Traveling Europe for Beginners
Travel thoughts and itineraries for traveling Europe
My purpose in writing this is to give people an idea of what I would consider must sees for a European vacation. I have gotten the questions, “Where do yI go, what do I see, and how much time should I spend (insert place). I have gotten these questions a lot, and have thought about them even more. So with those thoughts I hope to be able to put some ideas and recommendations on paper (or screen rather) and share some of my experiences traveling Europe.
For starters, just so you have a reference point (so please don’t take this as bragging), I have been to every major country in Europe, almost every major city (minus Madrid), and many more small ones. I have rented cars, taken trains, and even caught ferries. I have lived in the UK, Russia, and now Germany. I feel like I have a pretty good idea of where to go for a typical European vacation, what to do, and where to stay. I have done the “Christopher Sprint” as my family so lovingly calls it — i.e. see as many places in the least amount of time — as well as taken my time in some places. My brother and I visited 8 countries in 17 days — how is that for a sprint? I have also spent 10 days in just one country. So, while I haven’t been even close to everywhere Europe has to offer, I feel comfortable giving some recommendations and ideas.
The flow of this article originally began as a broad overview where I wanted to encompass everything I was thinking and break the trips down into categories. Then I realized I needed to break down those categories into categories, and those categories even further. So I gave up and have decided to focus on first timers to Europe for this article, with more articles to follow with other ideas and trip plans for others.
First timers
Boy this is where it gets hard. Your first trip to Europe - what to do, what to do? So I look at Europe as a collection of architecture, art, food, and natural beauty. Everyone has their preferences, so this is what makes it tougher to recommend something. But, I will endeavor to pick the places that provide the best of everything to give you the best that Europe has to offer in one trip. To do this easier I have broken down my recommendations for Europe into time frames, because, who wants to read about a 21 day itinerary when you only have a week? Let’s get started…
The 7 Day Trip
This is the hardest to plan. You have so much to do, but not a lot of time. There is a lot of things calling for your attention. Do you see Paris? London? Rome? Athens? What is possible? What is too much? All of your friends are recommending where they have been. This. Is. Overwhelming. So let me help and try and make things easier. If it was my first trip to Europe again this is what I would do: I would figure out which country seems the most interesting to me and stick to it. All are easy to travel in, all have good infrastructure, all have good food (well, except maybe the UK ;)). So pick one and stick to it. Here are my ideas of what to do in each country:
- The UK — London 3 days + 2 day for a day trip (Oxford, Cambridge, Cliffs of Dover, Jurassic Coast, or Bath), Edinburgh (2 days — 1exploring Scottish highlands).
- Italy — Rome 3 days, Florence 2 days, Venice or Cinque Terre 2 days
- Germany — Berlin 2 days, Driving the Rhine 3 days, Munich + Neuschwanstein Castle 2 days
- France — Paris 3 days, Loire Valley or Colmar area 2 days, Normandy or Maresille/Nice 2 days. If you choose Loire Valley then I would go Normandy next. If you choose Colmar and the Alsace Region, then I would go Marseille/Nice next.
The 7 day sprint
Let’s say you’re a bit like me and want to hit as many different places as you can in the shortest amount of time. This is possible, and I have done this as well. It is more stressful and you don’t really get a vacation, but you maximize your effort to get to Europe. So here is my itinerary for a 7 day sprint:
- Fly into London, explore London 2 days, fly to Paris evening of day 2, explore Paris 2 days, fly to Rome evening of day 4 and explore Rome for 2 days. Fly to London evening of day 6. Day 7 fly out of London.
Be warned, none of these cities are two day cities. Three days is the minimum for me for these cities that I would recommend, but if you know you are coming back to Europe soon, you could do this as an introduction to what I consider to be the three best cities for tourism in Europe (Berlin, Barcelona, and Athens just barely missed the cut). Then, when you come back again, you could home base in one of these cities or begin your trip and figure out what you missed and what you want to see again.
The 10 day trip
This seems to be the more likely option for people traveling to Europe. If you are coming to Europe, 10 days seems to be how long most people I know travel to Europe for. Here you have more options, can travel a little less stressed, and have some days for just relaxing. Or you can also extend your sprint to new heights. Whichever feels right for you. Either way, I think 10 days is a good amount of time and would be the minimum I would recommend. You made it all the way to Europe, right, so why not enjoy it a little longer? Here are a couple of my itineraries for a more reasonable 10 day trip:
- Germany and Austria: Driving the Rhine 3 days, Munich and Neuschwanstein Castle 2 days, Salzburg 2 days, Vienna 2 days. One day for flexibility.
- France: Paris 3 days, Normandy 2 days, Loire Valley 2 days, Nice 2 days. One day for flexibility
- The UK + Ireland — London 3 days + 2 days for day trips (Oxford, Cambridge, Cliffs of Dover, Jurassic Coast, or Bath), Edinburgh (2 days — 1 exploring Scottish highlands), Dublin and Irish country side (Kork etc.) 3 days.
- Italy — Rome 3 days + 1 day trip to Pompeii, Florence 2 days, then EITHER Pisa 1/2 day + Cinque Terre 3 days OR Venice 2 days + Milan/Lake Como 2 days
- Spain + Portugal: Barcelona 3 days, Madrid 2 days, Lisbon 3 days, Porto 2 days.
- The Netherlands and Belgium: Amsterdam 4 days (rent a car 1 day and go see some windmills!), Brussels 2 days, Brugge 2 days, Ghent 2 days.
- Scandinavia — 3 days Stockholm, 1 day Oslo, 1 day fjord tour, 1 day Bergen, flight to Lofoten Islands (Navrik most likely then rent a car there) and 3 days there
After writing these they feel more like sprints. I guess old habits die hard! Feel free to add an extra day in the big cities, cut out a stop, or adjust the planning. These are just my recommendations for places and about how much time you would need.
The 10 day sprint
Ah yes, we meet again. For those that don’t care for this sprint idea, just move on. For those that are ready for a sprint, and can plan well and have a little extra money to spend on flights, get ready.
- Fly into London — explore London 2 days, fly to Paris evening of day 2 — explore Paris 2 days, fly to Barcelona evening of day 4 — explore Barcelona for 2 days, fly to Rome evening of day 6 — spend two days in Rome, fly to Berlin evening of day 8 — sprint through Berlin for 1.5 days and fly back to London either evening of day 9 or day 10 if you’re feeling lucky.
I have to admit, I wouldn’t do that. But 5 countries in 10 days, plus all the major capitals isn’t too bad, if you’re a flag collector like me.
The 14 Day trip
Here is when traveling to Europe gets really fun as you can maximize your time there. You can build your trip around a couple countries and really explore. Here are some thoughts:
Germany and Austria: Hamburg 2 days, Berlin 2 days, Driving the Rhine 3 days, Munich and Neuschwanstein Castle 2 days, Salzburg 2 days, Vienna 2 days. One day for flexibility.
France: Paris 3 days, Normandy 3 days (Rouen, Mont Saint-Michel, beaches), Loire Valley 2 days, Alsace region 2 days, Nice 3 days. One day for flexibility.
The UK + Ireland — London 3 days, + 2 days for day trips (Oxford, Cambridge, Cliffs of Dover, Jurassic Coast, or Bath), 2 days Cornwall, 2 days Lake District, Edinburgh (2 days — 1 exploring Scottish highlands), Dublin and Irish country side (Kork etc.) 3 days.
Central Europe: Prague 3 days, Vienna 3 days (add in Bratislava for a day trip if it suits your fancy), Budapest 3 days, home base in Ljubljana 3 days (Bled 1 day, Piran 1 day). I would recommend driving this, hence 2 days extra.
Italy — Rome 3 days + 1 day trip to Pompeii, Florence 2 days, Siena 2 days with Pisa as a 1/2 day, Cinque Terre 2 days, Milan/Lake Como 2 days, Venice 2 days
Spain and Portugal: Barcelona 3 days, Madrid 2 days, south of Spain and Gibraltar 3 days, Lisbon 3 days, Porto 2 days.
The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg: Amsterdam 4 days (rent a car 1 day and go see some windmills!), Brussels 3 days, Brugge 2 days, Ghent 2 days, Luxembourg City as home base 2 days with day trip to Vianden and Sacre-le-cour.
For anything over a 14 day trip, I would add in either some smaller cities, or a neighboring country.
The rest is up to you
I love Europe. I have been obsessed with it since I was little and we took our first trip to Europe at 14. Running through Spain and Germany, seeing things that were so old that they blew my mind, eating new foods, and hearing new languages, it really impacted me. Now I have lived in and around Europe for 6 years, and I hope to be able to help people experience all that I love about Europe. Feel free to ask any questions in you may have in the comments!
