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, your blog is extremely helpful.
My family and I plan to visit Europe in August, our visa does not cover UK. For work we have to land in Barcelona, and then I have planned 3 days in Barcelona, 4 days in Paris, 2 for Switzerland, 2 for Germany and then 3 for Italy.
Barcelona to Paris I was thinking of travelling by air and train between the rest of the cities. I have a total of 18 days so I still have 3 days to fix somewhere, or they’ll be taken up by the travel times?
Would be great if you could help chalk out the plan for me and suggest the right transport means. Thank you!
Haya,
Your plan sounds very good, although 3 days isn’t much time in Italy so I hope you are only planning on Rome. And two days in Germany is very short as well. I’d recommend 3 days in Berlin or Munich as the shortest possible visit to the country. In fact, if you only have 18 days for this trip I’d recommend choosing exactly 6 cities to visit, rather than focusing on countries.
You can take a train from Barcelona to Paris in about 6.5 hours, which is about the same amount of time it takes to fly between the cities when you include airport transportation and waiting time at the airport. Flying is cheaper if you buy your ticket early enough. Personally I would take the train even if it were a bit more expensive because it’s so much more pleasant. For the rest of the cities I think the train is also your best bet. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger
Hi Roger,read your blog, very helpful.
My husband,Me and My two adult daughters are planning to visit Europe for a week.but we have been to London and Paris.
it would be great if you help us plan a trip to other must see cities.
we are planning to come in the second week of July.
Madhu,
If you’ve been to London and Paris and you want to go for about a week I would go to Italy. You could start in Venice and spend about 24 hours there and then take a train to Florence for 3 nights and then Rome for 3 nights. Those are Italy’s “Big 3” destinations and they are very worth a visit. They will be crowded in July, but many locals will leave the cities during July so it’s not as crowded as you might fear. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger
Hey Roger,
Thanks for the amazing blog, I really loved reading it. I will be going to Europe for the first time in July and wanted to backpack across for around 18 days.
I would be starting from Karlsruhe (in Germany). I tentatively chalked up a route Karlsruhe-Budapest-Vienna-Salzburg-Venice-Florence-Milan-Karlsruhe. Would this be a good plan, or should I make changes to it?
I’m a hobby photographer and would prefer more of hiking and biking instead of visiting museums.Also, as I’m a student and would like to keep my expenses low, what mode of travel should I use?
I also wanted to know if places like Amsterdam, Antwerp, Paris are doable over a weekend or would need more time?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks again,
Anurag
Anurag,
I’m glad you are finding this helpful. My brother went to university in Karlsruhe for a few years, but I only visited briefly. Your plan looks quite good, although if you’ve never been to Rome I would highly recommend going there instead of Milan, which isn’t much of a tourist city.
Most likely it will be best to fly to Budapest. There are 3 airports within one hour by train of Karslruhe, including Frankfurt, and I’m not sure which has the cheapest flights (probably FRA). And if you go to Rome you might want to fly from there back to Karlsruhe as well. If you buy your plane tickets far enough in advance they will almost certainly be cheaper than the train and much faster, of course.
Karlsruhe to Paris is only 2 hours 34 minutes by fast train so that is a great weekend trip. You’ll have to buy that train ticket at least a few weeks in advance to get a good fare though. Karlsruhe to Amsterdam is about 6 hours by train (and it’s a pretty dull ride) so it might be better and even cheaper to fly from Frankfurt. Amsterdam Airport has its own train station and it only takes about 20 minutes to get from there to Centraal Station, so it’s fast, cheap, and easy. You could do that over a weekend as well, and the plane ticket will be pretty cheap if you buy in advance. Antwerp will remind you a lot of Amsterdam without much nightlife. I prefer Bruges (an hour from Brussels), but all of those old cities around there are nice. Again, the key to a cheap weekend anywhere in Europe is to book your flight as early as possible. Those low fare carriers in Europe all start with low ticket prices and the price goes up as more seats are sold. Have a great time and let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger
Sorry for the slow reply Roger, needed some time to think this over.
To clarify:
1. For Switzerland, I should spend 6 days there, and do either: 3 or 4 nights in Interlaken + 1 night or 1 daytrip in Bern + 2 days in Lucern? Am I reading the comment correctly?
2. Regarding the other cities in the UK/British Isles, Ireland will be a future trip. As for Edinburgh, it’s also too far.
However, thinking it over, I could potentially fly in there as my first destination. Would you recommend doing this – flying into Edinburgh and using the remaining 6-9 days I have to explore that and more of UK/France? On the flip side, if those cities are not great cities for first-timers, could I potentially use that time to try and visit Madrid and Barcelona instead?
3. Also, you mentioned previously allocating 6-9 days for France outside Paris – should I save Nice/Southern France for another trip and focus more on the areas near Paris? I’ve seen some users recommend this.
Thanks again,
J
J,
Basically, the most dramatic sights in Switzerland are around Interlaken and 3 days is enough to do the top highlights. If you have more than 3 days then adding a day or two in Lucerne and possibly a day in Bern are also great options. Switzerland is also very expensive even compared to its neighbors, so many people like to see as much as possible in a few days and then move on.
The fast trains between London and Edinburgh take 4 hours 20 minutes each way and can be cheap if you buy them far enough in advance. If you got a flight into Edinburgh then starting there could be a good option, although it’s rare to find a flight into Edinburgh that is as cheap as flying into London. Edinburgh really is a wonderful city and it’s different enough from London to be worthwhile. Exploring more of the UK and/of France could also be good. I’d still save Spain for another trip because there is so much more to see than just the two biggest cities.
France is a puzzle for trips like this because there are so many possible smaller and less famous places to go. Nice is the second most visited area outside of Paris, and after that it’s a big drop off to third place with all of the wine regions and Normandy and Provence and Avignon and many other small scenic towns. In other words, there are many great options within France as long as you research to find the things that interest you most. And the food all over the country is excellent, so that’s another good reason to do more France. I’m not sure how helpful I’ve been, but please feel free to ask other questions if you have them. -Roger
Again, thanks for the quick reply Roger!
Thanks also for the direction – looks like option 2 it is. If I stop by Brussels for an afternoon, should I still stay in Bruges for 1 night, or 2 nights? As for the other stop you mentioned, would you recommend somewhere like Dublin or Edinburgh for another Britain stop? Or perhaps Luxembourg which looks to be on the way?
Also more specific to Switzerland, would you recommend visiting other cities instead of Lucerne and Interlaken? I see many people also recommending Geneva, Zermatt(for Matterhorn), and even Bern(it’s in the middle of the country, so will be easy for taking day trips out to see other cities). With a timeframe of 6 nights in mind, do you have any suggestions on this?
J,
I’d stay in Bruges for 2 nights if you have the time. In Brussels it’s worth exploring the area around the Grand Place (central square) for a few hours, and you can take a look at the Manneken Pis a couple blocks away. That area is one of the most impressive public squares in Europe, but aside from that I find Brussels to be kind of generic, dull, and expensive. Bruges will remind you of Amsterdam, but much more gentle and more traditional. As for Britain, Edinburgh is the most popular and most impressive second stop, and it’s worth a look if you can get an affordable train ticket by buying in advance. But if you have to then go all the way back to London for your next stop, I’m not sure it’s worth it. Bath and York are two other cool places to consider that are easier to return to London from. Dublin, which of course is on another island so it’s not in Britain, would be too much trouble to reach for a short visit. It’s a cool city, but I really prefer the Irish countryside and smaller towns, so if I were you I’d save Ireland for a future trip.
In Switzerland you might add one day or so in Bern, which is the most beautiful and most interesting of the cities. Geneva is pretty dull, aside from its lakeside location, and you can appreciate that on the train rolling through. I’d do 3 or 4 nights in Interlaken (perhaps with a day trip to Bern) or 1 day in Bern and 2 days in Lucerne. Zermatt has those dramatic Matterhorn views, but there isn’t much else there and it’s quite out of the way compared to Interlaken and Lucerne. Let me know if you have other questions. -Roger
Thanks for the quick reply Roger!
Ok thanks for the suggestion, Copenhagen/Stockholm(Scandinavian region) will be saved for a later trip.
Again, as much as I wish I could do it all, it seems that more efficient to stick to 1 region/direction, which is why I’m still not sure. Based on more research and your suggestions to other users, I think my revised options are(in no particular order):
1. UK and Central – Edinburgh, Dublin, London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Bruges, Paris, Nice, Lucern, Interlaken, possibly 1 more city
2. London to Italy – London, Amsterdam, Bruges, Brussels, Paris, Nice, Lucern, Interlaken, Rome, Florence, Venice.
3. London to Spain/Portugal – London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Bruges, Paris, Lucern, Interlaken, Nice, Barcelona, Madrid, and probably inclined to go to Lisbon too(although I feel Spain, Portugal and Morocco could also be a seperate trip in itself)
4. London to East Europe – London, Paris, Bruges, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Vienna, Budapest(although like Spain/Portugal, I feel Eastern could be a seperate trip in itself).
Nothing set in stone in terms of cities, just a broad idea of the directions/regions to limit myself to. What’s your general preference/opinion on the 4 plans/directions above, for a first timer like myself?
Apologies for repeatedly asking the same questions!
J,
No problem asking again, and this makes it more clear. Of those choices for a first-time visitor I think I’d go with London to Italy because it contains what I consider to be almost ALL of Europe’s top highlights on one trip. Not only do you have all 5 of what I consider to be Europe’s 5 Great Cities for first-time visitors, but you’ve got Switzerland in there, which gives you Europe’s best natural beauty. You also have a lot of diversity among your choices as you are sort of going diagonally south through the continent.
I’m not a huge Brussels fan and I usually only recommend people spend an afternoon there, and you could still do that, which could give you time for another Britain stop or somewhere else. Honestly, any of your itineraries will be loaded with highlights and you haven’t got a single “dud” city on any of your lists. For example, I consider Frankfurt, Sofia, Belgrade, and Zagreb to be pleasant but pretty forgettable compared to the others. As always, I’m happy to ask other questions if they come up. -Roger
Hi Roger, thanks for this informative post. It’s my first time to Europe and I’m planning a 38 day trip(including 2 fly-in, fly-out days) from Australia in September. I could really use some direction. Based on the above, I know London and Paris are locked in(maybe 4 days each, and probably Amsterdam too for roughly 3 days, as it’s close and convenient). Where it gets tricky is I’m not sure which region to focus on after these.
Based on the above guide, I’d be heading to Italy(and will try to visit Switzerland along the way). However, this would be cutting all the way to the south of the continent – is it better to focus on closer regions first?
The other route would be to go east for Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest etc. Seems slightly closer, but I could also save this region for a future east Europe trip?
Or, to go south-west for more of France, then Barcelona, Madrid(and also try to visit Switzerland on this route)?
Lastly, to just stay north for rest of the UK, and possibly Hamburg, Copenhagen etc?.
I know 36 days is longer than most users here, but I know it’s also not realistic to fit everything in, and everyone suggests to focus on one region etc. I also know you don’t plan itineraries from scratch, so just wanted to ask if you could provide a brief opinion about travelling to each region if you were in my position.
Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks!
J,
This sounds like a great trip and I believe you are thinking about it the right way. With 36 days on the ground you’ll probably want to do about 10 to 12 total cities, especially if you are wisely spending 4 nights in London and Paris. If you figure 11 days for London, Paris, and Amsterdam you have 25 days left. If you allowed about 9 days for Italy you’d be down to 16 left. With those 16 days you don’t have enough time to give justice to the Nordic region AND Spain AND eastern Europe, so I would just choose one of those and save the others for a future trip. I’d also allocate another 3 to 6 days for France not including Paris, partly because you’ll probably be going through it anyway. Nice is an obvious highlight, but there are plenty other places to consider.
Hamburg is nice but it’s not as memorable as most of the others, unless you are a hardcore Beatles fan. I love Copenhagen and Stockholm, but those places are very expensive and quite remote so I’d save them. So in my opinion I’d either choose Berlin, Prague, and Budapest or Cesky Krumlov, OR do Madrid, Barcelona, and at least one other Spanish city. Both of those routes would be filled with highlights, and they are very different from each other. Spain is more about relaxing for most people while those other cities are more about culture, but of course on a long trip like this it might be nice to relax in Spain for 6 to 9 days rather than hustle through more big cities. In my younger days I appreciated Berlin and Prague more, but now that I’m a bit older I’m partial to Spain, if that helps at all. I’m happy to help more so let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger
Hello Roger, I really enjoyed your content, it really gives the community great insight on Europe! I need some help with regards to itinerary planning as this is my first time to Europe. I am going for a 17 days trip and will arrive in Amsterdam first, while my final city will be London before heading back home to Singapore.
I have a few must-visit cities which are Amsterdam, Paris, Glasgow (to visit a friend), and London. I am thinking of slotting in Brussels/Bruges, or Madrid/Barcelona but I am worried that I will spend most of my time traveling, leaving little time to visit the sights. I am open to visiting other cities/countries too!
The current plan is to head to Amsterdam -> Belgium (if time permits) -> Paris -> Madrid/Barcelona (if time permits) -> Glasgow -> London. Thinking of allocating 3-4 nights in Amsterdam, 3-4 nights in Paris, 3 nights in Glasgow (is it too much?), and 3 nights in London.
Do you have any recommendation on how to fine tune this itinerary? Thank you!!
Sebastian
Sebastian,
If you are going for 17 days I would recommend choosing no more than 6 cities to visit, and you are right that if you try to visit too many places you’ll end up spending half of your trip going between places. Madrid and Barcelona are both huge and very interesting cities that are very different from each other. I’d recommend spending 3 days in each, but they are only a bit over two hours apart by high-speed rail so you could visit them both in 4 or 5 days if you were in a hurry.
As for Glasgow, it’s quite a nice city, but it doesn’t have many major attractions. But Glasgow is only about an hour by train from Edinburgh, which really is packed with interesting sights so you could spend a day or two there. Since you are visiting a friend there you really have to decide how long you want to spend there based on that. If the friend only has one evening to spend with you then you could enjoy Glasgow in only a day or two, but if it’s more than that then 3 days sounds ideal.
My first thought is that I’d probably save Spain for a future trip. As mentioned, if you just rushed between the two biggest cities you’d only get a superficial glimpse of the country, and there is so much more to see. If you did that you could do 3 days in Amsterdam then 2 days in Bruges (including an afternoon in Brussels) and then 3 days in Paris and then the rest in Glasgow and London. But if you have a higher priority for a quick Spain visit then you could cut out Belgium and limit time in Glasgow. Again, this is more of a personal decision on your part. I’m happy to help more once you’ve narrowed it down to the version that appeals to you most. -Roger
Hi Roger
Thanks for your wonderful blogs. Everything is worth reading here. We are couple in early 30’s and planning our first trip to London & Europe for 18 days from Aug 15th to Sep 3rd (I hope weather is good everywhere, we hate winters ?) starting from London. We will fly from New Delhi (my home) to London and spend 3 nights and remaining 15 days is for Europe. We have shortlisted few countries and request your support in drafting route to follow (cheapest mode via flight/train/bus) with suggested number of days/nights in each country/city. Like all, we are also on budget trip and would like to save wherever we can. We are more interested in sightseeing and would like to explore new places. I know 15 days is not good enough for seeing everything in Europe and we have to revisit Europe again in future?. So, here are the countries/cities I have shortlisted. Request your help:
London-Amsterdam-Germany-Prague-Austria-Italy-Switzerland-Paris.
Few pointers
1. I don’t know anything about Germany and also don’t know is it worth visiting in our first trip. If you suggest dropping Germany, I don’t mind and use nights in any other worth visiting place.
2. As of now, I have kept Paris as base location to fly back to New Delhi (low flight cost) so obviously, this will be last location of my trip
3. Any other useful tips/things to check before we visit would be helpful.
Ankur,
The comment system holds comments from first-time commenters in “moderation” where they don’t appear on the site until I’ve approved them. That keeps spam comments from appearing. Any future comments will appear right away after I’ve approved the first one.
Your plan sounds really good. With 15 days to spend after London I will suggest choosing 5 cities to visit in those 15 days, and really 3 nights is the ideal length of stay even on a trip where you are trying to see as much as possible because it allows two full sightseeing days in each city and then one day in transit. And if your last stop is Paris we now have the 12 middle days to work with. The shortest and fastest Italy trip that I would recommend would be 3 nights in Rome, 2 nights in Florence, and 1 night in Venice, but really 3 nights in Florence is better and worthwhile. Venice is small enough (and so crowded) that a one-day visit is enough for those in a hurry.
As mentioned in the article above, I really think Amsterdam is an excellent stop for a first-time visit to Europe. If Germany isn’t at the top of your list you are not alone. That said, Berlin is really wonderful and Munich is nice as well, although I don’t think you’ll have time for both or maybe either of them. One way of doing this that would be filled with highlights would be 3 days in London and then the new Eurostar train service to Amsterdam. Then fly from Amsterdam to Rome for 3 days and then a train to Florence for 2 or 3 days and then a train to Venice for 1 day and then a gorgeous train ride through the Alps to Interlaken for 2 or 3 days and then a train to Paris for your final 3 days. You could see Prague, Germany, and Austria on a future trip. Amsterdam has similarities with Germany and Switzerland has similarities with Austria, so you’ll be getting a taste of those even on this itinerary.
If you have different priorities you could obviously choose different cities, but on the above version it covers all 5 of what I consider the 5 great cities for first-time visitors and adds Florence and Interlaken as well, which are also both excellent. I’m happy to help more if you have other questions. -Roger
Roger,
Thank you so much for your suggestions about the options for flights out of and back into Canada. I will definitely look into them. I was so excited on your response to my proposed plan because it will allow us to see what we both would be really interested in on our first adventure in Europe. I am sure I will have some questions for you about the rail options for travel around Europe as I briefly looked at them and was a tad overwhelming on first glance. Do you have a section you have already done on the rail system that I could read over as your other overviews have been so very helpful. Top priority for me now is to solidify flights into and out of Europe, thanks again,
Nancy
Nancy,
I know how overwhelming planning a trip like this can be, and I’m happy to help as it draws nearer. As for the rail system, I do have an article on buying European train tickets in advance to save money. The short version of that article is that most train tickets in Europe go on sale 3 to 4 months ahead of time, and they start at low prices. The fares go up as more seats are sold, and they tend to be extremely expensive if you buy on travel day, so buying online as early as possible is the best and cheapest way to do it. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger