First trip to Europe? Focus on these 5 great cities rather than cheap ones
Planning your first trip to Europe can be challenging because we hear so many great things about so many different places, it’s tough to know which to see first. There are interesting cities like Copenhagen and cheap cities like Krakow and even some cities that are interesting and cheap at the same time such as Cesky Krumlov. Still, I’m here to recommend starting with the classic and famous cities first and then exploring other places starting on your second trip (and there WILL be a second trip).
The list of 5 cities below can make for a perfect first-time to Europe itinerary all by itself if you have two weeks or so to spend, and I even tell you exactly how to do that at the end. Traveling can seem competitive in certain circles and it’s hard to brag about having visited Belgrade or Riga if you haven’t been to London, Paris, and Rome before. We keep an updated list of European cities from cheapest to most expensive and most of the cities I mention in this article are on the expensive end of the list, and they are still worth it.
This article was last updated in August, 2022.
Start with Europe's greatest cities, and work out a budget from there
If you are planning your first trip to Europe, hopefully it will be the first of many. Once you get a taste of the place and the crazy variety you’ll experience there, you’ll be ready to start planning your second trip before you even get home from your first.
While it might be tempting to start by visiting some of Europe’s cheapest cities, it’s actually much better to start with the classics to see what all the fuss is about before you branch off into more obscure destinations. And good news for Americans in 2022 who are planning a trip because the Euro and British Pound are both very weak right now so even the top cities such as London and Paris will be relatively cheap, even compared to visiting, say, Chicago, this year.
Suggestions for your first trip to Europe
Due to the unexpected popularity of this article and the many questions in comments about first-time itineraries, I’ve created a new and detailed article with all of my best suggestions.
>>>11 Best itinerary ideas for your first trip to Europe
Once you at least scan that article you’ll have some itinerary ideas for your own trip and I’ll be happy to answer questions at the bottom of that one. If you want to choose just one country to visit on your first trip to Europe, your best choices are England, France, or Italy.
Europe's 5 Great Cities for visitors
1 – London
The only town that can compete with New York City for the title of ‘Capital of the World,’ London is where everything comes together. And obviously as an English-speaking city (mostly), it’s among the easiest to begin adapting to the culture and style of Europe. The first time you see Parliament and Big Ben just around the corner from the London Eye, you’ll know you are somewhere important and unforgettable.
London also used to be famously expensive and it still can be if you are holding money in Euros or British pounds or some other currency that is low at the moment. But if you are from the US or Canada, London has come down in price quite a bit in the last few years due to a currency drop. It’s true that there is inflation as well and some prices have gone up for visitors, but generally London is relatively cheap for most people in 2022.
This is also a perfect place to start your first Europe trip because there won’t be a language barrier (although some accents are harder to understand than others) and you can get the feel for Europe and the time zone without also having to worry about being understood by the people you meet.
- 2022 Backpacker Index: US$92.67 per day
2 – Paris
Definitely more intimidating than London, and also far more beautiful, Paris is a city that so many people gush over that you might assume there’s no way it could live up to the praise. Then you go to Paris for yourself and you start gushing yourself. Walk for thirty minutes from anywhere near the city center and you’ll keep seeing buildings and bridges and public art that will make you want to start checking apartment prices.
Every city has problems, even Paris, but it’s hard to imagine anyone being sorry they visited. While Paris is an expensive city, it’s actually a bit easier to keep costs down, mainly because the extensive Metro system means that you can still have a great and convenient time if you stay in a cheaper hotel outside of the main tourist center.
Another thing to mention is the food. Somehow, the French people care a lot more about food than any other nationality and they are amazing at it. Seriously, it’s almost impossible to find a meal that isn’t unusually great. You can even order the Plat Du Jour (plate of the day) at the closest neighborhood restaurant to your hotel and it is almost guaranteed to be amazing and also reasonably priced.
- 2022 Backpacker Index: US$85.11 per day
3 – Rome
Unlike London and Paris, the city of Rome does actually seem to have a group who’ll tell you to avoid it. Rome is frustrating in many ways, with crazy traffic and a sense of disorganization that is hard to adapt to, but there’s also no denying that it’s one of the world’s greatest and most important cities.
It’s easy to tell people to avoid a city once you’ve been there yourself, but no one gives points to those who would brag about never visiting a city because they heard it was too crazy. With Ancient Rome, the Coliseum, and the Vatican just for starters, Italy’s capital is worth the hassle to see it at least once, and many people love it so much that they keep returning. Hotels in Rome are weirdly expensive, but other costs are reasonable, and it’s totally worth it at least once in your life.
In 2022 all of Italy is relatively inexpensive because of the low Euro, so it’s a good time to visit some of the normally expensive cities like Rome. There are probably 10 famous attractions in this city that are each more amazing and interesting than any attraction in most other European cities such as Berlin or Brussels.
- 2022 Backpacker Index: US$71.49 per day
4 – Venice
Some cities are really beautiful from certain vantage points or certain angles, but Venice is beautiful from all of them. As a touristy city for several hundred years now, the biggest problem with Venice is the crowds it attracts. Even in winter, the main pedestrian routes can be so packed that it frustrates nearly everyone. And in summer, they are worse, of course.
Even though hotels in Venice tend to be quite expensive, the best way to visit is to spend at least one or two nights on the main island. You’ll find that early mornings and evenings are far less crowded, as most groups head to the mainland to sleep. Venice is also small enough that 36 hours is plenty of time to see the best bits, so it’s worth a one-night splurge for a good location.
Try to visit Venice when there are no cruise ships parked nearby, although that can be tricky in summer. You’ll enjoy how empty the island feels in the early morning hours and also late into the evening. The restaurants tend to close early and there isn’t much raucous nightlife, so after 10 PM or so the walkways are mostly empty and it’s another great time to enjoy Venice.
- 2022 Backpacker Index: US$90.97 per day
5 – Amsterdam
Some people might not put Amsterdam on this short list of great European cities, but plenty of people agree with me that it’s another of the world’s most beautiful and interesting places. Most of the city center is perfectly preserved from its beginnings in the 17th Century, and it’s been quite wealthy ever since.
Many cities around the world boast that they have more canals than Amsterdam, but except for Venice, none are nearly as stunning. Add in the way bicycles dominate the landscape, the weirdness of the Red Light District, and its pleasant overall nature, and Amsterdam is worth a visit in spite of its relative high prices for most things.
Hotel prices in Amsterdam have gotten somewhat out of hand so it’s a good thing the Euro is lower if you are coming from outside the region. Still, as good as the public transportation system in Amsterdam is, you’ll have a better time if you pay a bit more to stay in a hotel or hostel in the compact city center, roughly from the Princengracht canal ring to Centraal Station and anywhere in between.
- 2022 Backpacker Index: US$93.69 per day
The most efficient way to visit all of them on one trip
If you are planning your first trip to Europe and you’ve got about two weeks to spend there, it’s quite easy to visit all 5 of the above cities on one efficient trip. You can even sneak in another amazing city for a day or two if you’ve got it to spare.
You can do the following itinerary in either order, but I do think starting in London is better than starting in Rome on your first trip.
- Fly into London and spend 3 or 4 days there
- Take the Eurostar train (90 minutes) to Paris and spend 3 or 4 days there
- Take the high speed train from Paris to Amsterdam (3 hours 20 minutes) and spend 3 nights there
- Fly from Amsterdam to Venice (or nearby Treviso) and spend 1 or 2 days there
- Take the train from Venice through Florence (2 hours) to Rome (another 90 minutes) and spend 3 or 4 days there
- If you have one or two days to spare, stop in Florence in between Venice and Rome
- Fly home from Rome or back to London to board your flight home
Include the above cities as part of bigger trips
The 5 cities mentioned above are the ones that I think are the best and most dramatic introduction to Europe, and the most likely to inspire more trips, but I wouldn’t recommend just trying to see these 5 and then heading home. Depending on budget, season, and trip duration, you could add or subtract many other worthwhile cities to make the perfect itinerary.
If you’ve traveled all over Europe yourself, do you agree or disagree with the cities selected above? I can’t think of another that deserves to be in this top tier, but I’d imagine that other people might have other ideas.
Hi Roger, My Husband and I our planning our first trip to Europe to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary, we are travelling from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. We will have 23 days to get to and from Europe and spend time in Europe. We are going to be travelling there Mid September to early October, as I love the fall. I have been reading your articles and your suggestions for other travelers to Europe and have found them all very helpful.
First, I would like to ask you is the best way to get a good price on travelling into Europe from Canada into one City and the leaving Europe from another as I feel this allows us to use our time better seeing new places.
Secondly, I was also wondering if it is too ambitious to do a trip seeing the following areas of Europe in the time we have We would like to spend some time in Ireland, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Switzerland (Interlaken for sure possibly Lucern) and Italy (Venice, Florence and Rome). I understand your suggestion on staying about 3 nights in the bigger cities to see the sights. I also really think I would like the train ride from Switzerland to Venice as it would be beautiful in the fall even though it is just under 7 hours long.
Thirdly, I was thinking we could fly into Dublin and then out of Rome.
Really interested to hear your recomendations.
Nancy,
Getting a good fare on an “open-jaw” ticket over the Atlantic is tough, but I agree with you that it’s an optimal way to do it if you can. Obviously you can use sites like Kayak.com to check the fares by selecting “Multi-city” instead of Round-trip or One-way. You might just luck into the right combination of airlines that actually does one-way fares as half the price of a round-trip. The other thing you might try is see if you can get a cheap round-trip from Winnipeg into JFK in New York. Norwegian Air flies to many European cities from JFK and they not only have cheap fares and pretty good service, but their fares are generally priced as one-ways. They don’t fly directly from JFK to every city but they fly into enough of them that it might work for you.
Nearly all flights from the US or Canada to Europe go overnight, arriving in the morning, so since you lose that night you’ll have 22 total nights in Europe. If you did 3 nights in London, Paris, and Amsterdam that’s 9, and 3 more in Switzerland gets you to 12. The fastest trip to Italy that I recommend is one night (hopefully 24 hours) in Venice and 3 nights in Florence and 3 nights in Rome. If you did that trip it would leave you 3 nights in Ireland. Coincidentally enough I just discussed “3 days in Ireland” in another comment under another article about an hour ago, and I’ll quote myself here
In other words, Dublin is the easiest place to visit in just 3 days, but I think Galway and/or the countryside is much better. If you have an Ireland itinerary already in mind then great.
Flying into Dublin and out of Rome would be ideal and you might just find a good fare. If not you can look into a round-trip into Dublin and then a one-way from Rome to Dublin shortly before your flight home. Chances are that will be cheaper than the other options. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger
Hi Roger,
My husband and I have two teenage kids (daughter 15 and son 17). We want to go to Europe and only have 14 days. We are traveling from US and have never been to Europe. What is your suggested travel itinerary, order of travel and number of days we should spend in each. We are a bit overwhelmed with the travel plan and do not know where to start. Also, if you can let us know how we should get to one city to the other (land, air, rail)
Thank you. Janet
Janet,
I’m glad you found this article. After getting many questions like this I wrote a more recent article that actually will answer most of your questions about Europe first-time visitor itineraries. It’s definitely overwhelming planning the first trip, and I think that article will help a lot. It should get you started in choosing some destinations, and I’m happy to help with more specifics once you have some basics decided upon. Feel free to ask more questions under that one. -Roger
My fiance and I would like to do a backpack trip through Europe in October for our honeymoon. We will have 14 days. Can you recommend an itinerary for us please? We like to eat, drink, be adventurous, and some sightseeing, of course! Would like to relax a bit as well. Thank you!
Emily,
I’ll be happy to give you some personal help, but I’d prefer it if you got yourself started with your main preferences and we can build off that. I have another longer article about first-time Europe itinerary suggestions, and that gives 9 sample itineraries depending on your own tastes. For example, if you are sure you want to visit Paris and London then building around that is easy. Or if you are sure you want to spend a week in Italy then it’s also easy to put out suggestions on where to go from there. So have a look at that and give me a bit more info, and I’ll be happy to help more. -Roger
Hi Roger,
Love this website! It has so much helpful information! I’m planning a 18 day trip to Europe (going for first time) in May. I’m planning to visit London, Amsterdam, Prague, Venice, Rome, Interlaken/Gimmelwald, and Paris. Could you let me know if my planned schedule below works okay or if you have any other suggestions to make the trip more efficient? I know that Prague is kind of far away from the other cities but I have heard it is absolutely beautiful there and would love to see it on this trip.
Los Angeles to London (spend 3 days)
Train from London to Amsterdam (spend 2 days)
Fly from Amsterdam to Prague (2 days)
Fly from Prague to Venice (1 day)
Train from Venice to Rome (3 days)
Train from Rome to Interlaken (2 days)
Train from Interlaken to Paris (3 days)
Fly back to Los Angeles from Paris
Thank you,
Felix
Felix,
Your plan looks pretty good, although you’ll be moving quicker than I’d recommend. Prague is indeed beautiful and very worthwhile. Still I think I’d probably save it for a future trip because if you did save it you could spend another day in Amsterdam (probably even more beautiful) and one more day in the Interlaken area, without having to fly. You could go London to Amsterdam to Interlaken (that’s a long train trip so flying to Zurich might be better) and then the train to Venice and to Rome. Then you’d have to fly to Paris because it’s much faster and also cheaper. If you did Paris between London and Amsterdam you could fly home from Rome or fly from Rome to Paris or London for your flight home.
All of that said, your version could work as well and if you don’t mind the quick visit to Amsterdam and to Interlaken I’m sure it would be enjoyable. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger
Greetings Roger,
My family and I will be traveling to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco in late July for two weeks. Any suggestions on family friendly neighborhoods to stay at and how many days to stay in each country? Also what mode of transportation would you recommend between Spain and Portugal? We are coming from USA and weren’t sure which country to begin with as well.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Karen
Karen,
I prefer to think in terms of cities rather than countries when I am planning an itinerary, and I highly recommend staying 3 nights in almost any city you visit. The shortest visit to Spain that I’d recommend is 3 nights in Barcelona and 3 nights in Madrid, but if you want to go to Morocco you can also add one or two nights in one of the cities where the ferries leave from. Tarifa is the closest and most charming, although you could also go from Gibraltar or Algeciras. For a quick visit to Morocco I’d recommend taking the ferry over and then after a short visit through Tangier you can take a train to Marrakech for 3 days. From there it might be best to fly to Lisbon, probably from Casablanca, because the only trains from Spain to Lisbon are overnight trains and it’s not a great experience. Lisbon is really nice and quite different from Spain and Morocco, so it’s a bit of a shame that flying in and out is the best option.
I’m happy to help with more advice if you need it so feel free to ask other questions. -Roger
Your site is awesome!
My husband and I are planning a tour of Europe for the first time in late May up to mid-June, probably 2-3 weeks duration. Can you suggest places to visit and an itinerary suitable for a senior with walking difficulty. We are flying to Europe from the Philippines. We need to spare 2-3 days in Nimes for a relative’s wedding and a few days visit to a niece in Menton. Other than that, we’re free to roam. Is Europe a friendly place for PWDs?
Thank you.
im flying from the Philippines to Nice to visit a niece in Menton and we have to attend a relative’s wedding in Nimes so we have to allocate at least 2-3 days there. Also
Elizabeth,
I’m glad you like the site. The good news is that most major cities in Europe are fairly easy for those with mobility issues. Most of the major cities are flat and have very good public transport, although not so much in Italy compared to the others. I would highly recommend Paris, obviously, because it’s mostly flat and there are Metro (subway) stations every few blocks, so you are never much of a walk from anything. Many of the busy Metro stations also have elevators, but not all of them.
Amsterdam is totally flat and they have a tram system at street level with stops every 100 meters or so, and the city is fairly compact to begin with. Bruges is another city near there that is also flat, and quite lovely. I’d recommend 3 or 4 nights in Paris and 3 nights in Amsterdam, as well as 2 or 3 nights in Bruges. You could even stop in Brussels for an afternoon on the way there or back and visit the historic city center, which is also flat.
When you add in your visits to Nimes and Menton, you are already at or over 2 weeks. If Germany interests you then you could stop for a day or two in Cologne, which is also flat and very compact, and on the way between Paris and Amsterdam. Barcelona is another very interesting city that is mostly flat and has good public transport. Also, in all of these cities there are taxis that aren’t too expensive as well, so you could get door to door service to most places. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger
Thanks a lot, Roger! Appreciate your suggestions.
Hi Roger,
Appreciate all the great info here. I am planning a solo backpacking trip to Europe for 17 days in May. (I have been to UK before, so will skip that). This is my plan –
Day 1 (Afternoon) – Land in Amsterdam
Day2 & 3 – Explore Amsterdam
Day 4 (Morning) – Train to Brussels from Amsterdam – Explore Brussels for 6 hrs
Day 4 (Evening) – Train to Paris from Brussels
Day 5, 6 & 7 – Explore Paris
Day 8 (Morning) – Train to Nice
Day 9 & 10 – Explore Nice, Monaco, Cannes
Day 11 (Morning) – Train to Venice from Nice
Day 12 (Evening) – Train to Florence from Venice
Day 13 – Explore Florence
Day 14 (Evening) – Train to Rome from Florence
Day 15, 16 & 17 – Explore Rome
Day 17 (Night) – Flight from Rome
1. Is this plan doable or will it get too hectic? I am a first-time traveler and would like to spend some time visiting Museums and experience local culture.
2. What would you recommend out of Paris-Nice-Venice & Paris-Interlaken-Lucernce-Venice? Also can look to substitute Nice for anything else that is more interesting and fits into the schedule – Vienna-Salzburg maybe?
3. Are there any must-see day trips that I can add to this schedule?
Looking forward to your suggestions. Thanks in advance!
Caesar,
Your plan looks very good. I’m sure you’ll be quite exhausted towards the end of it, but you’ll have an excellent time and I don’t see any places that you are giving way too little time in.
Nice is a really nice coastal city and Monaco in particular is amazing to see in person, but I’d say Interlaken offers far more dramatic scenery that will be unlike anything else you’ve done. Switzerland is more expensive, but for at least a few days it’s worth it and those mountain views in the Interlaken area are unforgettable. I’d do Switzerland over Austria as well, although I like all of those places.
I can’t think of any day trips that you wouldn’t want to miss. The main attractions in all of these cities are in or near the city centers, so on shorter visits like this it’s usually better to focus your attention there. I think your plan looks fantastic, and if you can swing Interlaken I would do that instead of Nice. It’s also much faster to get the train from Interlaken to Venice than from Nice to Venice, because those trains in southern France and across Italy are still pretty slow. -Roger
Hey Roger, enjoying all the great info here! What would you suggest for a first time European traveler with 3-4 nights? Some of my ideas are London, Paris, Munich or Venice. Thanks so much!
Glen,
I’m happy that you’ve found this helpful. Your main challenge is that you are only able to stay 3 or 4 nights. My strong recommendation is to spend 3 nights in just about any city you visit, as that gives you two full sightseeing days before your next travel day. If you possible can I would fly into London and spend 3 nights there before taking the Eurostar train to Paris for 3 more nights, and then flying home from there or taking the train back to London and flying home from there. If you can do 5 nights I would still visit both of those cities. The Eurostar only takes a bit over 2 hours to get between them, so you can still do some sightseeing on travel day.
If you only have 3 or 4 nights I would choose London OR Paris and spend your time there. London is easier for most people because of the language situation, but Paris is still quite easy even if you only speak English, and I think Paris is the more dramatic of the two. In other words, if I had to pick one I would go to Paris. Venice is a stunning place but it’s far from the others so getting in and out would be time consuming and a bit expensive. Munich is the kind of city that many people want to move to after they visit because it’s a pleasant place, but in my opinion it’s a second-tier destination compared to the others, especially for a first visit. I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger
I am thrilled to have discovered this webpage. I am in need of some travel guidance. I am planning a trip for 2-3 weeks this coming June to Europe with my 11 year old daughter. I would love any advice on itineraries you would recommend.
We have taken many extended “road trip” type vacations across the US so she is well versed in being a traveler, although I do understand that the US is more familiar to her and less “exotic” than Europe will be.
We both love nature and being active so hiking, walking, biking, etc are always welcome. Neither of us care much for art museums (I’ll go but don’t want to spend all day) so we don’t need to spend a lot of time on that. I would prefer to travel by train or drive myself if it’s cost effective and safe. W are hobby photographers and often spend hours wandering around taking pictures. We are interested in history, science, and both enjoy food from all over, but we are both vegetarian so this adds a little challenge.
I was thinking of doing a train or self drive tour starting from London and going all over the U.K. as Scotland is on my bucket list, but a friend said since this is her first trip (I studied abroad in Spain years ago) we’d be better if on a multi-country trip to give her the opportunity to see as much as she can. We plan to travel every summer together as long as she is still willing to hang with her old mom. Out budget for this trip is $4000-$5000 not including airfare or spending money.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks.
Lyndsey,
This sounds like a wonderful opportunity for an unforgettable trip. I agree with your friend that a multi-country trip would have more impact and contain more highlights. For one thing, driving around Britain is not nearly as nice as driving around the US, or even as nice as driving around Ireland. You’d end up spending most of your time on the motorways (freeways), and driving on the left can be stressful in traffic until you get used to it. So my recommendation would definitely be to do a train trip, as it’s almost stress-free and the views out of the train windows are often pretty amazing as well.
I’d start out in London and spend 3 or 4 days there and then take the Eurostar train to Paris to spend 3 or 4 nights there. That still gives you one to two weeks to cover as much ground as you’d like. By the way, I’m similar when it comes to art museums in that I usually enjoy seeing them for an hour or so, but after that I get bored fast. On the other hand, many of Europe’s best museums are a pretty amazing experience when you add in the building and the history and such, including the British Museum in London, the Louvre and Paris, and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, just to name a few.
After Paris you could take a 3-hour train ride up to Amsterdam for 3 days and then fly somewhere from there, or you could then take a train to Berlin and then to Prague and perhaps Munich after that. It’s really all about which cities appeal to you most. The most popular place to visit in Europe for foreigners is Italy, and it’s popular for a reason. The shortest trip I recommend is one night in Venice, three nights in Florence, and three nights in Rome. Your budget should be fine for any of these options. It’s also worth mentioning that all of the places I have mentioned are quite a bit easier for English speakers than Spain is. Even Paris is quite easy for English speakers, and Italy is as well, as long as you stick to the more popular destinations.
The best and cheapest way to get around is to plan your full itinerary in advance, and then buy all of your train tickets and flights as early as possible. The fares are surprisingly cheap if you buy at least a month or two in advance, and really the earlier the better. I’m happy to help more once you decide which cities interest you most. -Roger