How to Plan Your First Trip to Europe: Everything You Need to Know

Picture this: you’ve decided you’re finally going to do it. You’re going to Europe. The excitement is real. So is the panic when you open Google and realize there are roughly a million opinions on where to go, what to see, and how to do it all in 10 days.

We’ve been traveling to Europe for nearly 20 years, and we still remember what it felt like to plan that first trip. Over the years we’ve done it all, including budget backpacking and splurge-worthy hotels, city-hopping and slow travel, summer crowds and quiet winter streets, trips with our kids and trips on our own. We’ve made the rookie mistakes so you don’t have to.

In this guide, we’re sharing everything we wish we’d known before our first trip: how to structure your itinerary, get around, make the most of your time, and avoid the pitfalls that trip up most first-timers. And if you still have questions after reading, we have detailed guides for just about every corner of Europe. We’re here to help at every step of the planning process.

A little about us, so you know where this advice comes from:

We’ve been traveling to Europe for nearly 20 years, on trips as short as a week and as long as six weeks. We’ve explored on a shoestring and splurged on special occasions, traveled with our kids and without, and visited in every season from midsummer to midwinter. We’ve returned to Europe’s great cities, including London, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Florence, Venice, Lisbon, Munich, and Berlin, enough times that some of them feel like a second home. We’ve hiked the Walker’s Haute Route across the Alps, toured Christmas markets from Germany to Poland to the Czech Republic, and road-tripped through corners of Europe most tourists never reach. The advice in this post comes from all of it.

Table of Contents

Where Should You Go on Your First Trip to Europe?

This is usually the first question and often the most paralyzing one. Europe has so many incredible destinations that narrowing it down can feel impossible. Here’s how we think about it.

Start with what excites you most. Are you drawn to world-class museums and iconic landmarks? Stick to the big cities. London, Paris, Rome, and Barcelona are classics for a reason. Do you want to spend time outdoors? Consider the Swiss Alps, the Norwegian fjords, the Dolomites in Italy, or the islands of Croatia. More interested in history and culture without the biggest crowds? Central Europe — Prague, Vienna, and Budapest — delivers all of that at a slightly slower pace and a lower price point.

Think about ease of travel. For first-timers, some destinations are simply more straightforward than others. Western Europe (the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal) has well-developed tourism infrastructure, excellent train networks, and many people speak English. If it’s your very first trip, there’s no shame in sticking to the well-trodden path. The classics are classic for a reason.

Consider your budget. Western Europe’s most famous cities, including London, Paris, Zurich, Amsterdam, tend to be expensive. If budget is a factor, Eastern and Central Europe offer extraordinary value. Cities like Krakow, Budapest, Lisbon, and Porto give you stunning architecture, great food, and rich history for a fraction of the cost.

Don’t try to cover too much ground. It can be tempting to want to see as many countries as possible on a first trip, but Europe is not a checklist. You will have a much better time going deeper into one region than skimming the surface of five. Pick one corner of Europe and get to know it well. You’ll leave wanting to come back, which is the best possible outcome.

There is no wrong answer. Every corner of Europe is worth visiting. The best destination for your first trip is the one that excites you most. Go there. The rest of Europe will still be there on your second trip, and your third, and your fourth.

Barcelona, Spain

How Much Time Do You Need for a Trip to Europe?

The most common trip length for Americans visiting Europe is around 10 days and that’s a great sweet spot for a first trip. It gives you enough time to visit a few destinations without feeling like you’re living out of a suitcase on a different train every morning.

That said, we’ve done trips as short as 7 days and as long as 6 weeks, and every length has its own rhythm. Here’s how to think about it:

7 days is enough for one city with a few day trips, or two cities if they’re close together and you’re comfortable moving fast. It’s a short trip but absolutely worth doing, so don’t let a limited vacation budget talk you out of going. Our very first trip to Europe was 7 days, which gave us 2 days in Amsterdam and 3 days in Paris, plus some time to travel between cities and fly home. It was a very memorable introduction to Europe.

10 days is the sweet spot for most first-timers. You can comfortably visit two or three destinations without feeling rushed, assuming you’re not trying to cross the entire continent.

14 days opens things up considerably. Two weeks gives you room to slow down, add a day trip or two, and actually settle into a place rather than just passing through.

3 weeks or more is when Europe starts to feel like a different kind of experience altogether. You stop sightseeing and start living. If you ever have the opportunity to take a longer trip, grab it — some of our most memorable European experiences have come from the slower, longer trips where we weren’t watching the clock.

A few things to keep in mind regardless of trip length:

Your first and last days are partial days. Factor in arrival exhaustion and departure logistics when planning what you’ll actually do.
Jet lag is real. Most travelers feel it for at least the first day or two, so don’t schedule your most demanding sightseeing right after you land.
Time in transit between cities counts. Getting from one city to another typically takes at least half a day when you factor in packing up, travel time, and settling in at the other end.
More cities does not mean a better trip. Some of our favorite European memories have come from trips where we slowed down and stayed in one place long enough to find a favorite café, wander without a map, and actually feel like we knew a city rather than just photographed it.

Sunset in Santorini, Greece

How Much Does a Trip to Europe Cost?

This is one of the most common questions we get, and also one of the hardest to answer, because the range is enormous. A week in London or Zurich will cost significantly more than a week in Lisbon or Krakow. Traveling in July costs more than traveling in November. And your travel style matters as much as your destination.

That said, we know “it depends” isn’t helpful, so here are some rough numbers to use as a starting point.

Flights

From the US, expect to pay somewhere between $600 and $1,200 per person for a round-trip transatlantic flight, depending on where you’re departing from, where you’re flying into, and when you book. Flights from major hubs like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles tend to be cheaper than flying from smaller cities. Booking 3 to 6 months in advance and being flexible with your dates can make a meaningful difference.

Once you’re in Europe, budget airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet connect cities across the continent for remarkably low fares, sometimes as little as $30 to $50 if you book early. Just read the fine print on baggage fees.

Accommodation

This is where costs vary the most. As a rough guide:

Budget: $80–$120 per night for a basic but clean hotel or guesthouse
Mid-range: $150–$250 per night for a comfortable hotel in a good location
Splurge: $300 and up, sometimes well up, in major cities

One thing worth knowing for families: hotel rooms in Europe are typically small, and finding rooms that comfortably sleep four people can be genuinely difficult in older cities where the buildings were never designed for it. Apartments are often a better option for families, both for space and for cost. Having a kitchen also helps keep food costs down.

Food and Drink

Again, hugely variable by country. In Western Europe’s major cities, budget around $50–$80 per person per day if you’re eating at sit-down restaurants for most meals. You can eat well for less by doing what locals do, grabbing lunch at a market, a bakery, or a casual café rather than sitting down for a full midday meal.

In Eastern and Central Europe, food costs drop considerably. A good restaurant meal in Krakow or Budapest can cost a fraction of what the same meal would run you in Paris or Amsterdam.

Meat, Pecorino di Pienza cheese and wine in Pienza, Italy

Overall Daily Budget (Excluding Flights)

As a very rough starting point:

Budget traveler: $100–$150 per person per day
Mid-range traveler: $200–$300 per person per day
Comfortable splurge: $400+ per person per day

These numbers will stretch further in Portugal, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, and won’t go as far in the UK, Switzerland, Scandinavia, or peak-season Italy and France.

A Note on Timing

We prefer to travel during shoulder season: spring (April to early June) and fall (September to October), and we’d recommend it to most first-timers. The weather is generally good, the crowds are thinner, and prices for flights and hotels are noticeably lower than in peak summer.

That said, some experiences are worth the peak season premium, such as hiking in the Dolomites, visiting the Christmas markets in December, or squeezing in trips when your kids have off of school for the summer or holiday breaks.

Tim Julie Tyler Kara at the Wroclaw Christmas market

At the Wroclaw, Poland Christmas Market

How to Structure Your Itinerary

This is where most first-timers go wrong, because Europe makes it very easy to be overly ambitious. There is just so much to see.

We get emails that go something like this all the time: “I have 10 days in Europe and I’m planning to visit Rome, Venice, Paris, London, and Switzerland. Is that too much?”

It is. But here’s a way to put it in perspective: that’s the equivalent of planning a 10-day US trip that covers New York, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, and the Grand Canyon. Each of those destinations deserves more than a day or two, and getting between them eats up time you don’t have.

The longer you spend in each place, the more you actually get to know it. Europe’s best experiences, such as stumbling onto a neighborhood market, finding a restaurant with no English menu, and getting genuinely lost in a medieval old town, don’t happen when you’re sprinting between cities.

Here are some basic guidelines for how many destinations to plan based on your trip length:

7 days: 1 city with day trips, or 2 cities if they’re close together
10 days: 2 to 3 destinations
14 days: 3 to 4 destinations, or a deeper dive into one region
3 weeks+: A regional road trip or a slower multi-country journey becomes very doable

Keep Destinations Geographically Logical

One of the most common itinerary mistakes is choosing destinations that sound great individually but make no geographic sense together.

Rome, Venice, Paris, London, and Switzerland are all wonderful, but bouncing between them in 10 days means you’ll spend a huge chunk of your trip in transit and arrive everywhere too tired to enjoy it.

Instead, think in regions.

Italy on its own. France and Spain together. The UK and Ireland. Central Europe: Prague, Vienna, and Budapest.

Clustering destinations geographically keeps travel days short and gives you more time on the ground.

Examples of visiting 3 cities:

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Examples of exploring one region:

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Don’t Forget to Factor in Travel Time

Getting from one city to another typically takes the better part of a day when you account for packing up, the journey itself, and settling in at the other end.

If you’re visiting three cities on a 10-day trip, you’re realistically losing about a day to transit. Plan for it rather than pretending those travel days don’t count.

Think Carefully About the Season and What You Want to Do

This is something a lot of first-timers overlook, and it can make or break a specific experience.

If you want to hike in the Dolomites, for example, plan for July or August. In May, the cable cars are often still closed and the high trails are covered in snow.

If you want to ski in the Alps, January and February are your window.

If you want to see the Christmas markets, you need to be in Europe in late November or December.

Research the timing of your specific activities before you lock in your dates, not after.

Sample 10 Day Itinerary

Here is a sample itinerary to show how this works in practice: 10 days covering London, Amsterdam, and Paris

Day 1: Arrive in London; settle in, easy first evening
Day 2: London
Day 3: London
Day 4: London
Day 5: Morning train to Amsterdam, sightseeing in the afternoon
Day 6: Amsterdam
Day 7: Morning train to Paris, sightseeing in the afternoon
Day 8: Paris
Day 9: Paris
Day 10: Fly home

Even this itinerary is a little rushed, and an extra day in each city would make it more comfortable. But it shows how quickly time goes when you’re moving between destinations, and why five cities in 10 days simply doesn’t work.

Amsterdam

What is the Best Way to Get Around Europe?

One of the things that surprises many first-time visitors is just how easy it is to get around Europe. The train network is extensive, budget airlines connect cities across the continent, and in some regions a rental car opens up corners of Europe that public transport simply can’t reach.

Here’s how to think about each option.

Trains

For city-to-city travel, trains are usually the best option, and in many cases the most enjoyable. Stations are typically located in the heart of cities, there’s no security line to navigate, and you arrive ready to go rather than exhausted from an airport ordeal. Train travel in Europe is also genuinely scenic in a way that flying never is.

We still remember taking the train for the first time on our very first trip to Europe. We took the high-speed rail from Amsterdam to Paris and were genuinely thrilled by how easy and affordable it was. Coming from the US, where getting around means driving or flying, we didn’t quite know what to expect. Nearly 20 years later, trains remain one of our favorite things about traveling in Europe.

Trains are punctual, straightforward, and because they run between city centers, you step off the train and you’re already where you need to be. No long airport transfers, no rental car, no stress.

One thing worth knowing: we’ve taken trains all over Europe for nearly 20 years and have never found a Eurail or Interrail pass to be cheaper than booking point-to-point tickets, with one exception. If you’re spending significant time in Switzerland, the Swiss Travel Pass is worth looking into, as it covers trains, buses, and boats and can offer real savings there.

Budget Airlines

For longer distances, say, London to Lisbon, or Amsterdam to Rome, a budget airline is often faster and cheaper than the train. Ryanair, EasyJet, and Wizz Air connect an enormous number of European cities, sometimes for remarkably low fares if you book in advance.

The catch: budget airlines are budget for a reason. Baggage fees can add up quickly, airports are sometimes far from the city center, and the experience is no-frills. Factor in the full cost, including bags, transport to and from the airport, and your time, before assuming the cheap flight is actually the better deal. Sometimes the train works out to be comparable in cost and significantly less hassle.

Renting a Car

For a classic city-hopping first trip, you almost certainly don’t need a rental car. Navigating city traffic, paying for parking, and dealing with historic old towns where cars simply can’t go makes driving more of a burden than a benefit in most urban European destinations.

Where a rental car genuinely shines is in rural and off-the-beaten-path destinations. Some of our favorite European experiences have happened in places that public transport doesn’t easily reach, including the back roads of Ireland, the fjords of Norway, the villages of Slovenia, and the Balkan Peninsula. If your itinerary takes you into the countryside, a rental car can transform your trip.

Driving through northern Norway

A few things to know before you rent. An International Driving Permit is recommended and easy to get before you leave home. And some countries and cities have driving restriction zones, called ZTL zones in Italy, where you can unknowingly rack up fines. Do your research before you drive into an unfamiliar city center.

Getting Around Within Cities

Most of Europe’s major cities have excellent public transportation, including metro systems, trams, and buses that can get you just about anywhere efficiently and cheaply. In many cities, a multi-day transit pass is worth buying on arrival.

Walking is also underrated and some of Europe’s best discoveries happen when you put the map away and just wander.

When Should You Plan Your Trip to Europe?

One of the most important, and most overlooked, parts of planning a trip to Europe is timing. The “best” time to go depends entirely on where you’re going and what you want to do. Here’s how to think about it by season.

Spring (April to early June)

This is a great time to visit Europe. The weather is mild, the summer crowds haven’t arrived yet, and prices for flights and hotels are noticeably lower than peak season. Flowers are blooming, café terraces are opening up, and popular sites are far more manageable.

One thing to be aware of: Easter is a major holiday across much of Europe, and in deeply Catholic countries like Italy, Spain, and Portugal, it’s a significant event. Cities can be busy, some attractions close, and accommodation prices spike around Easter week. If your dates overlap with Easter, research your specific destinations in advance.

Spring is also still too early for high-altitude hiking. Many mountain trails in the Dolomites, the Swiss Alps, Slovenia, and Slovakia don’t open until June or even July. Snow lingers well into spring at elevation, and cable cars and mountain huts may still be closed in May. If hiking is the main draw, don’t assume spring means the mountains are ready.

Keukenhof in April (in the Netherlands)

Summer (late June to August)

Peak season in every sense: peak crowds, peak prices, and peak weather. Europe’s beaches, islands, and outdoor destinations are at their best, and the long daylight hours make for wonderful evenings lingering over dinner outdoors.

This is also the ideal window for high-altitude hiking. Trails in the Dolomites, Swiss Alps, Slovenian Julian Alps, and Slovakia’s High Tatras are fully open, cable cars are running, and mountain huts are staffed. If a major hiking trip is on your list, plan for July or August.

The tradeoff is that popular destinations can feel overwhelmingly crowded in summer. Venice, Santorini, Dubrovnik, and the Cinque Terre in particular get extremely busy. If you’re visiting these places in summer, book accommodation and key attractions well in advance and try to be at the most popular sites early in the morning.

Hiking the Dolomites in July

Fall (September and October)

This is our favorite time to visit Europe. The summer crowds thin out noticeably in September, prices drop, and the weather in much of Europe remains warm and pleasant well into October. It’s also harvest season, a wonderful time to be in wine regions like Tuscany, Burgundy, or the Douro Valley in Portugal.

High-altitude hiking trails typically start closing in September and October as the weather turns, so factor that in if you’re planning a mountain trip. But for city travel and general sightseeing, fall is hard to beat.

Winter (November through March)

Winter is Europe’s quietest and most affordable season, and for the right traveler it’s genuinely magical. Popular sites that are mobbed in summer become pleasantly uncrowded, and some of Europe’s most atmospheric experiences happen in winter.

Chief among them: the European Christmas markets. Running roughly from mid to late November through Christmas, and in some countries into New Year’s, the markets in Germany, Austria, France, the Czech Republic, Poland, and England transform city squares into something out of a fairy tale. We’ve toured Christmas markets across all of these countries and they remain some of our most cherished European memories. If you’re considering a winter trip, timing it around the markets is a wonderful reason to go.

Winter is also the best time to see the northern lights. If witnessing the aurora borealis is on your bucket list, plan a trip to northern Norway, Iceland, or Finland between November and March. The long dark nights and clear skies give you the best chance of a sighting. This is a trip that requires some flexibility, as the northern lights are never guaranteed, but traveling during this window gives you the best odds.

Skiing in the Alps is another reason to visit in winter. January and February are the prime months for the slopes in Switzerland, Austria, France, and Italy.

The one tradeoff with winter travel is weather and daylight. Days are short, some outdoor attractions are closed or limited, and parts of Northern Europe can be grey and cold for weeks at a time. But if you go in with the right expectations, winter in Europe has a charm that the summer crowds never get to experience.

A Note on Big Events and Festivals

Europe hosts an enormous number of festivals, markets, and events throughout the year that can significantly affect your experience. The Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August, for example, is one of the world’s great cultural events, but it also means the city is packed and accommodation is expensive and books up months in advance. Research whether any major events are happening in your destination during your travel dates, and decide in advance whether you want to be part of it or avoid it.

Where to Stay in Europe

Choosing where to stay involves two decisions: what type of accommodation, and the location in the city. Both matter more than most first-timers realize.

Hotel vs. Apartment

For most travelers, a hotel is the simplest and most straightforward option. For families or groups, however, a vacation rental apartment is worth considering because hotel rooms in Europe tend to be small, and finding a room that comfortably sleeps four or more people can be genuinely difficult, particularly in older cities where buildings were never designed with large rooms in mind. An apartment gives you more space, and a kitchen helps keep food costs down.

A note on Airbnb specifically: we don’t use or promote it. Short-term rental platforms have contributed to serious housing crises in cities across Europe. Locals priced out of their own neighborhoods is a real and well-documented problem in cities like Barcelona, Lisbon, Amsterdam, and Florence. If you’re seeking apartment-style accommodations, search for locally operated vacation rental agencies or platforms that collaborate directly with professional property managers instead of individual landlords converting long-term housing into tourist rentals.

Location Within the City

Staying in the city center is our preference. You’re walking distance from the main attractions, restaurants, and transport connections, and you spend less time commuting and more time actually experiencing the city. The tradeoff is cost, as central hotels command a premium.

If budget is a consideration, staying just outside the city center is a perfectly good option, with one important condition. Look for accommodation that is close to a well-connected metro station. A hotel that’s two metro stops from the center is fine. A hotel that requires a bus, a transfer, and a walk is going to cost you time every single day of your trip.

On our first trip to Paris, we stayed at Hotel Brighton, a small hotel with a fantastic location next to the Tuileries Garden. From our tiny balcony, we could see the Louvre, Notre Dame, and the Eiffel Tower. It was a splurge but it is still one of our favorite travel memories.

How Far in Advance to Book

Our general rule is to book accommodation at least three months in advance, and earlier is always better. Europe’s most popular destinations fill up fast, particularly in peak season, and waiting too long leaves you with limited options at inflated prices.

We learned this lesson the hard way early in our travels. On one of our first trips to Europe, we tried to book accommodation on the Isle of Skye about four weeks out, and almost everything was already gone. We ended up in a hotel that was far from ideal, and it was a mistake we never repeated.

For smaller towns and rural destinations in peak season, for example the Isle of Skye, the Cinque Terre, the Lofoten Islands, and the Croatian islands, book as early as you possibly can. These places have limited accommodation to begin with, and the good options disappear months in advance. In some cases, your accommodation availability should actually drive your itinerary decisions, not the other way around.

Our Booking Platform of Choice

We book the vast majority of our hotel stays through Booking.com. It has the widest selection across Europe, transparent pricing, and a straightforward cancellation policy on most properties. Whatever platform you use, always check the cancellation terms before you book. A fully refundable rate gives you the flexibility to adjust your plans if your itinerary changes.

How to Book Flights to Europe

Flights are usually the biggest single cost of a trip to Europe, and a little strategy goes a long way.

When to Book

Our general rule is to book transatlantic flights three to six months in advance. Fares tend to be reasonable in this window. That said, if you see a genuinely good fare outside of that window, don’t talk yourself out of it by waiting for something better. Good fares don’t always come back.

Being flexible with your travel dates can also make a meaningful difference. Flying mid-week is often cheaper than flying on weekends, and shifting your departure or return by even a day or two can sometimes save hundreds of dollars.

How to Search

We use Google Flights or Kayak to research fares and get a sense of what routes and price ranges look like. Both tools are excellent for comparing options across airlines and dates. Google Flights in particular has a useful calendar view that makes it easy to spot cheaper travel days at a glance.

Once we’ve found the flight we want, we book it directly on the airline’s website rather than through a third-party booking platform. This is important. Booking direct means that if your flight is changed, cancelled, or disrupted, you’re dealing with the airline directly rather than through an intermediary. It makes rebooking, refunds, and customer service significantly simpler, something you’ll be very grateful for if anything goes wrong.

Which City to Fly Into

This really depends on your itinerary. Europe’s major hub airports, such as London Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt, Madrid, and Rome, have the most flight options from the US and tend to have the most competitive fares.

But the best city to fly into is simply the one that makes the most sense for where you’re going. Start your itinerary at your arrival city and work logically from there rather than backtracking.

Consider an Open Jaw Flight

An open jaw flight is one where you fly into one city and out of a different one. For example, flying into Rome and home from Venice. This can save you a significant amount of time by eliminating the need to backtrack to your starting point at the end of your trip.

We’ve booked open jaw flights many times and in most cases the price is comparable to a standard round trip. It’s always worth checking, because the time you save is often worth a small price difference even when it isn’t free.

Budget Airlines Within Europe

Once you’re in Europe, budget carriers like Ryanair, EasyJet, and Wizz Air can get you between cities for very little money if you book in advance. These airlines are worth considering when train travel between two destinations would take the better part of a day.

Just go in with clear expectations: baggage fees can add up, airports are sometimes inconveniently located, and the experience is no-frills. Always calculate the total cost, including bags and airport transfers, before assuming the cheap flight beats the train.

What to Book in Advance

Europe’s most popular attractions have become increasingly difficult to visit without advance planning. Long gone are the days of showing up at the Colosseum or the Vatican and buying a ticket at the door. In today’s world, booking ahead isn’t just a nice idea. For many of Europe’s most iconic sites, it’s a necessity.

Major Attractions That Require Advance Booking

These are the ones we’d flag as non-negotiable. Book as early as possible, ideally as soon as your travel dates are confirmed:

Rome: The Colosseum and the Vatican Museums (including the Sistine Chapel) both sell out well in advance, particularly in peak season
Paris: The Eiffel Tower and the Louvre regularly sell out, and the queues without a timed entry ticket can be brutal
Versailles: Book this day trip from Paris before you go
Florence: The Uffizi Gallery is one of the world’s great art museums and tickets go quickly in summer
Granada: The Alhambra is one of Europe’s most stunning sites and also one of its most strictly ticketed. Daily visitor numbers are capped and tickets can sell out weeks in advance
Athens: The Acropolis is increasingly requiring advance booking, particularly in peak season

These are just the most well-known examples. Many other attractions across Europe benefit from advance booking even if they don’t always sell out, if only to avoid standing in a long ticket line and losing an hour of your day.

Our destination guides go into specific detail on what to book and how far ahead for each city and region we cover.

The Alhambra

Travel Inspiration

The Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Colosseum, canals of Amsterdam, Cliffs of Moher, and the fjords of Norway are just a few spectacular places to visit in Europe. Get the full list here.

Beyond Tickets — Parking in the Dolomites

Advance booking has expanded beyond just attraction tickets in recent years. In the Dolomites, some of the most popular trailhead parking lots, including those at Tre Cime di Lavaredo, one of the most iconic hikes in the Alps, now require parking reservations during peak season.

It sounds like a small detail, but it can completely derail a day if you arrive unprepared. Check what’s required for your specific destinations well before you travel.

What to Do If Official Tickets Are Sold Out

If you go to book tickets on an attraction’s official website and find they’re sold out, check GetYourGuide. It’s a reputable third-party platform that often has ticket availability even when the official site doesn’t, sometimes bundled with a guided tour.

One advantage of booking through GetYourGuide is that many tickets can be cancelled up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund, which is useful if your plans are still flexible. We’ve used GetYourGuide multiple times in this situation and it has saved our plans for the day. That being vsaid, cancellation policies vary by ticket, so always read the fine print before booking.

Restaurants

For casual meals, advance booking is rarely necessary. But if there’s a specific restaurant on your list, such as a Michelin-starred splurge, a famous local institution, or simply a highly rated spot in a small town with limited seating, book ahead.

OpenTable and the restaurant’s own website are good places to start. In our experience, the restaurants most worth going to are also the ones that fill up fastest.

Money and Payments in Europe

Managing money in Europe is simpler than many first-timers expect, but there are a few things worth knowing before you go.

Credit Cards

A credit card will handle the vast majority of your purchases in Europe. Restaurants, hotels, shops, and most attractions accept them widely, particularly in Western Europe.

Before you travel, make sure your card does not charge foreign transaction fees. These typically run 2 to 3% per purchase and add up quickly over a two-week trip. Many travel-focused credit cards waive these fees entirely and are worth getting before you go if you don’t already have one.

Let your bank and credit card company know you’re traveling before you leave. It takes two minutes and prevents the frustration of having your card flagged for suspicious activity on your first day abroad.

Cash

Despite how card-friendly Europe has become, cash still has its place. Smaller restaurants, market stalls, rural areas, and places with unreliable cellular service, where card machines simply won’t work, still run on cash.

We typically carry around €200 at any given time, which covers tips, small purchases, and the occasional place that doesn’t take cards.

The best way to get local currency is to withdraw it from an ATM upon arrival at the airport. Avoid exchanging currency at airport kiosks or hotel desks. The rates are almost always significantly worse than what you’ll get from a bank ATM.

An Easy Trick for Getting Rid of Leftover Cash

One thing we’ve done for years that works beautifully: on your final morning, use any leftover local currency to pay down part of your hotel bill, then settle the remainder with your credit card. It’s a simple way to leave with empty pockets and avoid the hassle of exchanging foreign currency back to dollars at home.

Tipping

Tipping in Europe is genuinely different from the US, and first-timers often either over-tip out of habit or under-tip out of confusion. Here’s a simple guide:

Tipping is not expected the way it is in the United States. Service staff in Europe are generally paid a living wage, and a tip is understood as a gesture of appreciation for genuinely good service rather than an obligation.
For meals, leaving a few euros on the table is a warm and appreciated gesture. At an upscale restaurant or for exceptional service, rounding up to around 10% is appropriate. You don’t need to feel obligated to tip 20% as you might at home.
For taxis, rounding up to the nearest euro or two is standard. For hotel housekeeping, leaving a euro or two per night is a kind gesture but not expected. For tour guides who have given you a genuinely great experience, a tip of €5 to €10 per person is a nice way to show appreciation.

Tipping norms do vary somewhat by country; in some parts of Europe, tipping is more common than others, but the above is a reasonable baseline for most of Western and Central Europe.

Porto, Portugal

Visas and Entry Requirements

For most American travelers, visiting Europe is straightforward. No visa is required for tourist stays of up to 90 days within the Schengen Zone, which covers the majority of European countries. Your passport simply needs to be valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates.

A few things worth knowing:

The 90-day rule applies across the entire Schengen Zone combined, not per country. So, if you spend three weeks in France and two weeks in Italy, those days are counted together toward your 90-day limit, not separately.
The UK is not part of the Schengen Zone. Since Brexit, the UK operates its own entry requirements. Currently, Americans can visit visa-free for up to six months, but always check current requirements before you travel.
ETIAS is coming. The European Travel Information and Authorization System — a pre-travel authorization requirement similar to the US ESTA — has been in development for several years and will eventually be required for visa-free travelers entering the Schengen Zone. Launch dates have shifted repeatedly, so check the official ETIAS website for the most current information before your trip.

As entry requirements can change, we’d always recommend checking the official government websites for your destination countries and the US State Department website before you travel.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dealing with Jet Lag

Jet lag is real, and if you’re flying to Europe from the US you will almost certainly feel it to some degree on your first day or two.

Most transatlantic flights from the US arrive in Europe in the morning or early afternoon, which means you’ve likely spent the night on a plane with little to no quality sleep and you’re now expected to function in a time zone that is anywhere from five to nine hours ahead of home.

The good news is that most people adjust within a day or two, and there are things you can do to speed that process along.

On the Flight Over

Try to sleep on the plane, even if it doesn’t come easily. An eye mask, earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones, and a neck pillow make a real difference.

Avoid alcohol on the flight. It might help you feel sleepy, but it reduces sleep quality and leaves you more dehydrated and groggy on arrival. Drink plenty of water instead.

On Arrival

The most effective thing you can do is stay awake until local bedtime. It’s hard, but it works. Get outside into the daylight as soon as you can. Natural light is one of the most powerful signals your body uses to reset its internal clock. A gentle walk around your neighborhood, a coffee at a café, or a low-key first afternoon of sightseeing is ideal.

If you absolutely must nap, keep it short, 20 to 30 minutes maximum. A long nap in the afternoon will make it much harder to sleep that night and extend the adjustment period.

Plan Your First Day Accordingly

Don’t schedule your most demanding or important experiences on day one. Save the big ticket attractions for day two onwards when you’re feeling more like yourself.

Your first afternoon is better spent getting oriented, finding a good meal, and soaking in the fact that you’re actually in Europe.

Heading Home

Jet lag on the return trip is generally milder for most people and adjusting back to an earlier time zone tends to be easier than springing forward. That said, expect to feel tired for a day or two after you get home and try not to schedule anything too demanding in your first couple of days back.

Gdansk, Poland

How to Plan Your First Trip to Europe: A Step-by-Step Guide

After nearly 20 years of planning trips to Europe, this is roughly how we approach it every time and how we’d recommend first-timers tackle it too.

Step 1: Decide What Kind of Trip You Want

Before you look at a single flight or hotel, get clear on what you actually want from the trip. City sightseeing? Hiking in the mountains? A mix of both? Beaches? Christmas markets? Knowing your priorities makes every decision that follows easier and helps you avoid the trap of trying to do everything at once.

Step 2: Choose Your Destination

Based on what excites you most, narrow down your destination. Think geographically. Pick one region of Europe and explore it well rather than hopscotching across the continent. Consider your budget, the time of year, and whether your chosen destination suits the season you’re traveling in.

Step 3: Decide How Long You’re Going For

Figure out how many days you have and be realistic about what that allows.

Use our guidelines from earlier in this post: 10 days is a great sweet spot for a first trip, giving you time to visit two or three destinations without feeling rushed.

Step 4: Plan Your Itinerary

Map out a preliminary day-by-day itinerary.

Keep it geographically logical, don’t overpack it, and build in some breathing room. Factor in travel days between cities and check whether your planned activities suit the season, particularly if hiking or other outdoor pursuits are on the list.

Step 5: Research Flight Options

Use Google Flights or Kayak to get a sense of routes, prices, and travel dates. Be flexible if you can because shifting your dates by a day or two can sometimes make a meaningful difference in price. Consider whether an open-jaw flight makes sense for your itinerary.

Step 6: Confirm Hotel Availability and Pricing

This is an important step, especially if you are booking a trip last minute. Do a quick hotel search on a platform like Booking.com to get an idea of what hotels are available and their prices.

Doing this now, before booking flights, can help avoid any unwanted surprises, such as hotels with high prices or limited availability, before locking in flights and dates.

Step 7: Book Your Flights

Once you’ve found the right flight at the right price, and confirmed hotel prices and availability, book directly on the airline’s website. Aim to book three to six months in advance for the best fares.

This step locks in your travel dates and gives you the framework around which everything else gets planned.

Step 8: Book Your Accommodation

Start with your first and last nights, then work through the rest.

Aim to book at least three months in advance, earlier for smaller towns, rural destinations, and peak season travel. Prioritize staying central or near a well-connected metro station.

Step 9: Book Your Rental Car

If you plan to rent a car, make the reservation. We make our rental car reservations directly on the official website.

Our go-to rental car companies are Avis/Budget, Sixt, and Hertz.

Step 10: Book Attraction Tickets and Tours in Advance

Research which attractions at your destinations require advance booking and book them as soon as your dates are confirmed.

The Colosseum, Vatican Museums, Uffizi, Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Alhambra, and Versailles are the big ones, but almost every destination has something that benefits from booking ahead.

Check our destination guides for specifics on what to book and when.

Step 11: Sort Out the Practical Details

In the weeks before your trip, take care of the logistics: notify your bank and credit card company of your travel dates, make sure your passport is valid for at least six months beyond your return date, check visa and entry requirements for your destinations, and download offline maps for the cities you’re visiting.

Step 12: Leave Room for Spontaneity

The best moments in Europe often aren’t the ones you planned.

Leave gaps in your itinerary for wandering without an agenda, stumbling into a local market, lingering over a long lunch, or simply sitting in a piazza and watching the world go by.

Hiking in Zermatt, Switzerland

Ready to Start Planning? Explore Our Europe Itineraries

Now that you have a solid framework for planning your first trip, the next step is finding the right itinerary for your destination.

We have many detailed itineraries for destinations across the continent, from iconic city trips to off-the-beaten-path adventures, hiking expeditions, road trips, and Christmas market tours.

Whether you’re dreaming of 10 days in Italy, a road trip through Ireland, hiking in Norway, or a whirlwind tour of Central Europe’s great cities, you’ll find a detailed, experience-based itinerary to help you plan it on our Europe Itineraries page.

Europe Itineraries

Europe Travel Itineraries

Browse all of our European itineraries, ranging from 7, 10, and 14 day trips through Europe’s famous cities and quieter hidden gems.

And if you still have questions after reading, drop them in the comments below. We read every one and are happy to help.

More Information to Help You Plan Your First Trip to Europe

TRAVEL GUIDES: For more travel inspiration, check out our travel guides for Italy, France, Norway, Switzerland, Portugal, and Iceland. Visit our Destinations page for links to all of our content about Europe.

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How to plan your first trip to Europe: sample itineraries, how much does a trip cost, when to go, using the trains, booking flights, tipping, visas, currency, and more.