you money.

Basically, each transport system has its own quirks, and having a handle on these will likely save you money. We also recommend always checking to see how far your destination is on foot before taking public transport.

The public transit maps are unlikely to match up to the reality of geography, and you might find it will take the same amount of time to walk somewhere as it would have to take a bus or metro, plus walking is free!

Find restaurant deals

Our final tip covers the last major expense, which will be eating out. Of course, eating out is a major part of travelling, but the costs can quickly add up.

The good news is that you can also save money on eating out. The secret is to figure out when the restaurant deals are likely to be happening.

For example, in France and Spain, it’s very common for lunch time menus to be offered. These are usually two or three course meals, which sometimes include wine, bread and coffee, and which are usually priced under €20 per person.

For Paris, see our guide to some of the best Michelin starred restaurants for lunch deals .

In London, these aren’t as common, however, many restaurants offer theater deals. These are special priced menus offered either late in the afternoon (5pm – 7pm generally) or late in the evening (10pm and onwards), designed for theatre goers who want to get a meal before or after the show.

Of course, you don’t have to be going to the theatre to take advantage of these deals!

Other options for saving money on dining out include taking advantage of street food, picking up “meal deals” at supermarkets like M&S in London, putting together picnics from markets in Paris – the list goes on. It is certainly possible to eat on the cheap quite easily if you make a little bit of effort to do so.

Further Reading for your Trip to Europe

Well, that’s pretty much the end of this post to help you plan your own perfect Europe itinerary and trip.

As you can see from the links shared throughout the post, we have a lot of content to help you plan your own trip to Europe. To make it easier for you, I wanted to put some of the most useful content here, for easy reference. I’ve also included some third party resources you might find useful in planning.

• For London , we have a guide for a day in London , 2 days in London , 3 days in London and 6 days in London
• We have a guide to the London Eye , Tower of London , Harry Potter filming locations in London , Winston Churchill locations in London , London’s War Museums , London’s UNESCO sites and tips on taking a walking tour in London
• We also have a guide to public transport in London , a guide to getting from the airport to London , a guide to what to pack for London , a guide to the cost of travel in the UK and a review of the London Pass
• For Paris , we have a guide to a day in Paris , 2 days in Paris and 3 days in Paris
• We have a guide to the best photography locations in Paris , afternoon tea in Paris , thoughts on the best Seine River cruises , a guide to making perfume in Paris , and advice for visiting the Moulin Rouge
• We also have a review of the Paris Pass , a review of the Paris Museum Pass , a guide to visiting the Eiffel Tower
• For Barcelona , we have a guide for 1 day in Barcelona , 2 days in Barcelona and 3 days in Barcelona .
• We have a guide to the best photography locations in Barcelona , the Anton Gaudi sites in Barcelona , and the Sagrada Familia
• We have a review of the Go Barcelona Pass and a comparison of the major Barcelona city passes
• For Rome, we have a guide to things to do in Rome , a day in Rome , 2 days in Rome and 3 days in Rome
• We also have a guide to the best gelato in Rome , the best cafes in Rome , visiting the Borghese Gallery in Rome, visiting the Colosseum in Rome and our thoughts on taking a walking tour in Rome
• For Venice , we have a guide to spending a day in Venice
• We also have a guide to visiting the Doge’s Palace & St. Mark’s Basilica , as well as our thoughts on a tour of Casanova’s Venice
• Investing in a guidebook can help save you time and money on your trip and help you be prepared. For this trip, we recommend the Rick Steves Best of Europe guide , Lonely Planet’s Western Europe guidebook and/or the Insight Guide to Western Europe

And that’s it for our guide to spending 2 weeks in Europe! As always, we’re open to questions, comments and feedback – just pop them in the comments section below, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!

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There are 30 comments on this post

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Kirsten says

1st April 2023 at 1:43 am

We just came back from this exact trip on 3/26/23. We followed your itinerary and most of your suggestions on what to do in each city. Thank you so much for putting this together. My husband and I aren’t the best planners and this step by step guide was so helpful and perfect for us! We really couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you!

Laurence Norah says

2nd April 2023 at 10:33 pm

Hi Kirsten!

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and share your experience! I’m delighted to hear you guys had a great time in Europe and that we were able to help with your trip planning, it really means a lot to know that our content is helpful 🙂

Safe travels!

Laurence & Jessica

12th February 2023 at 3:08 pm

This is an awesome itinerary. Thank you so much for sharing! We hope to make our first trip to Europe in the future.

12th February 2023 at 4:18 pm

My pleasure Sara, I hope you get to visit Europe soon and do let me know if you have any questions when you start to plan your trip!

6th February 2023 at 12:20 am

Hello, Thank you for great posts on Europe trip. Really help a lot when I’m trying to plan for mine. Do you mind sharing apartment name you stayed in Paris, the one with Eiffel tower view? Im looking for nice apartment to stay with Eiffel tower view for my honeymoon this year. Really appreciate it if you could share. Thank you 🙂

9th February 2023 at 8:15 am

Thanks very much. So the apartment was this one which we booked via Plum Guide. I’m not sure it’s still bookable, although there is an option to message the host. I’d also recommend the Eiffel Tower guide we have here , as that as a selection of accommodation options with good views. We’ve also stayed at the Pullman Paris hotel which has excellent Eiffel Tower views for example.

Have a great trip to Europe!

19th January 2023 at 4:05 pm

I’ve subscribed, but still cannot gain printing access…please help – thank you!

23rd January 2023 at 2:17 pm

Sorry for the slow response, we’re travelling in Uganda and Internet access has been sporadic! I can see you are an active subscriber, does it still not work when you put your email address in on the print page? If not, if you could let me know what device and browser you are using and I’ll see if I can figure out what is going on!

2nd July 2022 at 3:39 am

This was a great blog. I am trying to put together a surprise trip for my wife’s 40th next year. I am gonna try to do it myself based off all the deals y’all have given. Bless

2nd July 2022 at 10:58 am

My pleasure Wayne, have a great trip and do let me know if you have any questions 🙂

alex47_in_downtown says

8th February 2022 at 2:16 pm

This was the most detailed, informative & hence the most helpful travel blogpost I’ve ever read… 🙂 Perfect itinerary for first-timers (like me)…! Lots of love from India <3

10th February 2022 at 12:11 pm

Thanks very much Alex, I was delighted to be of help! I hope you have a great time in Europe, and do let me know if you have any questions!

Ashley Salgado says

8th October 2022 at 7:19 pm

Why not have a pdf versión to be able to print. Tried to print this but it’s a whopping 100 pages with all the ads and comments. Great info I’d love to print and read with time not on a screen.

8th October 2022 at 11:23 pm

Thanks for your message! Every post is available in printable format, if you look at the bottom of the post on mobile, or the side on desktop, there is a little print icon. If you press that you can go through the steps to access a printable version without ads, comments or images. You can then print it to PDF, most devices these days let you save a webpage as a PDF from the print option.

Have a great time in Europe!

Michelle says

2nd November 2021 at 1:49 am

I’m so glad I found this blog. This is so helpful and fantastic. It really gives us a clearer picture on how to plan our first trip to Europe (16 days) and it hits the cities we want to start off with and we plan on doing. Thank you!!!

2nd November 2021 at 11:06 am

My pleasure Michelle! Have a wonderful trip across Europe, and do let me know if you have any questions!

Penny Hampton says

2nd January 2021 at 2:42 pm

Loved your blog on traveling to Europe. We have never been to Europe so this would be our first time. What you write is exactly what we are looking for. Great advise on everything from where to go-where to stay and where to visit. If Covid ever dies down, we will try to make the trip.

2nd January 2021 at 2:46 pm

Thank you so much Penny! I certainly hope you get to take a trip sooner rather than later 🙂 If you have any questions when it comes to the planning, just let me know. Happy 2021!

20th February 2020 at 4:03 am

Hi Lawrence and Jessica,

Thank you so much for this article, it has been very helpful as I try and plan out our first trip to Europe. I will be taking my sons ages 24 and 18 this summer and are hoping to say about 18 days. We are planning to go to every location except Barcelona, and would like to add a city in either the Netherlands, Belgium or Switzerland. Which would you recommend? Also we are planning to travel at the end of July/early August, so I’m sure our costs will be quite high. Any thoughts on how much I should expect a 2 week trip to cost? I know that may be a difficult question to answer, but even if it’s a broad ballpark it would be very helpful.

20th February 2020 at 12:43 pm

Our pleasure, sounds like you have a great trip coming up! So yes, this is a really hard question to answer 😉 I would suggest taking a look at our suggested costs for a UK trip here , which should help with your planning. Prices in continental Europe are fairly comparable to the UK. Everyone has a different travel style and budget, and idea of what is expensive or acceptable, so it’s hard to know. There would be a huge difference depending on if it was hostel accommodation of 5* 😉 Just be aware that capital cities tend to be more expensive as a general rule of thumb.

In terms of saving, definitely check out apartment rentals which might work out cheaper as you are in a group. Also, booking transport well in advance (planes and trains) will make a huge difference to the cost. Flexibility in timing is also useful.

In terms of adding another city, Amsterdam is obviously nice but busy. Ghent and Bruges are lovely in Belgium. We’ve actually just come back from Switzerland. There’s a lot to choose from and a great transport network, but Geneva is a good starting point.

Let me know if you have any more questions, I’m happy to try and help!

12th February 2020 at 4:36 pm

I’ve sent this to my wife, this looks amazing! I think ill try to see if we can get an overnight Rail between the far trips however, this looks fantastic! and Exciting!

It will be our 1st trip to the EU, so hitting up all these locations at once will give us a great taste of so many locations!

12th February 2020 at 5:38 pm

Thanks Ryan! I hope you guys have a great trip, and do let me know if you have any questions!

10th December 2019 at 4:46 pm

Amazing article! You have inspired me to explore Europe soon! Thanks!

10th December 2019 at 4:58 pm

Thanks very much – I hope you get to visit soon and have a great trip when you do!

19th November 2019 at 4:03 pm

Loved this article and found it very useful. I’m in the process of trying to plan a trip for next year with my 18 and 19 year olds. I can’t quite committ to exactly where I want to take them. This will be our first trip overseas and I’ve been driving myself crazy googling different locations and ideas. This article has been one of the best as I feel like I really need a step by step guide to create and book whatever vacation I decide to go with. Any tips on what you think would be a great trip for that age bracket would be very appreciated.

20th November 2019 at 3:06 pm

Awesome, delighted to have been able to help. So I think this itinerary will work for your family, the only thing might be to tweak the attractions you visit based on your interests and the interests of your family. So if they aren’t into lots of museums, or art, then maybe cut those back a bit. Perhaps they’d be more interested in food tours or more interactive things like that. The best option would definitely be to just have a chat with them and find out what they might like to do, and then you can try to make everyone happy 😉 Communication is definitely key, and if they feel they have input and control then I think everyone will have a better time.

I hope this helps a bit!

Have an amazing trip and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any more questions!

Natasha says

4th October 2019 at 1:19 pm

I might suggest taking skipping at least Barcelona. It’s not that it’s not beautiful, it definetly is. The city can’t handle all the tourist coming its way…Please do some research beforehand. I might opt for a longer stay in one city than trying to do too much. Or focus on one region. You probably wouldn’t do New York, California, Chicago and Grand Canyon in 2 weeks… It may not look like it on the map, but these aren’t such small distances.

4th October 2019 at 7:40 pm

Hi Natasha,

Thanks for your feedback. I’d disagree about Barcelona as I think it’s a beautiful city (we have visited many times – this article is based on our experiences not research). We would agree that folks should try and spend longer in each place rather than moving too fast for sure, and slower travel is something we prefer ourselves. That said, not everyone has the luxury of longer vacations, and wants to see quite a few places, hence we’ve put this itinerary together. Compared to some itineraries, we think it’s actually pretty relaxed and achievable 🙂

Thanks again for taking the time to comment!

14th September 2019 at 4:57 pm

Thanks for this detailed itinerary and plans. I really liked reading this. We are planning for a Europe trip on coming December. Do you think the itinerary you mentioned can be a difficult one to choose because of weather in December?

14th September 2019 at 5:47 pm

I think the itinerary is do-able at any time of year. December is a good month for visiting Europe as you have the pretty Christmas lights and Christmas markets. Obviously it will be colder and there’s more chance of rain, but appropriate clothing will solve that issue!

Have a great trip and let me know if I can be of any more help 🙂

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Places You’ll See

• Enjoy free days in Rome, Paris, and the Swiss Alps
• Visit Burgundy, Florence, Innsbruck, Munich and Ghent
• Snap photos at the iconic Leaning Tower of Pisa
• Cruise the canals of Amsterdam and the Rhine River in Germany
• Taste local German wine and say prost in a traditional beer hall
• Introduction
• Day 1 Start of tour in Rome - Venice
• Day 2 Innsbruck - Munich - Bavaria
• Day 3 Bavaria - Rhine Valley
• Day 4 Rhine Valley - Amsterdam
• Day 5 Amsterdam - Ghent - Paris
• Day 6 Paris: Free Day
• Day 7 Paris - Burgundy - Swiss Alps
• Day 8 Swiss Alps: Free Day
• Day 9 Swiss Alps - Lake Como - Tuscany
• Day 10 Tuscany - Pisa - Florence - Rome
• Day 11 Rome: Free Day
• Day 12 End of tour in Rome

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What's Included

• Accommodation
• Additional Services

Where You'll Stay

Customer photos.

Operated by Expat Explore Travel

Expat Explore is one of the industry’s leading coach tour operators. Their core mission is #TravelMadePossible - to make travel fun, convenient and affordable for travellers from all over the world. They offer a selection of more than 60 itineraries that explore destinations across Europe, North America, Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

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Cancellation policy.

A transparent overview of applicable fees.

Customer Reviews

• Overall Rating Excellent 4.4
• Itinerary Excellent 4.5
• Guide Excellent 4.8
• Transport Excellent 4.7
• Accommodation Good 4.0
• Food Good 4.0
• Tour Operator Expat Explore Travel 4.4
• Most Recent
• Most Popular
• Highest First
• Lowest First

• PP Paul · 29th April 2024 Fun trip. The guide and the driver were great. They made the trip even better. Trip date: April 2024 Review collected by Expat Explore Travel

• JO Judith · 8th March 2024 The trip start to finish, was amazing, our tour guide Gustavo was wonderful! Trip date: September 2023

• FH Felidalma · 31st October 2023 Very hectic!…always On the go - not a chance to breath and absorb the moments… given a few moments if twenty minutes .. enough to que for wc only….if a little more than twenty mins enought to grab a quick bite …. This tour is like a marathon…. The... Show more Trip date: October 2023

Dates & Availability

Pay-by-instalments

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• Upcoming departures
• August 2024
• September 2024
• October 2024
• November 2024
• December 2024
• August 2025
• September 2025
• October 2025
• November 2025
• Get Instant Confirmation Sunday 19 May, 2024 Thursday 30 May, 2024 English Almost Sold Out Multiple Room Types €2,257 Confirm Dates
• Get Instant Confirmation Sunday 2 Jun, 2024 Thursday 13 Jun, 2024 English Almost Sold Out Multiple Room Types €2,257 Confirm Dates
• Get Instant Confirmation Sunday 16 Jun, 2024 Thursday 27 Jun, 2024 English Almost Sold Out Multiple Room Types €2,257 Confirm Dates Hold space for 48h
• Get Instant Confirmation Sunday 30 Jun, 2024 Thursday 11 Jul, 2024 English Almost Sold Out Multiple Room Types €2,257 Only Pay 10% Deposit Confirm Dates Hold space for 48h
• Get Instant Confirmation Monday 8 Jul, 2024 Friday 19 Jul, 2024 English Multiple Room Types €2,141 Only Pay 10% Deposit Confirm Dates Hold space for 48h
• Get Instant Confirmation Sunday 14 Jul, 2024 Thursday 25 Jul, 2024 English Multiple Room Types €2,051 Only Pay 10% Deposit Confirm Dates Hold space for 48h
• Get Instant Confirmation Monday 22 Jul, 2024 Friday 2 Aug, 2024 English Multiple Room Types €1,954 0% Interest Instalments Only Pay 10% Deposit Confirm Dates Hold space for 48h
• Get Instant Confirmation Sunday 28 Jul, 2024 Thursday 8 Aug, 2024 English Multiple Room Types €2,141 0% Interest Instalments Only Pay 10% Deposit Confirm Dates Hold space for 48h
• Get Instant Confirmation Sunday 11 Aug, 2024 Thursday 22 Aug, 2024 English Multiple Room Types €2,141 0% Interest Instalments Only Pay 10% Deposit Confirm Dates Hold space for 48h
• Get Instant Confirmation Sunday 25 Aug, 2024 Thursday 5 Sep, 2024 English Multiple Room Types €2,141 0% Interest Instalments Only Pay 10% Deposit Confirm Dates Hold space for 48h

Frequently Asked Questions

Whilst internal flights are covered for certain itineraries, you will have to make your way to the meeting point for the start of your tour. When booking flights be mindful of departure times and possible delays. Tip: We suggest that you start comparing prices the moment your deposit is paid to avoid costly flights.

We have a set minimum age of 10 for our tours, but we're happy to consider younger children on a case-by-case basis. Just let us know your request, and we'll do our best to accommodate it. Expat Explore reserves the right to accept or decline the request at our discretion. We want to ensure everyone has a great time exploring with us!

We make every effort to include local cuisine on our tours to ensure an authentic experience for you. You'll receive an email before the tour begins, where we'll ask for your dietary preferences. We always have a vegetarian option, and we'll work hard to accommodate any other dietary needs or preferences you may have.

Contactless payment is widely accepted across Europe – it’s best to bring a payment card with no overseas withdrawal fees. * Keep in mind that certain optionals are payable in cash to your tour leader whilst on tour. We suggest that you talk to your Tour Leader about when & where to draw cash to pay for the optional excursions.

While Expat Explore cannot assist with booking pre or post-tour accommodation, we recommend Booking.com for affordable accommodation options prior to and after the tour. If hotel information is available, we can provide you with the details in advance so that you can book accommodation at or nearby the start hotel. Please request this by sending a message through on the conversation page.

While Expat Explore endeavours to stay current on all major entry requirements, we are not a registered visa agent. We are, however, able to make things a little easier by providing you with the required supporting documents for a visa application once your tour is paid in full. It is a requirement of the embassies that tours are paid for in full before visa support documentation is requested and applications are made. When you have made the final payment for your booking, simply reach out to our Customer Support Team to request your visa support documents and confirm which embassy you will be applying to.

This is up to you and will vary depending on how much you wish to spend on snacks, drinks, souvenirs etc. We do not include entrance fees to attractions and museums. We do, however, provide you with free time to see everything you want, and our tour leaders will have all the information on pricing and locations so you can manage your own budget. Please refer to your tour-specific pre-departure information and optional excursions guide for further details.

It's your responsibility to arrange sufficient travel insurance for your trip. When you travel with Expat Explore, both you and your personal belongings do so at your own risk. A comprehensive insurance policy should cover medical expenses for illness or accidents before or during the holiday, as well as reimbursement for lost holiday funds due to cancellation, curtailment, or other insurable events. Make sure there are no exclusions that would limit coverage for the activities included in your tour. We generally recommend WorldNomads because they cover a wide variety of nationalities, but you are welcome to use any supplier that offers you the most comprehensive plan. You are able to obtain travel insurance through one of TourRadars partners, XCover. Please reach out to receive a quote.

We embrace travelers of all ages and backgrounds, prioritizing attitude and mindset over age restrictions. However, our tours are fast-paced and jam-packed with experiences. Regrettably, individuals with mobility limitations or those using wheelchairs may find this tour challenging. Comfortable walking shoes are essential for exploring quaint towns and navigating cobblestone streets. We want every traveler to fully enjoy their journey, so we encourage reviewing the itinerary carefully before making your booking decision.

When you book for more than one person, we will by default group you together in the same room(s), unless you request single supplements or specifically request us not to. If there are unequal numbers (3, 5, 7 etc.) then the remaining traveller will be roomed with another passenger of the same gender, unless you opt to add a single supplement (subject to availability) to your booking. Please note that minors under the age of 18 cannot share with another traveller outside of your group's booking. If you are making separate bookings and would like to share the same room(s), please send us an email with the booking references for each of the travellers and the details of your preferred rooming allocation.

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Good to Know

• Currencies € Euro Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Netherlands Fr. Swiss Franc Switzerland

As a traveller from USA, Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa you will need an adaptor for types C, E, F, L, J.

• These are only indications, so please visit your doctor before you travel to be 100% sure.
• Tick-borne encephalitis - Recommended for Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Ideally 6 months before travel.
• Unfortunately we cannot offer you a visa application service. Whether you need a visa or not depends on your nationality and where you wish to travel. Assuming your home country does not have a visa agreement with the country you're planning to visit, you will need to apply for a visa in advance of your scheduled departure.
• Here is an indication for which countries you might need a visa. Please contact the local embassy for help applying for visas to these places.
• For any tour departing before 23rd June 2024 a full payment is necessary. For tours departing after 23rd June 2024, a minimum payment of 10% is required to confirm your booking with Expat Explore Travel. The final payment will be automatically charged to your credit card on the designated due date. The final payment of the remaining balance is required at least 50 days prior to the departure date of your tour. TourRadar never charges you a booking fee and will charge you in the stated currency.
• Some departure dates and prices may vary and Expat Explore Travel will contact you with any discrepancies before your booking is confirmed.
• The following cards are accepted for "Expat Explore Travel" tours: Visa, Maestro, Mastercard, American Express or PayPal. TourRadar does NOT charge you an extra fee for using any of these payment methods.
• Your money is safe with TourRadar, as we only pay the tour operator after your tour has departed.
• TourRadar is an authorised Agent of Expat Explore Travel. Please familiarise yourself with the Expat Explore Travel payment, cancellation and refund conditions .
• Insurance Unless otherwise mentioned, TourRadar does not provide travel insurance. We do however recommend purchasing it through our tried and trusted partner, World Travel Nomads .
• Accessibility Some tours are not suitable for mobility-restricted traveller, however, some operators may be able to accommodate special requests. For any enquiries, you can contact our customer support team , who are ready and waiting to help you.
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All About Balkans (4 Star Hotels)

• Best price guaranteed
• No booking fees
• Tour Type Group Tour
• Activities Sightseeing Tours & Art and architecture Sightseeing Tours , Art and architecture & Cultural, religious and historic sites 'data-more-tripid='17753'>+1 more
• Accommodation Hotel
• Transport Bus, Coach & Boat
• Age Range 18-39 yrs
• Operated in English
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• Starts Rome, Italy
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Europe Escape

• Activities City sightseeing
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• Age Range 10-99 yrs
• Brochure Price: US$ 2,990
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Caucasus Countries (12 days)

• Trip customizable
• Tour Type Small Group Tour
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• Transport Coach & Minibus
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• Starts London, England
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European Discovery

• Activities Sightseeing Tours & Art and architecture Sightseeing Tours , Art and architecture , Cultural, religious and historic sites , Walking tours & Natural landmarks sightseeing 'data-more-tripid='20567'>+3 more
• Transport Boat, Coach & Ferry
• Age Range 18-35 yrs
• Brochure Price: US$ 2,465
• Special Deal (20%): - US$ 493
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• Jun 06 Only 8 seats left

• Starts Tallinn, Estonia
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Discover the Baltics

• Activities Cultural, religious and historic sites & Trekking and Hiking
• Accommodation Hotel & Resort
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• Age Range 16-95 yrs
• Brochure Price: US$ 2,398
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• May 15 Only 1 seat left
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Italian Delights

• Activities City sightseeing & Cultural, religious and historic sites City sightseeing , Cultural, religious and historic sites & Art and architecture 'data-more-tripid='37627'>+1 more
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• Brochure Price: US$ 2,440
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• Starts Helsinki, Finland

Baltic Experience

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• Age Range 15-99 yrs
• Brochure Price: US$ 3,180
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• May 22 Only 1 seat left
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• Starts Ankara, Turkey
• Ends Istanbul, Turkey

Turkey ExclusiveTour

• Free cancellation
• Activities City sightseeing & Cultural, religious and historic sites City sightseeing , Cultural, religious and historic sites , Natural landmarks sightseeing & Museum and gallery visits 'data-more-tripid='23756'>+2 more
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• Age Range 6-85 yrs
• Operated in English, Turkish
• Brochure Price: US$ 2,200
• Special Deal (15%): - US$ 330
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• Ends Amsterdam, Holland

European Experience

• Activities Adventure
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• Brochure Price: US$ 3,025
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Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia

• Activities Cultural, religious and historic sites & Art and architecture Cultural, religious and historic sites , Art and architecture & City sightseeing 'data-more-tripid='37657'>+1 more
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Highlights of Scandinavia

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Gems of West Greenland: Fjords, Icebergs, and Culture

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• Activities Chill out & Art and architecture Chill out , Art and architecture & Cultural, religious and historic sites 'data-more-tripid='37661'>+1 more
• Transport Coach, Ferry, Boat, Flight & Private Vehicle
• Brochure Price: US$ 2,940
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How to Plan an Epic 2 Week Europe Trip (+ Europe Itinerary Ideas!)

Ready to plan a 2 week Europe trip but not quite sure where to start?

We want to help!

Whether it’s your first trip to Europe or your tenth, there’s something simultaneously overwhelming and exhilarating about planning a trip through multiple countries that–for us and most of the readers of this blog post–lie across an ocean from home.

I’ll never forget planning our first 2 week Europe itinerary: I pored over flight schedules, bucket lists, budgets, and maps for months, desperate to pull together the ultimate Europe trip.

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There were many, many lists involved in planning that first trip, and after months of planning, I emerged with an eclectic but incredible itinerary that kicked our love of travel into high gear.

In the summer of 2015, Jeremy and I spent a little over 2 weeks in Europe exploring Krakow , Budapest , Plitvice Lakes National Park , Zadar , Dublin , and the Cliffs of Moher (I told you it was eclectic!).

We’ve now cumulatively spent years of our lives traveling in Europe, falling in love with world-famous cities and less iconic locations alike, and there’s absolutely nothing we like better than helping people plan their own unforgettable adventures.

Over the years, we’ve explored the continent in almost every way possible, from backpacking Europe on a budget for 2 weeks to checking into luxury hotels to playing tour guide for family and friends to finally spending more than a year living in Lisbon, Portugal !

We’ve put together this 2 week Europe itinerary guide to help you plan your trip–here’s what you need to know before you go.

(Also, yes–this is an incredibly long blog post! We recommend using the table of contents right below this paragraph to help you navigate to different sections depending on what you’re hoping to read first.)

Table of Contents

How to Use This 2 Week Europe Trip Guide

Exciting 2 week europe itinerary ideas, how to get around during 2 weeks in europe, important tips for planning a 2 week europe trip, faq for spending 2 weeks in europe, what to pack for 2 weeks in europe, read more about visiting europe.

This 2 week Europe trip guide is designed for someone hoping to see the highlights of a few different European destinations, spread across multiple countries, in only a couple of weeks.

We’ve primarily written it for someone planning their first trip to Europe, but if this is your second trip, third trip, or beyond, hopefully, we have some interesting ideas and tips for you, too!

And, of course, given that Europe is home to more than 50 countries and is roughly the same size as the USA, no 2 weeks in Europe could hope to cover the entire continent or all of its numerous and distinct cultures, languages, and histories.

For ease of communication, we’ll talk in general terms about traveling in Europe here, but once you pick your itinerary, of course, you’ll want to follow up with further research on the specific locations you’ll be visiting.

And, once you’re further along in your planning process, we’d love to help you with some of that planning here on Our Escape Clause, too!

We’ll link to relevant blog posts throughout this travel guide, but given the hundreds of posts we have on the site, we won’t be able to link them all.

You can use our destinations page or the search bar on the top right of the page (on desktop) or at the top of the pop-out menu (on mobile) to find our content about various specific destinations across Europe or general travel tips.

For example, a few of our most popular guides that might come in handy next include our guide to traveling Europe by train , our 75 best Europe travel tips , and our (biased) guide to the best cities in Europe .

The number of possible 2 week Europe itinerary ideas is truly infinite–just look at the odd itinerary that I cobbled together for us in 2015 as an example !

However, the sample itineraries for Europe outlined below should give you a good idea of what you can accomplish with around 14 days in Europe .

I truly struggled to narrow down these ideas–I could name 10 more excellent 2 week Europe trips in an instant, and still feel like I was leaving so much on the table.

I aimed to keep these mostly focused on destinations that are popular for first-time visitors to Europe, with just a couple of slight curve balls thrown in.

The Classic: London, Paris, Rome

As three of the world’s most beloved and celebrated cities, you can’t go wrong with splitting your 2 weeks in Europe between London, Paris, and Rome.

As the capital of an English-speaking country and home to an enormous airport hub, London makes logistical sense for a first trip to Europe hailing from North America–and, of course, it’s a truly fascinating city.

Visit Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park, stroll through Notting Hill, snap photos of Big Ben, check out the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London , visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, stop by Piccadilly Circus, ride the London Eye , and tour the British Museum.

… And that’s just to get you started !

The City of Lights is one of our favorite cities in the world and was also the first place we visited on our very first trip to Europe (we spent a week there and then planned our 2 week Europe trip outlined in the introduction of this blog post the following year).

Since then, we haven’t been able to stop going back, and believe that it’s an excellent addition to any 2 week Europe itinerary!

While you’re in Paris , visit the Eiffel Tower, marvel at the beauty of Sainte-Chapelle, tour the Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay, stroll the picturesque streets of Montmartre and the Latin Quarter, visit the Palais Garnier, discover hidden passages and tiny cafes, and soak up every minute of that Parisian charm.

Our full guide to planning your first trip to Paris can help you get started!

Ah, Rome –if Paris is the first European city we fell in love with, Rome is probably our deepest love on the continent.

From wonders of Ancient Rome like the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Pantheon to more recent additions like the Vatican Museums , Trevi Fountain, and winding cobblestone streets of Trastevere , exploring Rome is a captivating, engaging experience that we can’t recommend highly enough.

And, of course, you couldn’t ask for a better cuisine to savor during your 2 weeks in Europe: Rome is home to some of the best pasta in all of Italy!

Southern Europe Charm: Madrid, Rome, Amalfi Coast

Want your 2 weeks in Europe to focus on a delightful combination of history, food, and sunshine?

Head directly to Spain and Italy!

While Barcelona gets all the love (and a lot of the crowds), we’re personally smitten with the Spanish capital of Madrid… and excellent flight deals from North America make it almost irresistible on a 2 week Europe itinerary.

With a few days in Madrid , you can admire world-class art in the Prado, soak in Spanish culture with a stroll through Retiro Park, eat all the tapas and churros con chocolate you can get your hands on, tour the Royal Palace , check out an Egyptian temple, and take day trips to fairytale towns like Toledo and Segovia.

I described Rome in the first Europe itinerary on this list, so I won’t repeat myself here, but as I sit typing this Europe travel blog post out in a Rome apartment while dreaming of the carbonara I’ll eat for dinner tonight, all I can say is: you won’t regret coming to Rome (and scroll up for more details).

And, while I detailed some of Rome’s highlights above, let me also say… don’t forget to get off the beaten path in the Eternal City , either!

Amalfi Coast

The famed Amalfi Coast , with its dramatic cliffs, chic villages like Positano, delicious lemons, and jaw-droppingly beautiful hikes like the Path of the Gods, is a fabulous conclusion to any 2 week Europe trip–where better to relax than one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world?

While you’re there, be sure to make room for plenty of day trips!

Iconic locations like Capri and Pompeii , as well as less-popular but equally amazing spots like Ischia, Herculaneum , and Procida, are all at your fingertips when staying on the Amalfi Coast.

(Also, if you like page-turning novels about friendship and Italy, I highly recommend reading Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend series before coming or while visiting Europe).

Regal Central Europe: Prague, Vienna, Budapest

Sweeping boulevards, dramatic architecture, beautiful coffeehouses, and tasty comfort food: a trip to Central Europe is an absolute delight.

In my opinion, this region truly shines during the winter months when Christmas markets are in full swing and the hearty cuisine keeps you warm from the inside out.

I’ll try to keep this section quite brief, as I’ve already written a detailed Central Europe itinerary here , but suffice it to say, we love it.

Known as the City of a Hundred Spires (and also for the fact that beer is cheaper than water here–true story, at least when it comes to pricey bottled water at restaurants), Prague is easily in the running for the most beautiful city in Europe.

The beauty of Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral, the famed Charles Bridge, and Prague’s well-known astronomical clock will all draw you in.

If you have enough time, consider adding a day trip to a smaller Czech town like gorgeous Český Krumlov as well!

Regal and beautiful, full of spacious, wide avenues and ornate buildings, Austria’s capital city is the perfect place to come to tour grand palaces ( Schonbrunn is one of the most popular), see a show in one of the world’s premier opera houses, and to enjoy European cafe culture at its finest.

We absolutely adore Vienna’s coffee houses–be sure to try a slice (or several) of Esterhazy Cake while there, as well as Viennese hot chocolate.

The city’s famed Spanish riding school and striking St. Stephen’s Cathedral are also worth adding to your list!

As our favorite city in central Europe and one of our top 10 cities in Europe overall, I really can’t say enough about how beautiful Budapest is! 

The city is somehow, simultaneously, both grand and down-to-earth , absolutely gorgeous while also remaining accessible, affordable, and fairly simple to visit and explore.

While in Budapest, go for a soak in the famous thermal baths, tour one of the most beautiful houses of Parliament in Europe, check out a castle, visit grand basilicas, take a boat ride down the Danube, and, if you’re up for a bit of adventure, even go on a cave tour!

Be sure not to miss the great food , either–Budapest’s hearty cuisine is a delight, and one of our all-time favorite wine tastings took place there!

Europe for Art Lovers: Paris, Florence, Venice

If you’re an art buff at heart, you can’t ask for a better sampling of some of the continent’s most beloved artistic cities than the trifecta of Paris, Florence, and Venice (and it certainly helps that each city is practically an art museum in and of itself).

From the Louvre to the Musee d’Orsay to the Orangerie to the Musee Rodin to the Centre Pompidou to the Cluny Museum, it would probably take a lifetime to enjoy all the art museums in Paris alone.

And of course, the city has so much more to offer once you need a break!

Nicknamed the Cradle of the Renaissance, Florence boasts the finest collection of Renaissance art on the planet–and claims many of its most famous artists as locals. 

Michelangelo, DaVinci, Botticelli, and more all originally hailed from Florence, and their works are scattered about the city.

Perhaps most famously, Michelangelo’s David is in the Galleria dell’Accademia and Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus is in the Uffizi Gallery .

And of course, no art-focused trip to the Cradle of the Renaissance can overlook Florence’s iconic Duomo , a masterpiece of the era!

Located an easy train ride away from Florence, Venice may be slightly less well-known for its art than the first two cities on this 2 week Europe itinerary, but there’s no doubt that there’s plenty to find!

From the utter masterpiece of St. Mark’s Basilica (don’t miss a chance to go in!) to the incredible Doge’s Palace to the famous Galleria dell’Accademia (not to be confused with the one in Florence!) that focuses mostly on Venetian artists, Venice is an art lover’s dream.

Mix it up by adding a visit to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, which holds modern art, and a gondola ride .

A fter all, Venice itself is no doubt one of the best artistic masterpieces in the city, and it deserves to be seen from all its best angles.

The Incredible Iberian Peninsula: Lisbon, The Algarve, Andalucia

The Iberian Peninsula is dominated by Spain and Portugal , and while I might be biased after spending more than a year living in Lisbon, it makes for an unforgettable Eurotrip!

(The fact that there are often flight deals from the US to Lisbon and Madrid doesn’t hurt, either).

There are infinite ways to craft southern Europe itineraries out of these two countries, but here’s one great option…

Start your trip with a few days in Lisbon , Portugal’s trendy capital city, soaking up beautiful views from its many miradouros , sampling Portuguese food (starting with pastéis de nata ), touring the incredible Jerónimos Monastery, and taking day trips from Lisbon to nearby gems like the palaces of Sintra and/or the beach resort town of Cascais .

Be prepared to head up and down a lot of hills while you’re there–but Lisbon is worth the climb.

If you’re looking for neighborhoods to wander through, Alfama, Castelo, Chiado, and Bairro Alto are particularly picturesque–keep an eye out for trams, azulejos, and peacocks as you explore!

And, while Lisbon’s top attractions are definitely worth a visit, seeking out some of the many hidden gems in Lisbon will add extra beauty to your trip.

The Algarve

After saying goodbye to Lisbon, head south of Portugal’s Algarve for a dizzying array of whitewashed villages (you’ll find many of the best beach towns in Portugal here) and a picturesque coastline.

Lagos is one of the most popular places to stay, and we can highly recommend it–don’t miss the famous Ponta da Piedade, which photos can’t do justice to.

Nearby attractions (ideally, you’ll want to rent a car in the Algarve) include the famous Benagil Cave and the unmissable Seven Hanging Valleys Trail!

For the second week of your trip in Europe, cross the border into southern Spain (note: there’s no direct train access for this journey, but there are buses).

Split your time between any two of Andalucia’s incredible cities, taking nearby day trips from there.

Seville (with its Alcazar and famous Plaza de Espana), Granada (home of the Alhambra ), and Cordoba (home of the Mosque-Cathedral , one of the most unique houses of worship in the world) are all wonderful inland options.

On the coast, options include Cadiz, Malaga, Marbella, Tarifa, and many more.

With a bit more than 2 weeks in Europe or an ambitious schedule, you may be able to squeeze in a day trip to Gibraltar and/or Tangier, Morocco while here!

Food + History: Athens, Santorini, Istanbul

Feel like heading further east–as far east as you can get during a Europe vacation?

Greece and Turkey pair very well for a 14 day European itinerary–here’s what that might look like.

Start your trip in Athens, marveling at some of the world’s most remarkable ruins, including the famous Acropolis complex and museum.

Be sure to make time to explore non-ancient aspects of Athens as well, including the trendy Plaka neighborhood, Monastiraki Square (and nearby flea market!), and Syntagma Square.

And of course, one of the absolute best things to do after you touch down in Athens is to dive into plate after plate of phenomenal Greek food –that alone is worth traveling to Greece for ( our Athens food tour remains one of my favorites that we’ve taken in Europe).

Truly, any one of Greece’s amazing islands would fit nicely into this 2 week Europe itinerary, but where better to choose than Santorini , with its iconic blue-and-white color scheme, fantastic caldera views, and excellent flight connections?

While Santorini isn’t best known for its beaches–you’re better off heading to Crete for those–you sure can’t beat the charming villages or stunning nature.

The city of two continents, where thousands of years of history blend seamlessly with modern life, and where you can eat one of the best breakfasts you’ll ever experience in your life: Istanbul tops bucket lists around the world, and there is simply nowhere on the planet quite like it.

Marvel at the Blue Mosque, step inside the Hagia Sophia, eat your weight in Turkish breakfast (seriously, I can’t emphasize enough how tasty it is), admire the views of the Bosphorus, climb the Galata Tower, and shop your way through the Grand Bazaar.

Since this Europe travel blog post focuses on, well, Europe, I won’t sketch out any other possibilities further east in Turkey in detail…

But, if you have time, you could easily add a visit to Cappadocia , complete with a sunrise hot air balloon ride, to your trip, or even a visit to the ruins of Ephesus.

Architecture + Culture: Cologne, Amsterdam, Belgium

With this small triangle of destinations, you can easily visit separate countries via train, with very little travel time between them!

And, if you were particularly motivated to add another, you could even squeeze in a day trip to Luxembourg.

If you’re looking for a winter itinerary for Europe that focuses on cities, this is a fantastic option.

Home to a stunning cathedral and what may just be the best Christmas markets on the planet, Cologne is a gorgeous German city that is a delight to explore on foot.

Don’t miss its soaring Gothic Cathedral while you’re there!

… Though honestly, that would be hard to do, considering you can see it right as you step outside the train station.

As one of the most popular cities to visit in Europe, Amsterdam requires no introduction.

The city of canals, biking, and revelry is somehow even more beautiful in person than in the billions of photos of it.

While you’re there, be sure to take a canal cruise, stroll the 9 Streets, and visit at least a couple of the city’s museums (the Anne Frank House is incredibly moving).

If you visit Amsterdam in winter , you’ll no doubt need to bundle up–but the lack of crowds in this often-packed city is also a treat to experience.

Perhaps it may be slightly unfair to list Belgium entirely while the other destinations are split into cities… but considering Belgium’s two most popular cities, Bruges and Ghent , are located less than an hour apart by train, you can cover quite a bit of the country in a few days !

With stunning architecture, canals, and carbs (bring on the waffles and frites), it’s easy to have a blast in Belgium.

Winter in Belgium brings a lack of crowds and plenty of festivities during the Christmas season!

Alpine Escape: Bavaria, Switzerland’s Jungfrau Region, Milan, and Lake Como

If your dream Europe trip involves plenty of Alpine views with a side of cities, this is the itinerary for Europe in 2 weeks for you.

Start your trip in Bavaria, the land of castles, beer, and outdoor delights.

City lovers will enjoy being based in Munich (don’t miss the opulent Munich Residenz or view from St. Peter’s Church and/or the Town Hall Tower while there).

From Munich, you can easily day trip to more mountainous areas, starting with Fussen, home to Germany’s famous Neuschwanstein Castle .

If you get good weather and want to see as many mountains as possible, a day trip to the Zugspite–the highest point in Germany–is also an option.

Really, though, if there’s one thing to prioritize in Munich, it’s to eat and drink all the sausage, pretzels, beer, and beyond you can get your hands on!

Switzerland’s Jungfrau Region

I am convinced that Switzerland’s Jungfrau region–located around (literally, above) Interlaken–is paradise on earth in the summer.

If you’re dreaming of the Alps, check into a hotel in Wengen, Murren, or Grindelwald (for the best views) or Interlaken (for a bit more selection) or Lauterbrunnen (to be in the literal center of the action) and have the trip of your dreams.

Switzerland’s legendarily efficient trains and gondolas mean that wherever you stay, the region is at your fingertips.

Hiking from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidigg, riding the highest train in Europe to Jungfraujoch (aka the “Top of Europe”), eating daily fondue, walking from Murren to Gimmelwald , and riding a historic cogwheel train to Schynige Platte are just a few of the unforgettable experiences you’ll find here.

Milan + Lake Como

End your trip to Milan and Lake Como , two of the most popular destinations in northern Italy!

In Milan , be sure to visit its legendary Duomo, stroll through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, visit Sforzesco Castle, and, if you can get tickets (plan ahead!) see Da Vinci’s The Last Supper .

At Lake Como (just an hour north of Milan by train), take a boat tour around the lake and visit delightfully charming towns like Varenna and Bellagio while admiring magnificent Alpine views.

Getting around in each city on your 2 week Europe itinerary is a question better suited to blog posts on that particular city, so this section is designed to address getting in between each destination during your 14 days in Europe.

We recommend checking several solutions for each destination, as you never know what will crop up!

Personally, our first 2 week Europe trip involved an overnight train, a budget plane ride, and a couple of rental cars.

Train travel is our absolute favorite way to travel in Europe!

I t’s much less stressful than traveling by plane, especially once you get the hang of it, far more comfortable, and for those of us hailing from North America, it’s a travel experience in its own right!

We recommend using services like Omio to compare train prices across multiple countries.

It works more or less exactly like a car rental aggregate does, searching multiple companies and generating the best routes and prices for your dates.

Keep in mind that train travel is most useful in western and central Europe–once you head into eastern Europe and especially the Balkans, train travel becomes more limited and bus travel more common (for example, popular Dubrovnik, Croatia doesn’t have a train station).

Shop train routes and tickets prices in Europe today!

For those traveling on a budget or between two smaller destinations where rail travel isn’t an option, buses can be a very affordable choice.

In addition to standard local buses, companies like Flixbus provide an easy-to-use service, and you can check their prices and availability directly or through Omio as well (that way you can compare train tickets at the same time).

Browse bus routes in Europe today!

With plenty of budget airlines and plenty of airports to choose from, if you plan wisely, it’s possible to take flights in Europe that are so inexpensive you wonder how the company pays for the fuel.

S eriously: 10 Euro flights are possible, though we’ve never actually managed to pay that since we prefer to check our bags !

When looking for flights within Europe, we recommend using Google Flights in order to search the whole continent at once (you can simply put “Europe” in as the destination, and it’ll pull up a map of prices). 

With a little flexibility on destination (for example, maybe flying into nearby Bologna is cheaper than flying into Florence ?) and even on dates if possible, you just might end up with an excellent flight deal or two during your trip to Europe.

Personally, we recommend avoiding a car rental when possible during your 2 weeks in Europe, especially if you’re following anything resembling a Europe itinerary like the ones I outlined above.

In large cities, rental cars are a hindrance and a liability, not an asset, and they add quite a bit to your bottom line.

That being said, if you’re planning on visiting any rural areas or small towns, road trips in Europe can be a delight!

Y ou could consider renting a car for a couple of days in Tuscany , for example, or to visit the villages of Provence.

If you do choose to rent a car, we recommend searching for the best prices through Discover Cars , which will allow you to search multiple companies at once and come up with a great option. 

While major international carriers like Hertz and Enterprise are available in Europe, they’re not always the best deal, and searching for a combination of local and international companies is best.

Personally, we have no loyalty to any one rental car company, and book with whoever is most affordable (and we always buy the extra insurance).

As a result, we’ve rented cars through easily more than 15 or 20 agencies over the years (I’d be hard-pressed even to estimate it), and we’ve never had any issues with surprise charges.

Price out rental cars with Discover Cars now!

Don’t forget boats when it comes to planning a 2 week Europe itinerary, especially over the summer!

While ferries between or to/from islands are obviously the most popular ( Dubrovnik to Hvar , for example, or Barcelona to Mallorca), there are longer ferry options as well!

Last summer, we took a ferry from Barcelona to Rome and loved the experience of drifting along the Mediterranean Sea for 24 hours!

Many ferry routes are seasonal, but not all.

Don’t plan to visit too many destinations.

With only around 14 days in Europe, I know it can be incredibly tempting to squeeze in as many destinations as possible (and I have many fevered outlines of ridiculously ambitious trips I planned in my college days to prove it), but your trip will go so much more smoothly if you can resist that temptation.

In most cases, we recommend an absolute minimum of two full days per major city.

By full days, I mean with limited exceptions (like a red-eye flight that lands at 8:00 AM), the day you arrive and the day you depart don’t count as a “day” in a given city–just as a travel day.

Three or four days per city is even better and will allow you to potentially squeeze in a day trip from that city to a smaller city or village if you want to mix things up.

Start and end in a major airport hub.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be the same hub–more on that below–but there are definitely airports that are cheaper to fly into and out of for intercontinental flights than others.

Budapest may be affordable once you’re there, for example, but flying from the US directly to Budapest can hurt the wallet!

For those of you coming from the USA, London, Dublin , Madrid , Paris , Lisbon , Frankfurt, Amsterdam , and Milan are a few places to check ticket prices for.

That’s not an exhaustive list by any means, but there are often flight deals to and from these cities.

If you can, use an open-jaw ticket rather than a return ticket.

This will allow you to begin and end your 2 weeks in Europe in entirely different destinations, and let you avoid doubling back!

While one-way tickets can be pricier than round-trip ones, if you’re flexible on your dates and destinations (so deciding which cities to start and end in partially based on price), you can usually find excellent deals

This is exactly how we ended up flying into Krakow and out of Dublin for our first 2 week Europe trip!

You will be exhausted at some point. Plan for it.

Two weeks in Europe may not seem like a ton, but if you’re anything like us or virtually all of the travelers we have talked to, exhaustion will set in during your trip.

Sightseeing in Europe is fabulous, but it’s also tiring.

Add in navigating cultural differences, language barriers, and moving countries every few days, and you’re bound to need a break at some point.

We recommend planning a couple of laid-back days without museum visits, tours, or day trips so that you can catch your breath and avoid burnout.

Try to be flexible with where you go.

As you start pricing train, plane, and bus tickets for your trip to Europe, you’ll likely notice dramatic shifts–for example, is it 4x the money to get to London instead of Amsterdam?

Does traveling to Prague require a long flight and 2 layovers but Rome is a quick hop away?

If you can, be flexible when you come upon these challenges: we recommend having 1-2 “must visit” destinations and filling in the rest of your trip based on a combination of logistics and desire.

After all, there’s no way you can see it all on a 2 week Europe trip anyway!

Don’t underestimate the time and energy it takes to change destinations.

“Oh, it’s only a 3-hour train ride away! That’s nothing!”

I think we’ve all said that at some point when planning a multi-country trip, but be cautious.

Three hours on the train doesn’t account for packing and unpacking, getting to and from the train station, checking out of and into a hotel… you get the picture.

If you’re looking at a high-level schedule without picking a specific date or time, you may also come to find that sure, there’s one direct 3-hour train between two cities… but it leaves at 10:00 PM or 6:00 AM, and the rest of the trains require layovers.

Or perhaps the direct train only runs 3 days a week.

Or maybe you’re looking at a plane, in which case, be sure to add at least 4 hours to your transit time: getting to and from the airport and security/check-in beforehand.

Long story short, travel days between countries are virtually always more tiring and time-consuming than they look at first glance, so don’t overcommit on those days when planning your ultimate Europe trip!

Big cities are more accessible than small towns and nature areas.

For the first trip to Europe especially, big cities are absolutely the easiest to plan your itinerary for Europe around.

They’re generally easier and cheaper to get into and out of, and there’s far more information available about them online to help plan your trips.

That’s no reason not to visit other places too, of course–but keep in mind that the more rural the area, the more logistically challenging your trip will be.

Skip-the-line tickets are incredibly useful.

I’m sure it comes as absolutely no surprise that the world’s most iconic monuments and museums tend to get a bit crowded… and that makes skip-the-line tickets invaluable, especially with only 2 weeks in Europe to squeeze in as much sightseeing as possible.

In some places (like the Arc de Triomphe ) they’re available without any additional fee, and in other places (like the Colosseum) they cost a bit extra.

Either way, though, it’s 1000% worth the price and effort to get tickets online beforehand for popular spots, especially if you’re traveling during the high season.

And, in 2024, it’s worth pointing out that given ever-changing capacity limits, it’s a better idea than ever to book in advance–and for some attractions, it’s even required!

When 2020 shook the travel industry to its core, many of the most popular museums and monuments in Europe found that life was easier with reservations and online bookings, and have continued prioritizing that system over traditional lines and ticket booths even as crowds returned to “normal”.

We use skip-the-line tickets all over the continent and book them through Get Your Guide .

Book your hotels and major transportation in advance.

Before kicking off your 2 week Europe itinerary, we recommend having all of your hotels and major transportation (so travel between destinations) booked and ready to go.

This dramatically cuts down on stress levels, makes it easier to budget and plan out your days, and generally helps your trip run more smoothly.

These days, we book virtually all of our lodging (including apartments, farm stays, houses, and more) through Booking.com .

Smaller things, like metro passes or tickets for getting around cities, can be handled once you arrive.

If you can, we recommend taking at least one food tour during your 2 weeks in Europe.

Food tours are one of our favorite ways to get our bearings in a new city while learning about the culture, history, and neighborhood through something we can all appreciate: a tasty meal.

We’ve taken food tours in several countries around the world, including many in Europe, and have never walked away unsatisfied!

You do need to pay to use the restroom… sometimes.

Throughout Europe, public restrooms are generally available for a fee (typically either half a Euro or a Euro).

If you’d like to avoid those costs, be sure to take advantage of available restrooms in restaurants and museums as you sightsee !

Also, toilet paper is far from guaranteed in public toilets on the street.

We recommend carrying a small pack of tissues with you just in case.

Will I need an adapter?

Most likely, yes!

Luckily, adapters are cheap to buy and easy to carry–we recommend picking these up before you go.

Keep in mind that the UK and a few other countries ( Ireland , Malta ) use a separate plug from the bulk of the continent.

If you’re heading to a place that uses UK plugs, you’ll want these adapters as well.

Is a money belt a good idea?

It depends, honestly.

We used a money belt for our first trip to Europe and for a couple after that.

Back then, we weren’t used to life in bustling big cities, and though we knew that thieves knew about them (because they definitely do), Jeremy found them comfortable enough to wear and it was an easy way to keep our belongings a bit more secure.

If you’re not used to traveling in a big city or watching for pickpockets, I don’t think it’s a terrible idea to use one– this is the one we used and we had no complaints–but I also don’t think it’s necessary, especially if you’re comfortable in large cities.

Is the water safe to drink?

Usually, yes.

We drink out of the tap just about anywhere in Europe.

In rare cases where the water is not safe to drink (usually in remote areas of southern and eastern Europe, or in very old buildings with iffy pipes), there will generally be large and obvious signs stating so.

If you’re worried about it, though, you can always ask your hotel concierge or host about it!

Is it worth going to Europe for 2 weeks?

This is a pretty common question, and honestly, I get it: with long and expensive flights, it’s easy to wonder if flying to Europe for “only” 2 weeks is worth it.

But yes, it absolutely is!

Two weeks in Europe is long enough that you’ll have plenty of time to get past jetlag, visit several destinations, and have a wonderful trip packed with memories.

Now whether or not it’s worth flying to Europe for just one week is a bit more controversial… but we love to travel Europe so much that we still say yes (for some people).

How extreme is the language barrier?

It varies significantly, of course, but generally, it’s not nearly as difficult as first-time visitors to Europe worry before they arrive (ourselves included).

We recommend learning basic phrases in the language of the countries you are visiting during your 2 week Europe itinerary, but this is usually more for good manners than out of necessity.

While you can absolutely find monolingual Europeans in virtually any country, especially in smaller cities and towns, the people employed in customer service roles and in the tourism industry in major cities–in other words, where most or all of your 2 weeks in Europe will likely take place–generally speak some English.

How many European countries should you visit in 2 weeks?

For most travelers, we recommend roughly 3 “base” destinations for a 2 week Europe trip, plus a couple of day trips from there to mix things up.

These can all be in one country (for example, here’s how we recommend spending 2 weeks in Italy ), or they can be in 3 separate countries!

There are plenty of exceptions to this standard layout, of course, but it’s a doable but exciting number of destinations to work with for most 14 day Europe itineraries.

When should I tip?

While this is very country and industry-dependent, generally speaking, tipping is not nearly as prominent in Europe as it is in the USA, and you’ll virtually never need to tip over 10%.

In some countries, you may also tip 5-10% at restaurants, while in others, you might round up the bill or leave nothing at all.

Frequently, a “service charge” will be automatically supplied to the bill which serves the purpose of a tip.

For tour guides, a 10% tip is common.

What’s the best month to visit Europe?

All of them, except August.

I kid–somewhat–but honestly, every single month in Europe has its perks!

For a concise answer, the late spring (April-May) and early fall (September-October) are considered ideal by most travelers.

August is specifically difficult because it’s not only very hot in many of Europe’s most popular destinations, but most Europeans take vacations then, so many places (especially in the mountains and on the coast) are at their priciest.

If we absolutely had to visit Europe only during one month for the rest of our lives, we’d pick September, though October is a very close second.

What’s the cheapest month to visit Europe?

It depends–trying to spot the northern lights in Tromso would be one exception to this, for example–but for standard first time Europe itineraries like the ones I outlined in this blog post, January and February are often the cheapest months to visit.

When the Christmas markets are over and the gray weather settles in, you can score great deals on vacations in Europe (and have plenty of room to stretch out at iconic monuments).

How far in advance should I book my trip?

For plane tickets, as soon as you can commit to dates!

Not only will this allow you to have more time to plan and budget with a bit of structure, but it will also spread out your costs a bit more.

During peak seasons, like coastal locations in the summer or popular destinations during the Christmas season in Europe , you’ll want to book your hotels as far in advance as you can commit to them as well.

Can you do Europe for $100/day?

This depends a lot on the traveler, group size, etc, but my initial, instinctive answer is:

If you don’t include plane tickets to and from Europe, yes, absolutely, without a doubt–we’ve done it many, many, many times (as a couple).

The key is to shop for deals, visit during the off-season, not shy away from less common destinations (especially in Eastern Europe and the Balkans), and travel slowly.

The fewer destinations you visit, the cheaper a trip generally is!

If you want to stick to Western Europe, southern Spain , southern Portugal, and southern Italy can all be bargains (as compared to places like Paris and London) as well.

Here’s how we manage our travel budget.

We’ve put together detailed packing lists for various seasons in Europe, so be sure to check out our complete suggestions for spring , summer , fall , and winter before you head off on your 2 weeks in Europe.

We go into far more detail on what to wear in Europe there !

To get you started, though, here are a few essentials that should definitely be at the top of your list .

Travel Insurance — We don’t ever suggest traveling without travel insurance–anything can happen, and it’s better to be safe than sorry during your 2 weeks in Europe.

Check travel insurance policy inclusions and prices for your trip here.

Pacsafe — We can’t recommend our Pacsafe enough!

This travel safe is affordable, sturdy, easy to pack, and will help keep your valuables safe in your hotel room (not that you should need to worry much about theft from your hotel room during your trip to Europe, but it’s better to be safe than sorry!).

Comfortable Day Bag  — We currently use  Pacsafe’s sleek anti-theft backpack  and love it, but if you don’t want to shell out the cash for this trip, that’s totally understandable.

Just aim for something comfortable to wear, not flashy, and medium-sized–we used a  Northface Jester backpack  for years and loved it as well.

Travel Adapters for Europe — If you’re coming from outside of Europe, you’ll definitely need adapters for your electronics.

Be sure to check the requirements for any particular countries you visit–the United Kingdom, for example, is well-known for using different plugs than most of the continent.

Portable USB Charger — Don’t stress about your phone dying while you’re sightseeing!

Add a portable charger to your 2 weeks in Europe packing list.

Hand Sanitizer — We carry this everywhere, and never been sorry to have it floating around in our day bag.

Travel Journal — If you want to keep a travel journal during your 2 week Europe trip but can’t commit to a huge amount of writing each night, I can’t recommend the One Line a Day Journal enough.

I’ve been using it for more than 5 years now (I’m on my second volume!) and I absolutely love it.

In the process of booking your Europe trip and eager to keep planning?

We’d love to help!

You can browse all of our general Europe blog posts here , find articles about specific places through our destinations page , or check out these guides:

• Your 13-Step Guide to Traveling to Europe for the First Time
• The Perfect 2 Week Spain and Portugal Itinerary (+ Essential Tips!)
• How to Travel Europe By Train: The Ultimate Guide (+ Tips!)
• 11 Quick Tips for Finding + Using Toilets in Europe
• Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Beyond: Epic Central Europe Itinerary

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About Kate Storm

In May 2016, I left my suburban life in the USA and became a full-time traveler. Since then, I have visited 50+ countries on 5 continents and lived in Portugal, developing a special love of traveling in Europe (especially Italy) along the way. Today, along with my husband Jeremy and dog Ranger, I’m working toward my eventual goal of splitting my life between Europe and the USA.

58 thoughts on “How to Plan an Epic 2 Week Europe Trip (+ Europe Itinerary Ideas!)”

Great post! I’m actually working on my own 2 week itineraries through Europe post, but I might wait to publish until next year, when I’ve visited a few more spots. I totally agree that the key is to slow down and not switch cities every day or two. Three nights is perfect and sometimes more for the big cities. And yes, multi-city flights are so helpful so you don’t have to backtrack!

Thanks, Riana! We definitely love to slow down whenever we can. 🙂

Hi Kate! This is the BEST post related to Europe Itinerary out of the 1000 other posts that I have checked.

I am from India and I am planning for a trip in February end.

I definitely want to visit FINLAND (so that’s definitely in my list). From there, I am planning for Bupadest,Croatia OR Budapest, Prague OR Budapest/ Vienna.

Do you think this will be good for 2 weeks?

Waiting for your reply. And thanks a ton for such a beautiful detailed post.

Thank you so much, Akshay, that’s wonderful to hear!

That sounds like a wonderful itinerary. Croatia is a bit further out of the way than the other places, but it’s peaceful and beautiful during the winter and fairly simple to get to via a budget flight.

Hope you have an incredible trip to Europe!

Oh my goodness Kate, thank you so much for this post! This is exactly what I needed for my boyfriend and I to plan our trip to Europe in 2020. We want to visit Italy, Spain, France, and England but Greece and Croatia look amazing too! It’s so hard to decide.

Thank you, Jessica! So glad you found our blog helpful.

It is SO hard to decide, and honestly, it never gets any easier in my experience! All of those places are absolutely amazing, so no matter what you decide I’m sure you guys will have an incredible trip.

Italy, France, and Spain are really easy to pair together if you want to keep logistics simple, but really any combination of those would work.

What about panning around the seasons? Isn’t the Amalfi coast and Italy in general super hot during August?

It’s always nice to plan around the seasons when you can, but it depends on your availability!

Italy can be hot in August but it depends very much on where you go. It averages around 85 F / 30 C on the Amalfi Coast in August, which I have to admit isn’t enough to bother us, but it depends on where you’re coming from. It is high season there, though–very, very generally speaking, August is an expensive and crowded time to visit beaches in Europe because it’s when many Europeans tend to take their vacations and head to the coast!

Planning a trip in 2023-24 for my daughter’s graduation present. I was thinking maybe 2-3 weeks. On this trip, how much did you spend in total? I might end up being more because I usually pay for more luxurious than most, but will help with a little expectation of costs plus COLA increases obviously over the years. I figured I should start planning and saving now. lol

Hi Steven! We put this together based on years of traveling in Europe, so unfortunately I don’t have a specific figure to offer. So much varies, and can be impacted by where you go, how fast you travel (ie, how many times you change destinations), of course luxury as you mentioned, etc, etc. Generally speaking, for two people, I would say that $100/person/day is a good lower-midrange figure to calculate (excluding airfare), $200/person/day starts edging toward luxury territory, and of course, the sky is the limit.

That’s INCREDIBLY general, though. You’d be better off narrowing down which countries you plan to visit and calculating based on how long you plan to spend in each of them.

A few things to look at to give you an idea: price of hotels, price of day tours, projected cost of moving between destinations, and average cost of a meal. Those figures should give you a backbone to estimate a budget from.

What brand are the boots you are wearing in the photo “Comfortable Day Bag.” My wife loves them. Gift idea for when we go to Europe 🙂

Those are Ugg Kesey Motorcycle boots, and I love them too! Just got them out again for fall last week. 🙂

Hi kate I am planning to visit europe sometime in 2023(may/june) with my wife and son. Could you please guide me with an itinerary for 15 days Or so?? Swiss, italy, France, spain. After that we will go to a friend in England. If possible, the expenses involved as well. Thanks

Hi Abhijit! I’m not a travel agent, so that’s a bit beyond my scope. 🙂 Generally speaking, though, I’d recommend parring your itinerary down to 2 countries, or 3 at the absolute maximum. 4 countries in 15 days is a lot of travel! Luckily, all of those destinations pair well together, so you can mix and match fairly easily. Also very generally speaking, Italy and Spain will be the most affordable, and Switzerland by far the most expensive–but that depends a lot on where you go and what you do!

Hey Kate, All your pictures are amazing! What kind of cameras do you bring with you? And do you edit your photos? If so what do you use for that, they are all really bright, great pictures.

Hi Stefanie! Thank you so much! We’ve used different cameras over the years, but our main camera these days is a Sony A7 rIII. We love it, and yes, all the photos taken with it are edited in Lightroom. 🙂

Hi Kate, THANK YOU for the great article! I have booked my flights for a 2 week trip next spring, into London and out of Paris. I’ve been to both cities before, but do hope to get a few days in paris again. It’s stolen my heart.

What do you recommend in terms of getting from London to Rome, fairly quickly, and cheaply? I arrive into London mid-day and had hoped to just figure it out at the airport (Gatwick). Do you think that’s possible?

Thank you so much, Sarah! Your trip sounds fantastic.

I’d definitely plan on flying between London and Rome–it’ll be fastest and most likely cheapest, too. Check budget carriers like Ryanair, etc.

If you’re planning on flying out to Rome the same day you arrive in Gatwick, I’d absolutely recommend booking before you arrive. Be sure to double-check and make sure you’re flying out of Gatwick, too, or have time to change airports.

Hope you have an amazing time!

Oh wow I’m doing the same trip with my 3 sons. And unfortunately is the month that she said it’s the worst to go ..in August…oh well🤷🏽‍♀️ can’t do anything about it how but I am worried about the expense tho..

Love your information. I’m planning a trip to Italy and then we want to go to Salzburg as well in the summer of 2023. Our first time to Europe. We will be 60 in 2023 and we think we can plan this without going through a company. After reading your information, I feel comfortable. Two questions about hotels and transportation. What would you recommend for safe places for hotels in those two countries? We don’t need luxury but just comfort and clean. Would you recommend using rail between cities in Italy and it looks like you can travel from Venice to Salzburg by rail? Thoughts?

That’s great to hear, glad we could help!

Venice to Salzburg by rail is very doable in a day and a scenic journey. You’ll probably have to make a change, but that’s workable. Personally, we’d opt for it over flying in a heartbeat.

For hotels, I have several recommendations in our specific Venice and Salzburg posts (you can use the search bar to pull up everything we have on both cities). The centers of both places are quite safe, I wouldn’t worry much about that in a well-reviewed hotel.

Hope you guys have an unforgettable trip!

AWESOME Post!!!!

Please let me know if you have posted anything similar in 2020 or 2021. My wife and I are bringing our three teenagers and we will likely choose the Food & History trip. We both would like to speak with you if possible as we are planning our trip for December.

Hi guys! We don’t run tours ourselves, just provide information for independent travelers, but we’re always happy to answer a few questions about possible itineraries!

Hi Kate, THANK YOU for the amazing Pic ,for now i’m in South Africa Cape Town I’m planning a trip to Italy , France & Austria next year 2022 for 2weeks , Would you recommend using rail or Via Road way .

Thank you in advance & best Regards En vous remerciant d’avance et cordialement

Sounds like a fabulous trip!

Rail vs car depends entirely on where you’re going. If you’re sticking to cities, I’d recommend going by train. If you want to enjoy the countryside, a car could be helpful.

You can also mix-and-match, and rent a car for only part of your trip if you’re going to be in the countryside only part of the time.

Thank you for this awesome post, Kate! My husband and I are wanting to take our first international trip to Central Europe early spring 2022 and have reviewed your Central Europe post. What type of difficulties have you faced with international travel during COVID-19? Any issues with a country on your itinerary going into lock-down or no longer allowing tourists from the US?

We haven’t personally run into any issues with lockdowns interrupting our plans but of course, it’s always possible and things are changing constantly.

Most, if not all, countries in Europe are accepting vaccinated and/or tested US visitors now and haven’t shut their borders to US citizens again since the initial reopening. All of the countries included on our Central Europe itinerary are currently among them.

In addition to entry, some countries are requiring proof of vaccination in order to do certain things like eat in restaurants or check into hotels. Portugal, where we are now, is among them. It’s a very simple process as long as you have the paperwork in order!

Generally, if you plan to visit Europe from the US in 2022, we recommend arriving with proof of vaccination, a negative COVID test (check regularly for specifications as your flight gets closer), flexibility, and the expectation that you’ll wear a mask indoors and potentially in crowded outdoor areas.

I am not a public health expert, of course, and European countries all set their own restrictions, but in the early stages of planning, that’s what I’d keep in mind!

The reaction that we’ve seen from readers who visited in the second half of 2022 has generally been that it’s easier than they expected, but as we’ve all learned way too much in the last 2 years, none of us can predict the future!

Thanks so much, Kate! It definitely seems like flexibility is key as well as continuously monitoring each country’s individual rules for a multi-country trip. I think right now Hungary isn’t accepting tourists but fingers crossed that will change soon so we can replicate your trip. 🙂 Cheers to more adventures for you in 2022!

Hi Kate, my family is in the beginning phase of planning our first international trip and have decided on Europe! I really liked your recommendation of arriving and departing from different airports and I think departing from London would make sense (we’ll probably want to spend the most time there). All we’ve decided is to vacation for somewhere between 2-3 weeks, and we want to see London and Ireland (oh and I want to stay at least one night in a castle hotel!). Would you have any recommendations on destinations or experiences to share? Thanks!

How exciting–nothing like your first trip abroad. 🙂

We actually still haven’t been to London, which is a huge shame! Fingers crossed that 2022 is the year.

Ireland, on the other hand, is one of our absolute favorites! If you search “Ireland” on the top right corner of the blog (or on the pop out menu on mobile), all of our blog posts will come up, but this is a great one to start with: https://www.ourescapeclause.com/10-day-ireland-itinerary-ireland-road-trip/

We spent a night in this castle (slash manor house) and had a fantastic time: https://www.ourescapeclause.com/belleek-castle-county-mayo-ireland/

Ireland is one of our favorite places for road trips on the planet. You’ll love it!

Great post, thanks!

Need your advice here 🙂 We will be landing in London, staying there 3 days, then train to Paris (staying in Paris for 3 days). We fly back home from Lisbon and have 3 options: night train to Nice (spend some time there and then a few days in Lisbon), fly to Napoli (spend some time there and then fly to Lisbon) or fly to Lisbon and discover a bit more of Portugal… What would you recommend?

Oh and we are travelling with two teens who have never been to Europe… I’m trying to pack as much stuff, but wonder what would be too much :/

That’s a lot of hard choices! Each and every one of those destinations is a delight (and we’re living in Lisbon right now).

I’d opt for Nice if you’re looking for coastal views, picturesque villages, and something logistically simple. Nice is a delightful city and the day trips to nearby villages like Eze as well as Monaco are phenomenal. It is the most formal and pricey of the 3 cities and will have a resort feel near the coast in the summer.

Naples is a much less manicured city, it’s a love-it-or-hate-it place (we love it). I’d argue that it has the best food of the 3 options, but those are fighting words and many would disagree. The day trips are equally stunning but very different. If you or your family has an interest in ancient ruins, Pompeii and Herculaneum are unmatched. Visiting the Amalfi Coast or nearby islands is also doable, but it’s a trek if you’re staying in the city center. Keep in mind that there’s no train service to the Amalfi Coast proper, you will need a bus, car, or ferry to get beyond Sorrento.

Lisbon is delightful but honestly, our favorite parts of Portugal lie outside the city. Porto, in the north, has a much more regal feel while Lisbon is fairly spread out. The Duoro Valley (also in the north) is magnificent for port tastings and views, Sintra’s palaces located just outside of Lisbon are must-sees, and if you want to head to the south, the Algarve is incredibly striking.

Logistically speaking, I’d make sure you have at least 2-3 days in Portugal at the end of your trip before flying out, regardless. With 3 full days, you can spend 2 in Lisbon and take one day trip (probably to Sintra but the coastal town of Cascais is also easy and lovely).

If you have time to do that and add another stop for 3 full days, I would check detailed flight and train schedules and let that guide you–the logistics alone may make the choice for you.

That got a bit long, but I hope it helps! 🙂

Thanks a lot for the precious information!

Hi Kate! I know you said you are not a travel agent but are open to a few itinerary questions! We have recently done a European Cruise which hit almost all of Italy! We are wanting to go back independently. I am highly interested in Ireland, but would also like to see Paris. My husband is interested in Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland. With a 14 day trip wanted, what areas do you think we should do (based on best places to see, with allotted time?)

& Austria! 🙂

That is a lot of very different places, but you’ll definitely be able to pull together a great trip! I’d recommend narrowing it down to around 3 destinations, 4 if you’re comfortable moving quite fast and two of them are close together.

Ireland is definitely the odd one out geographically, but if you use two one-way tickets instead of flying in and out of the same airport, it can work (it’s what we did on our first multi-country Europe trip many years ago).

Since you’ll likely have 1-2 flights in this itinerary regardless, which destinations you pick can come down to a combination of your absolute favorites and what makes logistical sense. Paris is a very popular place to fly in and out of, so it’ll likely be easy to work in.

I’m not sure which parts of Germany your husband is interested in, but parts of western Germany have simple train access to The Netherlands and/or France.

As far as what places I’d personally visit, Ireland and Paris are two of my favorite places on the planet, so I’m biased! Switzerland’s mountain landscapes are truly beyond belief, so if you’re looking for nature (and aren’t concerned about the budget), it’s a winner.

Germany is also gorgeous, both its nature and many of its cities, though it’s quite big and varied–with a big trip like this, you’ll want to choose one small corner of it (Bavaria is a popular first stop, but you can also look at places along the Rhine, which makes more sense if you’re hoping to visit Paris or The Netherlands by train before or after).

The only part of The Netherlands we’ve had a chance to visit so far is Amsterdam, which is visually stunning but will be extremely crowded–probably more so than anywhere else you’ve listed, as there’s less room to spread out there than in, say, Paris.

When it comes to your itinerary, I’d recommend that each of you pick one place that is your absolute first choice, plan on a trip to those, and then fill in the 3rd and possible 4th destination based on what makes logistical sense as far as what planes/trains/buses are available to the spots on your shortlist.

Also, if you do need to book high-speed train tickets, book them ASAP, as prices increase as your trip gets closer.

What a wonderful blog, just when I feel like I’ve read them all I find another really helpful article. Heading to Europe for 1 month in May. Keen on Spain, definitely Italy, and probably 2 days in London and Paris respectively (arrival and departure). Feel like we have space for one more place and can’t figure out which is the better option (Portugal, Croatia or Greece) for potentially 5 days? Any recommendations?

Thank you for sharing all your wonderful insights.

That’s tough, because all 3 are fantastic but very different!

I’d probably recommend (if I had to choose), Greece for beaches/swimming and small towns, Portugal for cities, and Croatia for a combination of all. But we adore each and every one of them, so hard to go wrong!

Portugal fits nicely into your Spain section geographically, so there is that to consider.

Hi, Kate! Super love your blog. I just booked a trip to Europe for August, was thinking of going to France, Spain, and Italy in 2 weeks. Or should I cut it down to 2 countries? Hope to hear from you!

Less relevant than the countries are the destinations within them–I wouldn’t go more than 4 places in 2 weeks, max.

So if you’re hitting up Paris, Barcelona, and Rome, for example, your plan is fine. If you want to go to 2-3 places within each country, it’s time to cut it down. 🙂

HI! Thanks for the fantastic blog! My husband and I are planning our first trip to Europe from Canada and are feeling quite overwhelmed by all the choices! His family is from Holland, so we are spending one week touring with them for the first week of May, and then will stay an additional 2 weeks after that. What would you recommend? We are not keen on France but everything else looks so great, and it was good to read that you don’t recommend trying to fit everything else in, which is what we might otherwise be trying to do. Any suggestions for the 2 weeks after Holland?

Hi Michele,

That’s so exciting! You guys are going to have an amazing time.

Without knowing your tastes or the season you’re traveling, the sky is truly the limit when planning your itinerary! Anywhere that sounds exciting to you is going to be worth it. With 2 weeks, I’d opt for 1-2 countries and no more than 4 base destinations (3 would be even better).

I started trying to make a list of some of our favorite countries in Europe for you, but just backspaced the sentence because I was ending up just listing every country, LOL. But Italy is one of our special favorites that we would recommend to just about anyone!

We will be in Holland for the first week of May so we could do the other two weeks either before or after that (or split one before and one after). The suggestion to cut down to less rather than more is helpful – it’s our first time to Europe and everything looks like something we should see! We are 50 and really like most things – some scenery, some castles, etc. Do you think it would be do-able to do Germany and Italy on top of Holland? Any specifics on what you love in Italy? I am really NOT a crowd person, so we’re really going to try and avoid huge crowds or I’ll lose my mind 😉

A week in Germany followed by a week in Italy is definitely doable!

Personally I’d opt for either southwest Germany (Black Forest, Heidelberg, Burg Eltz) or Bavaria.

We love virtually all of Italy, but if you want something somewhat more offbeat that’s in the top half of the country (for geography reasons), I’d recommend looking into Emilia-Romagna.

It’s the region east of Tuscany, and has similar appeal with far fewer tourists. It’s also gorgeous and a culinary dream–Emilia-Romagna is the origin of many iconic foods like parmigiano-reggiano and traditional balsamic vinegar.

A few destinations in the region to poke into as you research: Bologna, Parma, Ravenna, Ferrara, Modena. The micronationa of San Marino is also accessible from there!

Kate-what a remarkably comprehensive, detailed and resourceful blog! I love the considerations offered from different perspectives. My family of 4 (including 2 kids ages 10 and 6) will be traveling to Paris for the second half of August for 2 weeks to visit family. We have already been to Paris a few times so this time around, I would like us to explore more of Europe for some of the time, ideally via trains. I am thinking of staying in Air B&B’s as we have been enjoying that accommodation when we travel locally within the US but would love your perspective on this (vs hotels) considering the cultural and language differences in certain destinations as well as any recommendations for either you may have. Based on some research, some destinations I came cross purely based on travel distance via train from Paris are Switzerland (3 hrs), Barcelona (6.5 hours! would probably have to be an overnight train for the kids), London (2 hrs, have family we can see), and Greece (2 hours), Belgium (1.5 hrs, also some family we can see). My goal is to show my kids/family different cultures, ways of living and experience foods, interesting architecture, beautiful cafe’s etc. Also curios if any of these can be “day trips”. I do not have specific destinations yet to see at these locations and would love your input. From your article, it sounds like limiting to 2 destinations maybe best (outside of Paris) and your thoughts may help me narrow down where to focus. Thanks so much and look forward to reading your insights on this.

So glad you found it helpful, Tez! Sounds like you guys have an amazing trip planned.

I’m sure you already know this, but August is the height of peak season for European travelers visiting the coast and mountains, so some destinations will be quite crowded and expensive (book your hotels and train tickets ASAP, especially in a group of four).

I’m assuming Greece is a typo, so I’ll pass over that one–pretty sure it’s much further than 2 hours even by plane. 🙂

Luckily Paris is a huge train hub for getting across Europe, so you have plenty of options! Most of them will take longer than it looks on the map once you navigate connections, train times, etc. We highly recommend using Omio to search exact routes and dates, and keep in mind tickets will increase in price as you get closer. With kids, you’ll probably want to search by the fastest available routes.

London, Belgium, and Switzerland all jump out at me from your list–simple to access and incredible. The Jungfrau region in Switzerland is pure paradise, though a bit further away.

You may also want to look into Amsterdam, it’s only 3.5 hours from Paris by train.

With the right schedule, you can get as far as Venice in a day from Paris (we’ve done this), so Italy is an option for you as well, as is Germany.

Essentially, the more you stick to major cities, the easier it will be to navigate solely by train. Smaller towns and cities are often connected, but you’ll virtually always need to pass back through the main city of a region to make your way back to Paris.

You may want to take a look at this post as well, we talk a lot more about train travel here: https://www.ourescapeclause.com/travel-europe-by-train/

Hi Kate Love your blog, lots of useful information. My husband and I are planning a 10 day trip to Europe end of April to early May. At the moment we are looking at flying from the US RT to Paris. We’re thinking of possibly going to Amsterdam and Belgium as well. this will be our second trip to Paris. We are open to other suggestions. Do you have any other recommendations?

Happy to be able to help, Daisy!

Paris + Amsterdam + Belgium is an excellent itinerary and doable in 10 days. It’s actually a route we recommend ourselves. We have posts on all those places, but here are our suggestions on spending 3 days in Belgium to give you an idea of what you can cover in a short time frame: https://www.ourescapeclause.com/3-days-in-belgium-itinerary/

Paris is extremely well-connected by rail (you can be in Venice in 9 hours or Munich in under 6, for example), so as far as ideas for other destinations go, the sky is the limit!

If you choose to extend your original itinerary, a few additional places that you might consider along that route are Strasbourg/Alsace, Heidelberg, and Cologne.

Thank you for your blog.. We are travelling to Europe for 14 days the end of May. Flying Calgary to Dublin, doing a couple days at the Isle of Man races then hopefully, London, Paris, Rome. Your blog shares what to pack for clothing in Summer, Fall and Winter, what would you recommend for spring? We are trying to decide if we take the trains or flights from London, Paris and Rome. We aren’t planning any beach time. Also, what do you recommend for luggage? I’m leaning towards a rolly carryon but have every size hard shell case and multiple back country camping packs.

So happy you find it helpful!

Funny you mention spring packing ideas–I’m actually working on a post for that right now. It will hopefully be up next week. But off the top of my head, you’ll definitely want a travel umbrella and to pack in layers. The end of May is a beautiful time to be in much of Europe but the weather could be unpredictable–you may want sundresses on some days and light jackets on some evenings!

As far as luggage, either is completely fine. There are advantages to both backpacks and suitcases, but as long as you’re comfortable carrying your bag up and down staircases, carrying (or rolling) it down the street for 10+ minutes, and loading it into and out of trains and/or cars, you’re good.

As far as trains vs planes–London to Paris can definitely be a train, but do a time and cost-benefit analysis between that and a plane (depending on the dates, your travel style, etc, you may choose either). Paris to Rome is better done as a flight!

Thank you very much for sharing your wisdom. We are really excited.

Hi Kate, Thank you so very much. You have provided an AMAZING amount of helpful information. Can you pretty please help me with the best location to travel to 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th and the best way to get to the locations? (We will NOT be doing any driving).I’m a 55 years old woman. I live in USA. I’m planning the 1st International trip for me and my husband for either the 1st or 2nd week of September 2023. My biggest challenge is knowing where to start and end the trip, based on logistically traveling to the different destinations, as well as, the best way to get to each destination.Here are the the things I have planned. I know you mentioned you’ve never been to London but i’m hoping you can assist based on me providing the area I want to be in. *LONDON-7 NIGHTS I’m a theatre/adrenaline junkie person so Theatreland West End of London near (North of the River Thames. 3-Plays (evening events) 2-Hour Sherlock Holmes museum (near West End) 1-Hour Ghost Bus tour (nearest tube stations are Embankment and Charing Cross) 4-Hours-day walking tasting tour (near London Bridge Station) 1-day Harry Potter Studio Tour (Leavesden London) 2 -Nights Theme park “Alton Towers” located Alton, Staffordshire near Manchester and Birmingham. (stay onsite at the parks resort)*PARIS-3 NIGHTS Moulin Rouge (BD de Clichy area) L’ATELIER DES LUMINERES -DIGITAL ART MUSEUM I would like to visit just one of the haunted castles in Paris (depending on recommendation) Château de Puymartin Château de Brissac Château Lagorce Château de Chambord Château de Versailles* GERMANY 3 NIGHTS-Phantasialand Theme park (located Bruhl Germany) Stay onsite at the parks resortThank you for any advice or suggestions you can provide.

Hi Melvina,

I definitely can’t speak to getting around London in detail, though a combination of the tube and buses will likely be doable! You can add cabs as needed as well.

In Paris, the metro is so dense you should have no issue getting around. Assuming you are planning to do the usual Paris sights (Eiffel Tower, Louvre, etc), our Paris itinerary might be able to help you out (and has hotel recommendations): https://www.ourescapeclause.com/3-days-in-paris-itinerary/

For the chateaus, Versailles is by far the closest to Paris and you can get there by RER train. Château de Chambord in the Loire Valley is doable via an organized day trip like this: https://www.getyourguide.com/paris-l16/loire-valley-castles-wines-day-trip-from-paris-t70389/?partner_id=1OI4D21&utm_medium=online_publisher&placement=content-middle

The others are way too far from Paris for day trips, so I’d focus on Versailles and/or Chambord this time.

Hope you have a wonderful time! 🙂

Thank you so very much.

Hi, thank you for this comprehensive post! We are planning a trip this summer and will be going to Paris, Rome, Florence and Amsterdam. My question is about changing money. We were in Iceland last year and used Apple Pay or credit card everywhere, never needed cash and didn’t get any. Is that possible in either France, Italy or Netherlands? Should I plan on getting cash for taxis, tips, etc?

Happy to help!

I’d definitely recommend having some cash with you as you travel, especially for small purchases like coffee, gelato, etc. Most hotels in Italy will require the city’s tourist tax in cash, too. Some taxis and tips will be best done in cash as well, and occasionally very small, offbeat tourist attractions.

While cash-only restaurants definitely aren’t the norm in any of those cities, they’re not unheard of, either.

Overall, I’d say you’re most likely to avoid cash entirely in Amsterdam and most likely to use some of it in Rome and Florence, but that’s not a hard and fast rule by any means (I used some cash on my trip to the Netherlands last spring, for example).

We find that the easiest way to get cash, by far, is to withdraw Euros from any bank’s ATM once you’re already in Europe (avoid Euronet–use an ATM branded by an actual bank). Luckily, since all the places you’re visiting use the Euro, you won’t need to worry about changing currency beyond that. 🙂

Hi Kate, thank you for this great, and helpful post! We’re are planning a trip to Europe for the first time in September for next year in 2024. My plan is to visit Spain, Italy and I’m still undecided on the third country to visit. What country would you suggest or advised that we can visit that has beautiful scenery, mountains, lakes, etc. We like the city, but we also want something where we can hike out in nature like Iceland maybe, Switzerland. Any tips on that? Also, is it cheaper to stay in hotels, Airbnb’s? Thank you!

Spain and Italy–two of our favorites! You guys are going to have a great time. 🙂

The hardest part about picking a third country with your criteria will be narrowing it down between many excellent choices–you really can’t go wrong.

Switzerland is absolutely spectacular, if the Alps are what you’re looking for, it’s iconic and hard to beat in every category except the price tag.

Germany and Austria also offer beautiful mountains and lakes and are a more budget-friendly than Switzerland.

The French Alps are also wonderful–towns like Chamonix and Annecy offer plenty of mountains, lakes, etc.

And, for a a wild card, you don’t necessarily need a third country at all: the Dolomites in Italy have everything you’re looking for.

Any of those that appeal to you and fit your budget will be a great addition to your trip. They’re well-connected to Italy and each other by train, the travel times aren’t too far, and they’re all phenomenal places to visit.

One small thing to keep in mind if you’re planning to travel by train a bunch is that Spain isn’t very well connected to the rest of the places you’re considering by rail–you may want to consider flying in and out of there.

Iceland is definitely far out of the way, but assuming you’re traveling to and from North America, look into the Icelandair stopover program if you want to add it on! I will say that while it does offer mountains, lakes, and beautiful scenery, it’s a very different vibe than Switzerland or any of the surrounding Alpine countries, so take a close look at the specific destinations and see if it’s what you’re looking for. It’s a stunning place, just very different than the others. Here’s one of our Iceland posts if you want to get a feel for it: https://www.ourescapeclause.com/10-day-iceland-ring-road-itinerary/

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Epic 4 Countries in 12 Days European Itinerary for an Amazing Vacation

• Post author: Rachel Means
• Post last modified: 2023-10-25

I admit, I have a bad case of FOMO when it comes to traveling abroad. My bucket list is huge , and revisiting a country for a second time doesn’t let me fill in or scratch off another country on my map.

Subsequently, I frequently pack my itinerary to the gills to experience as much as I can while I’m in a new place. This epic 4 countries in 12 days (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, & Liechtenstein) itinerary was a product of that.

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and associate of other programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means if you click a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Table of Contents

A Word on FOMO and Packed Itineraries

I know that FOMO is irrational , but it’s a remnant from being young and broke . Plenty of you can relate to that sentiment.

When my husband and I first started traveling we were still in six-figure student loan debt and I had limited vacation time. Long story short: my first job sucked and I had only 5 days of vacation time per year . I wasn’t going to waste it!

Now that I’m older and wiser, and more importantly at a different job with actual benefits, I don’t have to be quite as efficient with my vacation time. But old habits die hard.

I particularly struggle with this in Europe because everything is so close.

It’s tempting to just keep adding cities and/or countries that are only 2 hours away to the itinerary. In the US, I can drive 2 hours and not leave my home state…

But it’s not always better to see 10 cities in 12 days. Is it doable? Sure! But you’re not getting an in-depth look. Go-go-go itineraries are great for getting a taste and feel for an area so you can plan to come back later for an in-depth trip.

Even if you are still young and broke, don’t travel like it’s the last vacation you’ll ever have.

Use your time and resources wisely. Have faith that one day you won’t be young and broke anymore, and you’ll be able to go on multiple vacations per year.

Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein in 12 Days

Coming from the US, or really anywhere other than Europe or Northern Africa, you will lose 2 of the 12 days to airports. Unfortunate but unavoidable.

• Arrive in Munich AM; Salzburg PM
• Berchtesgaden
• Salzburg AM; Munich PM
• Füssen
• Travel from Munich to Zurich AM ; Sightseeing Zurich PM
• Lucerne and Mt Pilatus Golden Tour
• Liechtenstein & St Gallens

How to See 10 Cities in 12 Days (Without Going Crazy)

This itinerary is definitely a go-go-go schedule to see a lot of places and sights, but it does allow some down time. We typically leave around 8 or 9AM every morning and get back to home base city by 5 or 6PM. The evenings provide down time to do whatever we want.

Some of you are early birds and want to watch the sunrise every day. Great! It’s beautiful, and I highly recommend sunrise views on beaches and in the mountains.

Some of you are night owls and want to see the city lit up at night. Great! Also beautiful, and also highly recommend you visit a sky deck or observation tower for stunning night skylines.

Do what makes you happy on vacation! Get up early, or stay up late. It’s your choice!

Learn from My Mistakes

However, learn from my mistakes and take note of the following points concerning schedules in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein:

• Most tours and attractions don’t start/open until 8 or 9AM and close around 5PM, with last entry around 4 or 4:30PM. However, most museums are open late at least one night per week.
• This happened to us at the Munich Residence Treasury.
• We missed our Neuschwanstein Castle tour entry time because we couldn’t find our lunch waiter to pay our bill.
• We wasted 1.5 hours and missed an opportunity to see another sight in Nuremberg because of a train schedule mix up.

4 Countries. 12 Days. 1 Epic Europe Itinerary.

I know planning is super stressful for some people, so steal this itinerary and take the guess work out of trip planning! Book your flights and accommodations and just go!

Day 1: Travel Day

Depends on origin city, but most US travelers will fly to an east coast hub and catch an overnight flight across the Atlantic, arriving in Germany the morning of Day 2.

Day 2: Arrival in Munich, Germany AM; Salzburg, Austria PM

Fly into Munich and immediately take the train to Salzburg, Austria . We found this cheaper than flying into any of the other surrounding international airports. Get to know classical music composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s hometown!

• Pictures in Mozartplatz
• See the DomQuartier : the Prince-Archbishop Residence, State Rooms, Gallery, and into the Cathedral
• Ride the Festungbahn (funicular) up the hill to Hohensalzburg Fortress
• See everything at Hohensalzburg Fortress : the museum, the state rooms, the amazing views from the tower
• For wonderful sunset views over the city, eat dinner at the biergarten on top of the cliffs at Hohensalzburg Fortress.

Overnight in Salzburg at the NH Collection Salzburg City . This hotel is an easy walk to both the Old Town and the central train station, and near the bus lines if you prefer.

Day 3: Day Trip to Berchtesgaden, Germany

I know it seems odd to travel to Austria and then turn around and take a day trip back to Germany the next day. Trust me, it’s faster and easier to day trip to Berchtesgaden from Salzburg, Austria than it is from Munich, Germany.

• As early as you are willing, catch Bus 840 to Berchtesgaden and arrive in Berchtesgaden 45min later. The later you wait, the longer the ticket lines will be.
• The Eagle’s Nest (Kehlsteinhaus), aka Hitler’s mountaintop chateau which is now a restaurant at the top of the German Alps. Recommend eating lunch here!
• Documentation Center (if short on time, skip to the underground bunker/tunnels )
• King’s Lake (Konigssee ), part of Berchtesgaden National Park, and ferry out to St Bartholoma’s (Bartholomew’s) Church
• Rainy day alternative: Berchtesgaden Salt Mine Tour

• Do not miss the last Bus 840 back to Salzburg! The last bus will be busy and most will have to stand, so jump up quick when it arrives if you need a seat.
• Attend an evening classical music concert in Salzburg, if you’re in the mood.

Overnight in Salzburg at the NH Collection Salzburg City .

Day 4: Salzburg AM; Munich PM

Another split day. We went with roughly half and half, but feel free to divide your time however you want. Check the train schedules the night before and know when you have to leave to catch your train to Munich.

• Café Tomaselli for breakfast (once Mozart’s favorite breakfast place)
• Explore Mozart’s Gerburthaus (Birthplace) . Skip the line with Salzburg Card!
• Popular picture spot with Hohensalzburg Fortress in background and Mirabell Gardens in the foreground. (always busy here)
• Retrieve your luggage and hop a train to Munich.
• Start in Marienplatz and walk around the heart of Munich’s Old Town.
• Take the elevator up the New Town Hall’s tower for city views! St Peter’s, diagonally across Marienplatz, also has a sightseeing deck in the clock tower if you prefer to get pictures of the New Town Hall.
• Visit any or all of the amazing churches within easy walking distance: St Peter’s, Frauenkirche, St Michael’s.
• Enjoy some shopping and dinner in the area.

Overnight in Munich at the Holiday Inn Express Munich City West . Super convenient to the S-bahn and includes breakfast!

Day 5: Day Trip to Nuremberg

Again you may ask, “Why are you leaving Munich when you just arrived?”

In our case, we wanted to visit Nuremberg on a Sunday so we were guaranteed Courtroom 600 would be open for visitors. However, in 2021 they stopped using this courtroom for normal service, and it’s open for tours every day now.

If you’re not into history, move this day trip to Nuremberg to whatever day suits you best.

• Take a train to Nuremberg. DB ICE trains are faster, but RE trains are cheaper.
• Visit the Imperial Castle of Nuremberg (Kaiserberg) on a hill above the city.
• Stop in Albrecht Durer’s House for some art history.
• Old artisan works
• St Lorenz’s Church
• Church of our Lady (Frauenkirche)
• Schöner Brunnen (gold fountain)
• St Sebald’s Church
• Numerous statues and memorials along the way

• Hop Bus 36 to the Documentation Center and Old Rally Grounds and Zepplin Fields on the outskirts of town. This Documentation Center emphasizes the propaganda machine of the Nazis and is built into the side of the abandoned and unfinished Congress Hall for the Nazi party. It is satisfying to see it in ruins but also chilling to see the scale of the building.
• Back in town, visit the Nuremberg Palace of Justice and see the small museum and Courtroom 600 where the Nuremberg Trials were held at the end of World War II.
• Catch the last train back to Munich, but beware: it will be packed. Get there before it arrives so you can snag a seat.

Overnight in Munich at the Holiday Inn Express Munich City West .

Day 6: Munich

A simple day in Munich.

• The stunning main palace
• The Marstallmuseum, displaying gold carriages in the stables and famous Nymphenburg porcelain
• The Park: paths, trees, flowers, and fountains, in true French imitation
• Amalienburg : the Electress’s private retreat, showcasing a mini Hall of Mirrors and beautifully tiled kitchen
• Badenburg : the Elector’s bathing house; think Roman baths
• Pagodenburg : a petite spot decorated from head to toe with Chinese imagery, wallpaper, and tiling
• Magdalenenklause : Magdalene Hermitage, built to look as if it’s falling apart on the outside but beautifully, if austerely, decorated on the inside, with odd furnishings including altarpieces made from a narwhal tusk.
• Take the tram back downtown and grab some lunch along the way.
• Residence Museum : learn of the Wittelsbach family and how they lived
• Treasury : see the Wittelsbach family crowns, jewels, and other precious pieces collected over centuries
• Cuvilliés Theatre : destroyed in World War II, the theater was rebuilt in 1956. The wood carvings were all saved and are originals, but everything else is a stunning reproduction of the original 1700’s building.
• End the day with a stroll through the English Garden or the Haus der Kunst art museum.

Day 7: Dachau AM; Munich PM

The Munich suburb of Dachau is recognized all over the world for its horrifying work camp from the Second World War. The Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site is a somber and draining experience, but you should absolutely visit.

Warning: The Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site is not suitable for young kids. Swap Dachau for the Deutsches Museum (science and tech exhibits) or the Children’s Museum (Kindermuseum) in Munich.

We spent 5 hours at the memorial site, but then ventured back into the older part of town to get a sense of life in Dachau before its name became infamous. We then finished the afternoon back in Munich.

• Take the S-bahn to Dachau and catch the bus to Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial site . Spend the morning here. The museum has a lot of information, and it takes a while to take it all in. See our full guide for what to expect if you’re unsure.
• Head back into the town of Dachau and grab lunch at a local spot.
• Catch the bus up the hill to the old town area, to Dachau Palace . See the beautifully preserved wooden ceiling that is centuries old, and walk the gardens in the back. The terrace is great for skyline views of Munich in the distance.
• Head back to Munich and stop at the Sendlinger Tor .
• Continue up the street to the Asamkirche : the most over-decorated chapel you’ve ever seen.
• Walk over to the Viktualienmarkt (outdoor food stalls). If you prefer, continue on to the famous Hofbräuhaus beer hall for dinner.

Pro Tip : For a quieter evening at Hofbräuhaus, eat upstairs in the restaurant instead of the first floor beer hall.

Day 8: Day Trip to Füssen

You’ve probably never heard of the town of Füssen, but you probably have heard of Neuschwanstein Castle. Some of you may know it simply as the inspiration for the Disney castle.

Important : Preorder tickets for Neuschwanstein Castle tours online several weeks before your trip! This is a hugely popular attraction and it sells out every day in the busy summer months.

Recommend the combo ticket to see Hohenschwangau Castle, too!

• Catch the earliest train you can to Füssen. Transfer to the awaiting bus and arrive in the town of Hohenschwangau no later than mid-morning. This is the easiest way to get to Neuschwanstein from Munich, but here’s a guide for every way to get there.
• Pick up tickets at will call before heading to either castle. When you see the other line, you’ll be so relieved that you preordered and don’t have to wait and pray for tickets in that other line.
• Combo ticketholders: timed entry for Hohenschwangau Castle tour is first. There’s a 2 hour gap and then your timed entry for Neuschwanstein Castle tour.
• Discover Neuschwanstein’s many amazing views. Head over to Mary’s Bridge (Marienbrücke) to get your very own iconic photo of Neuschwanstein Castle.

• Continue to the other side of the bridge and do some more hiking. Or return back towards Neuschwanstein and take the Pöllat Gorge Walk back to town for waterfall and river views instead of the shuttle bus or walking down the way you came up.
• End up right next to bus stop in Hohenschwangau. Take next bus back to Füssen and next train back to Munich.
• A good evening to sit and mellow in a restaurant or the English Garden after a long day of walking.

Last night in Munich, still at the Holiday Inn Express Munich City West , which is close to the central bus station, too, which will come in handy tomorrow.

Day 9: Zurich, Switzerland

We did a lot of research when we planned this trip and believe it or not, taking the DB Bus is the fastest and cheapest way to travel from Munich to Zurich. (Yes, it’s faster than taking trains, as there’s no direct route from Munich to Zurich.)

• Board the DB IC Bus to Zurich and enjoy the 4 hour stress-free ride. Arrive in Zurich around noon.
• Walk along Bahnhofstrasse and admire obscenely expensive things
• See Frauenkirche and Grossmunster churches.
• Climb the Grossmunster tower for wonderful views of town and the lake!
• Get some ice cream and stroll towards the lake. See the Operahaus and spend some time chilling by the lake.
• Find a fondue place for dinner!
• Stroll back through the old town at night for brilliantly lit up buildings and streets.

Overnight at the Motel One Zurich . Don’t let the “motel” deceive you; it’s not a motel like you’d see in the US.

It’s a very nice hotel in the city, convenient walking distance to the high-end shopping district and several of the city’s biggest landmarks, like the Grossmunster and the lake.

Day 10: Day Trip to Mt Pilatus and Lucerne

You cannot go to Switzerland without seeing the Alps! This was our mountain day. There are so many mountains to choose from, but we recommend Mt Pilatus for the “cool route” factor.

• Hop a train to Lucerne. Arrive in an hour.
• Recommend the ferry, train, gondola route, but can be done in reverse.
• Eat lunch at one of the restaurants at Pilatus Kulm, the top of the mountain.
• Several short hikes from Pilatus Kulm. Save time for the Tomlishorn hike, the highest peak on Mt Pilatus. About 30min each way with amazing views from 7000ft.

• Stroll across the Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke) and spot one of the charred cross beams from the 1995 fire.
• Not much further down the river, find the equally impressive Spreuer Bridge .
• Visit the Lion Monument (Löwendenkmal).
• Tour the Glacier Garden (Gletschergarten).
• Do some shopping and buy some genuine Swiss chocolate!
• Sit and admire the lake and its perfect views of the Alps.
• Eat dinner in Lucerne or Zurich, whichever is convenient. Trains are pretty constant between the cities, but as always check the schedule the night before to ensure you don’t miss your last train back to Zurich and your hotel.

Overnight back in Zurich at the Motel One Zurich .

Day 11: Day Trip to Liechtenstein and St Gallens

Another country checked off the list! And an absolutely jaw-dropping medieval library at the UNESCO World Heritage site St Gallens Abbey, for all my fellow bibliophiles out there.

Pro Tip : Swiss Rail passes include transportation in Liechtenstein. You don’t have to buy separate tickets for trains or buses in Liechtenstein!

This tiny neighbor accepts Swiss Francs as well as Euros.

• Check out this guide for how to spend a day (or half day) in Liechtenstein!

• Leaving Liechtenstein, take a bus to Schaan Hbf, a connector bus to Buchs Hbf, back across the river in Switzerland, and catch a train to St Gallens. Arrive in an hour.
• Take a bus or walk over to the UNESCO World Heritage site St Gallens Abbey ! The Library is from the 8 th century, gorgeously Baroque decorated, and displays illuminated manuscripts!
• The basement has more information about the architecture, history, and St Gall, the abbey’s namesake monk from Ireland. Who knew monks were so mobile in the 8 th century?
• Walk across the yard to the Exhibition Space to see the famously old map of the Abbey grounds. Watch a short film about what the map has shared with historians, and then the map will rise out of a table, in its protective case, for you to gander at for maybe 30 seconds before it shrinks back into concealment beneath the table.
• If you have time, take the train to Schaffhausen to see Europe’s largest waterfall: the Rhine Falls . (The weather was not cooperating for us, so we headed back to Zurich.)
• Once back in Zurich, eat another delicious dinner and get ice cream for the 3 rd day in a row! Enjoy one last Swiss evening by the lake or relaxing in a restaurant before heading back to the hotel to pack.

Overnight in Zurich at the Motel One Zurich .

Day 12: Travel Day

Long day in airports. Our flights had us awake for 21 hours before we finally made it home to our comfortable bed.

An Epic 4 Countries in 12 Days Europe Itinerary!

Do you like go-go-go vacations or prefer to take it slow? Would you try this itinerary?

Happy Travels!

About the Author : Rachel Means

With six-figure student loan debt and only 10 PTO days per year, Rachel started traveling the world. A decade later, she’s paid off her loans, changed careers, and been to 36 US states and 14 countries. She’s an expert at planning and budgeting for travel and loves to help others do it, too! Read her full story here.

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This post has 14 comments.

This itinerary is awesome! Can you share information about the accommodations you booked? Did you fly home from Zurich?

Yes, no problem! I’ve added links to the hotels we stayed at in each city, under each day in the itinerary above. And yes, we flew home from Zurich. Most major airlines can accommodate an open-jaw itinerary, flying into one city and flying home from a different city, with no additional cost. Sometimes, it’s even cheaper than roundtrip from one city! I hope you enjoy your trip!

Oooh I have always wanted to do a Europe road trip amongst the mountains and this is exactly what I wanted. I love this article, saving it for later!

I hope you have a wonderful time and can go soon!

What an epic road trip?!

Thank you! It was awesome and exhausting!

I definitely prefer taking it slow and steady but I am super guilty of having FOMO and wanting to see everything, everywhere!

Slow and steady makes for amazing trips as well. We have a rule that at least every third trip has to be a relaxing, slow paced trip. It’s wonderful to slow down and really experience a new place.

Great post. Very interesting to read. I agree Europe can be tempting to travel since most countries are so close. But so much to see. Living in Germany I still have not explored so many parts of Germany yet. 🙂

Thank you! I understand completely! There are states in the US I still haven’t made it to yet…

Ooooooo such great info!

Wooo you hit up so many amazing spots in such a condensed itinerary! I love that about Europe–so much to explore and always a good excuse for a next time!

Haha, yes, guilty of cramming this itinerary full of great places! Not for the faint of heart, or feet, lol!

Comments are closed.

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The Enchanting Rhine - From Zurich to Amsterdam

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• Explore Celtic and Viking culture
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The Ultimate Scandinavia Itinerary | 12 Full Days, 6 Fantastic Stops

• Post author By Melissa
• Post date April 8, 2024
• 1 Comment on The Ultimate Scandinavia Itinerary | 12 Full Days, 6 Fantastic Stops

Scandinavia is a wonderful, safe, family-friendly region of northern Europe that will make for an unforgettable vacation. It is one of the more expensive areas of Europe to visit, but it is worth the money to see the natural beauty of this area.

We spent 12 days in Scandinavia and loved every single one of them. Our trip started in one of the most popular Scandinavian cities , Copenhagen, Denmark, and it ended in Bergen, Norway.

We were able to see parts of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, although by no means were we able to see and experience everything we wanted to in this region.

A lot of people have asked us about this trip, so I wanted to lay out all of the details in a full overview of Scandinavia… A complete Scandinavia itinerary – 12 days, 6 stops.

This Scandinavia itinerary briefly covers all the cities, towns, and villages we visited, the places we stayed, how much money we spent, and the attractions we were able to see.

Although you could easily spend 10 days in Norway alone, we only had 12 days for all of Scandinavia. So, this whirlwind travel itinerary covers a lot of ground.

Table of Contents

Useful things you will need for Scandinavia

Because you will be changing cities and hotels every couple of days, I recommend backpacking rather than bringing rolling luggage with you. Depending on the time of year you visit, you may also need rain gear. After all, Norway is lush and green for a reason. It rains a lot!

In fact, it rains a lot in Denmark and western Sweden, too. There is a good chance it will rain at least once during your 12 days in Scandinavia. Here are a few must-have items for your trip.

About Scandinavia and the Nordic North

The Nordic north region of Europe consists of five countries: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland , and Iceland . However, only three of those countries are considered Scandinavia: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Although many throughout the world use the terms “Nordic” and “Scandinavian” interchangeably, they are not the same, and locals in Iceland and Finland will make sure to correct you if you make that assumption.

The Scandinavian region of the Nordic north refers to the ancient territory of the Norsemen.

While the five countries that make up the Nordic north are all similar in economic structure, politics, and history, for the purpose of this itinerary, the term Scandinavia refers only to Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.  

How to get around Scandinavia 

The major cities and tourist sites in Scandinavia are well connected by trains, buses, and even boats. But for part of our Scandinavia itinerary, we decided to rent a car and road trip. This allowed us to visit some of the smaller, charming fishing villages in western Sweden that aren’t very accessible using public transport.

• We always book rental cars in Europe through Discover Cars , so we can compare prices and get the best deal.
• We book most our train tickets using RailEurope which partners with train companies across the continent.  

ALSO READ: AN HONEST RAIL EUROPE REVIEW

Overview of this Scandinavia itinerary 

Here is a brief outline of our 12-day travel itinerary for Scandinavia. We will get into more details below on each city or region. Keep scrolling to see a day-by-day breakdown of what to see and do on your Scandinavia trip.

Copenhagen, Denmark (Day 1-3)

• Where to stay: Steelhouse Hostel
• What you’ll need: Copenhagen Card

Gothenburg, Sweden (Day 4)

• Where to stay: Scandic No25
• Train ticket from Copenhagen to Gothenburg

Smogen (Day 5)

• Where to stay: Smogen Hafsvad
• What you’ll need: rental car

Weather Islands (Day 6)

• Where to stay: TanumStrand

Oslo, Norway (Day 7-8)

• Where to stay: Scandic Byporten
• What you’ll need: Oslo Pass

Flam, Norway (Day 9)

• Where to stay: Brekke Apartments
• What you’ll need:  Norway in a Nutshell transportation package

Bergen, Norway (Day 10-12)

• Where to stay: Hotel Oleana

The different regions you’ll visit during this Scandinavia itinerary

The Scandinavian peninsula is huge, so if you only have 12 days in Scandinavia, I’d recommend not trying to see it all.

You’ll need to narrow down your Scandinavia itinerary to just a few places otherwise you’ll spend all your time driving or on a train.

This 12-day Scandinavia itinerary takes you through the majestic fjords of Norway, to the rugged west coast of Sweden, and to the bicycle-friendly streets of beautiful Copenhagen.

Fair warning, it will leave you wanting to see more. You see, Scandinavia isn’t just big, it’s incredible! Here are some of the highlights you’ll see in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen is one of the most family-friendly cities in the world. Not only is it home to one of the best amusement parks in the world, but outside of that, there are so many things to do in Copenhagen with kids .

From the vibrant, photogenic canal street, Nyhavn, to the stunning Rosenborg castle and its surrounding gardens, you will love exploring the streets and sites of Copenhagen.

West Sweden coast

Relaxing, serene, and rugged – the West Coast of Sweden will be a tranquil escape during your busy 12 days in Scandinavia.

The coast is dotted with quaint fishing villages and an untainted and primarily uninhabited archipelago begging to be explored.

Oslo, Norway

The capital city of Norway is a great place to get a grasp on Scandinavian culture, history, and Nordic life in general.

With countless museums spanning various interests like art, Viking history, and even skiing, Oslo, Norway is a chic metropolitan area with a friendly and extremely safe vibe.

Norway fjords

The fjords of Norway are practically supernatural. They are beyond majestic. I’d go as far as to say they are heavenly. The fjords are the number one tourist draw for Norway, and for a very good reason.

This area of Norway, near the village of Flam , is one of the most naturally beautiful regions of the world.

A fjord is a deep, narrow body of water surrounded by steep mountains. In the fjords, you’ll see countless waterfalls, enjoy scenic hikes, and feel completely immersed in nature.

Bergen and the west Norway coast

Bergen is a quaint city at the mouth of the fjords. Sitting on the southwestern coast of Norway, Bergen is the rainiest city in Europe.

It is surrounded by mountains and is often called the gateway to the fjords, as it is the starting point of many of Norway’s most popular and picturesque fjord tours. This colorful city has a whimsical, almost fairytale-like charm.

With a row of colorful wooden buildings lining the old wharf, the city is often a starting or ending point on many Norway itineraries, including this 12-day Scandinavia itinerary.

But what about Stockholm? 

Stockholm is one of the most beautiful cities in Scandinavia , so why isn’t it included in our itinerary?

Time constraints and distance are the two main reasons that Sweden’s capital city is not on our Scandinavia travel itinerary. 

If you have a full two weeks in Scandinavia, you could visit Stockholm for a couple days then fly to Copenhagen and follow the rest of our itinerary. Or, you can always add Stockholm to a trip that includes Helsinki, Finland and the country of Estonia, instead.

Our Personal Experience following this Scandinavia travel guide

We traveled across Scandinavia with our then 3-year-old daughter, so nothing on this itinerary is extremely strenuous.

Although the days are filled with a ton of activities, this Scandinavia 12-day itinerary isn’t so full that you won’t be able to simply sit and enjoy a gelato, a glass of wine, or a fika in Sweden.

Although there isn’t anything on this itinerary that a toddler wouldn’t be able to do, if you are looking to take part in more adventurous activities, like some of the longer, strenuous hikes in Norway, you can still follow this itinerary and just modify your activities each day. 

Day-by-Day Breakdown of our 12 Days in Scandinavia

This day-by-day breakdown of our itinerary gives you a rough idea of how you can feasibly spend 12 days in Scandinavia, what to see, how much time you will need, and how to get around the easiest.

Day 1 – Copenhagen, Denmark

You’ll start your 12-day Scandinavia itinerary in Copenhagen, Denmark. We arrived by plane mid-morning and took the train to the central train station (also known as Kobenhavn H). At the airport you can also pick up your Copenhagen Card .

You will want to buy one for the 2-3 days you are in Copenhagen, as admission to everything on this itinerary is included in the price.

From Kobenhavn H train station it is a short walk to Steelhouse Hostel, where we stayed in a private hostel room that was perfect for traveling with kids .

There are various other hotels and accommodations in the area, as well if hostels aren’t your thing. Regardless of where you stay, you’ll want to drop off your bags at your hotel so you can spend your afternoon exploring luggage-free.

Reserve your Copenhagen Card

Your first Copenhagen experience will be a Carlsberg Brewery tour. The self-guided tour takes a couple of hours. It’s interesting and includes beer! The brewery has a free shuttle bus which picks you up across the street from the train station and runs hourly until 5 p.m.

After the brewery tour, enjoy your two beers then either shuttle, take the metro, or walk back to your hotel and enjoy a late lunch or early dinner at one of the nearby restaurants.

• Where to stay in Copenhagen on a budget: Steelhouse Hostel
• Alternative hotel if hostels aren’t for you: Andersen Boutique Hotel

Day 1 Highlights

• Carlsberg Brewery tour
• Explore Vesterbro District 

Day 2 – Copenhagen, Denmark

This will be a busy day of sightseeing, so wear comfortable walking shoes and consider renting bicycles to get around the city faster like the locals do.

Start your day walking toward Stroget, the busy shopping district in Copenhagen. You’ll find plenty of places where you can grab breakfast along the way.

From there head to Nyhavn to stroll along the picturesque canal street before making your way to Amalienborg Palace to watch the changing of the guards at noon. Afterwards, you’ll hit up Kastellet, and the Little Mermaid, one of the most famous statues in Europe .

We walked back to Nyhavn afterwards for a late lunch along the canal and a boat tour. Afterwards, visit Christiansborg Palace, the Rundetaarn, and Rosenborg Castle. Dinner on day 2 will be Torvehallerne market.

Day 2 Highlights

• Amalienborg Royal Palace
• little Mermaid 
• Christiansborg Palace
• Round Tower
• Rosenborg Castle
• Torvehallerne Market

Day 3  – Copenhagen, Denmark

If you are visiting Scandinavia with kids, this day will be their favorite.

Start by taking the free shuttle to Den Bla Planet, the National Aquarium Denmark. It is the largest aquarium in northern Europe, so you can spend hours exploring and learning about marine life. This will take up a large part of your morning.

The rest of your day, including lunch and dinner, should be spent at Tivoli Gardens , the world’s second oldest theme park. It is amazing!

Day 3 Highlights

• Den Bla Planet
• Tivoli Gardens

Read about all of the Copenhagen attractions mentioned in this itinerary.

Day 4 – Gothenburg, Sweden

The fourth day of your 12-day tour of Scandinavia, you’ll take a morning train to Gothenburg, Sweden. The train ride takes roughly 3 ½ hours and requires switching trains in Malmo, Sweden.

Drop off your bags at your hotel and spend your afternoon exploring Gothenburg. You’ll want to check out the Feskekorka Fish Market and partake in the Swedish tradition of fika in the Haga district.

• Where to stay in Gothenburg: Scandic No 25
• Luxury hotel also near the train station: Clarion Hotel P ost

Day 4 Highlights

• Feskekorka Fish Market
• Gothenburg Botanical Garden

Day 5 – Smögen, Sweden and the west coast

After exploring Gothenburg, the second largest city in Sweden, you’ll get a break from the city streets on day 5 of your 12-day Scandinavia itinerary. This day will be spent exploring the charming fishing villages along the west coast of Sweden. Pick up your rental car and spend the day in rural, coastal Sweden.

Smogen is one of the most popular and picturesque fishing villages in west Sweden, primarily due to a pretty row of colorful fishing houses along the boardwalk. Make sure you enjoy a fresh seafood lunch while in Smogen. You can also stop at Bohus Fortress and the Pilane Sculpture Park.

• Where to stay in Smogen, Sweden: Smogens Hafvsbad

Day 5 Highlights

• Bohus Fortress
• Pilane Park

Day 6 – Fjallbacka, Sweden and Weather Islands

Fjallbacka and the Weather Islands are both equally fun to explore. In Fjallbacka, you can do an easy hike up Kungsklyftan and before catching a ferry to the Weather Islands.

The desolate islands are home to colonies of seals, so you may spot a few lounging on the rocky islands as you pass by in the ferry.

The ferry will drop you off at one of the only islands that is actually inhabited. Have lunch and walk around the island for a while to escape the crowds and recharge. Afterward, head to Grebbestad where you can relax and have fun in a huge indoor pool with a water slide at Tanumstrand Resort.

• Where to stay in Grebbestad, Sweden: Tanumstrand

Discover all the best stops in West Sweden .

Day 6 Highlights

• King’s Cleft Hike
• Weather Islands tour

Day 7 – Oslo, Norway

From Grebbestad, it is about a 2-hour drive to Oslo, Norway. On your first day in Oslo, you will want to visit the National Museum, Slottsplassen, the Nobel Peace Center and Frogner Park. Have dinner that night along Karls Johans Gate.

When you arrive in Oslo, you will want to drop off your rental car, and then drop off your luggage at the hotel.

I recommend staying somewhere near the Central Train Station and getting an Oslo Pass. It will save you a ton of money if you plan to visit multiple museums and attractions in Oslo.

• Where to stay in Oslo, Norway: Scandic Byporten
• Alternative hotel also near the train station: Comfort Hotel Grand C e ntral

Reserve your Oslo Pass

Day 7 Highlights

• National Museum
• Karls Johans Gate
• Nobel Peace Center
• Frogner Park

Day 8 – Oslo, Norway

There is so much to do in Oslo that if you have the time, you could spend 3 or 4 days exploring the city. Your second day will primarily be spent on the Bygdøy peninsula.

You can take an Oslofjord tour that morning, which departs near the Olso City Hall and the city’s famous opera house.

From there, you’ll ferry over to the peninsula to check out the Fram Museum, Kon-Tiki Museum, Viking Museum, and the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History.

If you aren’t a big fan of museums, you can pick and choose which ones you want to visit, but I’d definitely recommend the Fram and Cultural History museums.

In the afternoon, you’ll want to catch a train to the suburb of Holmenkollen to see the Olympic Ski Jump and Ski Museum. It’s a great place to watch the sunset over the Oslofjord.

Check out our full Oslo itinerary and read more about the Oslo attractions we recommend.

Day 8 Highlights

• Oslo City Hall
• Oslo Opera House
• Fram Museum
• Viking Ship Museum (reopening in 2025)
• Norwegian Museum of Cultural History
• Holmenkollen

Day 9 Flam, Norway

On the ninth day of your 12-day Scandinavia tour you’ll catch an early train to Flam. This is a popular route that is part of the “Norway in a Nutshell” Package.

The train ride takes roughly 6 hours. You’ll change trains in Myrdal to board a smaller tourist train on the Flam Railway.

It is considered one of the most scenic train journeys in the world. When in Flam, you can hike to the Brekkefossen waterfall or kayak through the fjord.

You’ll want to spend at least one night in Flam, however if you have more time, this is another wonderful place to connect with nature and unplug.

• Where to stay in Flam, Norway: Brekke Apartments
• Alternative hotel with a bit more luxury (and a closer walk from the train station): Flamsbrygga Hotel

Check out all the great things to do in Flam .

Day 9 Highlights

• Flam Railway
• Brekkefossen hike

Day 10 – Norway fjord cruise

The best way to experience the Norway fjords is by water. A fjord cruise will take you from Flam to Gudvangen.

The 3 hour cruise takes you past countless waterfalls and gives you incredible views of one of the most stunning fjords in Norway. After the fjord cruise, you’ll board a luxury bus to the town of Voss.

The bus ride is equally picturesque and winds through steep canyons surrounded by mountains.

In Voss, you will transfer once again to a train that will take you to Bergen. All transportation on this day is also included in the “Norway in a Nutshell” package.

Book your Norway in a Nutshell package .

Day 10 Highlights

• Fjord Cruise and bus to Bergen

Day 11 – Bergen, Norway

You’ll have a few hours on day 10 to explore Bergen, but day 11 will be spent exploring all the city has to offer. You’ll want to see Bryggen, the Bergen fish market, and take the Fløibanen funicular and/or the Ulriken cable car to get a bird’s eye view of the city.

If you plan to do some hiking in Norway, Bergen is a great place to base yourself and you’ll want to pad the end of your itinerary with an extra day or so and do a day trip to hike some of Norway’s famous Trolltunga hiking trail.

• Where to stay in Bergen: Hotel Oleana
• Luxury hotel on the old wharf: Clarion Hotel Admiral

Day 11 Highlights

• Bergen Fish Market
• Fløibanen Funicular
• Ulriken Cable Car

Day 12 – Bergen, Norway

Finally, say goodbye to Scandinavia. Your 12-day experience in Scandinavia comes to an end. Depending on where you are from, you will fly out in the morning, afternoon, or evening to head home.

Spend your final hours shopping for those necessary souvenirs you won’t want to leave without, or if you have the time and like famous European churches , head to Fantoft to see a historical stave church.

Get more ideas of things to do in Bergen .

Day 12 Highlights

• Gamle Strandgaten -or-
• Fantoft Stave Church

Best way to get around Scandinavia

This is one of those trips that requires utilizing every single mode of transportation, trains, a rental car, bus, and a ferry.

You’ll have to take a train from Copenhagen to Gothenburg and rent a car in Gothenburg to explore the coast. That is really the only way to visit the quaint fishing villages along the coast.

Then you will travel by train, ferry and bus across Norway to see the fjords. But don’t worry, booking all those different modes of transportation doesn’t have to be difficult.

You can book all of your transportation across Norway by purchasing the Norway in a Nutshell package. Your rental car can be reserved here , and you can book your train from Copenhagen to Gothenburg here .

How much does a 12-day trip to Scandinavia cost?

If you’ve done any research about Scandinavia or the Nordic countries you probably already know that it is expensive.

We are neither luxury nor budget travelers. Like most families traveling with kids, we travel on a moderate-budget and book mid-range accommodations.

Comfort and convenience are important to us. We may splurge for a hotel or apartment in the right location, but eat street food instead of dining in restaurants.

For 12 days in Scandinavia during the off-season, not including flights, our family of three spent approximately $4,000 USD. That covered lodging, transportation, food, admission to attractions, and small souvenirs. Luckily, we got a great deal on our flights, too. Of course, this was several years ago, and with the cost of inflation, I’d definitely plan to budget about $6,000 USD if we did the same trip today.

I typically don’t discuss money or the amount we spend traveling, but in the interest of full disclosure and to help you plan effectively for your trip, I thought cost was an important part of the equation to include.

However, how much you’ll spend in 12 days in Scandinavia can vary greatly depending on how many people you are traveling with, the time of year you go, where you stay and eat, and what activities you add to this itinerary.

FAQs about traveling in Scandinavia

It’s only natural to have questions when planning a trip to Scandinavia – or anywhere else for that matter. Here are a few of the other most frequently asked questions that we have gotten about travel in Scandinavia.

How many days do you need for Scandinavia?

How many days you need in Scandinavia depends on what all you want to do and see there.

While you can easily follow this 12 Day Scandinavia itinerary and enjoy yourself, if you add an extra week to the itinerary, you can visit Stockholm or make your way up into the Arctic Circle and the Lapland in northern Sweden and northern Norway. And depending on the time of year, you might even get to see the Northern Lights!

What is the best month to visit Scandinavia?

Because Scandinavia sits so far north, the weather is most pleasant during the summer months. However, with the pleasant temperatures comes larger crowds. 

But, if you visit in early May or early September, you will miss most of the crowds and still have decent weather, although long sleeves and layers will likely be needed. 

Winter is cold and dark in Scandinavia, but your odds of seeing the bucket list-worthy Aurora Borealis from late fall to early spring is really good.

Have you visited Denmark, Sweden, or Norway? What would you add to this Scandinavia 12-day itinerary (besides 12 more days)?

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1 comment on “The Ultimate Scandinavia Itinerary | 12 Full Days, 6 Fantastic Stops”

Lovely post on the north countries…Enjoyed all the good information.

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11 Best first-time Europe itineraries for 1, 2, or 3 weeks

Europe is going to be very busy in the summer of 2024 as the world is back to normal and travel demand is higher than ever. One other key factor is that most European currencies are still hovering at lower levels historically compared to the US dollar, which means that Europe will feel somewhat cheap again this year. In fact, according to our World Backpacker Index , European cities like Lisbon, Madrid, and Munich are about 30% cheaper to visit than Boston, Chicago, and New York City. In other words, flying to Europe might seem expensive, but most things will be cheaper once you get there compared to the costs of visiting a large US city.

Below you’ll find 11 of the most popular and best itineraries for a first visit to Europe. Your first visit is not really the time to be different or creative, and the famous destinations tend to be popular for a reason. In other words, it’s kind of silly to visit, say, Bulgaria, if you’ve not yet been to France or Italy. I lay out the best options along with how long to stay in each place as a general guide. I also discuss Mediterranean cruises, which can actually be an amazing way to see a lot of Europe on your first visit, especially if you don’t like going back and forth to train stations and airports every 2 or 3 days.

For a bit of fun you might be interested in the cheapest 5-star hotels in Europe , which start at US$80 per night for really nice hotels. It helps show that if you choose some of the cheaper cities, you can treat yourself to some luxury that you can’t afford in most other places.

This article was last updated in March, 2024.

There are 11 starter itineraries described in detail below

• Classic London and Paris
• England and Scotland
• Paris and Italy
• Mediterranean cruise
• France, Belgium, and Netherlands
• Paris and elsewhere in France
• Switzerland
• Best of cheap eastern Europe

For each itinerary there are suggestions of other destinations that are easy to add on to the main cities.

Note: This article was most recently updated in March, 2024

Building the best itinerary for your first trip to Europe

Below there are 11 popular itineraries for one week in Europe. If you’ve only got a week then choose one of them and assume you’ll return again to conquer more of this amazing part of the world. If you’ve got more time then you can choose from some of the top add-on suggestions for each one.

Start in the most famous cities

Your first visit to Europe is no time to try to be different or edgy. I recommend that you  focus on these 5 great cities  before you start branching out into cheaper or more obscure places.

Keep your travel days to a minimum

Spend 3 (or 4) nights in almost every major city

So many first-time visitors are initially planning on spending only 1 or 2 nights in major cities that I wrote a detailed explanation of why  3 nights is ideal for almost all European cities , even if you want to see as much as possible.

3 (or 4) nights will be enough for any city on your first trip

Most first-time visitors are tempted to move too quickly, but it can also be a mistake to move too slowly. It’s really amazing how much you can see in two full sightseeing days. If you spend too long in one city you’ll end up seeing things that are way down your list, while you could be in another city seeing things at the top of your list there.

Choose cities that are easy to reach from each other

For your first trip it’s best to visit cities that are no more than a 5-hour train ride apart.

Choose cities that are connected by reasonable train rides rather than flights

To build on the point above, finding cheap flights within Europe is easy, but train travel is about a million times more enjoyable and less stressful. You’ll enjoy the train rides almost as much as the cities, so focus on places that are within 5 hours of each other by train.

Start with one of the classic itineraries below, and then add to it if you have more time

If you only have 7 days then you’ll find a list below of classic itineraries that are well-suited to a first visit to Europe. Hopefully you have more than 7 days though, and if you do you can add in one or more of the suggested add-on cities to build an itinerary that appeals most to you.

Best 1-week itineraries for the first time in Europe

Itinerary 1: classic london and paris.

• London  (3 or 4 nights)
• Paris  (3 or 4 nights)

Fly into either city and take the 2-hour Eurostar train between them

London highlights

• Big Ben and Parliament
• Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral
• Tower of London and Tower Bridge
• West End shows (Broadway equivalent) and classic pubs
• Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle

Paris is actually far more beautiful than London and the food is famously much better as well. Since Paris gets so many tourists from non-French speaking countries, it’s easy to get by on just English, and the Metro system makes it fast and easy to get around. The architecture of both cities is amazing from the Tower of London, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey to the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. These cities each pack a huge punch and they are very different from each other as well. Actually, England is arguably the best choice for your first trip to Europe .

Paris highlights

• Eiffel Tower
• Louvre Museum and Museum de Orsay
• Arc de Triomphe and other monuments
• Montmartre neighborhood and Sacré Coeur Cathedral
• Probably the world’s best affordable restaurants and wine

Best add-ons to London and Paris

• Edinburgh  (2 or 3 nights, from London)
• Amsterdam  (2 or 3 nights, from Paris)
• Bruges  and  Brussels  (2 nights, from Paris)

>>> Best one-week London and Paris itinerary in detail >>> Check London hotel deals >>> Check Paris hotel deals

Itinerary 2: England and Scotland

• York (1 night)
• Edinburgh, Scotland  (2 or 3 nights)
• Inverness, Scotland (2 or 3 nights)

York is a small Roman city with intact city walls and one of the most famous cathedrals in Europe. Edinburgh is not only the capital of Scotland, but it’s easily the second most interesting city in all of Britain. If your time is short, skip York and spend more time in Edinburgh.

If you prefer to focus on the south of England on your first trip then the best option is to go to Bath or nearby Bristol after London. Bath is another of England’s top destinations and it’s a gorgeous city that has been a spa resort for many centuries. It’s also reasonably close to Stonehenge. You can also easily get to Cornwall in England’s southwest corner from Bath, and that’s a whole different and fascinating experience (with nicer weather than up north).

If you’ve got more than a week and want to spend more time in Scotland, especially in the summer months, the place to head to is Inverness. It’s a small town that is considered the gateway to the Scottish Highlands, but it’s an interesting and charming place on its own. You can take day-trips by bus to the highlights of the Highlands including the Isle of Skye and Loch Ness. Between you and me, it’s better to minimize time in Loch Ness or skip it altogether because it’s not one of the more photogenic parts of Scotland and the monster has always been a hoax.

Travel times between the recommended places

• London to York by train: 2 hours
• York to Edinburgh by train: 2.5 hours
• London to Edinburgh by train: 4 hours
• Edinburgh to Inverness by train: 3.5 hours
• London to Bath by train: 85 minutes

Best add-ons to England and Scotland

• Paris  (3 or 4 nights from London)
• Amsterdam  (3 nights from Paris)

If you think you want to spend your whole trip in Britain you should have a look at our article on the  best itineraries in England, Scotland, and Wales .

>>> Check London hotel deals >>> Check Edinburgh hotel deals

Itinerary 3: Paris and Italy

• Paris (3 or 4 nights)
• Venice (1 night)
• Florence (2 or 3 nights)
• Rome (3 nights)

From Paris you can easily fly to Venice (or nearby Treviso) where you should try to spend about 24 hours. Venice is small enough to see in a full day, and so crowded that most people are satisfied to leave after that day. The key is to stay in the main part of the main island so you can enjoy Venice before the cruise passengers and day-trippers arrive, and also after they leave for the day. Two nights in Venice would not be wasted time, and it’s possibly the most gorgeous city in the entire world, but you can see the best of it in a bit over 24 hours.

Rome also lives up to the hype and spending a day in the Vatican City will be a highlight even for non-Catholics, but it’s also a crowded and busy city so three days is usually enough for most people. Similar to Paris, Rome is an unusually beautiful city from almost any angle when you are in the historical center. You’ll walk through a stunning piazza (town square) and then turn a corner and you’ll see gorgeous buildings or public statues that are as nice as anything in the museums. Seriously, it’s worth a visit.

Paris to Venice flight: 1 hour 35 minutes Venice to Florence by train: 1 hour 53 minutes Florence to Rome by train: 1 hour 16 minutes

You can of course instead fly from Paris to Rome and then go north to Florence and then to Venice and fly home (or back to Paris) from there, and it would be just as enjoyable.

Best add-ons to Paris and Italy

• Nice/Cannes/Monaco  (2 or 3 nights)
• Avignon (2 nights)
• Bourges (2 nights)
• Bordeaux (2 nights)
• Aix-en-Provence (2 nights)
• Reims (2 nights)
• Dijon/Burgundy (2 nights)
• Milan  (1 or 2 nights)
• Lake Como (2 nights)
• Siena (2 nights)
• Cinque Terre (1 night)
• Naples / Sorrento /Amalfi Coast/Pompeii/Capri (3 to 5 nights)
• Sicily (3 to 4 nights)

>>>Much more information in this article about the best France and Italy itineraries >>> Check Paris hotel deals >>> Check Venice hotel deals >>> Check Florence hotel deals >>> Check Rome hotel deals

Itinerary 4: Mediterranean cruise

In spite of the reputation of cruises to be floating buffets, they can actually be an excellent way to visit a great number of amazing European cities in a short time. The ship typically is in port from the early morning until mid evening, often giving you the opportunity to have dinner in the city (unlike Caribbean cruises). Better still, the cruise ports are often near the center of town, so you can just walk off the ship and do sightseeing on foot or by public transportation.

Mediterranean cruises usually start at 7 nights but can go up to 3 weeks, which can provide an amazing tour of the entire region without having to pack and repack your bags more than once. They also can provide excellent value, especially compared to the price of taking trains or flights and finding new hotels in every destination.

Most popular Mediterranean departure ports

Barcelona, Spain – It’s an easy port to reach. Ships generally go from Barcelona with stops in France and then Italy.

Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy – The port isn’t very close to Rome, but it’s easy to get back and forth. Ships go west to France and Spain as well as south around the tip of Italy and then on to Croatia, Venice, and to Greece.

Venice, Italy – The cruise ships no longer dock close to the best tourist areas, but it’s easy enough to visit Venice for a day or two before boarding a ship. Ships starting in Venice go south and then head west and to Rome and then to France, or they go south to Croatia and then head east to Greece.

Athens, Greece – The cruise port of Piraeus is just south of Athens and easy to reach. Ships from Athens usually head west towards Croatia, Italy, France, and Spain, but there are also ships that visit Greek islands and Turkey.

>>> Check for deals on Mediterranean cruises

Alternative to consider: a river cruise

Amsterdam ,  Budapest , and  Prague  are some of the most popular river cruise ports, but there are dozens of others including many smaller towns in France where few other tourists will be when you stroll off the ship. There is little or no entertainment on the river cruise ships, but passengers don’t miss it because the entire day and into the evening is spent just steps from local cultural offerings and restaurants.

>>> Check for Europe and river cruise deals

Itinerary 5: France, Belgium, and Netherlands

• Paris  (3 nights)
• Brussels  and  Bruges  (1 or 2 nights)
• Amsterdam  (2 or 3 nights)

Paris to Brussels: 1 hour 22 minutes Brussels to Bruge: 58 minutes Bruges to Amsterdam: 2 hours 45 minutes Amsterdam to Paris: 3 hours 17 minutes

Spending 4 nights in Paris and 3 nights in Amsterdam would be a great trip, but if you want to see something else you’ve got a couple options in between. My advice is to spend an afternoon looking around the Grand Place (main square) in Brussels and then hop a 58-minute train ride to Bruges for a night or two. Brussels isn’t a great tourist city, but Bruges really is so it’s a better option for most people. Whatever you choose out of this group, you can be back in Paris on another high-speed train for your flight home.

Best add-ons to France, Belgium, and Netherlands

• Luxembourg City  (1 or 2 nights)
• Cologne, Germany (1 or 2 nights)
• Interlaken, Switzerland  (2 or 3 nights)

>>> Check Paris hotel deals >>> Check Bruges hotel deals >>> Check Amsterdam hotel deals

Itinerary 6: Paris and elsewhere in France

And a choice of:

• Normandy (2 nights)

While Nice is a wonderful tourist city for a look at the French Riviera, the other larger cities of Lyon and Marseilles are probably better saved for a future trip because they are light on key sights compared to many smaller towns. Wine lovers can rent a car or take trains into Bordeaux or Burgundy. Since you can get between most of these towns by train in 2 hours or less, spending only 2 nights in each one is a reasonable option if you want to see a lot in a short time.

Normandy is an interesting choice and easy to reach in only about two hours by train from Paris. Some visitors like to see the famous WWII beaches and memorials, while others (especially in summer) like to check out one or more of the beach-resort towns. Deauville is one of the more famous of those, and it’s also famous for its horse race track and as one of the epicenters of the industry in Europe.

Best add-ons to Paris and elsewhere

• More France, of course

>>> Check Paris hotel deals >>> Check Nice hotel deals

Itinerary 7: Italy

• Rome  (3 nights)
• Florence  (2 or 3 nights)
• Venice  (1 or 2 nights)

Rome to Florence: 1 hour 16 minutes Florence to Venice: 1 hour 53 minutes

Venice is small enough that you can see the main sights in about 24 hours, and it’s so insanely crowded that many people tire of it after about a day as well. It’s better to pay more for a hotel to be on the main island and visit quickly than to save money with a hotel on the mainland where you’ll be in crowds going back and forth as well. Florence is the most relaxing of the 3, and also a great base for side trips to Pisa, Siena, and Cinque Terre, just to name a few.

Going to Italy? Here are the  best first-time Italy itineraries for 3 days to 2 weeks  (in much greater detail)

Best add-ons to Italy

>>> Check Rome hotel deals >>> Check Florence hotel deals >>> Check Venice hotel deals

Itinerary 8: Spain

• Madrid  (4 nights) (including day trip to Toledo)
• Barcelona  (3 nights)

Madrid to Barcelona: 2 hours 30 minutes

A huge part of Spain’s tourism industry is built around its southern beaches and islands such as Ibiza, Mallorca, and Tenerife (in the Canary Islands). For most people it’s best to ignore those places on your first trip because none of the beaches are special enough to spend days on them compared to the culture of the cities.

Best add-ons to Spain

• Valencia  (2 nights)
• Seville  (2 or 3 nights)
• Granada  (2 or 3 nights)
• Lisbon  (3 nights)

By popular demand, I’ve added a full article on where to go in Spain with itineraries from 7 to 10 days up to two weeks .

>>> Check Madrid hotel deals >>> Check Barcelona hotel deals >>> Check Lisbon hotel deals

Itinerary 9: Germany

• Berlin  (3 nights)
• Munich  (2 or 3 nights)
• Rothenburg ob der Tauber (1 night)
• Füssen (1 night)

Berlin to Munich: 6 hours 2 minutes Munich to Rothenburg ob der Tauber: 2 hours 56 minutes Munich to Füssen: 2 hours 4 minutes

Those two cities are the keys to a Germany visit, and after that you’ve got a wide variety of choices. I cover most of the popular choices in my article on  where to go in Germany , which covers several smaller towns that are major highlights.

Best add-ons to Germany

• Cologne (1 or 2 nights)
• Hamburg  (2 or 3 nights)
• Amsterdam  (3 nights)
• Prague  (3 nights)
• Salzburg  (2 or 3 nights)
• Vienna  (3 nights)
• Interlaken, Switzerland  (3 nights)
• Lucerne, Switzerland  (2 or 3 nights)

>>> Check Berlin hotel deals >>> Check Munich hotel deals

Itinerary 10: Switzerland

• Interlaken  (3 nights)
• Bern (1 night)
• Lucerne  (3 nights)

Zurich Airport to Interlaken: 2 hours 10 minutes Interlaken to Bern: 53 minutes Bern to Lucerne: 1 hour 50 minutes Lucerne to Zurich Airport: 1 hour 3 minutes

Interlaken is the best hub for the most dramatic Alps views and experiences. The one-hour cable car ride up to the Schilthorn observation deck is something you’ll never forget, and the only thing that might be more dramatic is the train ride up to the Jungfraujoch station, which is the highest in Europe. Lucerne is almost as beautiful with a scenic lake at its heart and also great mountaintop views nearby. If you do want to see a Swiss city then the capital of Bern is the most interesting and photogenic on a short visit. Read more about  where to go in Switzerland  for even more ideas.

Best add-ons to Switzerland

• Munich  (3 nights)
• Italy (as long as you’ve got)

>>> Check Interlaken hotel deals >>> Check Lucerne hotel deals

Itinerary 11: Eastern Europe’s best cheap cities

• Budapest  (3 nights) and/or
• Krakow  (3 nights)

Each of these cities is beautiful and historic, but English is less widely spoken so they can also be quite a bit more challenging for a first-time visitor. Another difficulty is that the trains between them are still quite slow compared to the high-speed rail in the West, so it takes most of a day from one to another, and a bus is often a better choice. I cover this best cheap Europe itinerary more fully in the linked article.

Prague to Budapest: 6 hours 41 minutes Budapest to Krakow: 9 hours 54 minutes (flying might be better)

Best add-ons to cheap Eastern Europe

• Cesky Krumlov, Czechia  (2 nights)
• Ljubljana, Slovenia  (2 or 3 nights)
• Split, Croatia  (3 nights)
• Belgrade, Serbia  (2 or 3 nights)
• Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina  (2 or 3 nights)
• Sofia, Bulgaria  (2 or 3 nights)

>>> Check Prague hotel deals >>> Check Budapest hotel deals >>> Check Krakow hotel deals

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Hi Roger, was reading your article and reply to various questions and its actually too good and kind from you. if you pls,help me out a route plan for 15days. but my catch is, i have to start from Stockholm.i like to end in rome to head back home. in between what should be my plan?thanks

I’m happy to help. Stockholm to Rome could be done in 15 days, but it would require skipping quite a few great places along the way. My recommendation would be to choose 5 or maybe 6 cities total and spend 3 days in each. If Stockholm is one of your cities you’d only have 12 days left but even if Stockholm didn’t count on the 15 days I think it’s probably best to fly from Stockholm to a city closer to Italy and then do the rest of it on shorter train rides. You could do Stockholm to Copenhagen by train, but those are pretty long train rides and honestly those two cities are pretty similar to each other.

So maybe Stockholm and then a flight to Paris and then trains to Venice, Florence and Rome? That sort of thing. Stockholm is just so remote that it would require at least 3 or 4 longer train journeys but if you flew from Stockholm to Paris (or Berlin or Prague or Budapest or wherever) the remaining train rides would be relatively short. I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger

Firstly, I would like to thank you for the article and itineraries; they are very helpful.

My wife and I are planning a 3 to 4-month trip around the EU (Western Europe). Before I delve into the specifics of our itinerary, I am wondering if the same 3 to 5-day in each-city principle applies for cases where travellers will spend more time travelling around?

I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks Raf

Wow. That sounds amazing! Even when traveling for longer periods like that I’d recommend a minimum of 3 nights in almost any place you go. The main reason is your travel days tend to be kind of long when you factor in everything from checking out of one hotel to getting to the train station and waiting and then the journey time and then getting to your next hotel and getting situated. All of that usually takes 4 to 6 hours even when the train journey is only an hour or two, so you just don’t get much sightseeing done on those days. So if you only stay 2 nights in each city it means every other day is a travel day and that just takes up too much time.

That said, I think 3 or 4 days is enough time in most places as well. If you really want to get to know Paris, for example, you might stay a week there. But for most cities there are diminishing marginal returns starting on day 3 or 4. In other words, you’ll be able to see the 10 things that most interest you in 3 days or so, and at that point you might be ready to see the Top 10 things in the next city instead of the #11 through #20 things in the first city.

Another thing that is important with longer trips like that is to plan some down time at least every few weeks. If you try to do sightseeing 7 days per week for weeks at a time it starts to feel like a job. What I like to do is every two or three weeks find a smaller town or cheaper place where I can rent a little apartment or some place larger and more comfortable than a typical small European hotel room. And I like to stop in places without many sights otherwise it’s too tempting to keep sightseeing every day.

I’ve actually done quite a few long trips like this and I’m happy to help with any other advice if you like. -Roger

Comment*We are planning on Athens to Amsterdam from June 4, 2024 to Amsterdam June 24th.

We are thinking trains to major cities inbetween Athens and Amsterdam. We are open to anything and everything.

Priorities: Parthenon in Athens, Art Museums in Amsterdam (3-5 days in Amsterdam) Can you help us?

That is a tricky one. Both Athens and Amsterdam are great and very worthwhile, but once you go north of Athens to Thessaloniki in northern Greece, the train service is spotty and very slow all the way until you reach Budapest. Strangely enough, buses tend to be faster and much more frequent in those “eastern” countries like Bulgaria and Romania. Also, being perfectly honest, most of those in-between cities such as Sofia and Belgrade are kind of dull by European standards, although they are quite cheap.

If you really want to visit Athens I’d definitely start there and then after a few days fly to Budapest or some other city in that area that interests you and then carry on from there by train. In fact, Athens to Budapest and then trains to Prague then Berlin and then Amsterdam could be perfect. You could even add in a couple of days in Cesky Krumlov near Prague if you want to include a gorgeous smaller town among the big cities.

Those are all first-class cities and several of them are quite affordable as well. I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger

Hi, my wife and I would like to visit Rome, Florence, Italy, Venice, Prague, Berlin and maybe Switzerland. This will be the first time travelling to Europe and I would appreciate your help in planning where to start, where to stay, how to get there and where to go. We will be coming from Trinidad and Tobago for 2 weeks. If possible, i would like a day-to-day plan.

Unfortunately I don’t have time to do a day-by-day plan for you, but I can help get you started. If you’ve got 14 nights I would keep the list to 5 total cities. If you tried to include Switzerland on this trip it would mean spending only 1 or 2 days in some cities and that means spending every other day on trains.

I think the best thing to do would be to fly into Berlin or Prague and then spend 3 days there and then take a train to the other one and spend 3 days there and then fly to Venice. Spend 1 or 2 days in Venice and then take a short train ride to Florence for 2 days or so and then a train ride down to Rome for your final 3 days and then a flight home or back to your starting city if that is cheaper. I’m happy to help if you have any other questions. -Roger

Hi, Roger. My wife and I (56 and 63) want to do our first trip to Europe from Canada and would like to start by visiting Portugal (Lisbon and Porto) and Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Granada y Sevilla with day trips to close small cities in between). What it would be your suggestion for: 1. Stay in each city for a 15/17 days trip? 2. any additions/modifications? 3. Train over flights internally? 4. If we travel with one suitcase of 50 Lbs would it work to take public transit when required? 5. Instead of this plan, would it be better to visit 1/2 famous city in different countries? Would appreciate your inputs. Than you Roger

If you’ve only got about 16 days I’d recommend choosing 5 or maybe 6 cities in total. I strongly believe that 3 nights is the best amount of time to stay in each city so you have two full sightseeing days in each one, although some smaller cities can be done a bit quicker. I go over the reasons in detail on this other article about how long to stay in each European city , but the main point is that if you stay only two nights it means literally spending every other day on trains or in airports and such and you just don’t get much sightseeing done on those travel days with all of the packing and unpacking and checking in and out of hotels.

I’d definitely include Lisbon, Madrid, and Barcelona. You could add a 2-day visit to Porto and 2 or 3 days each in Sevilla and Granada. I’d save Valencia for a future trip. It’s nice, but aside from the new buildings clustered in one area, it’s more generic than any of the others on your list.

The only train between Portugal and Madrid goes over night and I’m not a fan of those so I’d fly on that leg. But from there I’d definitely take the high-speed trains, which are fast and comfortable. Buy your tickets at least a couple months in advance for the best fares.

There will be room for a 50 lb suitcase on the flights (of course) and on the trains as well. On older trains they have you put them on racks above the seats, but on most of the more modern ones (like the high-speed trains) they also have room for larger bags at each end of the carriage. If you can lift them, there will definitely be room for them.

I think your plan sounds really good and those are all great cities. That said, for most first-time visitors to Europe I’d recommend Paris and Italy as those are really more dramatic and interesting, although also more crowded and somewhat more expensive as well. I think once you do the Iberia trip you’ll be hooked and you’ll start planning a trip to France and Italy for the coming years. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger

Hi, Roger. Thank you for your comments and recommendations and also for your prompt response. I have modified my plan as I have now 22 days. My Itinerary is Porto(3), Lisbon(3), Seville(2), Malaga(2), Madrid(3),Barcelona(3), Zaragoza(2) and Bilbao(3). What do you think? is this a good plan? Any suggestions? I am still debating between Malaga and Granada though. I included Bilbao to visit friends. The question on the luggage was more related to the comfort to pull a large back in public transit than the allowance in the planes or trains. I will appreciate your inputs. Thank you again, Roger

Those six more days will help a lot. I think your new plan looks really good. You can probably enjoy Porto in 2 days and add an extra day somewhere else, but you might also be dealing with jet-lag so 3 days might be better. Your itinerary looks efficient and logical.

I really like Granada and Malaga, but I think if I were to choose between the two I would go with Granada. Malaga is (in my opinion) an underrated city that is close to some extremely popular beach towns and it’s got a lot going for it, but if you aren’t also going to be staying by the beach I think I’d save it for another trip. Granada has got the Alhambra and Generalife Gardens and those are unlike anything else in Spain or the world for that matter. Granada is small enough to enjoy in two days and I think seeing the Alhambra will be more memorable than anything in Malaga.

Buy your train tickets as early as possible for the best times and fares, and the flight for Lisbon to Seville (or you could take a bus).

And again, your 50 lb suitcase will fit on city to city trains (although not as well on buses or trams within a city), but still (as the saying goes) no one ever went on a trip around Europe like this and swore they would pack more stuff the next time. In other words, 40 lbs is much easier than 50 lbs and getting laundry done cheaply in a country like Spain is quite easy. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger

Comment*Hi travelling first time to europe next year we are 55 years age group any suggestions for 10-12 days itenary with guided tour would be nice if any suggestion are there also april or may better time to visit there anil

Actually, all of my best suggestions for first-time visits to Europe are in the article above. If you specifically want a guided tour you’ll obviously just be choosing from the ones that are available from the companies you look it, although many of those should resemble the itineraries in my article. Planning your own trip to Europe is actually quite easy, and especially if you are going to the classic and most popular cities. I’ve got lots of articles that could help you.

I’m not sure how many guided tours you’ve done, but one thing to consider is that they always move at the speed of the slowest person in the group. If YOU are the slowest person in the group then it’s fine, but if you are 55 then you should be much faster than most other people on a guided tour. For example, if you have a coach/bus tour for a day with 5 or 6 stops, you always have to wait for the slowest people to get on an off the bus. I’ve done countless day tours this way and it can be frustrating waiting 10 extra minutes many times each day as slow people are trying their best.

I think my top two best suggestions are London and maybe another stop or two in England and then Paris and other stop or two in France, OR, Paris then another stop in France and then Venice, Florence, and Rome. It obviously depends whether England or Italy sounds more interesting. Let me know if I can be of any other help. -Roger

Planning a family trip with a adult and nearly adult children. Hoping to be able to do 18 to 20 days. Must sees are Paris, Venice, England, and Prague but would adore seeing more! What route would you suggest and should we rent a car, fly, train, river cruise? There are so many options and I’m completely overwhelmed! A suggested itinerary would be amazing!! Thank you!

That sounds like a great start to a plan. As far as “England” is concerned it’s probably best to just think of it as 3 or probably 4 nights in London. With 4 nights you’d have enough time for a good day trip to Bath/Stonehenge and Windsor or to Oxford or even York, but London is big enough to keep you busy and it’s probably best to just stay there and then take the Eurostar train to Paris for 3 or 4 nights.

Prague is a bit out of the way, but you can fly there cheaply enough if you want and then after 3 nights fly to Venice. After 2 nights in Venice I’d take a train down to Florence for 2 nights and then another train to Rome for 3 nights. That would be just about a perfect 18 to 20 day trip including Prague. I definitely wouldn’t rent a car as they tend to be counter productive when visiting a string of large cities that have bad traffic and expensive parking. Your itinerary doesn’t really work with a river cruise at all, but hopefully you can plan one in the future.

It would probably be cheapest to fly from Rome back to London for your flight home (being careful of which of London’s 5 airports you fly into because your flight home will almost certainly go out of Heathrow), but if you can get a flight home straight from Rome for a good price, that would be even better. Getting around by train in Europe is by far the best way wherever it’s close and fast enough, so I’d focus on trains in the places I mentioned. I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger

Yes, I meant London. Thank you for picking up on that. After reading though your site and many, many of these informative comments, I think I have figured out a basic itinerary and would love your feedback and suggestions!

-Fly into London London(3 days) -Eurostar Train to Paris Paris (3 days) -Train to Switzerland – unsure which train company Switzerland (3 days) -Train to Venice?? Venice (2 days) -Train to Florence – which train company? Is there a pass? Florence (2 days) -Train to Rome Rome (2 days) -Fly to Prague Prague (3 days) -Fly home out of Prague

Very interested to hear your feedback. I know you suggest 3 nights but I am ok with missing out on some things in Rome/Florence if needed. Would love train suggestions and if passes are best. NO idea on how the trains operate in Europe.

Thank you so much for your time!

This itinerary looks amazing. My only real suggestion would be to spend only one day in Venice and three days in Rome, or at least a day and a half in Venice rather than two, but you’ll enjoy it no matter what. The thing is that Venice is about the size of a theme park like Disneyland and from 9 AM until 5 PM it feels even more crowded than Disneyland. It’s absolutely amazing, but also easy to get tired of the crowds and you’ll do your best sightseeing in the mornings before the day-trippers come and in the evenings after they’ve left. And Rome is huge with a long list of really cool sights so with only one full sightseeing day you’ll miss quite a few of them. But again, you’ll enjoy it no matter how you divide your time.

In most of Europe including between France and Switzerland and Italy, there is just one rail company per country so just book whatever comes up. From Paris to Basel, Switzerland you’ll take the France national service and then change trains to a Swiss train for your ride to Interlaken or Lucern. Then from Switzerland you’ll take (probably) a Swiss train to Spiez or Brig and then change there for an Italian train to Venice. You’ll buy it just as one ticket and it’ll include all the legs required to get from one city to your final city, and usually come with seat reservations as well (except in Switzerland).

My favorite site for checking schedules all over Europe is the Trainline . But you can also check the official rail sites of each country involved and I’d definitely check those prices before booking anything. My article on buying European train tickets in advance is still pretty much up to date and it has links to the various national train companies.

It will be cheapest if you lock in your dates and buy all of your train tickets as early as possible, which will be around 3 months out in most cases. The tickets start off really cheap and go up in price as more seats are sold on each train, so earlier is always better. There are no rail passes that would be helpful on a trip like this, but that’s mostly because the tickets will be pretty cheap already, especially the ones within Italy.

Trains in Europe are really fun and shockingly easy once you get started. All the important signs will be in English as well as a local language. For most of them you can literally walk aboard just before it leaves and you are fine as long as you have a reserved seat, but the Eurostar works more like a flight with security and such so you have to be checked in at least 30 minutes in advance. Let me know if you have any other questions.

I won’t have time to update that other older article about trains vs planes vs buses, partly because these days there is a clear choice depending on which two cities you are going between. There are places in eastern Europe where there are advantages to each mode, but for the cities you’ll be doing the train is going to be the fastest, by far the most enjoyable, and probably the cheapest as well, at least once you factor in airport transportation costs. It’s going to be a great trip! -Roger

Thank you SO much for all of your help. Your in-depth website is an amazing resource! I get so lost in it and spend hours scouring your resources and links – it has everything anyone could need! And, the fact that you are also personally answering comments and offering personalized advice is mind blowing! Thank you for all that you do to inform us!

If you could suggest on a 14-15 day iterinary covering Athens, rome Milan paris London and Finland from New Delhi / Mumbai.

If you have 14 to 15 days I’d suggest choosing about 5 cities in total to visit. So your list should work out fairly well, although it depends on how much of Finland you’d hope to see. I’m guessing you must have a specific reason for wanting to go there? Finland normally isn’t very popular and honestly there isn’t much to see. Helsinki is, in my opinion, the least interesting of the Nordic capitals, although it’s pleasant enough and the country has some nice forests. If you are visiting relatives or something, that requires different planning of course.

It might be easiest to fly from Mumbai to London and then use that as a base. You could spend a few nights there and then fly to Helsinki and back after that or Helsinki to Paris for a few days. After Paris you could fly to Milan or Rome and then take a train to the other and then fly to Athens to finish your trip.

Milan actually isn’t a popular tourist city. It’s the home of most of Italy’s big banks and fashion brands, but neither of those are accessible to most tourists. Italy has amazing fashion shopping in Rome as well as Florence. Venice is also more popular. I hope this helps and I’m happy to help more if you have questions. -Roger

Comment* Planning first trip to Europe Want to do tour of England, Scotland, Wales and then to Paris for sites and Monet Gardens. Might take train to Brussels and Bruge. Then to Switzerland and home. Any suggestions what tour group to contact. Want slower pace trip…at least 3 weeks. Thank you.

I enjoy helping people plan independent trips, and I honestly don’t know much about booking all-inclusive tours like you are after. I’d imagine you’d have to do at least a few different tours to cover all the places you have in mind. The one outfit that I am familiar with is Rick Steves, who I am a huge fan of for his Europe travel guides and I know he has a big tour organization. I’d start with them and see if they have anything that fits what you are looking for. Best of luck. -Roger

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Delightful Europe Holiday Tour Rated 4.3 /5 (based on 393 reviews) Delightful Europe Holiday Tour

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View of Florence after sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo.

Panoramic view of the Colosseum (Coliseum) in Rome.

Ponte Rialto and gondola at sunset in Venice.

Enjoy the scenic Vienna Town Hall at dusk.

Explore Budapest at night and enjoy the scenic views.

Hotel included in package:

• Florence (1D)
• Venice (1D)
• Salzburg (1D)
• Vienna (1D)
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• Prague (2D)
• Frankfurt (2D)

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Get set to tour some of Europe’s most fabulous destinations on this 12 days Europe tour package. Head to some of the most scenic attractions and go on city tours and boat rides on this Euro holiday. With our 12 days Europe tour package from India, here’s your chance to discover some unique attractions while you sail through the exotic locations of Europe. Explore the spectacular and splendid locations with our international holiday package on a tour of treasure. And, indulge in scenic landscapes, magnificent architecture and diverse experiences that take your senses on an excursion of another world.

Bestselling Europe Tour Packages

Let’s embark on a trip to Europe- the sixth largest continent in the world, the mere mention of which conjures up a trail of beautiful experiences. From Prague to Rome to Frankfurt, Venice and Vienna, there are plenty of iconic destinations for one to explore on this fabulous Europe tour package from India. Enjoy comfy stays, taste some delicious local and international cuisines, pick up a wide range of artefacts and brush up on your local languages on this Euro holiday tour. Make these 12 days in Europe more magical by interacting with the locals and make some new friends as well as some great memories. Travel by canals in Venice, go on a boat ride along the Danube River, enjoy a scenic cruise along the Moldava River in Prague, go on fun city tours of Venice,  Rome, Vienna, Budapest, Florence and Prague and visit mesmerizing attractions like the Colosseum, City Hall Square in Vienna, Via Cavour in Rome,  Saint Mark´s Basilica, Vaci Utca in Budapest, Prague Castle and the Murano Glass Factory in Venice. Comprising a list of the most visited tourist attractions and best places to savour sumptuous cuisines, our travel packages for Europe are certainly going to provide you with a blissful experience on your next vacation. So, are you excited to explore the magical surroundings of Europe with us? Then, take our recommendation, and avail this amazing opportunity through our Europe 12 days 11 nights tour packages as it takes you off to a voyage that introduces you not only with the majestic wonders of this place but also with a rejuvenated you. Moreover, as our travel package also provides you with some excellent travel related services to make this journey hassle-free, and that at such affordable rates, should you not delay this tour anymore.

Customize this 12 days Europe itinerary according to the traveler’s needs and preferences to include city tours of some of Europe’s most famous attractions. Book this Euro holiday package now and enjoy the holiday of a lifetime in some of the most glittering locations!

• Get on a tour of Roman wonders, like: Vatican City, the Colosseum
• Visit Piazzale Michelangelo for panoramic view of the city of Florence
• Cherish stunning landscapes of Venice
• Enjoy the view of splendid mountains in Salzburg
• Treat your taste buds to local & international cuisines in Budapest
• Visit phenomenal attractions like Prague Castle

Rome: Arrival

• Leisure Day

Other Benefits (On Arrival)

Your 12 days in Europe starts from the gorgeous landscapes of Rome.

Upon arrival at the Rome international airport, you will be transferred to the hotel and check in. Freshen up and rest for a bit.

In the evening, you will be transferred to the Trastevere area where you can stroll around the narrow cobbled streets and view modest medieval churches and small shops with peculiar objects. Taste some delicious Italian fare at the trattorias (informal Italian eating establishments) and osterias (inns). 

After exploring the area, return to the hotel in Rome and relax.

Rome: City tour

• Sightseeing Tour
• St. Peter’s Basilica

Day 2 of this 12 days Europe itinerary involves a delve into the history of Rome with a city tour.

Start the day with a delicious breakfast and then head out for a scenic tour of The Eternal City: Rome. Visit the Vatican city and view St. Peter’s Basilica as well as the Roman Colosseum. 

The Coliseum dates back 2,000 years and gives you an enriching depiction of the history of the Roman empire. Try some of the local cuisine here and then head to the Via Cavour area. Go shopping for local souvenirs here and also try some yummy food at the multitude of restaurants here that serve Italian, Chinese, Indian, and international food. 

Catch up on some sleep at the hotel in Rome.

Florence: Arrival & City tour

• Sightseeing
• Piazza della Signoria

Explore the beauty of Florence on this Europe trip package from India.

After an early breakfast, check out of the hotel and then head north towards Florence. En route, enjoy the beautiful landscapes and valleys. As you arrive at Florence, check into the hotel and then head straight to Piazzale Michelangelo. This square provides a panoramic view of the city of Florence. 

In the evening, you will be taken for a tour of the historic centre, where you can view Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, and Piazza della Signoria. Explore this magnificent city and go shopping and try some tasty local food. Head back to the hotel in Florence and sleep.

Distance from Rome to Florence: 273 kms

Time taken  (Rome to Florence): Approx 2 hrs

Venice: Arrival

• Canal Cruise
• Murano Glass Factory

Venice is your next venue for this 12 days Europe tour.

Enjoy a yummy breakfast and then check out of the hotel. Head towards the stunning landscapes of Venice and en route enjoy the view of the  Apennine Mountains. Upon arrival in Venice, check into the hotel and then board a Vapporetto to roam around the canals and explore the historic center. 

A local guide will take you around the splendid Plaza de San Marcos and set foot in the marvellous basilica. After exploring the basilica, visit the Murano glass factory city and watch crystal blowing in action. Enjoy a delicious meal in the Mestre area, where you can choose from various kinds of cuisines. Head to the hotelin Venice after an eventful day and rest.

Distance from Florence to Venice: 255 kms

Time taken (Florence to Venice): Approx 2 hrs

Salzburg: Arrival

• Breathtaking Scenery
• Unlimited adventure

Proceed to the exotic locales of Salzburg in Austria on this 12 days Europe tour package.

Enjoy a sumptuous breakfast and then depart from Venice and head towards Verona.The guide will take you all over Romeo and Juliet’s city and you can feel the romantic vibe all around! 

Continue on the journey towards Salzburg and en route enjoy the view of the beautiful mountains. The guide will take you all around the beautiful streets of this historic centre. Check into the hotel in Salzburg upon arrival  and then rest for the night.  

Distance from Venice to Verona: 121 kms

Time taken (Venice to Verona): Approx 1 hr

Distance from Verona to Salzburg: 451 kms

Time taken (Verona to Salzburg): Approx 4 hrs

Vienna: Arrival

Enjoy a mesmerizing tour of Vienna on this 12 day Europe tour. 

Devour a tasty breakfast and then check out of the hotel and head to Vienna and enjoy a scenic visit with a local guide. Explore the majestic avenues, the palaces and the grand city centre of this beautiful destination. Next, head to the Schönbrunn Palace and stroll around the gorgeous gardens on this Europe trip package from India.

In the evening, head to City Hall Square and enjoy the lighting and the nightlife of the neighboring streets. Dine at one of the many restaurants on this square. Check into the hotel in Vienna and rest.

Distance from Salzburg to Vienna: 295 kms

Time taken ( Salzburg to Vienna): Approx 3 hrs

Budapest : City tour

• Scenic Landscapes

Immerse yourself in the splendor of the city of Budapest on this 12 days Europe tour itinerary.

Begin the day with a nutritious breakfast and then check out of the hotel. Depart for Budapest and enjoy the scenic landscapes en route this journey.

On arrival in Budapest, check into the hotel and enjoy some delicious local Hungarian cuisine. Go on a scenic tour of the “Queen of the Danube”. Explore the various attractions of the historic Buda and cosmopolitan “Pest”. 

After an eventful day, head to the lively VACI UTCA area, where you can try all kinds of local and international cuisines. Head back to the hotel in Budapest and catch up on some sleep.

Distance from Vienna to Budapest: 242 kms

Time taken (Vienna to Budapest): Approx 2 hrs

Budapest: Boat tour

• Danube Promenade
• Leisure Time

Go on a scenic boat cruise of Budapest during these 20 days in Europe.

Begin the day with a healthy breakfast and then head out for a boat tour along the Danube River and enjoy the views of the parliament and the city en route.

After the tour ends, eat a delicious meal and then head back to the hotel and rest. The rest of the day can be spent at your own leisure and go shopping in this beautiful city and enjoy a tasty meal at one of the fine eateries there. Get back to the hotel in Budapest to rest.  

Prague: Overnight cruise

Explore the magical sights and sounds of Slovakia and Czech Republic on this 12 days in Europe tour.

After an early breakfast, check out of the hotel and then head to Bratislava in Slovakia and you will get to see some picturesque sights along the Danube. As you arrive, explore the city and then try out some of the local cuisines.

Proceed towards Prague and upon arrival, first check into the hotel and then go on a sightseeing tour of Old Town Square which is full of touristic activities. Have a delicious meal at any of the restaurants here and then head back to the hotel in Prague and sleep.

Distance from Budapest to Bratislava: 201 kms

Time taken (Budapest to Bratislava): Approx 2 hrs

Distance from Bratislava to Prague: 328 kms

Time taken (Bratislava to Prague): Approx 3 hrs

Prague: City tour

• Unlimited Fun

Take a tour of the Baroque jewel of Europe:Prague on this Europe in 12 days tour.

Start the day with a grand breakfast and then head out for a guided city tour where you will get to visit phenomenal attractions like the Prague Castle. Next, go on a boat tour along Moldava River.

Go ahead and explore the scenic sights of Prague and go shopping for some amazing apparel and goods in this fashion paradise. In the evening, you will be taken to the historical city center where you can enjoy delicious food from the variety of restaurants there.Head back to the hotel in Prague to rest.

Frankfurt: Explore Bavaria Germany

• Market Square

The last stop of this 12 days Europe itinerary is in the land of concrete wonders: Frankfurt.

Enjoy a tasty breakfast and then check out of the hotel. Head to Bavaria and explore the picturesque sights along the way.  Proceed towards Frankfurt and tour the historic center and dine at any of the local or international restaurants here. Check into the hotel in Frankfurt and sleep.

Optional: Alternatively, en route Bavaria, you can head to the picturesque village of  Lauf An Der Pegnitz where you can explore the Market Square and the Castle in all its splendor. Also you can take a tour of Wurzburg and explore this university city and enjoy a delicious meal on the banks of the River Maine. 

Note: This option can be availed for INR 7350 extra.

Distance from Prague to Bavaria: 356 kms 

Time taken ( Prague to Bavaria): Approx 3 hrs

Distance from Bavaria to Frankfurt: 313 kms

Time taken ( Bavaria to Frankfurt): Approx 3 hrs

Frankfurt: Departure

This marks the end of your Europe tour itinerary.

After a yummy breakfast, check out of the hotel and proceed to the airport. Board your flight back home.

Note: Our agents will provide you these or similar hotels depending on availability

Hotel delta florence

Via Vittorio Emanuele 3 Florence - 50041, Italy

• Air conditioning
• Pets allowed
• Room service

Ibis salzburg nord

Carl-Zuckmayer-Str. 1, 5020 Salzburg, Austria

Teplicka 492/19, Prague 190 00, Czech Republic

Hotel american palace eur

Via Laurentina 554 Rome - 00143, Italy

Ibis frankfurt city messe hotel

Leonardo-da-Vinci-Allee 40 Frankfurt - 60486, Germany

Arion cityhotel vienna

Hintschiggasse 1, Vienna 1100, Austria

Danubius hotel arena

Ifjusag Utja 1-3 Budapest - 1148, Hungary

Michelangelo venice hotel

Via Forte Marghera 69, 30173, Mestre, Italy

• Europamundo General Services : Travel by bus with English speaking guide, basic travel insurance, and breakfast buffet
• Includes arrival transfer
• Boat: Vaporetto along the canals in Venice, Boat Trip along Danube River, Boat Tour along Moldava River in Prague
• City tour in : Rome, Florence, Venice, Vienna, Budapest, Prague
• Evening Transfer: Via Cavour in Rome, City Hall Square in Vienna, Vaci Utca in Budapest
• Ticket admission: Coliseum, Saint Mark´s Basilica, Murano Glass Factory in Venice, Prague Castle
• Anything not specifically mentioned in Inclusions

Your Preferences

Where do you want to go?

FAQs for Europe

Which side in budapest is better for tourists to explore in a day.

Budapest has two sides : Buda and Pest that can be explored with ease by travelers. For a more quiet experience, head to Buda that is filled with hilly landscapes. For a more lively and cultural scene, head to the Pest side. The Pest side also has a more lively nightlife scene tourists will enjoy. 

Do the local people in Venice speak English?

Yes, most of the local people in Venice do speak English. However, some locals also speak a mix of English and Italian and tourists should brush up on some basic Italian phrases. Travelers can also contact the Travel Triangle tour agents to customize their 12 days europe itinerary to include local guides who can translate Italian phrases for them.

What is the penalty tourists have to pay in Vienna if they are caught travelling without a ticket on public transportation?

Tourists in Vienna have to pay a certain minimum amount of Euro 103 within three days of the violation, which is known as Schwarzfahren.

What are the top things to do in Venice for a fun-filled vacation?

Some of the top things to do in Venice for a fun-filled vacation are:

• Capture the amazing view from the Rialto Bridge
• Admire the architecture of St. Mark’s Church
• Explore the magnificent Grand Canal
• Participate in the Carnevale Festival if you happen to be in Venice in February
• Get Insta-worthy photos at the Burano Island

What are some of Rome’s greatest tourist attractions?

Rome is one of the most riveting and exotic destinations in Europe that is a famous tourist spot. It has many scenic attractions like:

• St. Peter's Basilica
• Vatican Museums
• Trevi Fountain
• Roman Forum
• Piazza Navona

Contact the tour agents at Travel Triangle to include these attractions in this Europe tour itinerary. 

What are some good souvenirs to buy in Rome?

Some of the good options for souvenirs to buy in Rome are:

• Italian Coffee
• Glass works
• Leather products
• Italian cheese
• Gourmet food

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20 one-week europe trip itinerary ideas.

Wondering where to spend one week in Europe? These 20 ideas for your Europe trip will help you decide how to maximize your time.

This post contains affiliate links

How to Choose the Best One Week Itinerary for a Europe Trip: 20 Europe Itinerary Ideas

If you’re like most people and getting time off work or kids out of school is challenging, you may only be able to manage one week of vacation. Europe is a great destination to go for one week, simply because of the cultural diversity in such a small geographic area.

The small size, proximity, and ease of transportation between many of the countries in Europe make it a good choice for a culturally rich one week holiday. If you’ve only got one week in Europe, and really want to maximize your time, but you’re wondering where to go in Europe, here are 20 perfect one-week Europe travel itineraries.

No time to read this now? Pin it for later!

• Before You go to Europe

Europe is an amazing destination, especially if you pick any of these awesome itineraries, but before leaving there are a few things you should consider when planning your Europe trip:

• KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: Before you go to Europe, be sure you follow my 50 travel tips for Europe. You can find those here. 

And the winter months are generally cold in most European countries, especially in the north.That doesn’t mean you should avoid those times, it just depends on your tolerance for crowds and your preference in weather.

• WHAT TO PACK FOR EUROPE: What you pack for Europe will highly depend on what time of year you go and where you decide to go. This  packing guide for Europe will ensure you have the essentials.
• GETTING AROUND: Getting around Europe can be a little daunting, but if you do some research before you go, you’ll be just fine. Transportation in every country in Europe is a little different. I’ve linked many of my articles with helpful advice below like   How to Survive Train Travel in Italy   and   Driving in Scotland . Some itineraries will require you to go by train, car, plane or boat. Travel around Europe doesn’t have to be scary if you learn what to do ahead of time.

If you’re renting a car, there are two companies we prefer to use: Rental Cars and Expedia Cars. We have had no issues with them and have been able to find the best prices available.

What to do in Europe for One Week: 20 European Vacation Ideas for Your Europe Trip

These are my best one week vacations in Europe. Taking a multi city European vacation can be a great way to experience several different cultures on one continent. I know that one week in Europe isn’t a lot of time, so I’ve picked cities that are either close in proximity or a quick and cheap flight between each other.

I’ve also tried to choose each Europe travel itinerary with a mix of classic sites and unique destinations. There are so many cool places to visit in Europe that are still undiscovered. Hopefully, some of these locations will be new to you and you’ll be able to discover a new European favorite!

Here's a Short Cut

1 | Amalfi Coast + Rome

2 | paris + london, 3 | ireland + iceland, 4 | heidelberg, germany + strasbourg, france, 5 | colmar, france + basel, switzerland, 6 | interlaken + lucerne, switzerland, 7 | lake como, italy + zermatt, switzerland, 8 | paris + normandy, 9 | iceland and the scottish highlands, 10 | venice and lake como, 11 | the ionian islands, greece, 12 | ireland + northern ireland, 13 | edinburgh + scottish highlands, 14 | colmar + strasbourg, 15 | loire valley + paris, 16 | london + cotswolds, 17 | cinque terre + florence, 18 | prague + vienna, 19 | budapest + bratislava, 20 | lucca + sardinia, 21 | lisbon + algarve, 22 | vienna + hallstatt + salzburg , 23 | croatia + montenegro, 24 | budapest + bratislava + vienna, practical tips for booking your trip.

This is one of my very favorite European vacation destinations. There are hundreds of choices for stunning history and scenery when you visit Italy, but this Amalfi Coast and Rome itinerary gives you the best of both worlds. Rome is one of the top places to visit in Europe and offers history around every corner…literally, while on the Amalfi Coast you will be overwhelmed by breathtaking ocean views.

Spend several days in Rome, then head south to the Amalfi Coast via Naples and spend a few more relaxing on the beach and driving the coast. It’s one of the best European beach vacations you can take! Amalfi is also one of the most popular Europe vacation spots during the month of August, so you may want to take that into consideration when planning your trip.

Check out these other 5 amazing itineraries for Italy.  Italy is one of the best countries to visit in Europe due to its size and variety of landscapes, cultures, and attractions.

GETTING THERE: Fly into Rome

GETTING BETWEEN CITIES: Getting from Rome to Amalfi is easy. Take the train from Rome to Naples, from there take the bus to Sorrento. There are many tour buses that travel along the coast, or you can rent a car and do the driving yourself.

WHERE TO STAY Rome | Amalfi RESOURCES How to Spend One Day in Rome Family Guide to Rome How to Spend 2 Days in Naples How to Survive Train Travel in Italy The Best Places to Visit in Italy How to Spend 10 Days in Italy Tips for Renting a Car in Europe i Heart Italy

If you’re looking for a European vacation with a lot of history and class, this is it! I can’t even count the number of times that I have done the Paris/London combo. I’ve done it with kids, as a couple, as a girls’ trip, and as a field trip. No joke! And every time I go, it’s like completely different cities. You can follow completely different options for London and Paris itineraries and have an amazing time no matter what you choose. In my opinion, these are two of the best cities to visit in Europe as they offer a huge amount of culture, food, and entertainment bang for your buck!

When I plan our family trip to Europe each year, I make sure to always include both Paris and London. These are two of my favorite places in all of Europe. They are popular for good reason. Both Paris and London are so vast and diverse that you can have a new experience each time you visit. The best part about visiting these two cities is that they are very easy to travel between with the help of the Eurostar. It’s a quick journey from the heart of one city to the next that requires no airports, no flying, and no hassle. Note: You will need a   passport or visa   to travel between England and France and you will need to go through customs before boarding the Eurostar.

I’ve created an easy-to-use day-by-day itinerary for Paris and London so that you can show up and enjoy your trip. 

GETTING THERE: Fly into London or Paris GETTING BETWEEN CITIES: Take the Eurostar

WHERE TO STAY Paris | London

RESOURCES Paris Walking Guide Paris with Kids Foods You Must Try in Paris Paris Neighborhood Guide How to Use the Paris Bike System London Travel Guide Perfect London Itinerary London with Kids Christmas in London Paddington’s Guide to London How to Use the Paris Bike System

If you’re looking for a European vacation with wild nature and rural beauty, this option is a winner. While both of these spectacular islands really deserve their own week (or weeks really), a trip combining the two is possible, thanks to affordable flights between Iceland and Ireland. A good route would be Reykjavik and the Golden Circle, combined with the west of Ireland including Killarney, the Ring of Kerry, and the Cliffs of Moher. These countries are some of the best places to go in Europe if you love majestic natural beauty.

GETTING THERE:  Fly into Iceland as its one of the cheapest ways to get to Europe. GETTING BETWEN COUNTRIES:  From Iceland , take a quick flight to Ireland. Dublin , Belfast , Cork, or Shannon Airports are usually where you’ll find the best deals.

WHERE TO STAY Ireland | Iceland

RESOURCES Iceland on a Budget Bucket List Things to do in Iceland Iconic Things to do in Dublin Day Trips from Dublin What to do in Killarney Perfect Ireland Itinerary Ireland with Kids Ireland Packing List

This one-week European itinerary includes two of my favorite cities in Europe! Heidelberg, Germany, known for its ancient castle and walkable downtown is a perfect companion to Strasbourg, France only an hour and a half away, in the Alsace region of France, known for its impressive cathedral and half-timber houses. These towns are particularly spectacular during the Christmas season and some of the best places to spend Christmas in Europe. This will be the best Europe itinerary for those looking to spend time in provincial looking towns!

GETTING THERE:  Fly into Frankfurt, Germany GETTING BETWEEN COUNTRIES:  Drive for 1.5 hours or take the train for 1.5 hours.

WHERE TO STAY Heidelberg | Strasbourg

RESOURCES Best European Christmas Markets European Christmas Market Treats What to do in Strasbourg What to do in Heidelberg, Germany What to do in Strasbourg, France

If you want to spend your Europen vacation wandering charming streets and feeling like you’re in a fairytale, this is it. Basel, Switzerland holds a special place in my heart and is often an overlooked town. Only a quick 45-minute train ride from the popular and iconic Colmar, France, Basel offers a unique culture that only a town on the border of three countries can. Basel is especially fun during Herbstmesse, the local Autumn Fair when the city literally turns into a fair! Combine these two beautiful cities for a one-of-a-kind holiday.

GETTING THERE: Fly into Basel or Zurich GETTING BETWEEN CITIES:  Drive 45 minutes or Train 30 minutes

WHERE TO STAY Colmar |  Basel

RESOURCES What to do in Basel Guide to Colmar, France

No European vacation list would be complete without including the unimaginable beauty of the Swiss Alps. Switzerland is a wonderland of natural beauty for the outdoor enthusiast or even anyone who has a remote interest in pretty scenery! It’s one of the best countries in Europe for those who love outdoor activity and natural beauty. It’s just jaw-droppingly gorgeous.

For such a small country, there is so much to see and with two of Switzerland most breathtaking areas just a few hours from each other, it’s worth visiting both of them. These areas offer pristine lakes, ancient gorges, colossal mountains, and a vast array of cultural activities.

GETTING THERE: Fly into Zurich, Switzerland GETTING BETWEEN CITIES: Train to Lucerne, Train to Interlaken

WHERE TO STAY Interlaken | Lucerne

RESOURCES Switzerland Itinerary Swiss Food Guide Switzerland Packing List 24 Hours in Zurich What to do in Interlaken What to do in Lucerne

If you’d like your Europe trip to have a good mix of beach and mountain time, this is the perfect combination. Lake Como is probably one of my top favorite places on the planet. It is totally magical and peaceful, and I’ve written about it multiple times and helped friends and family plan trips there. Don’t skip Lake Como on your next trip to Italy. One of my favorite parts of Lake Como is its proximity to the Swiss border. You can actually hike over the borer and into Switzerland! But if you’d rather not hike, hop in the car and take a trip to Zermatt, Switzerland, home of the famous towering mountain, Matterhorn.

GETTING THERE: Fly into Milan, Italy GETTING BETWEEN CITIES: Drive 3 hours to Zermatt or take a 4 hour Train ride from Milan

WHERE TO STAY Lake Como | Zermatt

RESOURCES Guide to Lake Como Boating Lake Como Guide to Zermatt Best Places to Visit in Italy How to Spend 10 Days in Italy i Heart Italy

This is a European vacation full of charm, but also a healthy dose of history and reality. A Paris-Normandy itinerary of Europe combines all the glamor and romance of the city of light with the charm, history, and beauty of Northern France. Spend several days in Paris, taking several day trips, including the impressive floating Mont Saint Michel. This area is one of the best places to visit in Europe for history lovers.

GETTING THERE: Fly into Paris GETTING BETWEEN CITIES: Drive 3 hours

WHERE TO STAY Paris | Normandy

RESOURCES Paris Itinerary Paris Walking Guide Paris with Kids Foods You Must Try in Paris Paris Neighbgorhood Guide Guide to Normandy Guide to Visiting Mont Saint Michel France with Kids

Two naturally and culturally beautiful countries are just a short and cheap flight apart and a great combination for a one-week European itinerary, although both countries could take weeks to explore on their own.  Spend a few days in Iceland, then take a cheap hopper flight and explore the mystical highlands of Scotland.

GETTING THERE: Fly into Reykjavik GETTING BETWEEN COUNTRIES: Fly into Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, or Aberdeen

WHERE TO STAY Iceland | Scotland

RESOURCES Iceland on a Budget Scotland Itinerary What to do in Inverness What to do on the Isle of Skye Scotland Packing List

Some of my favorite Italian destinations, Venice and Lake Como, both built on water, are ideal locations for aquatic enthusiasts. Taking a ride on a gondola in Venice is one of the best things to do in Europe! Take the Vaporetto (water bus) in Venice, then take a short drive or train ride to Lake Como and enjoy boating and relaxing on the beach in one of the adorable villages lining the lake.

GETTING THERE: Fly into Venice or Milan GETTING BETWEEN CITIES: 3.5 hours by car or 10 hours by train

WHERE TO STAY Venice | Lake Como

RESOURCES Guide to Lake Como Boating Lake Como Surviving Train Travel in Italy Guide to Venice Best Places to Visit in Italy How to Spend 10 Days in Italy i Heart Italy

If you’re interested in cheap Europe trips, the gorgeous Ionian islands of Greece are one of the best-kept secrets in Europe. Naturally and culturally diverse, affordable, and downright beautiful, Kefalonia and Corfu make great choices for one week in Europe.

Explore ancient ruins, relax on pristine beaches with locals, and dine, affordably, like a Greek god. If you’re travelling Europe on a budget, this is a great option and Greece is one of the best places to visit in Europe in summer if you’re looking for gorgeous beaches at affordable prices.

GETTING THERE: Fly into Kefalonia from London on Ryanair GETTING BETWEEN ISLANDS: Take a ferry between the Ionian Islands from Greek Ferries

WHERE TO STAY Kefalonia | Corfu

RESOURCES Guide to Kefalonia Greece The Ionian Islands The Best Beaches on Corfu What to Wear in Greece Guide to Athens

Two countries on one island? Yep! Take a visit to Ireland AND Northern Ireland. Two countries that are very similar, but also very different. Explore the entire island with this perfect itinerary.

GETTING THERE: Fly into Dublin or any airport in Ireland GETTING BETWEEN COUNTRIES: Rent a Car. Driving in Ireland can be tricky and slow, but worth the views and the adventure.

WHERE TO STAY Ireland | Northern Ireland

RESOURCES The Best Places to Visit in Ireland Perfect Ireland Itinerary Ireland with Kids What to do in Killarney Scotland and Ireland Itinerary Ireland Packing List

Scotland is one country that should really be given an entire week. You could definitely say that about any destination, but for a relatively small country, but it has so much to offer that you could spend years here and not see it all.

For one week in Scotland, I recommend visiting Edinburgh and the Scottish Highlands, including the Isle of Skye. Read here for an entire Scotland Itinerary, here for Edinburgh , here for Inverness and the Highlands , and here for the Isle of Skye.

GETTING THERE:  Flying into Edinburgh is usually the cheapest option. GETTING BETWEN AREAS:  It’s best to rent a car or hire a driver or tour company. Be sure to read my guide to driving in Scotland.  

WHERE TO STAY Ediburgh | Inverness | Isle of Skye

RESOURCES Perfect Scotland Itinerary What to do in Edinburgh What to do in Inverness What to do on the Isle of Skye Scotland Packing List

What could be more charming than a week spent in these “poor provincial towns.” Ok, so they’re definitely not poor or provincial, but you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into Belle’s hometown from Beauty and the Beast .

The ancient half-timber homes built along scenic rivers provide a feast for the eyes, while the patisseries, boulangeries, shops, and restaurants provide a feast for the tongue. Split your time between these two idyllic towns and enjoy a peaceful trip back in time.

If you visit Colmar or Strasbourg during Christmas, these towns will be even more magical! Strasbourg is known as “The Capital of Christmas” and both towns have incredible Christmas markets and decorations!

GETTING THERE:  Fly into Zurich GETTING BETWEEN COUNTRIES:  30 minutes by train or 1 hour by car

WHERE TO STAY Colmar | Strasbourg

RESOURCES 24 Hours in Zurich Guide to Colmar Guide to Strasbourg The Most Magical European Christmas Markets Must-Have European Christmas Market Treats 

Divide your time between the ancient and modern city of light and the historic Loire Valley , home to magnificent palaces, stunning gardens, and green pastures. This one-week itinerary is the perfect balance between city and country life and will provide you with a mix of excitement, peace, and romance. It can be hard to squeeze everything you want into one week European itineraries, but this is a must!

Be sure to map out the castles and palaces you want to see along the way. Our favorite is Chenonceau ! Don’t miss it!

GETTING THERE: Fly into Paris GETTING AROUND:  Rent a car and drive two hours to the Loire Valley

WHERE TO STAY Loire Valley | Paris

RESOURCES Walking Guide to Paris Paris with Kids Day Trips from Paris Foods You Must Try in Paris Guide to the Loire Valley 15 Affordable Castles You Can Stay In

This London and Cotswolds Itinerary provides the best of both British worlds, encompassing both the hustle and bustle of one of the world’s oldest and largest cities and the peace and tranquility of the quaint cottage speckled Cotswolds.

As much as I love London (it’s my favorite city), I do get tired of the crowds and the constant noise. It is so refreshing to get into the countryside and have a change of scenery during your time in London. The Cotswolds are a fairytale-like dream trip. Be sure to grab cream tea every chance you get!

GETTING THERE: Fly into one of three London Airports GETTING AROUND: Rent a car and explore the whole Cotswolds area

WHERE TO STAY London | Cotswolds

RESOURCES London Travel Guide Complete Guide to London Perfect London Itinerary London with Kids Paddington’s Guide to London Christmas in London Guide to the Cotswolds

I call this itinerary the best of Northern Italy. Italy is huge and has so much to offer geographically and culturally, but one of my favorite parts of Italy is the train system. The trains in Italy allow for easy access to most major sites, but it can be slightly confusing, so be sure to read this guide to train travel in Italy before you go. Getting between Florence and Cinque Terre is simple with the right knowledge.

The great thing about this itinerary is that you will get to see a big city full of culture, history, and art, and also spend time swimming at the beach and on a boat soaking up rays in in the Liguerian Sea. Read here for Florence, here for Cinque Terre, here for Trains in Italy.

GETTING THERE: Fly into Florence GETTING BETWEEN CITIES: Two hours by train

WHERE TO STAY Cinque Terre | Florence

RESOURCES Guide to Cinque Terre Guide to Florence How to Survive Train Travel in Italy Best Places to Visit in Italy How to Spend 10 Days in Italy

I think Prague and Vienna might be some of the most underrated cities in Europe, and they are worth dedicating an entire week to. Stunning architecture, delicious cuisine, and cultural activities abound in these cities that are just a few hours apart.

GETTING THERE: Fly into Vienna or Prague GETTING BETWEEN CITIES: 3-hour drive or 4-hour train ride

WHERE TO STAY Prague | Vienna

RESOURCES One Day in Prague What to do in Vienna

If you’re looking for cheap European vacations, the farther east you go, the cheaper it generally gets. These are two cities that had never really been on my bucket list, and to be honest, I had never even heard of Bratislava, which is in Slovakia by the way! Both cities are charming and culturally rich. They are especially festive and beautiful around Christmas time.

Bratislava is on the way between Budapest and Vienna (you can even cycle between Budapest and Vienna ) and Budapest and Prague, so if you’re thinking of doing a combination of any of those cities, it’s a great stop.

GETTING THERE: Fly into Budapest GETTING BETWEEN CITIES: 2 hours by car, 2.5 hours by train

WHERE TO STAY Budapest | Bratislava

RESOURCES What to do in Budapest European Christmas Markets What to do in Bratislava

These incredible destinations in Italy are not well known, but that is part of the appeal. I would say they are a good option for a cheaper and less crowded alternative to the  Florence and Cinque Terre itinerary.

Lucca is a walled city in Tuscany offering stunning architecture and culture with great family fun activities such as riding bikes along the top of the medieval wall around the city. Sardinia is a heavenly island, just a ferry ride away full of breathtaking beaches, delicious food, and friendly locals. Known as one of the five blue zones in the world- places in the world where people live longer and healthier than anywhere else on earth-Sardinia will make you feel younger and more alive just by visiting.

GETTING THERE: Fly into Rome or Florence GETTING BETWEEN DESTINATIONS: Take a Ferry from Civitavecchia to Olbia

WHERE TO STAY Lucca | Sardinia

RESOURCES One Day in Rome What to do in Lucca Sardinia Best Places to Visit in Italy How to Spend 10 Days in Italy What to Wear in Italy

Portugal is a beautiful country full of diverse landscapes, amazing beaches, and cultural city centers. Lisbon is a stunning city and the Algarve region in the south of Portugal offers sunny beaches with world-famous surfing. There are some really cheap flights to Lisbon from the US right now and you can either drive, train, bus, or fly to the Algarve easily. As a southern European country, Portugal is a great choice for a winter destination. We were there last January and could still get in the water. There are many towns to choose from in the Algarve and they are all equally unique and beautiful. 

GETTING THERE: Fly into Lisbon GETTING BETWEEN DESTINATIONS: Take a plane, car, or bus to the Algarve.

The Perfect Portugal Itinerary

This one week in Europe spent in Austria is a dream. Combining the culture of Vienna and Salzburg with the picturesque feel of Hallstatt, it’s sure to satisfy any traveler. In my opinion, this is a great winter destination if you don’t mind the cold. Vienna and Salzburg have several amazing Christmas markets and Hallstatt is simply a dream to see in the snow! 

GETTING THERE: Fly into Vienna GETTING BETWEEN DESTINATIONS: Take a train to Salzburg (2.5 hours). A great way to see Hallstatt is to take a day trip from Salzburg.

Hallstatt Day Trip

European Christmas Markets

Christmas Market Treats

If you’re into coastal towns, walled cities, and breathtaking scenery, this combination is for you. The Dalmation Coast is absolutely stunning. The bordering country of Montenegro is really the hidden gem of Europe, offering the same draw as Croatia, but with far fewer tourists. I recommend going during shoulder season (April-May or September-October) to be able to enjoy warmer weather with fewer crowds. 

GETTING THERE: Fly into Dubrovnik, Croatia  GETTING BETWEEN DESTINATIONS:  Take a Day Trip to Montenegro

Two of the most underrated cities in Europe if you ask me, Budapest and Bratislava are both cities that offer an amazing array of culture and also incredible food. If you’re up for the cold weather, these cities all have incredible Christmas markets and stunning decorations around the holidays. These cities are also all connected by rail so you can easily navigate between them. 

GETTING THERE: Fly into Vienna or Budapest GETTING BETWEEN DESTINATIONS: Take the train between each city. Bratislava would be a good day trip from Vienna.

25 | Berlin + Prague

If you love history and architecture, then these two cities will captivate you! Split your time between the two, rent a car and take a road trip between them to enjoy some beautiful scenery. 

GETTING THERE: Fly into either Berlin or Prague, whichever airport is cheaper.  GETTING BETWEEN DESTINATIONS: Rent a car and take a road trip between Berlin and Prague.

Whichever Europe Itinerary you choose, you’re guaranteed to love it. You can definitely see so much of Europe in a week and you really can’t go wrong with any of these choices. Just remember to relax and enjoy and also remember that this probably won’t be the last Europe trip of your lifetime.

Not the Trip You Need?

Not exactly the trip you’re looking for? Don’t worry, I also offer custom trip planning by request for many destinations! Learn more here.

Book Your Flight s and Car Find a budget airlines by using  Skyscanner . This is my favorite way to search for flights because they crawl websites and airlines around the globe, so you always know you’re getting the best deal. Learn more tips for finding the best flight deals here. For cars, I like to use Rental Cars because they have good filters and its easy to search for multiple companies.

Book Your Accommodation My preferred way to stay around the world is VRBO . I find it usually gives you a unique local experience in any destination. If you want to stay in a hotel, use  Booking , as it consistently gives the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels. I use them both all the time.

Always Get Travel Insurance Travel insurance protects you and your family against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s peace of mind in case anything goes wrong. I never travel without it. I’ve been using World Nomads for the last few years and love how easy it is to use. I have also used Allianz . Compare rates to see which is best for the coverage you need.

Looking for ways to save money on travel? Check out my  resource page  for the companies I use for traveling! I share everything I use to save me time and money.

Wanderlust Crew

9 thoughts on “ 20 one-week europe trip itinerary ideas ”.

Hi there, My husband and I will be celebrating our 20th anniversary next March and would love to go somewhere in Europe for a week. I have only been to Italy (over 20 years ago) and he’s never been. I’m a bit overwhelmed by even trying to figure out where to go. Can you help? Thanks! Hannah

Hi Hannah. I can definitely help! I’ve got several Italy Itinerary ideas for Italy here: https://wanderlustcrew.com/10-days-in-italy/ I also do custom trip planning, specifically for Italy, if you’re interested in that, you can find more info here: https://wanderlustcrew.com/custom-travel-planning/ Italy will be so much fun! One of my favorite places on earth! xo Vanessa

Very helpful! Thank you. We are planning a one year stay & this helped with our itinerary tremendously.

Oh that sounds amazing! You’ll see so much!

Great ideas! We hope we’ll be able to travel to Europe again soon!

Thanks so much! Me too! Going as soon as it’s safe!!

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Very good these tips I was even thinking about taking a vacation for a few days, thank you

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The Ultimate 2 Week Central Europe Itinerary: 3 Perfect Routes

Last Updated on January 11, 2024

by Maggie Turansky

Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. That means if you click a link and make a purchase, we may make a small commission. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, see our privacy policy.

Planning a 2-week Central Europe itinerary is one of the best ways to see some of the most beautiful towns and cities on the continent without breaking the bank. The countries of Hungary, Czechia, Poland, Austria and the like have so much to offer visitors including fairytale-like Old Towns, beautiful natural scenery, and unique national cuisines.

If you want an introduction to Europe, are keen to dip your toe into Eastern Europe or are just interested in this unique and beautiful part of the world, you can’t go wrong with exploring the lovely nations that makeup Central Europe.

So whether you have many weeks to spend in Central Europe or are just keen to plan the perfect 2-week itinerary, we’re here to help you plan your ideal trip to this incredible region.

Table of Contents

How Many Days in Central Europe?

One question that many potential visitors ask themselves before they go to Central Europe is how long they should spend in the region. And my answer is that it really depends on what you want to see and how many places you want to visit.

The region is vast and encompasses several different countries and sub-regions and one could easily spend months in Central Europe and continually find new things to see and do.

If you only have a short amount of time to play around with and want to get the most out of your trip to this region, I would recommend planning to spend no fewer than 10 days for your trip.

A 10-day Central Europe itinerary is enough to give you a good feel for the region, however, it will likely prevent you from digging deeper and visiting more offbeat areas or spending longer in various destinations.

If you can, we think that the ideal period of time for a short trip is 2 weeks. Spending 2 weeks in Central Europe will allow you to hit some top cities in the region and also give you the chance to really get to know various countries and smaller towns and municipalities.

You can both get the opportunity to dig a bit deeper and gain a good understanding of the region while also still whetting your appetite for where you can visit next time you get a chance to travel to Central Europe.

One thing to keep in mind no matter how long you have to dedicate to your Central Europe travel itinerary is that it is impossible to see absolutely everything so make sure to prioritise what you want to visit.

Getting Around Central Europe

In general, it depends on your budget and which countries you plan to visit in Central Europe to figure out the best transport options, however, there are a number of different routes you can take (no pun intended).

If you’re planning to rely on public transportation while on your Central Europe trip, then your best bet in most countries would be to plan to get from city to city by the wonderful train. Train travel in a lot of Europe is some of the best in the world and, for the majority of Central European countries, this region is no exception.

Trains are typically reliable, reasonably quick, and comfortable and there are ample routes between major municipalities that you’re unlikely to be standard or have to make a million connections so long as you’re not going too far off the typically trodden path.

Trains are generally fairly affordable, however, if you want to get the best prices, it is always a good idea to book your journey at least a few days, if not a few weeks, in advance. We recommend using a service called Omio to do this — it aggregates most routes and will show you the cheapest prices available for your travel dates.

The bus is another good, viable option for intercity transit in Central Europe. Bus routes and plentiful and the typical quality of the coaches is good, as well. Bus journeys tend to be slightly more affordable than train journeys, however, they are also not nearly as comfortable and tend to be a bit slower as you have to contend with traffic, etc.

If you’re interested in getting around Central Europe by bus, I recommend booking through Omio again, as well.

If you want to have a bit more flexibility, have an easier time at getting off the beaten path, or simply don’t want to be at the mercy of inconvenient train or bus timetables, then renting a car could be a good option for you.

While you really don’t need a car in big cities and towns in Central Europe (all of the city centres are incredibly walkable and public transit is quite good), it can be really helpful if you want to get out into nature or visit some areas with fewer public transit connections.

If you’re interested in hiring a car in Central Europe, we suggest using Rentalcars.com in order to find great prices on a car rental.

Prague-Vienna-Budapest Itinerary

The most iconic of the Central Europe itineraries is arguably a route through the incredible cities of Prague, Vienna, and Budapest. Visiting the capital cities of Czechia, Austria and Hungary is sure to leave you starry-eyed and ignite your wanderlust to explore the region in more depth.

Taking 2 weeks for a Budapest-Vienna-Prague itinerary is quite ideal as it allows you to explore these three incredible cities while also stopping at a few great places and smaller towns and cities in between.

Days 1-3: Prague

Sart this classic Central Europe itinerary in the incredible, iconic Czech capital of Prague. This city is incredibly famous and popular for a reason: it is absolutely beautiful, deeply historic, easy to navigate and packed with fun and interesting things to do. Because you have three full days to spend in Prague, you also have the opportunity to cover quite a bit of ground and really get to know this great city.

Of course, make sure to take the time to visit all the top spots in Prague including the Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, the astronomical clock, the Jewish Quarter, the Lennon Wall and much more. It’s also vital that you take the time to sample some traditional Czech cuisine and, of course, the inimitable Czech Pilsner.

Czechia has some of the best beer in the entire world and it is such an important part of the culture that you really can’t miss sampling some of this iconic beverage. Oh, a pint is also famous for being cheaper than a bottle of water — so make sure to enjoy those affordable prices in Prague!

If you’re interested in seeing more of the Czech Republic beyond its capital, use one of the days in this itinerary to go on a day trip. There are countless amazing places to visit from Prague and it is sure to give you a great view of what life is like in Czechia.

If you want to get a bit off the typical tourist trail, it is possible to head to the incredible town of Olomouc as a day trip. You could also head west and visit cities like Karlovy Vary or Pilsen.

After enjoying several great days in Prague, it’s time to head on to your next destination!

Where to Stay in Prague

Miss Sophie’s Downtown – This quaint boutique hotel in Prague’s first district is the perfect place to stay if you’re looking for a cute and romantic option. They have a range of rooms available, a fantastic, central location, and great amenities to ensure your trip to Prague is a great one.

Grand Hotel Bohemia – One of the best-rated hotels in Prague, they have a range of stylish and elegant rooms and are located in the heart of the Old Town. There is a restaurant on-site and breakfast is included in the daily rate.

Onefam Miru – A small family-run hostel in the Vinohrady neighbourhood that makes for a great base for exploring Prague. The staff make a real effort to share insider tips on the city and they also have affordable private rooms.

Not quite what you’re looking for? Click here to browse other hotels in Prague.

Day 4: Cesky Krumlov

Though often treated as a day trip, plan to leave Prague on your fourth day and head south to spend a night in gorgeous Cesky Krumlov . Known for being one of the most picturesque towns in the Czech Republic, you would be forgiven for thinking that you’ve been transported into a fairytale.

Cesky Krumlov is often struggling under the weight of overtourism, so it’s a good idea to spend a night here in order to minimise your impact on this small town.

And while you’re here, there is quite a lot to do. Take the time to get lost in the old town, wander through the massive Cesky Krumlov castle and simply enjoy the scenery along the Vltava River.

Where to Stay in Cesky Krumlov

Pension Kristian – This plush hotel is located a stone’s throw from the castle. They have plenty of great rooms and also offer free on-site parking for those on a road trip.

Pension Faber – Centrally located, this is a great mid-range option in Cesky Krumlov. Located in the Old Town, they have several comfortable rooms and a friendly and helpful staff.

Hostel Postel – Backpackers will love this hostel located right in the old town. They have both dorms and private rooms to choose from along with good self-catering facilities and common areas.

Not quite what you’re looking for? Click here to browse more Cesky Krumlov hotels!

Day 5-6: Salzburg

Over the next two days, it’s time to leave the Czech Republic and venture south into beautiful Austria. And your next stop will be the historic city of Salzburg .

Famous as the filming location for The Sound of Music and as the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Salzburg is also home to some of the most iconic Christmas markets in the region if you happen to be visiting in December.

With two days in Salzburg, you will have time to visit the iconic Hohensalzburg Fortress, wander through the old town, see the gardens at Mirabell Palace and maybe even visit a traditional Austrian beer all at the Augustiner Brau brewery.

Where to Stay in Salzburg

Gästehaus im Priesterseminar – Located in the centre of Salzburg, this mid-range hotel is an excellent choice in Salzburg. There are lots of different rooms to choose from and a fab breakfast available.

Boutique Hotel Auersperg – This boutique hotel is a good choice for those looking for an elegant stay in Salzburg. A family-run institution, there are several plush rooms available and an unbeatable location.

Yoho International Youth Hostel – Located in a lovely, local neighbourhood within easy reach of the top attractions, this hostel is great for backpackers They have a range of dorms and even show The Sound of Music nightly.

Not quite what you’re looking for? Click here to browse more Salzburg hotels!

Days 7-10: Vienna

One of the most iconic cities to visit on any Central European trip is Vienna , Austria’s gorgeous capital. Known for its grand architecture, fantastic cafe culture and beautiful cityscapes, Vienna is really an incredible city to visit no matter what kind of European route your find yourself on.

Take at least two days to explore the city to its fullest, taking in all of the main sites like the Hofburg Palace, Vienna State Opera House, Schonbrunn Palace, the Spanish Riding School, Belvedere Palace and many others.

Also, no visit to the Austrian capital would be complete without spending a least a little bit of time relaxing in a streetside cafe and experiencing the famous coffee and pastry culture that Vienna is so well known for.

Because you have the time if you’re following this particular itinerary, it is also a great idea to go on a day trip from Vienna.

One of the most popular is to the Slovak capital of Bratislava , which is only about an hour from Vienna. You could also head to Austria’s lovely second city of Graz , which is also a great place to visit as a day trip (or to spend more time if you want to extend your trip)!

Where to Stay in Vienna

Motel One Wien – Hauptbahnhof – A great, centrally located hotel that is situated close to the main train station. They have a number of clean and comfortable rooms and there is an option to include breakfast in the morning.

Hotel Brauhof Wien – If you’re after a bit of luxury in Vienna, then this 4-star hotel is a great option for you. Centrally located, they have numerous chic, clean and comfortable rooms available and great amenities to make your stay in Austria’s capital a great one.

Hostel Ruthensteiner – A great, family-run hostel that is perfect for budget backpackers and solo travellers. They have both private rooms and dorm beds available and great common areas to meet other travellers.

Not quite what you’re looking for? Click here to browse more Vienna hotels!

Days 11-14: Budapest

One of the most iconic cities to have on any Central Europe itinerary has got to be Budapest. Arguably one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Budapest is full of incredibly interesting things to do and offers so much beyond its main sights.

Take your first few days in Budapest to visit the top sights un the Hungarian capital, including the Parliament Building, Andrassy Utca, the Citadel, Fisherman’s Bastion, Buda Castle and Matthias Church, the Dohany Street Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter and the moving shoes on the Danube memorial.

Of course, no trip to Budapest is complete without taking the time to soak in a thermal bath in at least one of its iconic bathhouses, taking a leisurely stroll along the Danube River, and partying until dawn at the famous ruin bars.

There are so many things to do in Budapest during the time allotted in this itinerary that I wouldn’t even recommend taking a day trip during this time.

Where to Stay in Budapest

Butterfly Home Danube   –   A lovely boutique hotel located close to the banks of the Danube on the Pest side of the city. They offer a range of private rooms with breakfast included daily.

Monastery Boutique Hotel – A wonderful luxury option, this boutique hotel is located a stone’s throw from Fisherman’s Bastion in the quiet Buda side of the city. They are a range of plush rooms on offer and numerous other amenities to ensure that you have the best time in the Hungarian capital as possible.

Lavender Circus Hostel – A small cosy hostel that is well located and the staff go out of their way to ensure travellers meet each other and have a good time.

Not quite what you’re looking for? Click here to browse other hotels in Budapest!

Have More Time?

If you have more than two weeks and want to expand on this Prague-Vienna-Budapest itinerary, then you have a lot of options available. First off, you could visit a few more places in the Czech Republic — including Olomouc, the second-largest city of Brno or the industrial city of Ostrava.

You could also extend by heading into Poland and exploring the cities of Krakow, Warsaw, Wroclaw, and Poznan .

If you’re interested in seeing more of Austria, consider heading south to the country’s second-largest city of Graz.

Hungary-Slovakia-Poland Itinerary

If you’re more interested in heading a bit off the well-trodden path, then this is a great route for you! Starting is the wonderful city of Budapest, this itinerary instead winds you through Slovakia, into the imposing High Tatras and onto some charming Polish cities.

Days 1-4: Budapest

Begin your itinerary in Budapest, which is an excellent starting point when exploring this area of the world as it can act as a gateway to Eastern Europe.

And while I think that the more days you have to spend in Budapest, the better, the three full days allotted in this itinerary is more than sufficient to get a great feel for the city, see its top sites, and even venture a bit deeper into the Hungarian capital.

Days 5-6: Bratislava

From Budapest, hop on a train or bus (or rental car!) to the Slovakian capital of Bratislava! This capital city is quite small and often only visited as a day trip from Vienna, however, you can a bit more out of the city if you opt to spend a night and one full day here.

You can take your time when it comes to visiting the top sites and wandering through the charming Old Town, where you would be a bit rushed if you only had a day trip here.

While Bratislava certainly isn’t the most beautiful or exciting of Central European capitals, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t worth visiting and you’re sure to enjoy yourself in this lovely, compact city.

Where to Stay in Bratislava

Smart&Green Living by Ambiente – This is a wonderful place to stay in Bratislava if you want a clean and comfortable self-catering apartment with hotel-like amenities. There are a range of different apartments available and its central location is ideal for exploring the Slovak capital.

Hostel Folks – If you’re travelling on a budget or solo, then this hostel is an excellent choice. There are a range of dorm beds available, great common areas, and a convenient central location making it the perfect base to explore Bratislava.

Not quite what you’re looking for? Click here to browse more Bratislava hotels!

Days 7-8: High Tatras

After spending a day in the Slokavian capital, it’s time to head to the incredible High Tatras that straddle northern Slovakia and southern Poland. These beautiful mountains are popular retreats for locals but tend to see fewer foreign tourists, especially on the Slovak side.

If you’re interested in visiting the Tatras in Poland, one of the most popular and developed towns to is Zakopane, which is great as a summer retreat for hiking and mountain sports and also an affordable winter skiing destination.

On the Slovakian side, consider heading to sleepier Ždiar, which doesn’t get nearly the amount of tourism as Zakopane but has its own charm and is very much worth visiting. It is also a ski resort in the wintertime.

Days 9-12: Krakow

From the chilled-out vibes of the mountains, it’s time to head to another of the most iconic cities in Central Europe — Krakow. This beautiful city is compact and absolutely charming and very much worth exploring for a few days.

We recommend planning to spend 3 days in Krakow , which is plenty of time to see the Old Town and castle, explore the trendy Kazimierz quarter, visit some of the city’s moving museums and to go on a day trip or two.

If you’re visiting Krakow, note that it is within easy reach of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp museum. This makes for an excellent and important, though harrowing, day trip. Alternatively, consider visiting the Wieliczka Salt Mine which is definitely more lighthearted.

Where to Stay in Krakow

Q Hotel Kraków  – A great mid-range hotel, located a little outside the city centre but well connected by public transport. There are a range of clean and comfortable rooms to choose from with the option to include breakfast.

PURO Krakow Kazimierz – An excellent luxury option in Krakow, this cool hotel is located in the hip and trendy Kazimierz neighbourhood of the Polish city. They have a number of chic rooms available and even a spa and wellness centre to take the stress out of all of your travels.

Mundo Hostel – one of the best hostels to stay at in Krakow if trying to keep costs down . They offer a delicious free breakfast and nightly social activities that are a great way to meet other travellers to experience Krakow’s famous nightlife.

Not quite what you’re looking for? Click here to browse other hotels in Krakow

Days 13-14: Wroclaw

On your final stop, it’s time to get a bit off the beaten tourist path in Poland and head to one of the country’s most charming cities, Wroclaw. This city is compact but oozing with personality and classic Central European vibes that you’re sure to fall in love in the short time you have here.

Known for being a vibrant student city, Wroclaw also has a lot of quirks hidden throughout it’s classic Polish Old Town. One of the most fun things to do in Wroclaw is to go “dwarf hunting.” Basically, there are countless small dwarf statues scattered throughout the city centre and they’re always up to something different.

There are also many lush parks and even some islands in the river to hang out on, as well.

Where to Stay in Wroclaw

PURO Wrocław Stare Miasto – A modern hotel located a few hundred metres from the Old Town Square, this is a great place to stay in Wroclaw for couples or solo travellers. There is an option to include breakfast in the daily rate.

Grampa’s Hostel – A budget traveller’s dream as it offers free breakfast, free dinners some days of the week and also organises a range of great social activities that make it easy to meet other travellers.

Not quite what you’re looking for? Click here to browse other hotels in Wroclaw

If you have time, consider spending more time exploring Poland, including heading to the capital of Warsaw, onto the charming town of Poznan or even to the historic Baltic port town of Gdansk.

If you have lots of time to play around with, you can always combine this itinerary with the extended stops in Poland and then onto the Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Czechia-Poland Itinerary

If you’re looking to dig deep into a couple of destinations during your 2 weeks in Central Europe, consider spending time in both the Czech Republic and Poland. These countries have quite a bit to offer visitors and so many tourists don’t venture beyond the most popular cities.

Begin this itinerary in Prague, the Czech capital. Spend your first couple of days exploring the city and then maybe another day on a day trip to one of the many places surrounding the capital.

From Prague, head south and plan to spend then night in gorgeous Cesky Krumlov. There is a lot to love about this town and it’s delightful to wander around in the evenings, after the day trip crowds have dispersed.

Days 5-6: Olomouc

From Prague, hop on a train or bus to one of our favourite cities in the region, Olomouc! This small Czech city is absolutely beautiful and it has yet to be “discovered” by mass tour groups, so you can really enjoy all of its traditional charms.

Olomouc has a large student population that gives it a young and vibrant energy and a lovely old town that is sure to take your heart. There are lots of things to see and do in Olomouc and make sure you take the time to really enjoy the laid-back vibes of this unique and beautiful city.

Where to Stay in Olomouc

Miss Sophie’s Hotel   – An excellent boutique hotel in a renovated house that offers a range of private rooms suitable for couples and families. There is the option to include breakfast in your daily rate and the staff can help organise your time in Olomouc.

Long Story Short – A funky hostel that is spread across two floors in a renovated apartment in central Olomouc. There’s a large common room and the staff have plenty of recommendations on things to do and day trips in the area.

Not quite what you’re looking for? Click here to browse other hotels in Olomouc.

Days 7-10: Krakow

From Olomouc, it’s time to head to Krakow and enjoy a few days exploring this iconic city. Make sure to take in the main site, enjoy the vibrant nightlife and trendy culture, but also take the time to learn about its heartbreaking history.

Spend three full days in Krakow before heading onto…

Days 11-12: Wroclaw

End your itinerary in the charming city of Wroclaw and enjoy its more laid-back vibes and quirky personality.

Though we love Wroclaw and actually find it to be one of our favourite cities in Poland, you can also choose to end this itinerary in the Polish capital of Warsaw.

Days 13-14: Warsaw

End your 2 weeks in the Polish capital of Warsaw , a bustling metropolis with a lot of history and things to offer visitors. Despite being the largest city in Poland, visitors can easily explore the highlights within the confines of two days, so it makes for an excellent place to visit to round out your itinerary.

Spend one day exploring Warsaw’s old town (which was entirely reconstructed after being demolished during WWII) and seeing the Royal Castle. Of course, no visit to the city is complete without indulging in your body weight’s worth of pierogi!

For the rest of your time in Warsaw take in some of the city’s top museums (such as the Warsaw Uprising Museum) and lounge in Lazienki Royal Park.

If you have more time to devote to this itinerary, then you can easily spend more time and see more cities and towns in both the Czech Republic and in Poland. In Czechia, consider visiting some other cities like Brno or Ostrava or even heading into nature with some hiking in the beautiful Jeseniky Mountains.

In Poland, head onto charming Poznan and spend some time wandering through beautiful Wielkopolska National Park. If you’re interested in history and seaside charms, then consider venturing further north to explore the Baltic port city of Gdansk.

Planning out the ideal trip to Central Europe can be an overwhelming experience with so many different routes available. While there are countless things to see and cities to visit, spending 2 weeks (or more!) in this region is never something you’re going to regret.

Are you planning a trip to Central Europe? Have any questions? Let us know in the comments!

Related Posts:

The Ultimate 2 to 3 Days in Salzburg Itinerary

Salzburg or Vienna: Which Austrian City to Visit?

Prague or Krakow or Budapest: Which City to Visit?

About Maggie Turansky

Maggie is a co-founder and writer for The World Was Here First. Originally from the US, she has lived in five different countries and has travelled to dozens more, both solo and with her partner, Michael. She particularly loves exploring Spain and spending time in the Caucasus and the Baltics. Read more about Maggie

Hi, First let me thank you for the wonderful and of course very useful trip guides that you’ve been helping passionate travellers, with !! My wife and I (both in our mid sixties) are weighing two options for a fortnight’s trip in early January 2025 – 1) – PRAGUE – SALZBURG – VIENNA – BUDAPEST I have read your wonderfully detailed suggestions including visiting out and staying at OLOMOUC or KARLOVY VARY as well as CESKY KRUMLOV. Visting cities like GRAZ etc. With not too much of a restriction on time, we can plan so as to cover the most at a comfortably easy pace. The hurdle for us is TRANSPORTATION and daily commuting – We are most comfortable with a guide cum chauffeur who will take us along as our Man Friday of the trip. This is how we have covered Greece, Jordan, Central Asia, African countries etc. Renting a car on a self-drive would be something I would love to avoid. It would be a very big and relieving assistance if you could please suggest some service providers from whom we could avail this facility ?

Alternatively 2) HELSINKI (including Porvoo and Turku) – ROVANIEMI (including Ivalo) Here again we would like the same services of a Chauffeur driven car both for Helsinki and the Lapland region.

Sorry to bother you with such a lengthy post !

Regards Soumitra Choudhury India

Me and my wife are planning to visit central Europe for 10-14 days to cover the most in one trip. We are flexible to include new destinations. We must have Prague, Budapest and some beautiful cities in Poland. Can you please help us with a good itinerary, where to stay, for how long, mode of travel etc. We shall be travelling from Colombo, Sri Lanka and need to keep Greece in the itinerary.

Very helpful information. We are working on a two week winter trip that (we think) needs to begin and end in Vienna. Is there a circular path that you would recommend that accomplishes that? Krakow seems too far, and we’ve been to Salzburg, although we could revisit. Would appreciate your thoughts.

Hi Margaret, thanks for your comment! A great Central European route that would work for two weeks could be Vienna-Graz-Maribor-Ljubljana-Vienna. Not too long of journey times between cities, they’re all absolutely lovely and you can easily get a lot out of them in a two-week period. Alternatively, you could head to Prague and travel a bit around the Czech Republic as well. Hope this helps!

Maggie and Michael. Wonderful to get your latest thoughts on Europe, especially with pictures. With more countries opening up it is certainly getting our travel mojo moving. Even here in Canada there is more talk of tourism. And those of us with 2 shots are very anxious to travel. Thanks again for the very motivational communication.

Happy to hear that you’re fully vaccinated and getting ready to travel again, David! Hope that you can hit the road and explore someplace new soon.

Hi Team, We are travelling to Eastern central Europe, July 2019 we have booked sail trip around Croatia, though we have 3 days before we sail, we could fly from Prague to Zadar, or do a 3 day tour from Prague to Zadar through Bled, Lubjiana, Zagreb then plitvic lake Zadar, but having trouble working out the options.

Hi Peter, I think 3 days isn’t enough to see all of Bled, Ljubiana and Zagreb! I’d suggest either picking one place to stop on the way or flying between Prague and Zadar and spending more time in the Czech Republic. Hope you have a great trip!

Hello Michael,

I am interested in your Poland Itinerary. You haven’t included Gdansk, is it worth visiting this place or is it better to discover Wroclaw instead? I am interested in Warsaw and Krakow of course. Is late April/early May a good time to visit Poland? Look forward to hearing from you Thank you,

Hi Peter, I haven’t been to Gdansk before, however, Wroclaw is my favourite city in Poland so I definitely recommend visiting there if you can! Weather can still be variable at that time of year but crowds will be a lot less than the summer months. Hope you have a great trip!

Gdansk is such a beautiful city, I would totally recommend to visit it. However, it is located in the very north of Poland which could become an inconvenience in terms of times and schedules

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5 Europe Itineraries to Check Off While You’re Young — Perfect for First-Time Solo Travellers

All the fun Europe has to offer — without the hassle of planning.

A Europe vacation is the bucket list trip. It’s such a vast continent with so many incredible countries, each with their own unique personalities.

But everyday commitments ( urgh , work) make it tough to coordinate holiday dates with friends — I’ve had trips that haven’t made it out of the group chat after two years. 😞 At this rate, I might be visiting Greece in a wheelchair.

In this case, why not just pack up and travel solo? You can even meet new friends and form lasting memories along the way.

Last year, we travelled across England and Scotland with Contiki , and it was a nice change from having to plan everything on a trip! We could make the most of every moment — from sharing meals with fellow travellers to trying a new sport (Curling, anyone?).

And Contiki’s trips are catered to young people (age 18 – 35), so it’s easier to connect with one another.

Trip are also reasonably priced — a 12-day Europe itinerary covering eight countries starts from S$2,647 (excl. flights)! This includes cities like Rome, Paris and London and covers all accommodation and transport, plus most meals and activities.

Intrigued? Here are five epic European adventures that are ideal for solo travellers who are sick of travel plans being forgotten in group chats 🙌

Europe Itineraries Overview

1) Spain Itinerary (12 days, from S$1.6k) 2) England and Scotland Itinerary (9 days, from S$1.9k) 3) Greece Itinerary (11 days, from S$2.5k) 4) Norway Itinerary (8 days, from S$3k) 5) Europe Itinerary (12 days, from S$2.5k)

Click to jump to each section.

Contiki’s itineraries are customisable too, so there are optional add-on activities including those focusing on sustainability. These activities are labelled [MAKE TRAVEL MATTER Experience] — but more on that at the end.

1) Best of Spain — 12-Day Spain Itinerary from S$ 1.6k

Get ready to immerse in the land of Gaudí, tapas and music. This Spain itinerary features big cities like Madrid, Barcelona and Ibiza, as well as lesser-known towns like Bilbao and Pamplona.

Madrid – Burgos – Pamplona – Bilbao – San Sebastián – Zaragoza – Barcelona – Ibiza – Valencia – Granada – Toledo – Madrid

Photo credit: @jorgefdezsalas via Unsplash

This Spain itinerary starts in the lively capital of Madrid ! Visit some of Madrid’s biggest landmarks like Puerta del Sol (the main square) and Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (home of Real Madrid), before meeting up with your new Contiki squad.

Photo credit: @davidvives via Unsplash

From Madrid, travel north to the charming towns of Burgos and Pamplona . Burgos is best known for its French Gothic cathedral which was constructed in the 13th century.

Pamplona might sound a little familiar — one of the new characters in season five of Money Heist was named after the town! Explore the old town and gothic-style Pamplona Cathedral, then end the day with a regional specialty — fresh trout.

For some cultural immersion, take a day trip to Bilbao — home to the famous Museo Guggenheim . The building itself is a masterpiece, designed by American architect   Frank Gehry — the same man behind the Dancing House in Prague and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

Photo credit: @zoom_en_vadrouille via Instagram

Next up is the seaside resort town of San Sebastián . It’s known for world-class Basque (a Southwestern European ethnic group) cuisine and has the third-most Michelin stars per capita! So of course, you’ve got to try pintxos (appetisers similar to tapas ) while there.

Optional add-on: Go on an authentic pintxos bar hopping tour and discover where the locals hang out.

Stop by Zaragoza for churros and to see its lovely old town, before arriving at the bustling city of Barcelona . Take some time to wander the streets of the Gothic Quarter (one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods) and La Rambla (Barcelona’s Orchard Road).

Fun fact: The Gothic Quarter is where Picasso held one of his first exhibitions and is also home to Barcelona’s oldest restaurant,  Can Culleretes  (established in 1786).

[MAKE TRAVEL MATTER Experience]: Enjoy a local dinner at Mescladis cafe — a non-profit that’s all about social cohesion!

One of the best things to do in Barcelona is marvel at the incredible work of Antoni Gaudí. His resume includes La Sagrada Família , Park Güell , and Casa Batlló . Trust me, you’ll want some time to admire these one-of-a-kind buildings.

Optional add-on: Explore Barcelona via a guided bike tour for an immersive local experience and uncover hidden alleys most tourists miss.

Read also: 16 Best Things to Do in Barcelona Besides the La Sagrada Familia

Photo credit: @michaeljamescreates via Unsplash

The next stop on our Spain itinerary needs no introduction — Ibiza , the world’s number one party destination. You’ll be glad to have company to make the most of Ibiza’s legendary nightlife with! For those who prefer to chill, the island has beautiful beaches perfect for snorkelling and local markets to explore.

Optional add-on: Hop on an Ibiza party boat and cruise around the Balearic Islands with your new Contiki mates 🥳

Photo credit: @17_wei via Unsplash

After two nights in Ibiza, it’s time to return to the mainland and straight to the port city of Valencia .

Optional add-on: Paella cooking class, anyone? Valencia is where the tasty dish was invented — so there’s no better place to learn how to make it!

Photo credit: @dimitry_b via Unsplash

Next up, Granada . This Spanish city is unlike any other — it was a Muslim kingdom for 800 years and its mix of Arab and Spanish cultures is still seen today. Visit the Muslim quarter of Albaicín and try some Arab pastries and coffee.

Granada is also home to Spain’s second-most visited attraction, Alhambra Palace . It’s a Moorish palace complex that sits atop Sabika Hill — meaning you’ll get the best views of the city from here!

Photo credit: Contiki

Optional add-on: Flamenco is a traditional dance accompanied by live music. It originated in southern Spain, and Granada is one of the best places to catch a performance!

Before heading back to Madrid (the start and end point of this Spain itinerary), make a stop at the hill town of Toledo . Its historic quarter is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; take your time to admire the well-preserved medieval layout.

Check out Contiki’s 12-Day Best of Spain trip itinerary .

2) England & Scotland — 9-Day England and Scotland Itinerary from S$ 1.9k

Welcome to the United Kingdom, or more specifically, England and Scotland ! These countries offer an incredible mix of history and modern-day culture — you’ll need at least a week to get a sense of it all.

London – Liverpool – York – Lake District National Park – Edinburgh – St. Andrews – Scottish Highlands – Loch Ness – Glenfinnan Viaduct – West Highlands –  Stirling – Glasgow – London

First stop, London ! This city is filled with famous landmarks you’ve probably seen in numerous blockbusters — we’re talking Big Ben, the London Eye and Buckingham Palace.

Next on the England leg is Liverpool — birthplace of The Beatles and home to Liverpool Football Club. For fans of The Beatles, there’s a “ Magical Mystery Tour ” that showcases some of the band’s favourite spots including Penny Lane and Strawberry Field.

York is a town boasting 2,000 years of history — catch glimpses of it at Minster, the Shambles and Clifford’s Tower.

Optional add-on: This may intrigue or spook you, but York is the  most haunted city in the world . For the brave souls, sign up for a guided ghost walk to visit creepy alleyways and haunted buildings.

With endless green pastures and sparkling lakes, Lake District National Park is something straight out of a fairytale. It’s England’s largest national park, home to Scafell Pike (England’s tallest mountain!).

Optional add-on: Sail along England’s largest lake by going on a Windermere Lake cruise.

Journey north from England to Edinburgh , Scotland’s historic capital. It’s the perfect place to dig into your first Scottish meal of the trip.

Optional add-on: Try haggis — the national dish of Scotland — while being serenaded by a bagpiper! For those who’ve never heard of haggis , it’s a pudding composed of sheep’s liver, heart and lungs. Now’s a good time as any to try something new 😉

Photo credit: @mzm0203 via Unsplash

Spend the next day exploring everything Edinburgh has to offer, starting with Edinburgh Castle — one of Europe’s oldest fortified palaces. After that, go shopping along Princes Street (the city’s main shopping street!).

Optional add-on: Scotland is the world’s largest whisky producer, so it’s no surprise that whisky is the country’s national drink! Grab some drinking buddies and go on a guided tour to indulge in the finest local whiskies. 🥃

Stop by St. Andrews en route to the Scottish Highlands; it’s the birthplace of golf!

After that, it’s the main attraction of the day — the Scottish Highlands , a mountainous region known for dramatic landscapes and top-tier whisky. Here you’ll find Loch Ness lake , where the legend of the Loch Ness Monster was born.

Read also: 9D UK Itinerary Under S$3k — From London to Scotland

Photo credit: @jack_anstey via Unsplash

Potterheads will surely recognise this next stop — Glenfinnan Viaduct . It’s the famous railway crossed by the Hogwarts Express!

Photo credit: @charlieurban_ via Instagram

After that, head to Glasgow . This city is known for friendly locals and an incredible music scene — so much so that it was named a UNESCO City of Music in 2008! On average, there are 130 music events each week, so you’ve got a high chance of catching one while visiting.

Glasgow is the last stop of this England and Scotland itinerary. Continue exploring Scotland, or take the Contiki bus back to London.

Check out Contiki’s 9-Day England and Scotland trip itinerary .

3) Greek Island Hopping — 11-Day Greece Itinerary from S$ 2.5k

Get ready for beautiful islands, rich history and fresh Greek cuisine — this Greece itinerary covers all the must-sees on your first trip to the land of the Gods ⚡.

Athens – Mykonos – Paros – Santorini – Ios – Athens  

Your Greek adventure kicks off in Athens — the heart of the ancient Greek empire. If you’re a fan of Greek mythology, you’ll love exploring the Acropolis (above) and the Temple of Poseidon.

Greece is made of 6,000 islands and islets scattered in the Greek Seas, of which only 227 islands are inhabited! So of course, island hopping is a must — starting with two nights on the stunning island of Mykonos .

Optional add-on: Mykonos offers more than island hopping. Go on a guided walking tour to discover little shops and alleyways in town!

Mykonos is also known for its lively beach clubs and bars — the perfect place to dance till the wee hours of the morning!🕺

Photo credit: @axpphotography via Unsplash

Next stop, Paros . This island in the Aegean Sea is known for its top-quality white marble, lovely Byzantine church and traditional villages.

Optional add-on [MAKE TRAVEL MATTER Experience]: For a more local experience, sign up for a trip to a local organic farm! Learn about Mediterranean produce like olives, grapes and herbs — while enjoying home-cooked goodies. This tour includes a visit to the quaint fishing village of Naoussa.

You’ve probably heard of this next Greek island , Santorini .

There’s plenty of free time to explore in Santorini, so it’s really up to you what to include in your itinerary. Work on your tan at Perissa Beach (a black sand beach), try local cuisine like domatokeftedes (Santorini-style tomato fritters) or go on a cruise tour!

Photo credit: @kodyg via Unsplash

Optional add-on: The Oia Visit Plus Volcano Cruise includes a trip to Oia, Santorini’s most famous village. It’s known for striking blue dome roofs and stunning sunset views. The tour also features stops at volcanic islands, where you’ll get to hike up a dormant volcano and swim in sulphur springs!

Photo credit: @johnnyafrica via Unsplash

Moving on to Ios — a Cycladic island with pristine beaches and vibrant nightlife.

Optional add-on: Zip across the gorgeous coastline of Ios via a speed boat tour! You’ll make stops to explore underwater caves, go reef-snorkelling and visit secluded beaches.

After over a week of visiting Greece’s dreamy islands, it’s time to return to Athens for your flight home.

Check out Contiki’s 11-Day Greece Island Hopping trip itinerary .

4) Norway Fjords and Northern Lights — 8-Day Norway Itinerary from S$3k

Vivid Northern lights, snowy adventures and vast landscapes that easily pass for movie backdrops — this Norway itinerary covers it all.

Oslo – Tromso – Honningsvag – Overnight Hurtigruten Cruise – Kirkenes – Oslo

Begin your Norway adventure in Oslo , the stunning Norwegian capital! Catch the daily changing of guard at the Royal Palace at 1:30PM, visit Oslo’s harbourside Opera House and try some local seafood.

Next, take a 2hr flight to Tromso — the world’s northernmost university town. It’s decorated with centuries-old wooden houses and a beautiful Arctic Cathedral with stained glass windows.

There’s plenty to do in Tromso, so we’ll be spending two nights here!

Another reason to visit Tromso? Low light pollution and its prime location in the aurora zone make it one of the best places in the world to catch the magical Northern Lights. On this trip, you’ll have a chance to witness this phenomenon alongside new friends.

If you haven’t got a clue what Norwegian cuisine entails, Tromso is a good place to learn. Dig into local dishes like grilled stockfish, reindeer sirloin or seagull eggs!

Optional add-on [MAKE TRAVEL MATTER Experience]: Spend an evening with the Sámi reindeer herders — the indigenous people of the Arctic. Learn about their culture and way of life, while enjoying a traditional dinner!

On the third day in Tromso, enjoy epic views of the city from the top of the 421m-high Mount Storsteinen. There are two ways to get there — via Fjellheisen cable car or by hiking up the 1200-step Sherpa staircase.

For a uniquely Arctic experience, rise early and opt for a snowshoe or snowmobile tour!

Photo credit: @elwindewitte via Unsplash

Time for an epic adventure on the seas — this Norway itinerary features two nights on a rugged Hurtigruten ship. Sail along the coastline towards Skjervøy (a small town), chasing the elusive Northern Lights.

Photo credit: @dyviknilsen via Unsplash

We’ll journey through Magerøysund Sound and stop by Hammerfest, before arriving in Honningsvåg — the gateway to North Cape . It’s Europe’s northernmost point, with a 307m-high cliff and home to colonies of puffins and gannets.

Photo credit: @sergey_lupkin via Instagram

The final port of the overnight Hurtigruten cruise is Kirkenes . It’s located close to the Russian border and is home to the world’s first snow hotel , Snowhotel Kirkenes! This hotel features 20 unique rooms carved by renowned ice sculptors, and the rooms are kept at a chilly -4°C.

Spend the day exploring Kirkenes and see landmarks like the Wartime Mothers monument.

Photo credit: @darya_tryfanava via Unsplash

Wrap up the trip with a night of drinks and live music back in Oslo — the same city you arrived in!

Check out Contiki’s 8-Day Norway Fjords & Northern Lights trip itinerary .

5) European Discovery – 12-Day Europe Itinerary Incl. 8 Countries from S$ 2.5k

It’s tough to pick just one country in Europe to visit — that’s what the European Discovery trip is for! From feasting in a German beer hall to romantic gondola rides down Venice’s canals, this Europe itinerary has plenty of iconic sights and experiences packed into 12 days.

London – Amsterdam – Munich – Innsbruck – Venice – Vatican – Rome – Florence – Lucerne – Paris

Photo credit: @pmason303 via Unsplash

Your grand tour of Europe begins in London! Sail along the White Cliffs of Dover — a dramatic stretch of English coastline — before arriving in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam is known for her canals, and a great way to take it in is by going on an evening canal cruise with your new Contiki pals! This city is also famous for her art and history, with top attractions like the Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank House .

Next, stay a night in the German town of Sankt Goar . It’s a great base to explore Rhine Valley, but not before a cosy night of wine-tasting in an underground candle-lit cellar.

You can’t visit Germany without seeing Munich — Germany’s unofficial beer capital (home to Oktoberfest!). Go on a guided walk of the city to see landmarks like the Rathaus-Glockenspiel (Munich’s famous Gothic clock), then tuck into pork knuckle in a traditional beer hall.

Goodbye Germany, hello Austria ! Head to Innsbruck , Austria’s very own adventure hub surrounded by snowcapped mountains and ski resorts.

Spend a night at Contiki Haus Schöneck — an Austrian ski chalet reserved exclusively for Contiki guests! Enjoy a hearty dinner prepared on-site (included with Contiki trip), then unwind with your travel companions at the cosy lounge.

For the best postcard view of Innsbruck, head to the River Inn where you’ll find these colourful houses along Mariahilferstraße Street.

Optional add-on: Innsbruck offers more than just winter sports — try white water rafting down the River Inn!

This Europe itinerary also includes a trip to Venice — the city of love, scenic canals and bridges. Spend a day wandering the winding streets and soaking in the beauty of the city. Plus it’s a perfect setting to get better acquainted with your travel mates!

Optional add-on: Gondolas have been a means of transportation in Venice since the 11th century. Put yourself in the shoes (read: boat) of past Venetians by going on a gondola ride!

Photo credit: @spencerdavis via Unsplash

Next up is Rome — and when in Rome, do as the Romans do. That means plenty of creamy gelato and appreciating the amazing architecture! The Vatican and Colosseum are just a few examples of Roman craftsmanship at its finest.

Optional add-on: Rome holds a rich history, so going on a tour with a local guide will definitely offer insight into places like the Vatican and Colosseum.

Photo credit: @ackley5 via Unsplash

For a la dolce vita (sweet life), venture to Florence . During your free time, visit the Duomo Cathedral, Ponte Vecchio (medieval arch bridge turned shopping street) and Uffizi Gallery.

Optional add-on: Celebrate your night in Florence by opting for a Tuscan dinner of local Chianti wine and food — accompanied by live local music.

On to the land of chocolate, watches and snow-capped mountains — Switzerland ! Explore Lucerne , home to Europe’s oldest wood-covered bridge of  Kapellbrücke , and the nine fortified towers of  Musegg Wall .

Optional add-on: Take a cable car up to Mount Pilatus  for magical views of the Swiss Alps. At the top, there are many hiking trails available but our favourite is the 40-minute Tomlishorn hike because it’s low effort, high reward.

Is it a complete Europe itinerary if we didn’t include Paris ? We’ll be spending two nights here so there’s plenty of time to see the Eiffel Tower light up at night, try uniquely French cuisine (like ratatouille and crepes ) and get inspired by art at the Louvre .

Optional add-on: End the trip on a high by going for a Nouvelle Eve Cabaret dinner and show with your Contiki squad.

Choose between a complimentary transfer to Paris Airport or stay onboard and journey back to London.

Check out Contiki’s 12-Day European Discovery trip itinerary .

Affordable Social Travel for 18 to 35-year-olds

Everyone loves to travel. But not everyone enjoys planning a trip. You’ve got to decide which attractions to include, and what accommodations to book — which sometimes makes a vacation feel like work.

Of course, none of that even matters if you can’t coordinate leave dates with your friends.

The great thing about Contiki is that they offer ready-to-go itineraries where everything is planned out. There’s no need to worry about researching or booking transport, hotels or anything! So you get to be more present during your trip — no distracting thoughts on what comes next.

Contiki trips are catered to young people (aged 18 – 35) from all over the world — so you get to meet new friends of various nationalities. It’s definitely a highlight of their trips.

Activities are also curated for young people — so there’s a nice mix of bar-hopping, walking tours, cooking classes, thrilling activities and more!

Plus, you’ll have a few hours of free time in each city, meaning you’re free to explore solo or sign up for optional add-ons with your newfound friends. Contiki also makes it a point to feature socially and environmentally responsible local businesses — like those labelled [MAKE TRAVEL MATTER Experience] above.

What sets Contiki trips apart from traditional tours is that they’re modular! You’re able to mix and match different trip segments to create the itinerary you want. For example, our UK trip consisted of three segments from London all the way to Ireland ( England and Scotland ,  Scotland , and  Scotland and Ireland ). And you can hop on and off the trip at any point in time!

No planning and new friends? It’s kinda perfect for those who want a fuss-free vacation. 🍹

Check out other Europe itineraries on Contiki.

Which Europe itinerary are you most interested in? Share with us in the comments below!

This post is brought to you by  Contiki .

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Thank you so much for sharing these ideas. My personal favorites are England, Greece, and Spain. Will love to visit Iceland and Scandinavia some day to see the Northern Lights.

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2 Weeks in Europe – 10 Excellent Trip Itineraries

Last Modified: January 31, 2024 //  by  Anda //   106 Comments

If you are planning a 2 weeks trip to Europe and need some itinerary ideas for your vacation you have come to the right place. As someone born and raised in Europe, I can give you some good advice when it comes to my home continent.

14 days may sound like a long trip, but not on this incredibly diverse continent. With so many attractions, sights to see and cultures to experience, your 2 weeks vacation in Europe will go by in the blink of an eye! 

Table of Contents

How to Plan a Perfect Europe Trip Itinerary

• london, paris, and amsterdam, • lisbon, madrid, barcelona , • rome, florence, and venice ,  • prague, vienna, and budapest.

•  • Berlin, Dresden and Wroclaw     
• • Zurich, Lucerne, Lugano and Milan      
• • Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen      
•  • Riga, Tallin, and Vilnius      
• • Athens, Istanbul, Bucharest        
•  • Ljubljana, Split, Dubrivnik, Kotor     

How to Plan a 2 Weeks Trip to Europe

• Tips for Spending 2 Weeks in Europe 

A Final Note

If this is your first time in Europe, you probably have quite a few places on your Europe bucket list . Without knowing anything about you or your interests, I can only give you basic, generic advice.

Below is a list of 10 suggested itineraries for for a 2-week trip to Europe. The itineraries are grouped according to the different European regions. However, you can choose any combination from the cities listed here, according to your tastes and interests.

Best Western Europe Trip 2-Week Itinerary

These three cities have more than enough to keep you engaged for 2 weeks. You can easily spend the entire two weeks in Paris , if you were to visit all its amazing churches and museums.

London, Amsterdam and Paris are among the Europe’s greatest cities and enjoy a perennial popularity, despite the many problems they have been facing lately. I think they are worth seeing at least once, even though they are always crowded.  

You have excellent direct flights, trains, or bus connections between all three. There are overnight trains between Lisbon and Madrid that run daily, departing at 11:34 p.m. and arriving in Madrid at 8:40 a.m. Also, there are direct flights, trains, or busses from Madrid to Barcelona.   

All these Iberian cities are packed with culture, culinary delights and incredible landscapes. They are easy to reach from most major airports from around the world.

Although you could easily spend two weeks in Spain alone, visiting other historical places like Toledo , or Cordoba for instance, I suggest including Portugal in your European itinerary as well. Lisbon , its capital city, is not only very romantic and cultured, but also quite inexpensive. 

Book  this private walking tour of the highlights of Lisbon and enjoy the history of this city.

These are three of Italy’s most captivating and rewarding cities. If you like archeology, you’ll love Rome ! Florence and Venice are also very charming cities, although quite different from Rome. If you prefer to spend your time in one single country, this combination is one the best itineraries for a 2 weeks trip to Europe.  

Italy has a wealth of archeological sites, most of which are concentrated in relatively compact areas. These three cities also have excellent train, bus, and plain connections (buy your ticket on omio.com ).

Sicily is another great place in Europe where you can easily spend 2 weeks. There are so many archeological sites and  beautiful towns in Sicily to add to your list! I promise that you won’t get bored if you choose to spend your entire European vacation on this island. 

Palermo alone can easily justify a 10-day Italy itinerary . You have good bus connections between cities, but Sicily is best explored by car . You can choose visit the nearby Malta if you go to Sicily.

Central Europe 2 Weeks Trip Itinerary

Central Europe is becoming increasingly popular. 30 years ago, cities like Prague , Budapest , Dresden, or Wroclaw were largely unknown to the world traveler. But after the fall of communism, Central Europe experienced a strong cultural and tourist revival.

These three capitals have it all: beautiful architecture, fascinating history, packed concert calendars, and delicious food. For those who want to tour Central Europe, this trip itinerary is perfect.

Traveling by rail is the best way to go between these three, as distances are relatively short. You can buy tickets at the station right before the train is scheduled to depart.      

READ NEXT : Budapest Travel Tips and Practical Information for First Time Visitors

 • Berlin, Dresden and Wroclaw      

Combining the cosmopolitan  Berlin with the  phoenix-city  of Dresden and the picturesque Wroclaw, will give you a great understanding of what makes this part of Europe so fascinating. You have direct trains between all these cities.

• Zurich, Lucerne, Lugano and Milan        

You can never go wrong with Switzerland and the northern part of Italy! Cities like Lucerne, Zurich, Lugano and Milan have stunning scenery, art museums, old cathedrals, historic palaces, and more charm than you can imagine.  However they are not very big, so 2-3 days in each one would most likely be enough.  

The best way to move between these cities is by rail. Switzerland is famous for its top of the line panoramic trains , so you can choose to travel from Lucerne to Lugano aboard the  Gotthard Panorama Express.  You can also take the same route on a non-panoramic train  if you want to avoid paying the mandatory reservation fee.

READ NEXT : 10 Days in Switzerland Itinerary by Scenic Trains

Northern Europe 2 Weeks Itinerary

• oslo, stockholm, copenhagen        .

These three cities are definitely in a league of their own. Although they can’t compete with Rome’s historic sites or with the charm of Paris, Copenhagen , Oslo and Stockholm have stunning architecture, world-class museums, and some of the best shopping and dining in Europe.

If you plan to spend your 2 weeks vacation in Northern Europe during the summer months, this trip itinerary is your best bet. While the rest of Europe is be boiling hot, Northern Europe enjoys much cooler temperatures and longer days in summer.

READ NEXT : 10 Fantastic Things to Do in Stockholm in a Week

  • Riga , Tallin, and Vilnius       

I can’t mention Northern Europe without including a tour of the Baltic capitals. The Baltic States of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania weren’t even on the map when I was growing up. But like many other European countries that lived in the shadow of the Soviet Union till the 90s, they have enjoyed a true renaissance in the past years.

If you want to travel somewhere your friends haven’t even heard of, you should visit the Baltic capitals. Plus these are among the cheapest countries to visit in Europe .

South-Eastern Europe – 2 Weeks Trip Itineraries

The Balkan Peninsula is the most culturally diverse in Europe. This region has also an extremely varied topography. Bordered by the Adriatic and Ionian Sea to the west, Aegean Sea to the south, the Sea of Marmara to the southeast and the Black Sea to the east, the Balkan countries are stunningly beautiful.

There are so many great destinations in South-Eastern Europe, that it’s difficult to decide which ones to include into your trip itinerary. Here are two suggestions:

• Athens, Istanbul, Bucharest          

If you plan to build your itinerary around these three cities, you could spend 3 days in Athens , 7 days in Istanbul and 2-3 days in Bucharest . Or you can choose spend your entire 2 weeks trip to Europe by visiting just one country. We did that last year and took a road trip in the Peloponnese. It was an unexpected success, it was pleasant and we had a great time there. Peloponnese is one of the less explored parts of Greece, but is so beautiful that you won’t believe. It has plenty of beach town, some of which are nicer and more sophisticated that the Ritzi Greek island, like the beach tow of Nafplio .

Countries like Greece , Turkey, or Romania have plenty of amazing sites to keep you entertained and engaged for 14 days. 

The best way to travel between these 3 countries is by plane. Between Istanbul and Athens you an use Pegasus Airlines (a budget airline) and between Istanbul and Bucharest you can use Turkish Airlines.

 • Ljubljana , Split , Dubrivnik, Kotor      

These four cities will take you through 3 of the most beautiful countries in the Balkans: Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro . The best way to travel between these cities would be by car or by bus, as there are no train connections between Split and Dubrovnik.

For those who want to rent a car to drive through the Balkans, I recommend this 14 days Balkans road trip itinerary . If you have a car, you can extend your itinerary to some other points of interest in this region.

Planning a trip to Europe? Read next: 12 Tips for Traveling to Europe Like a Pro

Being born and raised in Europe I always get asked these two questions:  when is the best time go to Europe and what is the best itinerary for a first time visit to Europe. My answer it’s always the same: it depends what you want to do in Europe and how much time you can spend there.

If this is your first time in Europe and all you have is 14 days, there are a few things to consider before deciding what to add to your list:      

 • Keep your travel plans simple      

Most first time visitors to Europe are determined to see as much as possible on that first trip. Keep in mind that Europe is a big and diverse continent. There is a lot to see everywhere you go. Fitting all your bucket-listed locations in a 2 weeks trip to Europe is nearly impossible.      

 • Start with the most popular cities   

Your first trip to Europe is not the best time to go off the beaten path. I recommend sticking to the big cities, even though they are more crowded. Major European cities have it all: top notch museums, beautiful architecture, great restaurants and a vibrant nightlife.

Besides, they are big transportations hubs and are cheaper for flying in and out of Europe.

• Choose to visit places that are close to each other   

The closest major European cities are at least two hours apart, whether you travel by car, by train, or by plane. Transit between cities takes at least half a day, if you consider the time you need to check out of one hotel and check into your next one. Therefore, you won’t be able to do much sightseeing on the day you travel.        

 • Plan to spend at least 3-4 days in each city you visit   

While it’s possible to cover more than half a dozen countries in your 14 days in Europe, just running between destinations doesn’t mean you actually visited them! If you want to see at least the major sights, you should plan to spend a minimum of 3-4 days in each city you visit.

• Book an open-jaw ticket     

If you plan on touring a specific region or doing a multi-destination trip, you can often save a lot of time and money with booking one.

Once you’re further along in your planning process, you can use our  Travel Resources page for the best deals in airfare, accommodations and local guided tours.

• Rent a car only if you are planning to travel outside the big cities, where parking is expensive and difficult to find. Nonetheless, sometimes renting a car will save you a lot of time and is obviously more comfortable. We usually use Discovercars when we travel in Europe.

Tips for Spending 2 Weeks in Europe  

• book accommodations in the city center      .

Hotel rates are higher in the city center, but it’s worth paying the extra dollars if you can afford it. You’ll save time and money on transportation.     

• Use Hotel Alternatives

AirBnB or VRBO   for lodging instead of booking hotel rooms, especially if you travel in a bigger group. They are a much better deal and have beautiful apartments all around the world. For the same price you would pay for an average hotel, you could rent an entire apartment.    

• Don’t exchange money in the airport   

Airports, train stations, or tourist areas have the worst exchange rates. But if you look for an exchange office outside these areas, your hard earned money can go a way longer way. If no exchange booths are around, use the ATM machines throughout the city.    

   • Consider using public transportation

Driving a car Europe is an expensive and inconvenient complication. None of these European cities were built with cars in mind, so the roads are crowded and full of restrictions. Rather than worrying  about parking fees, one way streets, and pedestrian zones, consider using public transportation during your 2 weeks in Europe.     

 • Travel by train, or use budget airlines  

Train travel through Europe is one of the best ways to see the continent. The rail network is extremely developed and train service is very reliable. For longer distances, flying one of the many European airlines is also a great option.

There are over a dozen budget airlines in Europe that fly anywhere on the continent for unbelievably low prices. They charge extra for seats and luggage, but even so you can fly for as low as €30-40/one way.    

   • Dress comfortably

Dressing comfortably when you travel to Europe is very important, but avoid looking like a tourist. Not sure how to blend in with the locals? Read my guide about how to dress like a European .  

Buy the best shoes you can afford. I can stress enough the importance of wearing comfortable shoes while traveling in Europe. Many of the old European cities are still paved with cobble stones which are very rough on your soles.

   • Travel off season  

Everyone wants to travel when the weather is stable, but summers can be brutal in Europe: big crowds, expensive accommodations and airfare, busy trains and public transportation and very hot.

The best time to visit Europe is in fall or in spring, when temperatures are milder and there are less crowds. December is also a very popular time of year to visit Europe, when most European cities dress up for the holidays .

• Get acquainted with the European lifestyle

Most travelers to Europe expect to encounter cultural differences, yet when confronted with them they are always caught off guard. I wrote a very detailed post about what will surprise you as a first time visitor to Europe. These are very useful tips that you will need before traveling to Europe.

READ NEXT : 15 Cheapest Countries to Visit in Europe

This guide is a good resource if you intend to visit Europe independently. However, if you prefer an organized tour there are plenty of great tours of Europe to choose from.

Hope the itineraries above gave you some idea on how to travel Europe in 2 weeks. And if you like a place you saw, make a plan to return and explore it more in depth. Two weeks in Europe will not be enough to see this magical continent.

Did you enjoy this post? Please pin it to help other travelers to Europe:

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Anda is an award winning travel writer, avid globetrotter and passionate photographer. She is the voice behind "Travel Notes & Beyond," a collection of stories and travel impressions from her wanderings around the world. When she is not busy writing, traveling, or editing photographs, you can find her hiking in the foothills behind her house together with her husband and their dog.

Reader Interactions

Vipin Singh

January 13, 2024 at 6:56 am

Greetings from Singapore Anda. I am an avid traveler but have only done Asia so far. I am planning my first Europe trip in this upcoming June, mid month. I have circled down to 4 cities that iam keen on going to. But now, after reading much online, i figured that it will be more ideal to include just 3 cities in my itinerary. I had London, Paris, Rome, Spain (Madrid/Barcelo) in mind initially. I am looking for advice to reduce one city if needed for this trip. I have 13 days to spend (including arrival date to London in the morning before 7am. And excluding departure date) Appreciate your reply.

January 16, 2024 at 2:24 pm

Since this is your first trip to Europe, I’d go to London, Paris and Rome. I’m sure you won’t regret it.

Chetan Sahu

October 7, 2023 at 5:59 am

Planning my dream 2-week European adventure, and this guide is a goldmine of itinerary ideas! From the iconic cities to hidden gems, it’s packed with invaluable tips for an unforgettable trip. So, which European journey will I embark on? The possibilities are endless!

Chandra Bdr Gurung

July 6, 2023 at 11:43 pm

Excellent advice for those who are first-time visitors. This blog really impressed me. Europe has some really interesting sites to visit.

Ana Delos Santos

April 28, 2023 at 10:55 am

Hi, this is really helpful for 1st time Travelers in Europe. Just want to also ask you, for a 2 week Europe Trip, what do you advise to those traveling with Kids that wanted to visit countries in Europe with an Entry and Exit point from the Philippines? Thanks for the possible response. God bless you.

April 28, 2023 at 11:58 am

I am not aware that coming from the Philippines (with or without kids) may pose any problem for entering any country in Europe. However, if you want further more detailed information you should check the respective country’s entry requirements. Sorry I can’t be of more help.

basil swamy

March 22, 2023 at 11:36 am

Looking for Europe tour starting from India, for honeymoon would like to explore Europe. Places need to cover Norway Amsterdam Brussels Paris Switzerland Pissa Florence Rome Venice

Travel dates will be 9Jun to 29Jun It should be not very expensive , reasonable place to stay either good apartment or good Hotel You can suggest if some needs to be cut short or some other place. Do not want any museum or historical place to cover. It should be main and popular area only.

March 22, 2023 at 7:16 pm

I’m sorry, but I am not a travel agent, Basil. You can use my post for reference in order build your own itinerary.

July 13, 2022 at 2:52 pm

Great guide – but overwhelming!! My wife and I are taking our first trip to Europe next year – a long kid- and COVID- delayed 20th/25th/30th anniversary! – and want to make the most of our 3 weeks. But you just listed 31 must-see cities, and suggested 3-4 days per city!! 🙂

My wife wants to “see the highlights” – if we never can come back, what should we make sure we see? I think we’d probably be best served by a managed tour, but maybe I can cobble together something with even hand-holding? 🙂 Advice would be *so* appreciated!

July 13, 2022 at 6:16 pm

Hi Rick, Thanks for reading my guide. I have indeed 31 must-see cities in Europe, but those are 10 independent itineraries and each one of them is for two weeks. If you want to spend 3 weeks in Europe you definitely won’t be able to include all those places in your itinerary. I can give you a few suggestions for a 3-week itinerary, but planning the trip in detail will require a lot of effort from your part.

You’ll need to research each destination and decide what you’d like to see once you get there, book hotels, check timetables for trains and busses, or maybe rent a car in some places, etc. Since I don’t know anything about your travel style, I can’t tell you whether to attempt this trip on your own, or book a guided tour. Many people prefer to be care-free when they travel and just sit back and enjoy. We like to travel independently and do our own planning, but I can assure you it’s not easy. One other option would be to book local guided tours in each country, but travel independently between countries.This way you’ll have more control over what countries you may want to visit.

In regards to the “highlights” of Europe, there are so many! But regardless of what you choose, you shouldn’t include more than 4 countries in 3 weeks because you’ll have to account for the days you loose when moving from one place to another. Here are my suggestions. My first choice for Europe would be Italy, France and Spain. They are rich in culture and architecture and have gorgeous scenery. My second choice is Portugal, Switzerland and Croatia. Not as culturally rich as Italy, or France, but surely breathtakingly beautiful. If you are looking for less expensive destinations, Central and Eastern European countries are more budget friendly (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania).

I hope this helps. I have lots of European destination on my blog in case you want to do some further reading. And remember: no matter what country you choose, you’ll love Europe!

July 6, 2021 at 11:40 am

Hi there Anda!

Me and my are planning eloping and then honeymooning to Europe. Neither of us have been and I have family in the Sicily area. I originally wanted to go to Hawaii as I am an avid beach lover and have been to many in search of the most beautiful beach. My finance enjoys the beach, but is definitely more of a historian. So, I would like to encompass a little of both. We plan on late September or sometime in October….14 days. What are your thoughts? Do you think we should use a travel agent? Thanks so much!

July 6, 2021 at 1:24 pm

Hi Carrie, September-October is a great time of year for visiting Italy and I think Sicily is a wonderful choice if you like beaches. It has plenty of historic sites, so it’s the best of both worlds: history and beaches. I have a lot of information about Sicily on this blog, so for further reading you can go under Destinations > Europe > Italy > Sicily and read more. I also have a very informative post about driving in Sicily, should you decide to rent a car for your trip.

I don’t believe you need a travel agent to design your itinerary or make reservations for you. At the bottom of my home page there are some links that you can use to check out prices. I also have a Resource Page if you need more information on car rental and lodging. And if you need more itinerary ideas, read this post: https://travelnotesandbeyond.com/10-days-in-italy-itinerary/ . It includes 4 itinerary ideas for Italy to choose from. Please let me know if you need any further assistance.

March 1, 2021 at 10:40 am

This is very informative. My husband and I have been to several countries in Europe, but not our son. He wants to go to Germany, and I think with more than 2 weeks travel time that we will have, a visit to several cities in Central Europe will make sense to us. My friend in Zurich will be happy to take us around.

March 1, 2021 at 7:38 pm

Hope you’ll get to visit Germany, Umiko. I have relatives in Münich and go to Germany quite often.

January 27, 2021 at 3:03 am

Hi Anda, I have to say, this is a great itinerary for first time travelers. I’ve been living in Europe for almost 2 years now but I still have not seen most of the places in this list and I would consider myself a “first time traveler” to most of these destinations. It gave me tons of ideas though once we finally get to travel again and I love your pctures.

January 28, 2021 at 2:05 pm

Thanks, Marielle.

I love Croatia

January 9, 2021 at 6:09 am

Absolutely stunning! Thank you on a detailed impressive guide!

January 9, 2021 at 10:51 am

Thanks, Karlo.

October 22, 2020 at 8:00 am

Hi Anda! Thank you for all of your articles and tips! I’m trying to soak everything in while planning for a 2-week trip next August 2021. I know you said August is the worst time to go to Europe but I am to be a part of a bridal entourage early that month and have no leeway in that regard – hoping to make the best of it! What are your suggestions for 3 first time Europe travelers to make the MOST of our time but with about three days locked in at London for the ceremony? I was thinking of coming a week before the festivities and staying a week after, putting the wedding in the middle of the two weeks – if that makes sense. Please help! Thank you so much, Christine

October 22, 2020 at 4:59 pm

Hi Christine, A wedding in London sounds like a great reason to visit Europe. The good news is that London is not so hot in August as other cities in Europe. Here are my recommendations for you:

1. I would get the wedding out of the way and then go on with my travel plans. Or leave it for the end of the trip, but not place it in the middle.

2. I would avoid big, crowded cities (like Paris or Rome) where the asphalt radiates even more heat in summer. Keep in mind that many of the buildings in Europe don’t have air conditioning, so there is very little relief from the heat.

3. Rather than big cities, I would visit places that have a breeze, or have access to the Mediterranean, or the Adriatic Sea. My personal favorites for summer are the French Riviera (Nice, Monaco, Cannes), Italy (the Amalfi Coast, or Sicily), Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast (Dubrovnik, Split, Pula, etc.) Italy, France and Croatia seem like good options for you since they are also close to England.

4. Other great countries to visit in August are: Austria, Switzerland and Germany. For instance, you could spend 1-2 days in Vienna, then go to Salzburg and use it as a base for wonderful day trips in the Alps. Or stay 2 days in Zurich and do a Switzerland itinerary. You can also do a combination of countries, but I wouldn’t visit more than two considering that you already have London on your list.

Hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any further questions. I’m sure your trip is going to be great!

October 18, 2020 at 11:25 am

Hi: A friend and I would like to visit somewhere in Europe for 2 or so weeks, and stay in a smaller village and “live” like a local. Yet, also be close enough to other places or countries to take day trips via public transportation. Any suggestions?

October 19, 2020 at 4:47 pm

Your friend could stay for instance in one of the many villages on the French Riviera (like Ezé Village) which are close to Nice,and visit the the entire coast in two weeks. Or perhaps stay in one of the villages in Tuscany, which are close to Florence, and many other fascinating places in Italy.

RAJEEV JAIN

October 6, 2020 at 10:14 pm

Me & my wife wants to cover Europe in 20-30 days. Just for your information I had travelled to Italy & covered Rome, Florence, Venice & Milan. I want to cover other countries & beautiful cities of Europe. Can you suggest best time & an itinerary to visit except July/August when the weather is pleasant & one can travel in budget.

October 7, 2020 at 4:23 pm

Hi Rajeev, late September to early October is a great time to travel to Europe. So is spring, late April to early June. As for an itinerary, you can cover a lot of territory in a month in Europe. I would suggest visiting some of the countries in the Balkans (Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia).I have a complete itinerary for the Balkans on my blog, if you are interested. Also, you could visit the Baltic countries (Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia) and Sweden. Eastern European countries like Hungary and Romania are also good choice for a fall visit. Hope this helps.

Mitos Soria

February 13, 2020 at 6:19 am

Hello, me my friend will be traveling to Europe in August 2020 ( I know not a good time to go there) for the first time. We have 2 weeks to go to cities we prefer. And that is Italy and Paris. We are in for outlet shopping, visit museum and architectures. Can you recommend us a place to go to met our preferences? And if we would add one more country what would that be? By the way we are flying from Manila. Thank you very much.

February 13, 2020 at 11:09 am

Hi Mitos, even though August it’s kind of hot in Europe, I’m sure you’ll have a lot of fun. Especially if you plan to go shopping, hahaha! Paris and Rome are great places to shop and so is Milan and London. I also like shopping in Vienna, where they have a big pedestrian area (the Graben) lined up with stores. All these cities have magnificent architecture, old churches and palaces that you can visit. Prices are a little higher in Europe than they are in Asia or the US, but I love shopping there just the same. They have so much trendier clothing stores than we do. My favorite one is Massimo Dutti, you should check it out.

SHYAMSUNDER GAIKWAD

February 2, 2020 at 3:29 pm

Hi Anda, Me and my wife plan to travel to Europe for about 10 to 14 days(depends) from the first week of August’2020 (After my sons final semester Exams). Flight ticket are yet to be booked. This would be our first trip to Europe. We plan to cover Europe in six visits, this would be our first. Both of have past our half century mark and have taken a sabbatical. Could you please suggest us an Itinerary? Is August a good time to travel

February 2, 2020 at 3:30 pm

Hi Shyamsunder, August is one of the worst times to go to Europe: it’s hot, it’s expensive and it’s crowded. I know you may be bound to your son’s vacation time, so if August is the only time you have available, I would suggest going to Northern Europe. You can visit Sweden, Norway, and the Baltic countries (Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia). Either that, or choose to spend your entire vacation in southern Italy, in places close to the sea (Capri, Positano, Cinque Terre, or Sicily).

January 27, 2020 at 1:23 pm

Thanks for your insight and prompt response. Travel planning can be overwhelming and your site has been extremely helpful. The more I dig into options and different itiniraries my gut keeps saying to stick with Italy and you helped confirm this even more! Another thought was to combine a 7n cruise but again my gut (and hubby) prefers a land based trip. So sticking with Italy it seems just 3 cities maybe better (based on your suggestion) with day trips mixed in…Venice, Rome & Florence. Initial plan was for Cique Terre which maybe too much. The idea of Lake Cumo is a really good one! Now need to explore those logistics!

Anda Galffy

January 27, 2020 at 1:28 pm

Glad I could be of help, Sandra. Just one last note: keep in mind that Rome is a big city, rich in history and archeological sites. You will need at least 4-5 days to explore it properly. Have a wonderful trip.

January 27, 2020 at 1:22 pm

Hi Anda, Just found your site and love the information. We are late in planning our 20th anniversary trip to Italy in May. We have 16 days so 14 nights exculuding travel. This is our first time to Europe (other than Greece) in a very long time. Initial thoughts are fly into Venice 2n, Florence, 4n, Cinque Terre 4n, Rome 4n – Now second guessing about all Italy (which I know is all good) but maybe adding Amsterdam or another city and subtracting days from Italy. Any thoughts input appreciated!

Hi Sandra, first of all congratulations on your 20th anniversary! Italy is a great choice to mark this important event in your life and I’m sure this will be a trip to remember. My personal opinion is that Italy has so much to offer that it’s not a good idea to add Amsterdam to the mix. The two-week European itineraries I recommend in my post are for people who want to get a feel of Europe and explore some of the big cities. I think you’ll be better off spending all your time in Italy and exploring as much as you can there. Instead of Amsterdam, you could go to Lake Como, for instance. It’s a very romantic destination for an anniversary.

January 18, 2020 at 10:37 pm

Anda So glad I found your site. I’m in the beginning stages of planning a trip for late 2020 (Christmas time) for my husband and myself. I think you’ve helped me decide on Italy. Christmas is the only time he has vacation so we’re locked in to that time of year. We’d both like to see Pompeii, so I was thinking Naples to Rome and ending up in Venice. We have 2 weeks, so I think we could take our time and stop if we’d like to see something along the way. What do you think about going to Italy this time of year? Are trains reliable in winter? Thanks for any help you can give me. Karen

January 19, 2020 at 12:01 am

Hi karen, Italy is actually a great choice for winter, particularly in December when you’ll have the Christmas markets everywhere. Prices may be still pretty high because of the Holidays, but there will definitely be less crowds. You may expect colder weather in Northern Italy (Rome and Venice), but the Amalfi Coast (Pompeii and Naples) will be beautiful. I don’t think you’ll have any issues with the trains. It doesn’t snow often in northern Italy and even if does, the weather doesn’t impact public transportation. I think you’ll enjoy Italy tremendously! It’s a great place to visit. You may want to check this post as well if you are traveling to Rome: https://travelnotesandbeyond.com/best-areas-to-stay-in-rome/

cybele ryan

January 23, 2020 at 3:35 pm

Anda what wonderful information. My husband and I planning a trip to Europe in mid May for two weeks. Thinking about flying into Switzerland or Austria, dipping down into Italy then on to Slovenia and Croatia. We are told Slovenia is very similar to Italy. We could stay in Slovenia and train over to Venice for the day, avoiding crowds ect. Any ideas? take the train, rent a car?Thank you! Cybele

January 23, 2020 at 5:52 pm

Train is probably better for the day trip. Besides, in Venice you won’t have any need for the car.

December 31, 2019 at 4:44 am

Hullo Anda, your article literally saved my life. I have read it twice and sucked in as much of your advice so thank you. I am black and I was wondering if you have any specific advice for a black travelers in Europe. What is the general reception for black africans in Europe? I may be overthinking it, but I am worried that it may be negative. Your honest thoughts will be appreciated. thanks.

December 31, 2019 at 3:39 pm

I’m truly happy that my article was of help to you. I don’t think you have any reason to worry about traveling to Europe as a black person. As far as I know, Europeans are quite open and welcoming to any race and nationality. I think you’ll have a wonderful time there.

December 28, 2019 at 6:04 am

Thankyou for the suggestions. We are planning to visit Europe from US for two weeks from April 24 to May 9 . Our itenrary idea is to arrive in Paris > Milan > Venice > Cinque terra> Florence > Rome . While at florence we planned to visit Pisa for half day Will this be aggressive or Do-able? Can you please suggest on how many days each city require to explore? Thanks in Advance

December 28, 2019 at 9:15 am

Hi Satya, What you are listing here looks like a very busy itinerary. All these cities are loaded with attractions. Besides, you need time for transportation between the different destinations and time to check in and out from the hotels. Rome and Paris require at least 3 days each. Milan you can probably do in a day, but for Florence, Venice and Cinque Terre you’ll also need a minimum of two days. My suggestion would be to leave Paris for another time and concentrate on Italy.

December 28, 2019 at 7:44 pm

Thank you Anda

December 26, 2019 at 10:30 am

Hi Anda, Thankyou for the detailed itenenaries. We are planning for Europe trip during last week of April for two weeks. Our plan is to arrive in Paris and depart back from Rome. So planning for Paris> Fly to Milan> Venice> Cinque terra > Florence> Rome . Is this agressive or Doable? Do you recommend driving from Milan to Rome for this trip? Can you help me with how many days we will needing to explore these places? Appriciete your help on this.

December 18, 2019 at 12:59 pm

Hi Anda, I am planning a trip with my wife and 2 kids (3 & 9) to visit Europe in Mid-June. we are planning to spend 14 days and planning to land in Paris then train to Zurich > Interlaken (might add Zermatt if time permits) > Venice > Florence > Rome. Does this sound doable in 14 days? Any tips and recommendations? Should we get the Euro Rail Pass or buying individual trip will be better and cheaper option? Thanks.

December 18, 2019 at 7:27 pm

Hi Ali, your plan sounds great for two young adults who can move fast. However, with two kids in tow and using public transportation (not having your own car) this sounds like a very busy itinerary. You need a minimum of 3 days in the big cities like Rome and Paris. As for Zurich, Venice and Florence, you could probably spend only 2 days in each city. But even if you do that, you’ll be left with only two days, which is not enough time if you want to squeeze in Zermatt and Interlaken. I understand you are planning to use Rome as your departure city, but exploring it with a 3-year old will be very difficult. Rome is huge and truly overwhelming, even for adults. I would suggest spending more time in Switzerland instead, which is a friendlier place for small children. You can buy a pass for the scenic trains and go from Zurich to Lucerne, Interlaken, Zermatt, St.Moritz, Engadin and maybe cross over to Lake Como in Italy. The Glacier Express is a fantastic train and goes from Zermatt to St. Moritz. Your kids are going to love the train rides. I wrote a few posts about our train trip through Switzerland, in case you need more information.

November 14, 2019 at 4:16 pm

Hi, my husband and I have plan 13 days trip 11 nights for travel to Barcelona, Switzerland, Munich and Amsterdam. The 1st arrival destination has decided is Barcelona as we want to catch the football match. 2nd destination we not sure want to start from Amsterdam, Munich and end in Switzerland or vice versa. Is it possible to squeeze Milan or Paris in between by the way?

November 14, 2019 at 5:09 pm

You can easily squeeze one day in Milan on your itinerary, Agnes. I wrote a post about how to spend a day in Milan, in case you are interested you can check it here: https://travelnotesandbeyond.com/one-day-on-the-streets-of-milan/ . From Barcelona you can go to Milan, then to Switzerland, Munich and Amsterdam. Not sure exactly what means of transportation you intend to use in Europe, but it makes sense to do it this way rather than jump from Spain all the way to the Netherlands. In regards to Paris, I would leave it for another trip. There is too much to see there to be able to squeeze it into this itinerary. You’ll need at least 3 days for it, while Milan can be done in one day.

November 5, 2019 at 6:20 pm

Hi Anda.. Greetings from Malaysia.!! Great advice for first time traveller to europe. Me and my friends planning to come over to europe in may next year. We are having some difficulties choosing places to visit as europe is super big and all the places look so beautiful. We will be landing in amsterdam. I would love to go paris,london n also swiss. And we have only two weeks to cover and we have no idea where to start. Super confussed. First time in europe.! Thank you.

November 5, 2019 at 9:30 pm

Hi Reva. Since you land in Amsterdam you could probably do Amsterdam, Paris and London. You need to spend at least 3 days in each of these cities in order to see at least the main points of interest. You probably have time to see one city in Switzerland as well. I would recommend Lucerne, since it’s a smaller one and can be done in about two days. Hope this helps.

September 14, 2019 at 4:10 am

Great suggestions! Planning a trip next June ( I know, I know), your suggestions are great.

September 14, 2019 at 2:10 pm

I’m glad if you found my suggestions useful. Thanks, Jackie.

April 21, 2019 at 6:25 am

Anda, thank you for the very informative article. Loved going through it and your detailed responses to the questions below. I and my wife are planning to travel in August(2nd and 3rd week). We have zeroed in on France(only Paris) and Italy. I know the temperature will be on the higher side, but I guess should be a breeze considering we are from India 🙂 (or are we way off the mark?) What according to you are good destinations to include in the itinerary in Italy, beyond Rome, Venice, and Florence)?

April 21, 2019 at 9:31 am

Hi VB, since your trip to Europe in in full summer, I would suggest a couple of destinations closer to the water. In Italy you can add Cinque Terre and maybe Lake Como. Both of them absolutely spectacular. In France, just about an hour away by plane you can go to he French Riviera. The coast is much cooler and absolutely spectacular. You have places like Nice, Monaco, Cann, Antibes, plus the many perched villages along the coast that are absolutely a dream to visit. Hope this helps.

April 9, 2019 at 8:56 am

I was trying to plan a 20th anniversary trip for myself and my wife in July, 2020. I was planning on just doing a Western trip visiting London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Berlin but now I’m worried it’s going to be too hot. We already live in Charleston, South Carolina (US) which is miserably hot in the summer so we always try to find cooler places to go.

I was thinking of this route because there are now direct flights from CHS to London and I get employee discounts at Hilton properties (about $50 USD/night). There are hotels all within 1.5 miles of the train station in each of those cities so this would be most economical.

I would rather visit Northern Europe because of the cooler weather and because my family immigrated from Sweden. However,, there are no Hilton properties in any of the Scandavian cities except Stockholm.

I’m just wondering if you think it is worth it to spend a lot more to visit Northern Europe or just battle the heat and crowds to visit Western Europe.

April 9, 2019 at 10:15 am

Hi Michael, Europe is very hot and humid in summer, as you already know. I would rather spend a little more and go to countries like Norway, Sweden or the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). I believe there is a Hilton in Riga as well, if I am not wrong). However, you may want to look into Airbnb as an alternative if you can’t find a Hilton. Most of the time they are way cheaper than a hotel and you get much more for your money.

April 7, 2019 at 11:25 am

This is a great guide! I’ve been searching everywhere for ideas on how to go about a European trip. I’ve never been so I wasn’t sure where to start. Is it possible to do a trip with London, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Florence, and Venice? What would be the beat way to do that?

April 7, 2019 at 8:54 pm

Squeezing 7 cities of this size into a 2 weeks trip seems too much to me. I would recommend keeping it at 4, at the most. You will spend too much time on the road and too little time visiting the sites. Florence and Amsterdam could be done in about 4 days, if you just want to rush by, but the other cities requires way more time for proper visiting. I would not advise you to add more than at the most 5 cities to your itinerary, unless you have more than just 2 weeks.

April 6, 2019 at 3:28 pm

Hello Anda,

This article is very informative and useful as I am planning a graduation gift for my girlfriend this summer. She’s a mechanical engineer and loves architecture, but has never been to Europe. I do plan on 2 weeks, give or take a few days. Do to the traveling being in June (not the best time), where would you recommend going? Regarding weather, locations, travel season, etc. I’ve only been to France but was there for wine industry. I’m fine with traveling by train or by car as I have done both. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your time!

April 7, 2019 at 9:01 pm

Hi Nick, I’m glad you found my post useful and informative. Summers in Europe may be very hot, so I would recommend you go to Northern Europe, where the weather is much cooler. And if your girlfriend loves architecture, she will have a blast visiting cities like Stockholm and Riga. I would recommend the Baltic countries and Sweden. You don’t need to drive there. You can fly between the cities for very little money.

March 31, 2019 at 7:45 am

Hi, Anda. I’m taking my daughter to Europe in May. Got a great R/T flight into (and out of) Barcelona. We will be there 2 weeks, and I’d like to add 3 other cities. She really wants to go to Florence (but not Rome??‍♀️). We plan to book a rail pass and Air BnBs. Any recs for our 3 must-see cities. She’s 20 and has never been to Europe.

April 1, 2019 at 1:00 pm

Hi Stacy, Barcelona is a very exciting destination for young people. I’m sure your daughter will love it. You’ll have to decide how many countries you want to include in your two weeks trip. You have quite a few choices in Spain, if you decide to stay only there. You can spend 3 days in Barcelona, then go towards the west and Visit Madrid (3 days), Toledo (a day trip from Madrid), Granada and Sevilla. From there you can fly back to Barcelona. Or you can spend a few days in Barcelona, then go to Paris, Milan and Florence. The second option includes 3 countries, but it will give your daughter a taste of some of the most impressive cities in Europe. Hope this helps.

February 26, 2019 at 9:36 am

I will be visiting Europe for two weeks in may and would like to know what do you suggest we could see as we will arrive in Rome and depart from Paris.

February 26, 2019 at 4:56 pm

Hi Rhea, May is one of the best times to visit Europe. The weather is just perfect and the tourist season is not in full swing yet. Since I don’t know you and your interests, I would make some suggestions based on my own taste and experience. Both Rome and Paris are very big cities and you might want to allow yourself at least 3 days in each one of them. They are packed with attractions, ranging from historic sites and landmarks, to museums, art galleries, parks and restaurants. In Rome you might want to concentrate on the historic center (including the Vatican) and allow yourself a little time to simply wander the streets and admire the beautiful architecture. I wrote a post about the best areas to stay in Rome that will give you an idea about what attractions are in the different parts of the city ( https://travelnotesandbeyond.com/best-areas-to-stay-in-rome/ ). While you are in Italy, you might also want to include Florence and Milan in your itinerary. Florence is not very big and it quite easy to explore (great for art galleries and museums). You could spend 2 days in Florence and one day in Milan ( https://travelnotesandbeyond.com/?s=one+day+in+milan ). From Milan you could go to Switzerland and maybe take a scenic train trip through Zermatt, Interlaken, Lucerne).Or you may go directly to France and visit Marseille, Lyon and then Paris. If this is your first time in Europe I would suggest keeping it simple. Probably just Italy and France would be enough. For Paris, you might want to refer to this post that will give you an idea about what you can see in 3 days: https://travelnotesandbeyond.com/?s=3+days+in+paris . I hope this helps and I hope you’ll come back with some great memories from your trip to Europe.

January 31, 2019 at 9:46 pm

Hi Anda Me and my husband are planning a trip to Europe for 2 weeks in early May 2019. As of now we are planning to visit Prague, Vienna, Budapest & Greece. Could you please suggest if its doable also if its the good time to visit these places.

P.S : We will be visiting Europe for the first time and we are more inclined towards scenic and natural beauty , could you please suggest more affordable options.

Many Thanks ! Parul

January 31, 2019 at 10:20 pm

Hi Parul, Europe is beautiful at any time of year, but particularly in spring. Vienna, Budapest and Prague are very close to each other so can move easily from one to the next (either by train or by car). Trains are very affordable in Europe, especially if you buy a pass. I suggest spending 3 days in each one of these cities to at least get a taste of what they have to offer. You could leave Greece for last, as you will need to take a plane to get there. In regards to affordability, Europe in generally expensive. However, you will find Budapest (and Greece) more affordable overall. For lodging I use Airbnb or VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner), as I get more for my money. Hope this helps.

Vaibhav Jain

February 2, 2019 at 10:21 am

Hey, thanks for this informative and detailed info about getting around in Europe.. every word made sense to me.. I just want a small suggestion from you.. I am solo traveller and will be starting my itinerary as “Prague (2n)-Copenhagen (4N)-Budapest (2N)- Barcelona (3N)- Amsterdam (2N)” in total of about 13 N starting from 13 th March 2019.. My question is : I want to add another city between my trip from Copenhagen to Budapest as I think 4 Nights will be too boring in there.. so can you please suggest which place to add in for 1 N ??? I am getting some real good deals for Brussels, Berlin, Milan… for Ryan Sir & Easy jet from Copenhagen.. please enlighten me for this as I am super confused ??? Thanks in anticipation ….

February 2, 2019 at 3:18 pm

Your itinerary seems pretty busy for 13 days. All these cities you selected make wonderful destinations in themselves. You could easily spend 13 days in each one of them and still have plenty to see and do. My suggestion would be to spend 3 nights in Prague or in Budapest, rather than trying to squeeze in another city into the itinerary. Europe is packed with attractions and if you were to spend any less than 3 days in a big city you’ll be rushing too much. However, if you want by all means to include another city, you can try Milan. You can just concentrate on visiting the Duomo and the area around it and that would be enough for one day. Hope this helps.

October 1, 2018 at 10:41 am

My family has a two week planned trip to Europe and I am having difficulty picking a third location to visit in addition to London & Paris. I am glad I came across your website which is full of good ideas. I could use some help picking a third city and places to stay. One of my challenges for the trip is traveling around Christmas which I understand the trains close.

Some of the other questions I have are: How long is it recommended to be at an airport before a flight between cities like London & Amsterdam? Is taking a train recommended even though it takes twice as long.

Where are the best areas to stay in London, Paris, Amsterdam and Ghent? We would like to rent an apartment in each city.

We arrive at 6:15am on 12/21 in Gatwick and leave on 1/3 in the evening out of Heathrow. What might be the best itinirary taking into account Christmas and New Years?

Thanks, Michael

October 3, 2018 at 10:24 am

Hi Michael, I’m afraid I can’t make any specific recommendation in any of these cities. We usually stay in Airbnb apartments when we don’t stay with friends or relatives in Europe.

Rob+Ann @TravelLatte(.net)

July 27, 2018 at 4:36 pm

You are so right, Anda – Two weeks in Europe will fly by! We love your itinerary ideas though. Two weeks is such a short time for so many great places to see and enjoy, but these really help make the most of the time. Can’t wait to get back and explore more!

Jennifer Melroy

July 27, 2018 at 2:38 pm

I love exploring northern Europe. The cities have a charm that the rest of the continent lacks. I can’t explain it, but they do. I always feel like they are more welcoming as a city. Plus Stolkhom has the best museums to visit.

Suruchi Mittal

July 24, 2018 at 10:36 am

That is a complete exhaustive guide on Europe. I liked the way how you have divided the itinerary and it is going to be super helpful while we plan up our trip. The 2 weeks really seems like a less time now, for Europe.

Cynthia | Adventuring Woman

July 23, 2018 at 5:12 am

You’ve covered all the important things! I agree that Paris, Amsterdam and London should be #1. I really want to do Vienna, Prague and Budapest. Also the Balkan itineraries. So true that it’s best to spend time really experiencing a place, rather than running around between them.

July 22, 2018 at 12:27 am

These are good itineraries for those who want a quick glimpse of certain areas of Europe. Im not sure on the Nordic ones, I think I need a bank loan for that one. 😀 I found after exploring much of Europe, to see better history, buildings, parks, scenery etc, is to get away from the cities and find the true heart of each country. However, first timers, these are good plans BUT make sure you come back for some more European fun 🙂

July 22, 2018 at 10:58 am

One visit to Europe is never enough, Dabik.

July 21, 2018 at 11:55 pm

Although I agree with you to start with the more popular cities in your first ever trip to Europe and to make sure that all the cities you’re visiting are geographically close to each other (and you’ve grouped them out perfectly), I also think that visiting only the bigger cities in countries like Switzerland, Austria, Greece don’t give you a real flavour of what the country is about. For example- going to Athens and not Santorini would be something I’d not recommend at all! Or going to Zurich and Lucerne but not Interlaken. Having said that, if one wants to focus only on the bigger cities and not venture to the smaller towns and villages, then these itineraries make perfect sense!

July 22, 2018 at 11:00 am

Of course, Medha. Visiting only the bigger cities will barely touch the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. These itineraries are intended for first time visitors to Europe and it is implied the subsequent visits would be necessary to really get the feel of many of these countries.

Christina Pfeiffer

July 21, 2018 at 11:09 pm

Your itineraries certainly highlight the diversity of Europe. There are so many different countries to visit it’s hard to choose! One of the things I love about Europe is that no matter where you go, there’s history, culture and cobblestone streets to discover. Hmm, I think I’m due for another trip to Europe soon!

July 21, 2018 at 11:35 pm

That is so true, Christina. I love everything about Europe!

July 21, 2018 at 9:35 pm

I am a big fan of itineraries! I have created several I want to follow. Sometimes, an itinerary does not work for one particular year but then it is feasible later. From your list, I want to do Northern Europe and the Berlin-Dresden-Wroclaw. I am with you on staying 3-4 days on a city. I do not like to rush places.

July 21, 2018 at 10:19 pm

Planning is part of the fun when you travel, isn’t it?

July 21, 2018 at 9:13 pm

I love your recommendations! I’d love to go and visit Europe one day and this guide will come in very handy. Indeed 2 weeks is such a short time to see the entire continent, but good to know that you can still see as much as long you plan well (especially considering the geographical location and transportation availability).

July 21, 2018 at 10:18 pm

I didn’t realize you haven’t been in Europe, Marvi. Hope you’ll get there soon. You’ll love Europe, I promise!

Jill Chapman

July 21, 2018 at 7:40 pm

I haven’t been to Europe for five years so I am very excited to be heading there this fall. Great tips – we’ve already used a few – booked hotels in the city center or air bnb’s and are traveling off-season a bit but I hope to utilize more when I’m there.

July 21, 2018 at 8:05 pm

I hope you are going to have a great trip, Jill.

July 21, 2018 at 5:31 am

Great idea’s, even for a European. We need to discover more things close to home.

July 21, 2018 at 8:06 pm

Well, if you live in Europe you probably have visited all these places, Wendy.

Lyn aka The Travelling Lindfields

July 21, 2018 at 4:09 am

What a useful post. I think those of us who travel frequently forget that there is a lot of basic stuff we just take for granted.

July 21, 2018 at 10:00 pm

So true, Lyn.

July 21, 2018 at 12:45 am

I have spent quite a bit of time in Europe but I still have so much to see. I would love to do your Balkans roadtrip, I haven’t been to that area yet.

July 21, 2018 at 10:01 pm

The Balkans make one of the best European itineraries, Anisa. You should definitely do that road trip.

July 20, 2018 at 6:27 pm

These are all great ideas. Isn’t it such a gift to be able to spend two weeks exploring?? We love to spend 3 days in cities so we know where we want to return… I also love to pair big cities with smaller towns, too. It’s a great to experience both sides of the coin in the same country. I would love to do your Balkan itinerary! Those places all just look beautiful!

July 21, 2018 at 10:05 pm

I love exploring smaller cities too, Sara. However, for first time visitors it’s always better to start with the more popular sites.

July 20, 2018 at 5:02 pm

Great tips for first-time visitors, especially if you have only two weeks. I wish I’ve been to all the destinations you covered … if we could only travel when I was still living in the middle of it ;).

July 21, 2018 at 10:06 pm

Yep, I hear you! I have the same frustration, Emese.

July 20, 2018 at 4:17 pm

Great advice for first time travelers! We did a similar trip, to your first itinerary, when we went to Europe the first time. Ours was London, Paris, Munich, and Amsterdam. I have to agree that giving yourself 3-4 days in each place is ideal. I ended up feeling like I didn’t see much in London, because we were only there for two days of our trip. Thankfully, we were able to return to London for a longer period later.

Tomas Novak

July 20, 2018 at 1:31 pm

As I live in Prague – kind of a center of Europe. It’s pretty easy for me to do this short trips and I think I visited more than half of this cities. I like how you group them in smaller trips by three. I just have to visit the Baltic states and Balkan… hopefully next year. Thanks for your tips

July 21, 2018 at 10:12 pm

It’s much easier to do these trips when you live in Europe, Thomas. The challenge is for people who travel there from far away.

California Globetrotter

July 20, 2018 at 1:11 pm

What a great itinerary you’ve put together, Anda! You’ve hit up all the best cities and I also recommend 3-4 days in each city!

July 21, 2018 at 10:13 pm

I’m glad you agree with me, Lolo. Now that you live in Europe it’s much easier for you to see all these other smaller cities on week-end trips.

Rhonda Albom

July 20, 2018 at 12:51 pm

I think two weeks is a great intro and taster for Europe. Europe is addictive and by the end of those two weeks you’ll already be planning on which areas you want to concentrate on for your next visit. I agree that you should spend three to four days in each city in order to get comfortable and enjoy the feel of the city.

July 21, 2018 at 10:17 pm

Hahaha, you are so right that traveling to Europe becomes addictive. Everybody I know wants to return there to see more.

Priscilla Willis

July 20, 2018 at 6:23 am

Great tips, Anda. Your suggested Itineraries are perfect – it’s difficult to fully experience a destination when you try to do and see too much!

July 20, 2018 at 9:52 am

Good to hear from you, Priscilla. I know you just came back from a trip to Europe. Hope it was fun.

July 20, 2018 at 9:53 am

Good to hear from you, Priscilla. I know you just came back from Europe. Hope you enjoyed your trip.

March 28, 2020 at 11:11 pm

Anda looking for a 14 day itinerary first time in Europe. This is for my 25 Anniversary. Looking to bring my 3 daughters ages 25/22/20. Also looking to invite my in laws 65/72. My wife is first generation born in the states from Hungary. My 72 year old father in-law has a bad ankle is there scooters to rent or would it be a pain in the butt to travel everywhere with it. Also ball Parker cost per person along with either plane or rail tickets to hop around

March 28, 2020 at 11:41 pm

This looks like a multi-generational reunion and a great celebration. Since your wife is of Hungarian descent, you might want to take a trip to Central Europe that would include Hungary as well. I think all of you are going to love Budapest! You could probably do Prague, Vienna, and Budapest and spend at least 3 days in each of these big cities. There are also a few side trips that you can take around them. I wrote extensively about these three destinations, in case you need some ideas on things to do, places to stay and eat in each one of these cities.

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