Travel itenaries for Europe

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Since enough people have asked me about where to go in Europe, I decided to write what I have found so far. My views are suitable for people who want active adventurous days. I never sit down and sip coffee for half a day, I like to hop from one place to other and stay on my feet all day. So if you want to relax and just chill, probably add days here and there.

First, if you are coming from US, north-western (France, Germany etc.) Europe is expensive and Switzerland is exceptionally expensive. Northern Italy is similar, but it starts to get reasonable as you go south, Sicily being really cheap. Hotels are quite expensive. Hostels on other hand are reasonable, and quite nice and clean. I like hostels because you can often meet other travellers and exchange notes. If you want more adventure, try couchsurfing.com or even camping in summer. Most big cities have nice fully equipped campgrounds (think Koa) easily accessible.

Public transport is quite good everywhere and excellent in big cities, and you should not need to rent a car anywhere. Most cities have unlimited local transport ride card which is quite useful to hop from place to place. We are often also able to find a reasonable map of transport system and major sites at main train stations.

There are also overnight trains between major cities. These are a bit expensive, but cheaper than hotel stay and almost as comfortable. Reservation required in summer, but in winter you might be able to book the day before. Booking early can give cheaper non-regundable fares.

Weather - it sometimes rains in summer also, but its hot, quite hot if you are used to the Seattle climate, probably similar if you are from California. Winters are cold, rainy and sometimes snowy depending on where you are. But if you just want to do cities, it might be a good time as crowds are low and things are cheaper. Of course christmas time is especially good, most squares in cities are decorated with trees and its festive everywhere.

Itinerary suggestions :

1. Paris (2d) - Rome (2d) - Florence/Vennice (1day)

2. Paris (2d) - Berlin (2d) - Prague (1d) - Vienna (1d) - there are overnight trains between each of these cities, though Paris and Vienna are too far, so flying is required.

3. Rome (2d) - Paris (2d) - Berlin (2d) - the big three. Adding 1d in Prague / Florence / Amsterdam possible.

This is all city trip. If you want hiking, then drop Berlin and come to Switzerland 😊


Now, coming to cities :

Paris - (2 - 3 days + 1) that's the name which pops up in most people's minds first. It is a nice city, lot of sites to see, buildings if you are into architecture, also lot of museums if you are into art, historical sites, and of course the palaces that show lavishness beyond imagination. At least 2 days are required for Paris + 1 day if you want to see Versailles (which I think you must). Beyond that it really depends on how much time you have and how much you can stare at art. There is nice campground near the city. Unlimited metro pass or even Paris 72 hr card is good. There is also free walking tour of Paris which I really liked.

Italy: our favourite

Rome - (2 days) that's usually the next one. Its one of my favourite cities because I love the history. The city is full of historic sites. If you are not much into art museums, then it has less to do than Paris, but agan 2 days are required for comfortable stay.

Florence - (1 day) Close to Rome, the city is beautiful. Again lot of art, but we also enjoyed Science museums there - Galileo and LeonardoDa Vinci museums are great for science lovers. Its also fun to walk around and see the crowds. If you have already been to Paris and Rome, one day is enough here, unless you really want to stare at more paintings in museums.

Pisa - very close to Florence, but not worth it at all.

Vennice - (1 day) Its sinking, don't go there! I have not been there yet, but I have heard that its worth a day to just see the streets and canals and things. I would say in single trip, if you are pressed for time, pick either Florence or Vennice.

Napoli / Pompeii - I don't have to tell you about history of the place. Its worth spending a day if you are going down to Sicily. Its a nice laidback town.

Cinque Terre - (1 night) beautiful set of 5 villages, built on cliffs near the sea. Worth spending a night, seeing sunset if you have time, else skip. Expect to day around 70 EUR for a night though. We stayed in hostel which was 20 EUR per night, with separate dorms for men and women. Just hiking through in one day or taking train is not worth it.

That pretty much does it for Italy if you are on a clock. If you have 1 more week and love to hike, go down to Sicily. We totally loved it there! We climbed the volcanos, saw erruption at Stromboli, it was fun, but its far and if you don't hike, it may not be that much fun. Hikes are on easier side though.

Berlin - (2 - 3 days) Another great city. Everyone knows the history, and there you feel that city was indeed rebuilt. Lots of museums. We were there end of Nov, its cold, but cheap and there were beautiful Christmas markets at every square. Loved the experience. I would recommend going around that time.

Prague - ( 1 - 2 days) You have to see it to believe it. Its one of the cities which is so hiped up and it did not not disappoint. There is not much to do though. We were here in Nov, it was cold, but beautiful. Saw lighting of christmas tree (last week of Nov) was beautiful. In winter 2 days were needed, but in summer can probably pass by in 1 day.

Vienna - (1 - 2 days) Another beauty. Museums, palaces, flowers and music. We loved the Opera, its opera house is a must see, just like in the movies.

Zurich - My home base for now. One of the top 5 most expensive cities in the world, really. There are few interesting places to see here, but might not be worth the cost of stay (unless of course you have friends here 😊 ). Alps are not that close from here. For Swiss Alpine experience, I would go to Luzern / Grindelwald / Zermatt or Ticino area.

Other random cities to visit would be Amsterdam and Barcelona. I did not find much to see there in my research, so have not ventured that far, so skip if short on time.

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