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
- Italy
- Spain
- Germany
- 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
The closest major European cities are at least two hours apart by high-speed train, and from the time you check out of one hotel until you are checked into your hotel in the next city, it’s going to be 5 or more hours in most cases. A travel day isn’t much of a sightseeing day, so if you change cities every day or two, you’ll have very little time to see the things you’ve actually gone all that way to see.
Spend 3 (or 4) nights in almost every major city
Cities like London, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Berlin, Madrid, and Barcelona are all large and packed with world-class things to see and do. Since the day you arrive and the day you leave will offer little sightseeing time, you need at least two full sightseeing days in order to even see your choice of the top sights.
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
Since traveling from one city to another will take at least half a day, you don’t want to waste more time by visiting far-flung cities. Krakow and Lisbon are both fantastic cities to visit, but they are on opposite ends of Europe.
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
Fly into either city and take the 2-hour Eurostar train between them
Honestly, unless you have a specific reason why not, this is probably the best one-week itinerary for most first-time visitors to Europe. If you can read this article then London will be easy for language reasons. It’s packed with famous sights and it’s a major world capital.
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)
The only efficient way to get between London and Paris is on the Eurostar train, which runs between St. Pancras station in London and Gare du Nord station in Paris. The earlier you buy tickets, the cheaper they will be. Unlike other trains in Europe, the Eurostar (which of course runs through the Channel Tunnel) has airport-style security and you have to be there at least 30 minutes before departure. Eurostar tickets to and from London go on sale 6 to 8 months in advance and will be cheapest for the first few months they are on sale, with fares steadily rising after that.
>>>Best one-week London and Paris itinerary in detail
>>>Check London hotel deals
>>>Check Paris hotel deals
Itinerary 2: England and Scotland
- London (3 or 4 nights)
- York (1 night)
- Edinburgh, Scotland (2 or 3 nights)
- Inverness, Scotland (2 or 3 nights)
If you prefer to focus your first Europe trip on England and Scotland, you can have a great time and save the Continent for next time. London is the obvious place to start and spend 3 or 4 nights before taking the train north.
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
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)
The fastest version of this extremely popular itinerary that I recommend is 9 nights, but if you skip Florence you could actually do this in 7 nights if you had to. Paris is obviously the best first place to start exploring France and 3 or 4 nights there will feel like a very complete first visit.
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.
Florence is a highly recommended stop after Venice, as it’s the capital of the Tuscany region and also arguably Europe’s most important city for a couple hundred years. Florence probably has the best food of the three most popular Italian tourist cities, which is another reason to stop over there for at least a couple days.
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
France
- 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)
Italy
- 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
If you’ve decided to finally explore Europe for the first time, it’s quite possible that you haven’t considered doing it on a cruise. The best place to start would be one of the cruises that leaves from a popular port in the Mediterranean (and the adjacent seas). Barcelona and Venice are among the most popular departure ports and you can find cruises that go west or east from those places as well as cruises that drop you in another part of Europe or cruises that return to the departure port.
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
As alluring as cruising the Med may be, a river cruise on the Rhine or Danube might suit you even better. River cruises all over Europe have been booming in popularity lately and for good reason. They are typically more expensive than Med cruises on huge ships, but they also allow passengers to see more because they only hold a few hundred people and they often dock literally in the middle of the historic cities they visit.
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 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
If you want to save the UK for a future trip, starting in Paris on a first Europe visit is ideal. You’ll probably land in the morning so you’ll have almost 3 full days for Paris sightseeing. After that you can hop on a high-speed train for 1 hour 22 minutes to reach Brussels, or go straight to Amsterdam in a bit over 3 hours total.
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)
- London (3 or 4 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
- Paris (3 or 4 nights)
And a choice of:
- 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)
- Normandy (2 nights)
France is such a rich country for tourism experiences that you could spend a month there and still feel like you are missing significant sights. Obviously you’ll want to start in Paris, and then after that it’s just a matter of what interests you most and how much time you have. The architecture all over France is a highlight, and of course Paris has some of the most famous structures on earth including the Eiffel Tower and Louvre museum.
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
- London (3 or 4 nights)
- Interlaken, Switzerland (2 or 3 nights)
- Amsterdam (2 or 3 nights)
>>>Check Paris hotel deals
>>>Check Nice hotel deals
Itinerary 7: Italy
Rome to Florence: 1 hour 16 minutes
Florence to Venice: 1 hour 53 minutes
Especially for first-time visitors to Europe, Italy might be the most popular destination of all, and for good reason. The country has a famous “Big 3” destinations in Rome, Florence, and Venice, which are all teaming with worthwhile sights and they are conveniently located fairly short train rides from each other. Rome is by far the largest of those and it’s packed with great sights, but it’s also a bit chaotic, so 3 nights is a good stay for a first visit. Rome’s architecture is an obvious highlight and fortunately you can see a lot in a fairly short time. You can visit the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Vatican Museums, and Trevi Fountain in two days if you are organized.
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
- 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)
>>>Check Rome hotel deals
>>>Check Florence hotel deals
>>>Check Venice hotel deals
Itinerary 8: Spain
Madrid to Barcelona: 2 hours 30 minutes
Spain is another huge country with many things to see, but on your first visit to Europe it’s best to focus on its two huge cities. Madrid, which is the capital, and Barcelona, which is on a northern Mediterranean beach, are very different from each other and not substitutable for each other at all. A day trip on a 33-minute train ride from Madrid to Toledo is very worthwhile, although there are many other options.
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
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 to Munich: 6 hours 2 minutes
Munich to Rothenburg ob der Tauber: 2 hours 56 minutes
Munich to Füssen: 2 hours 4 minutes
Germany is a popular first-time Europe destination for those with family and/or roots in the country, even if other people save it for a 2nd or 3rd trip. Berlin is the capital and the most interesting city in the country by quite a bit, and it’s also pleasantly affordable compared to the other large cities in Germany. Munich is wealthier and more relaxed, and different from Berlin in many other ways as well.
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
If you aren’t much of a city person at all and you have a much stronger desire to see beautiful scenery and landscapes, then Switzerland could be a good choice for your first visit to Europe. The large cities here such as Zurich, Geneva, Lausanne, and Basel are all fairly dull and very expensive, so it’s better to minimize your time in any of them and head straight to the smaller scenic towns.
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
>>>Check Interlaken hotel deals
>>>Check Lucerne hotel deals
Itinerary 11: Eastern Europe’s best cheap cities
This isn’t really recommended for a first trip to Europe unless you are a backpacker who is sure they are going to be able to visit Europe again when they have more money. If you can get a cheap enough flight, the 3 best cheap European cities to visit are Prague, Budapest, and Krakow, which are all around half as expensive as most of the other cities on this list.
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
Hello sir
I would like to do a trip from Canada to Europe for my honeymoon.
We were planning on Italy (Venice,Rome,Florence) and Spain (Barcelona)
How would we travel and do it in 2 weeks?
Sarim,
With two weeks you have plenty of time for that trip. For the Italy part it’s easiest to fly into Rome and spend 3 nights there, and then take the short train ride to Florence for 3 nights, and then another train ride to Venice for one or two nights. From Venice it’s best to fly to Barcelona because the train takes a full day and costs much more. Sometimes you can find cheaper fares from Treviso Airport, which is also close to Venice.
I recommend 3 nights in Barcelona, but you could spend more as it’s a large city with plenty to see. If you only stay 3 nights you could then take a high-speed train in a bit over two hours to Madrid and spend your last three nights there. Barcelona and Madrid are both fantastic cities that are very different from each other, so seeing both is ideal. You could then fly home from Madrid, or from Barcelona if you skip Madrid.
In many cases it’s more expensive to fly into one city and out of another and in that case it would probably be best to first fly into Barcelona (or Madrid) and then take a cheap flight from there straight to Rome to start your holiday. If you buy well in advance it will be fairly cheap, and then you’ll end your trip in the city you are already flying home from. As always, let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger
Hi Roger
Once again you gave me perfect information, on everything I wanted to know. Your insight into every little detail is really appreciable and admirable. I am building my itinerary keeping in mind advice you have given me, as well as on this website.
One question I was having was – we plan to arrive on the Easter weekend. Probably 29th March. We have a choice between London or Paris to fly into. Being Easter weekend, will many of attractions be closed that weekend? If yes, we will end up loosing 3 days. What would you suggest?
Thanks
Nancy
Nancy,
I’m so happy to hear that my information has helped. As for Easter, it really shouldn’t be an issue in either city. Believe it or not, most of the famous attractions that you’ll probably want to see are open every day of the year, except perhaps Christmas Day. Italy (unsurprisingly) makes a bigger deal about Easter Week, and Spain does as well, but in England and France it’s just another holiday weekend when some people are off work and the attractions are sometimes more crowded than normal. Of course any church or cathedral might have special services that restrict tourist visits, but probably just on Easter Sunday.
Let me know if you have any other questions and I’ll try to help you with them. -Roger
Hi Roger,
My husband and I are starting to plan our honeymoon but struggling on where to go. We are planning to travel 2-3 weeks during the summer. Originally, he wanted to go to Ireland, and I wanted to go to Italy. Due to distance and expenses we realize we cannot do both so we are expanding our options. I was thinking maybe Portugal to Madrid to Barcelona?
Overall, we want a mix of the cultures. We want to experience city life with museums but also rural areas with hiking. We are also big foodies and want to find good food (and wine).
Do you have some suggestions for us?
Thank you,
Christine
Christine,
First off, I don’t think the idea of doing both Ireland and Italy is too crazy. The simplest way to do that would be to find cheap flights into Dublin or Shannon Airports and then rent a car for a week from there. Or if you land in Dublin you could spend a day or two there first and then rent a car on your way out of town. Ireland is best enjoyed in a rental car (or by train) seeing the small towns and castles and gorgeous scenery, rather than spending too much time in Dublin. Then you could take a cheap flight from Dublin or Shannon to Rome and spend 3 days there before taking a train to Florence for 3 days or so and then to Venice for a day or two (Venice is small and crowded) and then flying from there back to Ireland and then home. A week in Ireland and 7 to 10 days in Italy would make a wonderful vacation without being too hurried.
However, I think Lisbon to Madrid to Barcelona would also be fantastic. Each of those cities is a top-notch destination with plenty of things to see and do nearby. The one small hitch is that the only train connecting Lisbon and Madrid is an overnight train, so flying is a better choice for most people. Portugal has great food and wine (especially if you like Port). Personally, I’m not a big fan of most of the food in Spain, at least compared to other southern European countries, but there are excellent restaurants in all the cities and you’ll no doubt find things that are delicious and interesting. The Portugal and Spain version would be a bit cheaper as well, as both countries are a bit cheaper than Ireland and Italy, and getting around is pretty affordable as well.
Another popular option would be to fly into Paris and spend up to a week in France before crossing into Italy for another 7 to 10 days. I guess I don’t quite understand your limitations. I’ll be happy to help if you have specific questions about any of this. I think with 2 to 3 weeks you could go almost anywhere, and even do two different countries without spending a fortune. -Roger
Thanks again Roger. I packed last night, with 2+ weeks to go. Tough decisions but I’d rather not carry more than I can handle. I’d better not shop or pick up much along the way either.
Do you recommend convent or monastery stays over hostels or low cost hotels?
best
Laura
Roger Wade says:
February 8, 2018 at 7:46 pm
Laura,
I’m glad I was able to help and this version looks very well organized with nonstop highlights.
One nice thing about Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn is that you can buy a ticket on the spot for the same price as if you bought it in advance, and that is the best way to do it as well. As you may have read elsewhere, those high peaks can be in the clouds or fog or rain any time of the year, and going to the top under those conditions is pointless. Often it’s clear in the morning and cloudy in the afternoon, although sometimes the other way around. So you can decide what you want to do once you get there and are certain to make a great choice. From Lauterbrunnen it takes about 6 hours up and down for Jungfraujoch with time at the top, and about 4 hours to do Schilthorn. So as long as it’s clear when you want to go, you can decide which you are more in the mood for. If you are sleeping in Gimmelwald or Murren (both highly recommended) then Schilthorn is obviously even more efficient because the peak is only about 50 minutes up the same mountain from Murren.
If you want to spend one night in Cinque Terre I would make it in Vernazza, which is by far the most photogenic town. During summer those towns have become insanely crowded so many visitors complain that it’s not worth it, but if you go in March you won’t have many other tourists to deal with, so it might be fun and worthwhile. If you went straight from Milan you could get to Vernazza in a bit over 3 hours, with a change of trains in Monterosso. Then after hiking and looking around a bit you could head to Florence or one of the other towns. During summer I don’t think it would be worth it, but in March as long as it’s not raining it could be nice.
You can even make your mind up once you get to Italy and see the weather forecast. For the international long distance trains (Interlaken to Milan, for example), the fares get higher the longer you wait to buy, but for most of those trains in Italy there won’t be much difference. For example, the train that runs through Cinque Terre is a local train and it’s the same price no matter when you buy. And the trains from La Spezia to Lucca or Pisa are suburban trains that are always fairly cheap. It’s really only the high-speed trains between major cities (Venice to Florence to Rome) where you can save by buying early.
As long as you pack light enough then changing cities every day or two isn’t a big deal, especially in Italy where the train trips are all fairly short. In other words, there isn’t much to lose by keeping it open and deciding how you feel as the trip unfolds. In March you’ll also have an easy time finding hotel rooms, even on the same day. I prefer to lock in hotel rooms as soon as I’m sure of my schedule, and I don’t recommend shopping for hotels on foot once you arrive, but you can make plans as you go otherwise. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger
Laura,
I’ve never stayed in a convent or monastery, although I have read about them. They sound like they could be a great experience if you are up for the vibe and rules that come along with them. Most of the ones that I’ve heard of also tend to have slightly remote locations, although there probably are some in central cities. If they sound interesting to you I think they would be fun. But purely as a way of saving a few dollars compared to a hostel, I’m not sure it would be worth it. Have a wonderful trip. -Roger
Roger, you are such a nice person to be helping all of us plan our trips! I really can’t tell you how much I appreciate all the answers you’ve given people!
In Sep/Oct 2019, my hubby and I are hoping to travel for about a month or so, taking in London, Scotland, France, and maybe Germany or Italy, with a brief stopover in Iceland . We don’t need 4 star hotels, just something clean.
Do you think it’s reasonable for me to budget around $300/night total cost, not including air fare? Which locations will be the most/least expensive? If this is too low, what do you think we should plan to spend?
Also, do they have something like AirBNBs that can be used to keep the cost down?
Thanks so much!
Susan
Susan,
I enjoy helping people plan trips for some reason. As for planning a budget, please have a scan of my article called Europe 3-star traveler index. Right now it’s still the 2017 edition, but I will update it to the 2018 edition within the next week or so. The US Dollar has weakened about 10% since last year, but still the order of the cities should be about the same. The dollar amount for each of the 56 cities represents the typical cost per day in that city for each person based on traveling as a pair and staying in 3-star hotels. In other words, if you double the amount and add about 10% if you are using USDs, it should give you a pretty good estimate of daily costs for a couple in that city.
Based on that you’ll see that an average of US$300 per day for a couple will work, although it would be cutting it close if you focused only on the most expensive cities such as London, Paris, and Amsterdam. The more cities from higher up on the list that you spend time in, the lower your average cost for the whole trip will be.
Not only do the have something like airbnb in Europe, they have actual airbnbs. However, the many rental apartments available aren’t automatically cheaper than hotels. For one thing, the majority of airbnbs (and other apartments) will have somewhat remote locations, and the apartments in the center of the tourist areas will often be very expensive. So it’s worth looking into the apartments, and that’s especially true if you are planning on cooking some of your own meals. But in general I find that the cheapest option is usually a normal hotel with a decent location, especially when you take time and transportation costs into account. In other words, if you find a cheap apartment on the edge of town that requires an hour each way on the bus to get to the sights you’ve come to see, then it’s not really a great deal. Often you can see all the main sights in two days if you stay in a very central location, where it might take three days to see them all if you are staying in the suburbs.
I’m happy to answer any other questions you have, so let me know. -Roger
Hi Roger,
Regarding your advice below, and continuing. (March 2 to 27 this year)
This is my itinerary, I liked your advice and am taking it:
Mon arrive London
Sat, Sun and Monday London
Tuesday Train to York
Wednesday afternoon, train to Edinburgh
Thurs Edinburgh, evening flight to Amsterdam
Sat and Sun Amsterdam
Mon morning train to Paris
Tues, Wed, and Thurs Paris
Fri morning train to Interlaken
Sat Interlaken
Sun morning train to Milan (spend afternoon) then evening train to Venice
Mon Afternoon train to Florence
Tues Florence
Wed Afternoon train to Cinque Terre
Thurs Cinque Terre to Siena
Fri Siena to Rome
Sat, Sun, Mon Rome
Tues March 27 Flight home Rome to Newark
A few questions:
1) With 1.5 days in Interlaken do you think there is time enough (or would be a good use of my limited time here) to do the Jungfraujoch? Or is that too much train time with the next day being more train rides to Milan/Venice? I’ll be traveling light with one backpack, so I’d like to do things in Interlaken without back-TRACKING, if possible. (Schlithorn) I’d like to sleep in Gimmelwald or Murren.
2) In Italy I’d like to see Venice, Florence, Siena, Cinque Terre and no less than 3 full days in Rome. (with possible day trips from Rome)
Online, I see lots of opinions on doing these cities with 8 days or 9 days. Most of the advice says skip Cinque Terre or make it a day trip. I’d like to sleep there if possible. Other advice says stay more nights in one city (such as Siena or Florence) and then do day trips to the other places by bus or train. Rather than moving to different cities for only one night. If it rains, I read that Cinque Terre is not as good, since hiking is a main draw. So, I’d probably avoid it if there was a lot of rain.
Instead of the itinerary above, would it be efficient to go from Interlaken to Milan, to Cinque Terre, stay overnight there? Then do the other cities? Would it be efficient to do Milan/Cinque Terre, then Siena, Florence and Venice. And then take the long train (or a flight) down to Rome?
I’m open to all possibilities and or skipping some of the above it is just too ambitious.
I appreciate your time and advice very much,
Kind regards,
Laura
Laura,
I’m glad I was able to help and this version looks very well organized with nonstop highlights.
One nice thing about Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn is that you can buy a ticket on the spot for the same price as if you bought it in advance, and that is the best way to do it as well. As you may have read elsewhere, those high peaks can be in the clouds or fog or rain any time of the year, and going to the top under those conditions is pointless. Often it’s clear in the morning and cloudy in the afternoon, although sometimes the other way around. So you can decide what you want to do once you get there and are certain to make a great choice. From Lauterbrunnen it takes about 6 hours up and down for Jungfraujoch with time at the top, and about 4 hours to do Schilthorn. So as long as it’s clear when you want to go, you can decide which you are more in the mood for. If you are sleeping in Gimmelwald or Murren (both highly recommended) then Schilthorn is obviously even more efficient because the peak is only about 50 minutes up the same mountain from Murren.
If you want to spend one night in Cinque Terre I would make it in Vernazza, which is by far the most photogenic town. During summer those towns have become insanely crowded so many visitors complain that it’s not worth it, but if you go in March you won’t have many other tourists to deal with, so it might be fun and worthwhile. If you went straight from Milan you could get to Vernazza in a bit over 3 hours, with a change of trains in Monterosso. Then after hiking and looking around a bit you could head to Florence or one of the other towns. During summer I don’t think it would be worth it, but in March as long as it’s not raining it could be nice.
You can even make your mind up once you get to Italy and see the weather forecast. For the international long distance trains (Interlaken to Milan, for example), the fares get higher the longer you wait to buy, but for most of those trains in Italy there won’t be much difference. For example, the train that runs through Cinque Terre is a local train and it’s the same price no matter when you buy. And the trains from La Spezia to Lucca or Pisa are suburban trains that are always fairly cheap. It’s really only the high-speed trains between major cities (Venice to Florence to Rome) where you can save by buying early.
As long as you pack light enough then changing cities every day or two isn’t a big deal, especially in Italy where the train trips are all fairly short. In other words, there isn’t much to lose by keeping it open and deciding how you feel as the trip unfolds. In March you’ll also have an easy time finding hotel rooms, even on the same day. I prefer to lock in hotel rooms as soon as I’m sure of my schedule, and I don’t recommend shopping for hotels on foot once you arrive, but you can make plans as you go otherwise. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger
Thanks Roger, appreciate your quick and insightful revert. I’ll reach out again once we have ironed out our plans. Thanks again!
Hi Roger,
Many thanks on your very helpful tips for those of us planning to visit Europe. As for my case, I just wanted to get your inputs on which would be the best way to spend our 16D (including midday arrival and late night departure) in September. I will be travelling with my husband and our 1yr old son. I’ve been to a couple of places there before but it will be my husband’s first Europe trip. These are our options:
Option 1: London(6n)-Paris(6n)-Amsterdam(3n) [fly in and out of Paris]
Option 2:
London (4n)-Paris(3n)-Venice(1n)-Florence(3)-Rome(4n) [fly in in London and out from Rome]
I’m leaning towards the 2nd option as I haven’t been to Italy, however, I was thinking if this would be too much given that we would be travelling with an infant. If we were to push through with this, is it worth still visiting Venice or just spend it in Florence instead?
Thanks and appreciate your thoughts.
Regards,
Jiane
Jiane,
I would definitely try for Option 2. I’ve lived in London and Amsterdam, and I’ve visited Paris quite a few times, but still I think a 3 or 4-day visit is optimal. In my experience, we each have a number of things we want to see and do in each city we visit, and it’s usually pretty easy to do all of the top things on our lists in 2 or 3 days of sightseeing. By the time Day 5 or 6 rolls around, we’ve seen it all and end up doing things that aren’t really that interesting, or doing nothing at all. And of course Italy is as wonderful as those other cities.
And I would keep Venice on the list just as you have it. Venice is the kind of place that everyone should see at least once with their own eyes, and fortunately you can appreciate it in about 24 hours.
Traveling with an infant will never be easy, but as you may remember from your previous Europe trips, the place is very well organized for parents. On any intercity train you take there will be room for a stroller and there is almost always an oversized bathroom with a changing table and that sort of thing. A majority of people who live in all of these cities don’t have their own cars, so family travel on intercity trains is very normal. Most people who ask for advice on trips like this are trying to see 6 cities in 7 or 8 days, and that is pretty much impossible. But your plans are both very well considered so either one would be great. I still vote for including Italy though. -Roger
Hello, first time traveller here. I would like to seek for your comments. My husband and I are planning to go for a Europe tour specifically France, Switzerland, Italy, Amsterdam, Germany and Austria for 2 weeks. Is it possible? We would like to visit more of nature and historical places plus the biggest tulip garden. Would you be able to give us good itineraries and guide for the trip. Thanks so much
Anna,
Visiting 5 countries and one additional city in two weeks is technically possible, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. When you check out of one hotel and move to another city and check into a hotel there, it will take most of the middle of a day, so if you do that every other day you’ll be spending half your trip on trains and lugging your bags to and from train stations, and only half actually sightseeing. My strong recommendation is to plan 3 nights in each city you stop in. If you want to see nature as in national parks and that sort of thing, Europe is pretty light on them, although if you mean views such as the Alps then Switzerland is your best bet.
If you have only two weeks I would suggest trying to get your list down to 5 cities and trying to choose cities that are easy to reach from others on your list. Paris is an excellent city for first-time Europe visits and I would recommend 3 nights there. If you want to go to Italy the fastest visit I would recommend would be 1 night in Venice, 2 nights in Florence (although 3 nights is better), and 3 nights in Rome. If you want to just fly into Rome for 3 nights and then fly somewhere else you could do that, but those other cities are almost too wonderful to miss, especially since you’d already be 90 to 120 minutes from them by train when you are in Rome. Have a scan of my article on where to go in Switzerland on a short visit. You could take a train from Paris to Interlaken and spend 3 days there for a very efficient visit with the main highlights.
The famous tulip fields are in the Netherlands and you can visit them from Amsterdam on a day trip, but the tulip season only lasts about 3 weeks, starting in mid April. In Austria your main choices are the important and grand capital city of Vienna, and Salzburg, which is much smaller with a gorgeous location at the base of the Alps. As for Germany, there are many great choices and you could start with a scan of my article on where to go in Germany. Berlin is the most interesting city for most people, but there are many other choices.
So again, if you only have two weeks then you have to pare down your list to about 5 cities rather than countries. Once you do that it will be much easier to organize and I’ll be happy to help you if you need it. -Roger
Roger,
Thank you very much for the wealth of knowledge you have poured into this site, I have very much appreciated reading through your answers to the above posts. I was hoping you could help me as well. I am planning a 2 week trip with my 12 and 13 year old kiddos. While I have previously been to many countries in Europe, this will be their first time and I want to make the trip memorable while at the same time, not too overwhelming. We will be flying from FL (U.S) and although I wish money where of little concern, I am trying to plan the most economical trip possible. Of course my son wants to visit London and my daughter Paris so I’m not sure we are off to a great start on that goal :). I would appreciate any recommendations you might have and we are planning the trip for either the end of May 2018 or if it’s better, March 2019.
Thank you again!
Sincerely,
Trisha
Trisha,
I’ll be happy to try to help, though I’m a bit unclear on what. It’s true that London and Paris are fairly expensive, but in my opinion they are still worth it and I’d rather stay in a more remote 2-star hotel in either of those cities instead of a central 4-star hotel in Sofia, Belgrade, or Riga. I actually wrote an article about visiting Europe’s 5 great cities before focusing on the cheaper ones. That said, I’ve traveled on a budget for all my life and I know that you can’t just go anywhere and expect someone else to pay the credit card bill when you get home.
So I would still focus on London and Paris for the first stops since this is your children’s first trip. You could do those in about 3 or 4 days each, and of course fewer days would be a bit cheaper. With the remaining 6 to 8 days I’d say you have two really good options that are also reasonably priced. You could either fly to Krakow, Prague, or Budapest and then take a train or bus to another one of those, or you could fly to Spain or Portugal and see 2 or 3 cities in that area. Lisbon is wonderful and really good value, while Spain is a bit more expensive but not much.
I suppose another option would be to explore more of England and France. As you might know, everywhere else in Britain is cheaper than London, and especially now with the decent exchange rate, it’s good value. You could go to York and Edinburgh, for example. And in France you could go to any number of smaller towns a few hours by train from Paris and your daily costs would be much lower while still having a fantastic time. I’m happy to help with more information if you have any other questions. -Roger