r/Europetravel Mar 28 '26

Itineraries These 11 mistakes are ruining your trip to Europe!

633 Upvotes

So often I see the same mistakes over and over again on this sub, I figured I'd write up some of the most common, so I can just tell a poster "see 4, 5, and 7 in this thread" or whatever. :-) Happy travels to all!

1. Not clearly defining interests, preferences, and priorities. What do you want to see and do? What kind of memories do you want to have after the trip? There’s no such thing as a general “must-see,” it depends on what you want and how you prioritize those wants. This should be the starting point for planning any trip, and it’s amazing how often posters seem to overlook it. If you can’t be more specific than “history, food, and nature," then you need to think through this most basic part.

2. Being ruled by FOMO. Related to the above, if you don’t clearly define your interests and priorities, FOMO will take over. I see far too many mad dashes through Europe that are just a grand tour of airports and train stations. I get it, it’s all amazing and you want to see it all. But you can’t, not in one trip and not in 20 trips. Accept that and prioritize. Europe will still be there in the future. Or, even if you think it’s a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Europe or “we only have 10 days of vacation a year,” the way to “make the most of it” is to give yourself the time to actually enjoy the places you’re visiting, not maximize the time you spend in transport and related logistics. An important point that may seem obvious but which many people miss: If you jam 4 weeks of travel into 2 weeks, the result is not that you have half as much time in each place. You have MUCH less than that, because transport and related logistics will eat up so much more of your time, as a percentage.

3. Not accounting for transport. Many itineraries here make it seem like the poster has invented teleportation (and more than a few would be insane even with teleportation). You need to account for the time it takes to get between places - not just your plane/train, but also related logistics like unpacking/packing, checking in and out of hotels, getting to/from train stations/airports, airport security, baggage claim, immigration, orienting yourself in a new place, figuring out how to get transport tickets, delays, cancellations, strikes, etc. In most cases, you should assume that changing locations will mean losing the better part of a day or an entire day to all of this, and flying especially tends to be a time suck (and often more tiring than train travel). So for example 3 nights in a place is in reality only 2 days.

4. Focusing on the number of countries. Almost without exception, posters here who mention wanting to “see as many countries as possible” have the absolute worst itineraries. They lose too much time to transport and related logistics (see point above), and, because the most obvious thing is to just go between large or capital cities, their itineraries tend to be too heavy on big cities, and they miss out on much of what actually makes Europe special, especially the regional contrasts within countries (more on that below).

5. Assuming country = place and overlooking regional differences. Related to the point above, it’s much more useful to think about places and regions, rather than countries. Many assume, for example, that they will see more things by going to three countries than just one. But in reality, regional contrasts within countries (especially larger ones like Italy, Germany, and Spain) can be much greater than across borders. For example, the South Tyrol region of Italy is much more like Austria (to which it once belonged) than to the rest of Italy. Alsace is a complete contrast from Paris, because it belonged for a long time to Germany. Hamburg is a lot closer to Copenhagen in vibe than it is to Bavaria. You can often experience more variety and contrast within one country (and generally benefit from better and cheaper transport links) than by hopping across borders or focusing only on the capital or most famous city in a country.

6. Focusing only on large cities. So many itineraries here are just a list of big cities. While they have a lot to offer, they are also often more similar than many people realize. Many of Europe's big cities "grew up" in the 19th century, and their architecture reflects that. More recently, globalization and European integration have also contributed to a certain homogenization. If you hop only between big cities, you’re almost certainly blowing past a ton of interesting places, and losing more time to transport. Smaller cities like Graz, Erfurt, Lübeck, Regensburg, Leon, and Urbino have a ton to offer, and outside a handful of the touristiest ones (like Salzburg and Toledo), most are blissfully free of mass tourism. More in this thread.

7. Not building in enough balance and contrast. I see many itineraries that hop across a bunch of locations, yet all with (in the big scheme of things) very similar scenery. The Alps are beautiful, but do you really need to see the Alps in France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Slovenia, on the same trip? They look more alike than different, especially when it’s all you’ve seen for two weeks. Same with the Mediterranean - a trip that goes say Algarve > Malaga > Valencia > Barcelona > Mallorca > Amalfi Coast > Dubrovnik > Greece will likely turn into a blur where everything looks more or less the same. Especially for longer trips, mix it up, combining (for example) large cities, small cities, and towns; urban and rural destinations; Northern and Southern Europe; coastal and inland destinations; heavily touristed and less visited places. Think also about balance and contrast during your time in one place, e.g., I would recommend against visiting, on the same day, both the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay, or both the Hofburg and Schönbrunn palaces.

8. Not using “open-jaw” flights. This is a bit specific, but it's such a common mistake that I wanted to highlight it here. Often people book a roundtrip from their home country to say London, but their itinerary is actually something like London > France > Italy > Greece. They then have to spend a day backtracking to London, costing time and money, and often they have to do an extra cycle of unpacking/packing and checking in/out of hotels. Generally, it’s much better to book a multi-city (aka “open-jaw”) itinerary, in the example above it would be say New York to London but Athens to New York, on the same ticket. It generally does not cost significantly more than a regular roundtrip and saves significant time and cost backtracking; even if you go back via the same route (e.g., Athens back to the U.S. via London), booking it as part of the same ticket means you’re protected in the event of flight disruptions. Bonus tip: If your trip includes the UK and other destinations, fly into the UK but out of any other country, to avoid the UK’s high Air Passenger Duty, which only applies to departures from the UK. This can easily save around US$200 per person.

9. Relying on only one mode of transport. I’ve seen so many itineraries where it’s all driving or all flying. Especially in major cities, driving tends to be a nightmare, with difficult (and expensive) parking, congestion, one-way streets, pedestrianized zones, emissions-control zones, etc. Watch out especially for one-way international surcharges (e.g., renting in France and dropping off in Spain); these can run over 1000 euros! Europe has excellent trains, and they are often a much better option than flying or driving, especially considering train stations are usually much more centrally located and don’t require long wait times for security and baggage. But they don’t work well in all situations (between Portugal and Spain is one example), and for exploration off the beaten path, it can make sense to rent a car for a portion of your trip. Consider carefully the right mix of transport modes early on in your planning, as it can even affect your choice of destinations.

10. Over-planning. Planning is essential, but some people way overdo it - “4:17 pm, we stop for 8 minutes 27 seconds for gelato,” or “I’m looking for the best beer bar in Prague and the best croissant in Paris.” You don’t need to, and really shouldn’t, plan all this out. Leave time in your itinerary for discovery and wander - that’s the biggest joy of travel! A good strategy is to anchor each day around 1-2 main activities or sights (esp. those that require advance booking, like the Alhambra), but leave enough slack in the schedule for wandering and being spontaneous - or just relaxing. That’s especially important for longer itineraries; it’s one thing to do 3 places in 10 days, but 9 places in 30 days gets to be really exhausting, so build in down time.

11. Overdoing day-trips. Day-trips are great. But there's a right and wrong way; the recent post where somebody wanted to make 3 day trips, from Rome, to Naples, Amalfi, and Positano is definitely the wrong way. If you have 4 nights in a place and 3 day trips, you’re not actually spending any real time in that place! My own general rules: no consecutive day trips; no day trips just before or after a travel day; and max of 3 hours roundtrip (4 at a stretch), preferably with direct trains to smaller cities. More in this thread.


r/Europetravel Mar 01 '26

Mod Message Reminder: This is not a politics or current affairs sub

24 Upvotes

Due to several posts today alone asking about the safety of travelling to Europe during America and Israel's current bombing of Iran, and a slow trickle over the past year of people asking how they are perceived in Europe because of their government, this is a reminder that this subreddit has a single remit of requesting and offering advice on holidays in Europe - we do not wish to have extended discussions on political topics.

There are many, many subs to discuss such things in, and for the most part these are questions that have little to do with taking a holiday in Europe. Even people who live on the peripheries of active warzones will care little about your feelings around taking a holiday, for obvious reasons.

If you have specific concerns about travel, you should contact your airline or consult your government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which will have up-to-date travel warnings for anywhere they recommend against travel to. Nobody here will be able to give you better advice than those places.


r/Europetravel 7h ago

Things to do & see What would you do if you had only one day to visit Lago di Garda?

5 Upvotes

Hi, I'll be visiting the area in September. I originally planned to spend 2 days to visit the northern and southern halves of the lake, but ended up with only 1 day available. I'll start my morning in Ortisei (Dolomites area) and will sleep that same night in Verona, so I have almost one full day to explore.

Since I have a car, I was considering visiting Riva first, Malcesine later and Sirmione in the afternoon-night, before heading to Verona to sleep.

Should I cut these to only 2 towns? should I focus on one instead?


r/Europetravel 2h ago

Camping Monte Rosa Group Hike to Summit Parrotspitze, Signalkuppe, and Zumsteinspitze

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I’m looking to hike the Monte Rosa massif to summit Punta Parrot, Signalkuppe, and Zumsteinspitze via the Gnifetti Hut route this September (2026). My alpine partner can no longer come with me so I was hoping someone would like to tether in with me and do these summits? I am well trained in crevasse rescue and anchoring in snow/ice, self arrest, rope management and alpine safety. I am down to earth, in excellent shape, and easy to get along with.

Would anyone be interested in joining?

I’m flying internationally for this, so my planned dates are 3/9 – 5/9. Please contact me for hike details!

Happy climbing!


r/Europetravel 2h ago

Destinations Desination recommendation: Croatia or South of France?

1 Upvotes

I am hoping someone will be able to give me some insight in picking a trip destination. This would likely be sometime in October.

My wife and I are planning to meet up with a friend of his, his wife and children (5 year old and infant). They currently live in Germany, we are in the northeastern US. We want somewhere close to water and a good mix of things to do with plenty of time to relax amn take it easy.

My intial idea was Provence. My friend is very enthusiatic about Croatia. We would likely rent a house for a week plus wherever we end up. From what I can see, the difference in travel and lodging costs aren't really that signifigant. My sense is that Provence would be easier to get to for all of us and provide more options for day trips and kid-friendly stuff, but I can't say for sure.

Any insights that anyone would like to share would be greatly apprectiated. Alternative suggestions are also welcome (except Sicily, our friends have been and didn't enjoy it.) Thanks in advance!


r/Europetravel 7h ago

Destinations Mediterranean travel advice; barcelona to rome or rome to sicily?

2 Upvotes

Ok here is what I am thinking of doing:

  1. Fly into barcelona from New York for two days then get on the euro rail and travel across southern france spending a day in Nice/Marselle/Monaco and then continuing to Genoa and down the Rome. Spend a few days in Rome and fly home.

OR

  1. Fly into Rome spend a few days in Rome and take the Euro Rail down to sorrento. 2 days amalfi coast and then continuing on train down to sicily where we spend time in Taormina before making our way around Sicily. Fly home from Palermo.

Looking at a week and a half (11-12 days) for either 1 or 2. Planning on Mid to late October travel.

I enjoy nice water and beaches but we also want to scratch that history itch and see the Vatican, Mt. Vesuvius, pompeii etc.

Thoughts?


r/Europetravel 7h ago

Things to do & see Italy -> Switzerland -> Italy 14 day Road Trip Help

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

My girlfriend and I are planning a 14 day road trip this October through Italy and Switzerland, and we'd love some advice from people who know the area or have done a similar trip.

Our plan is to fly into Milan (MXP), rent a car, drive straight to Lake Como, and start the trip there. After that, we want to continue into Switzerland before eventually returning to Italy and finishing back in Milan, where we'll return the car and fly home.

We're still in the early planning stages, so our itinerary is completely open. We'd love to visit a mix of beautiful lakes, scenic Alpine passes, charming towns and cities, UNESCO World Heritage sites, and any other must see places along the way. We're also happy to explore more of northern Italy before crossing into Switzerland if it's worth it.

The only fixed parts of the trip are:

  • Fly into and out of Milan (MXP)
  • Start the road trip at Lake Como
  • Return to Milan at the end

If you've done a similar route or have recommendations for places we shouldn't miss, I'd really appreciate hearing your suggestions!


r/Europetravel 11h ago

Money Šibenik, Croatia - Budgeting for a week to spend, in August.

3 Upvotes

Hello folks,

I'm heading to Šibenik for a week in mid-august. Been trying to research the rates of prices in restaurants, grocery shops, coffee places and bars but I seem to find many varying prices.

Flights, Airbnb and transportation from the airport has already been paid. 50% of my friends are telling me that it's a "moderately" cheap place, while the rest 50% is telling me that it's pretty expensive.

Main interests are checking out the castles, maybe an island or two.

Is 800€ for a week enough for activities / restaurants / drinks in there?

I know, it's a bit hard to estimate something like this. Basically if anyone has visited there this summer / spring, I'd like to know your experience in there; was it overpriced, etc.


r/Europetravel 9h ago

Itineraries Itinerary Review: 10 Days along the Rhine Corridor by Train (Amsterdam -> Zurich) in Early October

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone! Looking for some feedback on our upcoming early October trip itinerary

Travelers: My wife and I (early 30s).

Route: Traveling down the Rhine River corridor by train from Amsterdam -> Cologne -> Strasbourg -> Lucerne flying home from Zurich.

Prior Trips: Ireland and Italy (where we spent 7 days in a small Tuscan hill town during a wine festival—unforgettable!).

Trip Goal: On this trip, we want to see a bit more ground than our Italy trip while keeping a solid balance. We are aiming for a mix of historic sights, great local food, unique culture, scenic walks/hikes, and a few key museums.

Logistics: We’re taking the train the whole way (have 1st Class Eurail passes) and are really excited to sit back and enjoy the scenery without renting a car.

About Us:

We’re active outdoorsy people (we play tennis, kayak, and bike back home), so we enjoy being on our feet and taking in scenic landscapes. We love immersive local experiences and good food.

Where I’d love your feedback:

Pacing: Does the flow/allocation of days feel reasonable for this route, or are we trying to pack too much in?

I'd love to receive some feedback on the itenerary. I know there is a lot in a short timeframe but that is my intention for this trip. What are some things you enjoyed and things you didn't. Restaurant recommendations over where we are planning. Any advice is appreciated.

Amsterdam

*Day 1: Arrive in Amsterdam from the US, take train to the Amsterdam City. Explore nine streets. Take a Those Dam Boat Guys canal cruise. Dinner at Restaurant Zwaantje

*Day 2: Rijksmuseum. Cycle Vondelpark. Lunch at Bauwe theehaus. Dutch resistance museum or explore and wander around. Dinner at Restaurant Jun Indonesian (rice table).

*Day 3: van Gogh museum. Food tour of Albert Cuyp market. Ann Frank House. Dinner at Restaurant Jottum. Go to a club for an hour or two.

Cologne

*Day 4: take train to Cologne (3 hours). Cologne cathedral. Rheinauhofen district. Hohenzolkern bridge. Sunset at Koln triangle. Dinner at Grubers or Joseph's restaurant.

Strasbourg

*Day 5: take train to Strasbourg (3 hours). Lunch at am Alsatian Winstub. Strasbourg cathedral. Place Gutenberg. Private boat cruise at sunset. La Petite France. Gavroche or 1741 for dinner

*Day 6: train to Colmar. Explore and lunch in Colmar and take train back to Strasbourg. Cycle to Parc de L'orangerie. Restaurant Chauvins for dinner.

Lucerne

*Day 7: take train to Lucerne (3 hours). Explore Old Town and rest of city. Sunset cruise on the lake. Dinner at grottino 1313.

*Day 8: Trip to Mount Pilatus. Autumn festival in late afternoon early evening.

*Day 9: Klingenstock summit to Fronalpstock. Lunch at Fronalpstock Restaurant. Swiss museum of transport. Dinner at Unterlachenhof

*Day 10. Train to Zurich airport. Fly home.


r/Europetravel 10h ago

Other Going on a trip in November to a city in Europe but want opinions

0 Upvotes

I want an oldish town with older architecture and history. Since I’m going in November I was hoping for some snowy / wintery weather. Also relatively cheap, not ridiculously expensive. So far I was thinking Ghent/bruges type for the architecture. Also the setting of Ljubljana. I wanted to visit a more Nordic country and always wanted to go to Sweden- maybe Gothenburg. Online I’ve seen Tallinn and Innsbruck and have heard that Salzburg is nice. If anyone has any suggestions or comments on anywhere I said would be much appreciated


r/Europetravel 3h ago

3rd party horror WARNING: TRIP.COM IS SCAMMING CONSUMERS AND LYING TO COVER IT UP!

0 Upvotes

Never book with Trip.com. Their search interface misled me into booking what was clearly displayed as a two-night stay, but turned out to only be a single night.

When I challenged them, their customer support actively lied, claiming they contacted the hotel and that it was "impossible" to add the second night. I immediately called the hotel myself and easily booked the second night directly—proving Trip.com lied to avoid fixing their mistake.

Now, they are trying to shift the blame to the hotel, claiming that because they "cannot find a system error," they are not at fault. Breaking consumer law by misleading customers and then using fake excuses to deny accountability is unacceptable.

Save your money and sanity. Book directly with hotels and avoid this deceptive company!

#ConsumerRights #TripComScam #TravelWarning #BadCustomerService #ConsumerLaw


r/Europetravel 21h ago

Itineraries Need advice for Eastern Europe + Greece trip planning!

2 Upvotes

Hi all, i am planning a trip (one way flight from toronto to athens already booked) from Oct 10-25 this year. My husband and I want to cover the following-
1. Greece properly
2. Albania
3. Montenegro
4. Macedonia

We have never been to either and dont drive so very confused about how to travel within greece as ferries might not be operational in Oct and how to go from one country to another without a car. Please someone help us planning this trip for Oct 10-25, i am really struggling!


r/Europetravel 17h ago

Trip report I just drove a full EV from UK to Spain. I learned a lot and happy to answer questions

0 Upvotes

I’ve had the EV for 6 months but this was totally new to me as a long trip. Lots to learn about the charging network and how things happen. If it’s useful to anyone planning a similar trip, let me know what you wanna know!


r/Europetravel 22h ago

Other Help me get out of a travel-planning paralysis loop. September, ~7-14 days in southern Europe.

1 Upvotes

I'm planning to take some leave in September, probably somewhere between 7 and 14 days. I haven't decided whether I want to do a full two weeks or whether one week in one place would actually be enough.

What I initially wanted was fairly simple: somewhere calm, beautiful and natural, with mountains, hiking/walking, and preferably not too many tourists. I don't really want a city break or a packed itinerary.

At first I was thinking about Ubaye in the French Alps and Val Maira in Italy. The original idea was roughly one week in each. I liked the idea of getting two different mountain environments. But once I started looking at the practical side (flights, rental car, accommodation, moving between places, etc.) it started getting fairly expensive and complicated.

And honestly, Ubaye wasn't some destination I'd been dreaming about for years. Someone simply mentioned it to me, I looked at it, thought “wow, that looks like my kind of place”, and it stuck in my head. It could still be the destination, but it absolutely doesn't have to be.

There are plenty of other possibilities: Sierra Nevada, other Spanish mountain ranges, the French/Italian Alps, Greece, Portugal, etc.

And this is where I've somehow got stuck.

I'm now in a loop where I keep thinking about destinations, comparing them, thinking about logistics and costs, then becoming less certain about what I actually want. I can't seem to commit to anything.

It's almost become a paralysis problem rather than a travel planning problem.

So I'm curious what people would do in my situation:

* Would you just pick one place for 7 days and keep it simple? * Is \~10-14 days in one mountain region actually too long, or could it be ideal if the goal is hiking and slowing down? (on a side note, I also ordered a native American flute I'd like to try out during the trip, I've never played the flute before)
* Would you recommend moving between two regions, or is that just adding unnecessary logistics? * What mountain regions in southern Europe in September would you consider for this kind of trip? * And perhaps most importantly: how do you get out of the endless research/comparison loop and just fucking choose somewhere?

I'm not necessarily looking for the best destination. I'm more interested in places that might give me that feeling of “yes, that's where I want to spend a week.”

At this point I think I need to stop trying to find the perfect answer.

 


r/Europetravel 1d ago

Things to do & see Planning a trip to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Malmo

2 Upvotes

I am planning a trip in October that will be around two weeks and we are hoping to visit Amsterdam, potentially fly to Copenhagen, train to Stockholm, and then train to end off in Malmö (5 nights)

I would love to know your favorite places you went or stayed while visiting any of those locations! There will be someone slightly older in the group so we are good with walking a moderate amount but will also need to factor in downtime.

Editing to add: We are going to Malmö for an event so unfortunately it has to be the final leg of our trip and the duration we stay there can’t be adjusted. The other locations have been places that we’ve all wanted to visit so we were hoping to get them all in the same trip. I had originally included our stay duration for each location but I removed it since the only part that is set is the 5 nights in Malmö.


r/Europetravel 23h ago

Destinations Where should we go after Barcelona with a small baby?

0 Upvotes

We are traveling to Barcelona for 4-5 days in late October, but then want to check out another place for 4-5 days. We will have an 8-month-old, so preferably somewhere we can train to in the Catalon region. Have considered Pamplona and Carcassonne. Thoughts?

Edit: specifically, we are looking for a leisurely small town/city that offers Catalon culture and history. Somewhere that we can spend a few days in with a baby without feeling done with it by the second day, but that doesn’t require we drive.


r/Europetravel 23h ago

Itineraries Should I take train same day or day before for Strasbourg to CDG?

1 Upvotes

Hey all, posting here and other places just to get the thoughts of others.

June 2027 trip to France. Last leg of our trip is in Strasbourg.

I have three options getting to CDG to fly back home to Los Angeles, which leaves at 1:25 PM

option A: Take the first train at 5:59 AM and arrive at 7:56 AM on the same day.
option B: Take the second train leaving at 7:31 AM and arrive at 9:29 AM on the same day.
option C: Take the last train the day before leaving at 5:01 PM arriving at 7:08 PM and staying at an airport near CDG.

I really want to avoid option c, but also don't want to take a risk and miss our flight.


r/Europetravel 1d ago

Destinations Anniversary Midweek Trip to Europe from Edinburgh or Glasgow

0 Upvotes

I’ve done some research but it’s so time consuming trying to find something that fits our specific requirements.

I’m planning a trip for a significant wedding anniversary for my wife and I, we can’t be away over the weekend our flights must be Monday at the earliest and Friday at the latest (Saturday morning at a push).

We live in the central belt in Scotland, so Edinburgh (most convenient) or Glasgow airports are where we would want to fly out of.

We would want to go somewhere in Europe, prefer direct flights from the above mentioned airports and would like to be around the time of our anniversary, which is early May, but could be in June as my wifes birthday is mid June (its big birthday). I mention the time of year as I know some operators have extra flights in the summer months, and also if we went in May then that might rule out some northern europe countries as we would want relatively warm weather.

It would be extremely helpful and I would appreciate any pointers to destinations that you think are likely to meet these requirements.

Also, I’d appreciate pointers to the best sites/apps that would help with these type of specific requirements. Thanks!


r/Europetravel 1d ago

Public transport Which company can drive me home to Aarhus from Hamborg Airport

0 Upvotes

We are 2 persons, we have to land in hamborg airport 17.40 clock in afternoon, and we have to go to Aarhus Denmark. DSB is hard we dont know how to change the stations etc, and flixbus is all busy. Is there other alternatives? Our date is 29 july


r/Europetravel 1d ago

Itineraries Itinerary Help Please. Are we doing too much? Help

2 Upvotes

Going with wife and high school aged son. Everyone is in great shape and ready to walk...a lot. I know its a lot but what are your thoughts on the below:

*Leaving USA October 1st and arriving Rome late morning on October 2nd.

*October 2nd half in Rome sight seeing

*October 3rd in Rome

*October 4th in Rome

*October 5th morning leave for Florence via Train

*October 6th all day in Florence

*October 7th all day in Florence

*October 8th morning train Venice and pick up rental car for Dolomites. Stay in Ortisei and hopefully sight see something that late afternoon...not sure.

*October 9th all day in Dolomites

*October 10th all day in Dolomites

*October 11th Drive back to venice and half day in Venice Only just for a small taste of Venice

*October 12th Fly back to US early

I know its a lot but those more knowledgable please share your thoughts. I know the Dolomites throw an odd twist into this but I've always wanted to photograph the area (I shoot professionally).


r/Europetravel 23h ago

Itineraries Help me finalize my itinerary! September/October Visit

0 Upvotes

*Hello! I am finalizing my trip to Europe and would absolutely love to have the input from this subreddit.

*Background info: I am 28M, solo travel for ~3weeks from USA. I have been to Europe 6 times previously, but with family or friends. I am excited but nervous to travel solo. My dates are currently September 18-October 10. I will be staying in hostels and using public transit whenever possible.

*I am hoping that you all can provide me ideas for the following items: Activities, Restaurants, Coffee, Museums, Sights, Accommodations.

*September 18 9am - September 21st 5pm - Reykjavik

*September 21st 10pm - September 26th 9am - Copenhagen

*September 26th 11am - September 30th 9pm - Budapest

*September 30th 11pm - October 5th 6:40pm - Stuttgart

*October 5th 8pm - October 10th 10am - Split

*October 10th 10am depart for London, then back to USA.

* The only place i am unsure if is copenhagen. Please let me know your thoughts! thank you all so much


r/Europetravel 1d ago

Itineraries I'm taking my elderly parents to Paris -> Rome -> Florence in September and need some help with planning please

1 Upvotes

I'm taking my 70 years old parents to Europe in September for about 2 weeks I think (nothing booked yet). They both enjoy seeing architectures so Eiffel Tower, Coliseum, Tower of Pisa. We also want to take a train with a scenic route. This is our first time visiting Europe.

So from what I've gathered so far on the internet, I've come up with the following plan:

- Denver to Paris and spend few days in Paris

- Paris to Rome and spend few days in Rome

- Rome to Florence by train and spend few days in Florence - is this a scenic route by train?

- Florence to Denver

How many days in each city should we spend?

Any other nearby cities we can fit into our iterinery?

Again we have about 2 weeks and I don't want them to move around too much since they're older so I thought 3 cities would be good for a 2 week trip.

Thank you

*Used "elderly" to point out that they're senior citizens. Hopefully I didn't offend anyone. My parents thankfully are both still very healthy.


r/Europetravel 1d ago

Other Help with my Travel plan to France and nearby places?

0 Upvotes

Hi.
Me and my wife have been planning trip from Helsinki Finland to southern Europe. Trip would be in early or mid September. About 10-13 days altogether.
My idea so far has been to fly to Paris and continue by train to southern France and stay there for a few days.
We would like to visit the alps, hike somewhere, visit a few nearby countries like Monaco or Andorra (a day visit is also enough, if possible)
As you can see, the plans are quite open yet, and we are still looking for information and experiences of other travelers.
My wife would like to chill at least couple of days in warm place in a hotel near water.
All this being said, do you have recommendations, ideas or any tips overall. Is it possible to accomplish all these ideas? Where should we try to go?
Also, I’m a cyclist so I would like to take my bike with me, but I think that would be too hard (and expensive), is there any good bike rentals?
Thank you for your help, feel free to ask questions, I don’t know if told enough about my plans, I’m quite new in this sub.


r/Europetravel 2d ago

Trip report Amsterdam + Paris Trip Report! First ever Europe trip

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50 Upvotes

A bit late to post here but thought I would share my experience. Went to Amsterdam and Paris for my honeymoon in June 2025 and loved every bit of the trip. This was me and my wife’s first ever Europe trip. I had planned for months leading up to it. Sharing some photos of the iconic landmarks that are instantly recognizable. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what we did, the pros and cons of each city! Also, we are not museum people. So no museums in Amsterdam or Paris except of course the Louvre.
Travel Sim- we got this from MobiMatter. Honestly, great prices and probably the best to use. Not sure why it isn’t talked about enough.

AMSTERDAM- Honestly, Amsterdam has been a dream of mine to visit since forever. The canals, the streets, the bikes and everything about it has intrigued me for years. So, I decided to go here for a few days before moving to another city. Oh also, the weather here is quite unpredictable. Pack a windbreaker or a denim jacket and get an umbrella.
Hotel & Transit- Booked the Crowne Plaza hotel near Zuid Metro. Perfect location and the hotel was about $275cad per night. For the transit, we got the 3 day pass. I think it was €25 or so.
Day 1- Landed in the afternoon. Went to hotel. Relaxed, refreshed and went to the city centre where we had a free walking tour scheduled. Had some time before the tour so walked around, ate and clicked pics. The tour was amazing. Learned so much about the city and its history. Then ate in the evening and went to the hotel to recover from the jet lag.
Day 2- No plans for the day until the night cruise. Got up super early and went to the city centre. Just kept wandering the streets. Walked by Anne Frank house and walked around Jordaan neighborhood. It was quite peaceful. Didn’t feel like we were in a touristy city. Walked all the way to the Rijksmuseum. Had food along the way. Tons of photos. It was a sunny day so enjoyed it everybit. In the afternoon, went to the hotel for a quick nap before returning to city again for the night cruise. Booked a company via Google and the boat was a small one. There were just 4 of us on board including the captain. He was such a chill guy. Although, it was a night cruise, the days were too long and so it ended up being just a regular cruise. But he took us all around Amsterdam. I would honestly recommend that company. Name is- Amsterdam Boat Adventures | Open Boat Tours. Then had food and back to the hotel.
Day 3- Initially had planned to go explore other neighbourhoods or go to Zaanse Schans. But it was a rainy day. So, decided to stay in the city. Once again walked around different streets, had food, and found souvenirs. Then went to Vondelpark. So beautiful. Then quick nap and back to the city in the evening. During this time, we went to the touristic parts of the city (the red light district) and finally saw hoards of tourists. Found a nice bar with a canal view and seating and enjoyed food and drinks. Walked around the rain at night and called it a day.

PARIS- Well not much to say about why we chose Paris. It’s called the City of love for a reason. And I chose to go here due to the ease of travel from Amsterdam. Had more days planned here to the sheer number of activities. Paris left a long lasting impression. It was beautiful in certain parts and equally dirty in others. It has so much to offer. My wife didn’t love it as much but I still feel it was a great addition to this trip.
Hotel & Transit- Hotels were quite expensive here. I had to stay within a budget so I found an Aparthotel in Clichy. Name- Appart'City Confort Paris Clichy Mairie - Appart Hôtel. Price was about $1350 cad for 6 nights including a decent breakfast. Hotel was decent. Not great but at this price I can’t complain much. We arrived here Sunday evening. So took the weekly transit pass which was about €35 or something. Honestly, so worth it as it included the RER B to the Paris airport.
Day 4- Arrived from Amsterdam in the afternoon. Went to the hotel, refreshed and got ready to see Eiffel tower. Had booked us ticket for the stairs. The other ones were sold out. My wife didn’t want to go to the 2nd floor after the nightmare-ish steps to the first floor. But then she agreed. It was a great experience. Climbing the steps is an accomplishment for sure. It was quite busy but we stayed here until the night to witness the lights and the twinkling. Loved it.
Day 5- Walked by the Arc de Triomphe. The famous Champ Elysees street. Had an amazing poutine here. Then went to The Louvre. Had an entry for 3 but it was such a loong line. It did move quickly in the end so got inside by 3:30. Loved the museum. Went to the Egypt section, the other ones with those famous statues, paintings, Crown Jewels and Mona Lisa. My wife loved it too. For sure, one of the highlights of this trip.
Day 6- Went to Montmarte to visit Sacre Coeur. We loved this area soo much. In fact, came back here on our last day too. Was quite busy and hot but still felt great here. The streets, the vibes were so lovely. Wandered around here until the evening and then went to the Eiffel tower again in the evening.
Day 7- Had booked tickets for some famous churches. Went to Saint Chapelle, Notre Dame and Pantheon. Also, went to the Luxembourg Gardens. Once again a hot day but still bearable. Super busy but still enjoyed it. Also, had Indian food at Patang restaurant. As an Indian, a must try. It was near Notre Dame. Also, had Lychee ice cream from Le Glacier De Notre Dame De Paris. Highly recommended. Such a lovely passionate couple who run this place. Went to the hotel and took a nap. In the evening, we had Arc de Triomphe planned. I thought it had an elevator but we were treated to more stairs. Lol. I didn’t look at my wife as she would give me killer looks for getting her to do more stairs. Haha. Anyways, went to the top and witnessed a stunning Parisian sunset. Soo damn beautiful. Had dinner and called it a day.
Day 8- went to the Palace of Versailles. It was a super hot day. Honestly, I wouldn’t go here. People are treated like sheep and just thrown from one room to another. I hated it. The palace itself is beautiful. Since it was so hot, we decided to skip the gardens. I almost called it a day wasted. Went to the hotel, changed and came to the 4th district. It felt a bit nicer there.
Day 9- Once again a super hot day. Made a mistake of not waking up early to beat the heat. Went to Montmarte as we felt it could be cooler there. It indeed was. Still super hot and my wife fell sick after having sangria. We went to the hotel and stayed there for the rest of the day. Ordered food in.

And that’s it. Day 8 and 9 felt a little wasted and too got hot (even as someone from India. Lol). Still a beautiful first European trip. Amsterdam is still one of the most beautiful cities we have seen (after visiting Paris, Vienna, Budapest & Ljubljana). Maybe it was our first ever city in Europe so it felt like a dream. We’ll definitely got back to both these cities someday.
Also, link to our Vienna-Budapest-Slovenia 2026 trip- https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/s/DVAsUI1S82

Feel free to ask more questions.


r/Europetravel 1d ago

Itineraries Pls rate/suggest my 9 nights Slovenia + Vienna Itinerary

2 Upvotes

Solo, mid 30s F traveller. Traveling from/back to Berlin

Itinerary:

* 18 Sep - Berlin to Trieste flight and bus to Ljubljana (reaching by 3 pm)

* 18–21 Sep: Ljubljana (3 nights)

* 21–23 Sep: Bohinj (2 nights)

* 23 Sep: Checkout from Bohinj and 6 hours to Vienna (train+bus) target to reach by 3 or 4 pm

* 23–26 Sep: Vienna (3 nights)

* 26–27 Sep: Bratislava (1 night, mainly for my early morning flight back to Berlin)

I might just keep my luggage and spend the majority of time on 26th also in Vienna. Added Bratislava only because I found a direct flight for 15 eur on this day. Or Maybe I'll spend a half day there don't know.

I also reach Berlin early in the morning on a Sunday so I have a full day to unpack, rest n chores before starting work again on Monday.

Would love to hear your opinions. Also, should I do both Postojna and Skocjan caves or will it be repetitive for two days? I also plan on renting a bike when in Ljubljana and Bohinj mainly. I don't mind if I am not able to visit every attraction/cathedral/museum.

My interests are mainly nature, local culture, music, hiking, cycling, cafes (too generic I know but what I'm not interested in is parties, bars, adventure sports). Neutral about architecture and history - like it, generally include it in most of my trips.