Planning Your European Vacation

Planning your European vacation can be tricky. There are so many different destinations to choose from that it can be hard to try to figure out where to go and in what order to visit each city. If you plan on going to Europe and visiting different countries, here’s the best way to do so.

1. Research where you want to visit and make a list. If you have no idea where to go, do a little bit of research and make a list of places where you would like to go and why. Make sure to include a good variety of not only large cities, but smaller ones as well.
2. Make a route and timeline. After determining where to go, make a route of where you want to visit and in which order. Don’t forget to include how many days you want to spend at each location.
3. Figure out your mode of transportation. When figuring out how to get from one destination to the other, don’t just focus on costs. You really need to determine the easiest way to get there. In some instances, it will be by plane, other by train and others by car.
4. Make an itinerary. After figuring out which destinations you are going to and how you will get there, you can determine how much travel time you will need and add it with the amount of time you plan on spending at each destination. This will give you an approximate amount of time you will need to set aside for your trip in total. Make sure you leave some slack in your schedule. You don’t want to over schedule yourself. You should have plenty of downtime built in to allow for a few adventures that might present themselves while you are on your trip.
5. Research accommodations and costs. You can use your itinerary to start to research your accommodations. You will find that there are a variety of places to stay with some of them being cheap while others having a higher cost.
6. Adjust and tweak your trip. After figuring out the cost and the time needed for your European vacation, you might need to make some adjustments. It’s better to visit less places so you have extra money to work with. Europe can be expensive and you don’t want to overextend yourself as far as money goes and not be able to visit a site you really wanted to just because you can’t afford it.

Look for things to do in each destination. While you probably have some things in mind that you want to do at each destination you chose, it’s still important to really research each area to see if there are any can’t miss sights that you want to see. This will allow you to fine tune your itinerary and have a good game plan of what to see before you leave for your trip. Perhaps consider a different way of traveling through Europe.  Did you know that with Europe river cruises you wake up in the heart of a new city every day?  Wake up, draw open the curtains and admire the classic panorama of village rooftops, church spires, castles or perhaps ancient vineyards.  Follow the aroma of coffee and fresh baked pastries to your included breakfast before exploring the city, town or village you are in.  Your knowledgeable, local guide will show you the important sites as well as the hidden treasures, sharing little known local history and culture.  Then go explore on your own.  On the personal suggestion of the ship’s concierge, you’ve wandered through an afternoon marketplace to find exquisite local crafts and one of a kind souvenirs.  You pedaled your bike along a country lane to a village cafe.  Return to your ship to refresh, sip cocktails and enjoy an amazing dinner with included local wines and entertainment.  You toast the days adventures and plan for the next day! Save Save

When planning your European vacation, two resources our advisors recommend above all others are our guide to Common Mistakes to Avoid When Traveling to Europe and our breakdown of Tourist Taxes in Europe and the Rise of Overtourism Controls that now apply in many top cities.