Create Your Agenda & Route

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To set an agenda you’ll need to make some decisions for the questions below. Once you have made those choices you can write them on a calendar or piece of paper. Know what nights you’ll be staying in what locations. Once you have a template of your days you can determine your transportation options form one destination to another. Our » Set Your Route page you provide you with distances and travel times between major European cities that will allow you to allocate enough travel into the days travel agenda.

If you only plan to go once, then you may want to take an organized tour covering as much of Europe as possible. Tour companies and operators have packaged tours going to multiple locations from 7 to 30 days.

Are you planning to go to Europe just once? Or do you plan to go back again?

For information please read our ➾ Tour post  and review web sites of  Tour Operators” that offer multi-day and country packaged tours.

If you are like a lot of independent travelers and plan to go back, then you should concentrate on doing the following.

How Many Days Will You Be There?

Once you know how many days you can travel try to be flexible. Remember some days airline tickets or hotel rooms can have higher rates. By altering your schedule by a day or two can save you hundreds of dollars. That that could require leaving or departing in the middle of the week on a Tuesday or Wednesday, instead of on the weekend.

Organize Your Time…

Making the best use of your time is essential to getting the most out of your vacation. Again, with so much too see and do in Europe, it is very easy to bite off more than you can chew. A vacation could become very strenuous and exhausting if you try to do too much. You do not want to have take another vacation to recover from a vacation. Minimizing travel time to several hours and try not to lose a half or even a whole day traveling. That time could be used to for an activity or just getting a few hours of relaxation. If possible try not to stay in one place for just one night. While it is not always possible, staying in one location for multiple days makes the best use of time. Having a room to go back to for a break during the middle of the day allows you a little rest before going out to diner or an evening event.  Not having to unpack and pack continuously is also convenient.

“Using time wisely can make the difference in having a disastrous vacation or a life’s experience  you will always remember”.

City Hubs

The Charles Bridge crossing the Valtava in Prague

Staying in a major city can maximize your time spent. There are many advantages in these cities as they have a lot to see and do. If you really want to capture the flavor of a great city than you must plan on a minimum stay of 3 full days or more.  These cities have so much to offer that being there for one day will never do. Many have enough for a full week but, always leave enough for another visit. As though these cities do not have enough to do there are great day trips within easy reach. That is why these cities provide a good base to stay so you are at the same hotel for more than one night. Travel time for these day trips are normally only 30 minutes to an hour and a half away. Transportation is also easier for arriving and departing from these cities with good flight selections from major airports and busy train stations with excellent rail schedules. The local transportation systems provide quick and efficient travel within the city to and from all sights. In many cases you can use major public transportation for your day trips outside the cities on rail or buses and in some situations your city transit pass is valid for fares. Cities and regions listed below offer the most to see with the least traveling time. Using these locations as a base for your multi-night stay gives you travel flexibility and the best use of your time. From these locations are suggested jumping off points to the next nearest area to maximize your travel.

🇳🇱 Amsterdam, Netherlands

Minimum stay: 3 – 4 days
Day trips: 
– Delft, Netherlands
– The Hague, Netherlands
– Haarlem, Netherlands
– Keukenhof Gardens
– Kinderdijk
– Lieden, Netherlands
– Madurodam
– Rotterdam, Netherlands
– Volendam
– Zaanse Schans
Trip Extensions:
– Antwerp, Belgium
– Brussels, Belgium
– Bruges, Belgium
– Cologne, Germany
– Paris, France
– London, England
– Belgium
– Rhineland, Germany

🇪🇸 Andalusia Spain – (Sevilla, Granada, Málaga)

Minimum stay: 4 – 5 days
Day trips:
– Balearic Islands
– Cadiz, Valencia, Spain
– Córdoba, Spain
– Costa del Sol
– Gibraltar
– Rhonda, Spain
– Tangier, Morocco 
Trip Extensions:
– Barcelona, Spain
– Canary Islands
– France
– Madrid, Spain
– Morocco
– Lisbon, Portugal
– Porto, Portugal
– Valencia, Spain

🇬🇷 Athens, Greece

Minimum stay; 
3-4 days
Day trips: 
– Cape Sounion
– Corinth
– Delphi
– Epidaurus
– Hydra & Poros
– Meteora
– Mycenae
Trip Extensions:
– Antalya, Turkey
– Bulgaria
– Corfu
– Crete
– Cyprus
– Cyclades Islands
– Istanbul, Turkey
– Thessaloniki

🇪🇸 Barcelona, Spain

Minimum stay: 3 – 4 days
Day trips: 
– Andorra
– Costa Brava
– Figueres, Spain
– Girona, Spain
– Montserrat
– Stiges, Spain
– Tarragona, Spain
Trip Extensions:
– Andalusia
– Basque Country
– Madrid
– Carcassonne, France
– The Pyranees Mountains
– Provence, France
– Valencia, Spain

🇩🇪 Berlin, Germany

Minimum stay: 3 – 5 days
Day trips: 
– Dresden
– Hamburg
– Görlitz
– Leipzig
– Lübeck
– Potsdam
– Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp
– Spreewald
– Wansee
Trip Extensions:
– Bavaria
– Copenhagen, Denmark
– Stockholm, Sweden
– Karków, Poland
– Munich, Germany
– Prague, Czechia
– Vienna, Austria
– Warsaw, Poland

🇧🇪 Brussels, Belgium

Minimum stay: 3 – 4 days
Day trips:
– Antwerp, Belgium
– Bastogne (Battle of the -Bulge)
– Bruges, Belgium
– Flanders WWI Battlefields
– Ghent, Belgium
– Liege, Belgium
– Waterloo Battlefield
– Ypres (WWI sites)
Trip Extensions:
– Amsterdam, Netherlands
– Cologne, Germany
– London, England
– Luxembourg
– Normandy, France
– Paris, France

🇭🇺 Budapest, Hungary

Minimum stay: 3 – 5 days
Day trips:
– The Danube Bend & Visegrád
– Eger, Hungary  
– Esztergom, Hungary 
– Gödöllo Castle 
– Lake Balaton 
– Puszta Great Plains 
– Szentendre, Hungary 
– Villány Wine Region
Trip Extensions:
– Belgrade, Serbia
– Bratislava, SLovakia
– Krakow, Poland
– Pécs, Hungary
– Prague, Czechia
– Romania
– Vienna, Austria

🇩🇰 Copenhagen, Denmark

Minimum stay:  3 – 4 days
Day trips:
– Aarhus, Denmark
– Frederiksborg Castle, Hillerød
– Kronborg Castle, Helsingør
– Malmo, Sweden
– Odense, Denmark
– Roskilde, Denmark
Trip Extensions:
– Berlin, Germany
– Hamburg, Germany
– Netherlands
– Norway
– Poland
-Stockholm, Sweden

🇮🇪 Dublin, Ireland

Minimum stay: 3 – 6 days
Day trips:
– Brú na Bóinne
– Cork
– Galway 
– Hill of Tara 
– Kilkenny 
– Limerick 
– Waterford
Trip Extensions:
– Belfast
– Blarney Castle
– Cliffs of Moher
– Dingle Peninsula
– England
– Ring of Kerry
– Scotland

🇭🇷 Dubrovnik, Croatia

Minimum stay: 3 – 4 days
Day trips: 
– Korcula, Croatia
– Kotor, Montenegro
– Mostar, Bosnia Herzegovina
– Split, Croatia
Trip Extensions:
– Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina
– Hvar, Croatia
– Slovenia
– Plitvice Lakes Park
– Pula, Croatia
– Rovinj, Croatia
– Venice, Italy
– Zadar, Croatia
– Zagreb, Croatia

🇮🇹 Florence, Italy

Minimum stay: 3 – 4 days
Day trips:
– Arezzo, Italy
– Assisi, Italy
– Bologna, Italy
– Chianti
– Lucca, Italy
– Pisa, Italy
– San Gimignano, Italy
– Siena, Italy
– Val d’Orcia
Trip Extensions: 
– Cinque Terra
– Milan, Italy
– Naples, Italy
– Rome, Italy
– Venice, Italy
– Italian Lakes Region

🇩🇪 Frankfurt am Main, Germany (Rhineland)

Optional Cities to stay in: Cologne, Koblenz, Mainz
Minimum stay: 3 – 4 days
Day trips:
– Cochem, Germany
– Cologne, Germany
– Baden-Baden & the Black Forest
– Basel, Switzerland
– Heidelberg, Germany
– Koblenz, Germany
– Strasbourg, France
– Trier, Germany
– Wurzburg, Germany
Trip Extensions:
– Aachen, Germany
– Alsace France
– Amsterdam, Netherlands
– Bavaria
– Belgium
– Berlin, Germany
– Luxembourg
– Switzerland 

🇫🇮 Helsinki, Finland

Minimum stay: 2 – 3 days
Day trips: 
– Porvoo
– Turku
– Tampere
– Tallinn, Estonia
– Vantaa
Trip Extensions:
– St. Petersburg, Russia
– Moscow, Russia
– Stockholm, Sweden
– Åland Islands
– Rovaniemi (Lapland)
– Riga, Latvia
– Vilnius, Lithuania

🇹🇷  Istanbul, Turkey

Minimum stay: 3 – 4 days
Day trips:
– Bursa
– Black Sea
– Edirne
– Gallipoli
– Iznik
– Prince Islands
– Troy
Trip Extensions:
– Ankara
– Antalya
– Athens, Greece
– Bulgaria
– Cappadocia
– Ephesus
– Greek Islands
– Izmir

🇵🇱 Kraków, Poland

Minimum stay: 3 – 4 days
Day trips:
– Auschwitz-Birkennau Concentration Camp
– Czestochowa
– Katowice, Poland
– Pieskowa Skala Castle
– Tatras Mountains
– Wielczka Salt Mine
– Wrocław, Poland
Trip Extensions:
– Budapest, Hungary
– Gdansk, Poland
– Lviv, Ukraine
– Prague, Czechia
– Latvia, Riga
– Vienna, Austria
– Vilnius, Lithuania
– Warsaw, Poland

🇵🇹 Lisbon, Portugal

Minimum stay:  3 – 4 days
Day trips:
– Cascais, Portugal
– Coibra, Portugal
– Évora, Portugal
– Fátima, Portugal
– Nazaré, Portugal
– Ribatejo Region
– Sintra, Portugal
Trip Extensions:
– Agarve coast
– Andalusia, Spain
– The Azores
– Madrid, Spain
– Porto, Portugal
– Salamanca, Spain
– Santiago de Compostela, Spain

🇬🇧 London, England United Kingdom

Minimum stay: 4 – 6 days
Day trips: 
– Bath, England UK
– Blenheim Palace
– Brighton, England UK 
– Canterbury, England UK
– The Cotswolds, England UK
– Downton Abbey
– Oxford, England UK
– Salisbury, England UK
– Stratford-upon-Avon
– Stonehenge & Avebury, England UK
– Warwick Castle
– White Cliffs of Dover & Hastings
– Windsor Castle
Trip Extensions:
– Amsterdam, Netherlands
– Brussels, Belgium
– Cornwall, England UK
– Dublin, Ireland
– Edinburgh, Scotland
UK
– France
– Ireland
– Liverpool, England UK
– Manchester, England UK
– Normandy, France
– Northern Ireland
– Paris, France
– Scotland UK
– Wales UK

🇪🇸 Madrid, Spain

Minimum stay: 3 – 6 days
Day trips:
– Avila, Spain
– Cuenca, Spain
– El Escorial, Spain
– La Mancha
– Castle of Manzanares
– Salmanca, Spain
– Segovia, Spain
– Toledo, Spain
– Valley of the Fallen
Trip Extensions: 
– Andalusia
– Barcelona, Spain
– Basque Country
– Canary Islands
– France
– Lisbon, Portugal
– Porto, Portugal
– Valencia, Spain

🇫🇷 Marseille, France

Optional Cities to stay in: Aix-en-Provence, Arles, Avignon, Nîmes
Minimum stay: 3 -5 days
Day Trips:
– The Camargue
– Gordes, France
– Les Buax-de-Provence, France
– Nîmes, France
– Orange, France
– Parc Calanques
– Pont du Gard
– Roussillon, France
– Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France
Trip Extensions:
– Barcelona, Spain
– Carcassonne, France
– Côte d’Azure & Nice, France
– Lyon, France
– Milan, Italy
– Monaco
– Paris, France
– Toulouse, France

🇮🇹 Milan, Italy

Minimum stay: 3 – 4 days
Day trips:
– Bernina Express
– Swiss Alps
– Bologna
– Bergamo
– Cinque Terra
– Genoa & Portofino
– Lake Como, Bellagio
– Lake Maggiore
– Lugano, Switzerland
– Mantua, Italy
– Modena, Italy
– Parma, Italy
– San Marino
– Rimini
– Turin, Italy
Trip Extensions: 
– Bergamo, Italy
– Côte d’Azure & Nice, France
– Florence, Italy
– Monaco
– Pisa, Italy
– Provence, France
– Rome, Italy
– Switzerland
– Tuscany
– Venice, Italy
– Verona, Italy

🇩🇪 Munich, Germany

Minimum stay: 3 – 6 days
Day trips:
– Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany
– Herrenchiemsee
– Austria
– Linderhof Palace
– Neuschwanstein & Hohenschwangau Castles, Füssen
– Regensburg, Germany
– Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany
Trip Extensions:
– Bamberg, Germany
– Bayreuth, Germany
– Innsbruck, Austria
– Nuremberg, Germany
– Prague, Czechia
– Salzburg, Austria
– Stuttgart, Germany
– Switzerland
– The Romantic Road Germany
_ Vienna, Austria

🇫🇷 Nice, France

Minimum stay: 3 – 4 days
Day trips:
– Antibes, France
– Cannes, France
– Eze, France
– Grasse, France
– Menton, France
– Monaco
– St. Paul de-Vence, France
– St. Tropez, France
Trip Extensions:
– Barcelona, Spain
– Lyon, France
– Milan, Italy
– San Remo, Italy
– Paris, France
– Provence – (Arles, Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille)

🇫🇷 Paris, France

Minimum stay: 3 – 6 days
Day trips:
– Chartres Cathedral
– Disneyland Marne-la-Vallée
– Fountainbleau
– Loire Valley Châteaus
– Monet’s Giverny
– Mont Saint-Michel
– Rouen, France
– Reims & Champagne
– Somme WWI Battlefields
– Palace at Versailles
Trip Extensions:
– Amsterdam, Netherlands
– Belgium ( Brussels, Bruges)
– Bordeaux, France
– The Dordogne
– Burgundy
– London, England
– Normandy France
– Brittany, France
– Provence – (Arles, Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille)
– Rhineland Germany
– Switzerland

🇨🇿 Prague, Czechia

Minimum stay: 3 – 4 days
Day trips:
– Castle Karlstejn
– Cesky Krumlov, Czechia
– Karlovy Vary, Czechia
– Křivoklat Castle
– Konopiste Castle
– Kunta Hora
– Pilsner Urquell in – Plzen 
– Terezin Concentration Camp
Trip Extensions:
– Berlin, Germany
– Budapest, Hungary
– Dresden, Germany
– Krakow, Poland
– Munich, Germany
– Poland
– Slovakia
– Vienna, Austria

🇮🇹 Rome, Italy

Minimum stay: 4 – 5 days
Day trips:
– Amalfi Coast
– Isle of Capri
– Naples, Italy
– Orvieto, Italy
– Ostia Antica, Italy
– Pompeii, Italy
– Tivoli- Villa d’Este
& Hadrian’s Villa
Trip Extensions:
– Florence, Italy
– Malta
– Milan, Italy
– Sardinia, Italy
– Sicily, Italy
– Tuscany
– Venice, Italy

🇦🇹 Salzburg, Austria

Minimum stay: 2 – 4 days
Day trips:
– Berchtesgaden, Germany
– Eisriesenwelt Ice Caves
– Hallstatt
– Innsbruck
– Liechtensteinklamm
– Munich, Germany
– Salzkammergut Lake District
– Wolfgangsee
– Zell am See
Trip Extensions:
– Cesky Krumlov, Czechia
– Budapest, Hungary
– Munich, Germany
– Prague, Czechia
– Vienna, Austria
– Venice, Italy

🇮🇹 Venice, Italy

Minimum stay:  3 – 4 days
Day trips:
– Dolomite Mountains
– Cortina d’Ampezzo
– Venice Lagoon Islands – Murano, Burano and Torcello
– Lake Garda
– Bologna
– Padua
– Ravenna
– Verona
– Vicenza
Trip Extensions:
– Austria
– Bergamo, Italy
– Croatia
– Florence, Italy
– Innsbruck
– Milan, Italy
– Munich
– Rome, Italy
– Slovenia
– Tuscany

🇦🇹 Vienna , Austria

Minimum stay:
3 – 5 Days
Day trips:
– Bratislava, Slovakia
– Budapest, Hungary
– Krems, Austria
– Melk Abbey
– Vienna Woods
– Wachau Valley, Austria
Trip Extensions:
– Budapest, Hungary
– Cesky Krumlov, Czechia
– Prague, Czechia
– Munich, Germany
– Salzburg, Austria

🇵🇱 Warsaw, Poland

Minimum stay: 3 – 4 days
Day trips:
– Białowieża National park
– Kraków, Poland
– Malbork Castle
– Gdansk, Poland
Trip Extensions:
– Kyiv, Ukraine
– Lviv, Ukraine
– Wrocław, Poland
– Tatras Mountains
– St. Petersburg, Russia
– Moscow, Russia
– Riga, Latvia
– Vilnius, Lithuania

🇨🇭 Zürich, Switzerland

Minimum stay: 3 – 4 days
Day trips: 
– Basel
– Bern
– Interlaken
– Jungfrau & Bernese Oberland
– Lucerne
– Liechtenstein
– Rhine Falls
Trip Extensions:
– Austria
– Chamonix, France
– Germany
– Lake Geneva
– Milan, Italy
– St. Moritz
– Venice, Italy
– Zermatt

Maximize Your Time – Travel Regionally…

The Chain Bridge crossing the Danube in Budapest

If you want to minimize your time so you can spend more time doing activities, regionalize your travel to specific countries or areas. Of course one just doesn’t want to stay in one city, you need to capture the entire country or areas ambience. Try to see things near each other, figure on transportation time of no more than 2 hours between locations. Why spend hours traveling when you can be doing something exciting. You can find the distance between major cities on the Mileage & Time Travel Chart at our ➾ Map Your Route page.. These regional areas compliment each other for minimal time traveling with maximum enjoyment and rest.

The Adriatic

🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina
🇭🇷 Croatia
🇲🇪 Montenegro
🇸🇮 Slovenia

The Danube

🇸🇰 Bratislava
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇨🇿 Prague
🇦🇹 Vienna

Italian Lakes

🇮🇹 Lake Como
🇮🇹 Milan
🇮🇹 Lake Maggiore
🇨🇭Lugano

The Rhine

🇳🇱 Amsterdam
🇩🇪 Cologne
🇫🇷 Strasbourg
🇩🇪 Frankfurt
🇨🇭 Zürich

The Aegean

🇬🇷 Athens
🇬🇷 Greek Islands
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇨🇾 Cyprus

Eastern Europe

🇧🇬 Bulgaria
🇵🇱 Warsaw
🇷🇴 Romania
🇺🇦 Ukraine

The Alps

🇦🇹 Innsbruck
🇩🇪 Munich
🇨🇭Luzern
🇨🇭Zermatt

Iberia

🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇪🇸 Madrid
🇵🇹 Porto

The Baltic

🇩🇰Copenhagen
🇫🇮Helsinki
🇱🇻Riga
🇪🇪Tallinn

Italia

🇮🇹Florence
🇮🇹Rome
🇮🇹Milan
🇮🇹Venice

Southern Italy

🇮🇹Amalfi Coast
🇲🇹Malta
🇮🇹Naples
🇮🇹Sicily

The Riviera

🇮🇹 Cinque Terra
🇫🇷 Côte d’Azur
🇲🇨 Monaco
🇮🇹 Portofino

Bohemia Europe

🇩🇪 Berlin
🇩🇪 Dresden
🇨🇿 Prague
🇵🇱 Kraków

The Lowlands

🇳🇱 Amsterdam
🇧🇪 Bruges
🇧🇪 Brussels
🇫🇷 Paris

Tale of Two Cities

🇬🇧 London
🇬🇧 Stonehenge
🇫🇷 Paris
🇫🇷 Normandy

British Isles

🇬🇧 Belfast
🇮🇪 Dublin
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 London
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Edinburgh

Classical Europe

🇩🇪 Munich
🇩🇪 The Romantic Road
🇦🇹 Salzburg
🇦🇹 Vienna

Mediterranean

🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇫🇷 Carcassonne
🇫🇷 Côte d’Azur
🇫🇷 Provence

Scandinavia

🇩🇰Copenhagen
🇳🇴 The Fjords
🇳🇴 Oslo
🇸🇪 Stockholm

Moorish Spain

🇪🇸 Granada
🇪🇸 Madrid
🇲🇦 Morocco
🇪🇸 Sevilla

The idea here is to try and compact your travel time…

After setting your agenda go to our » Transportation Options page and see what modes of transportation will be the best forms for you to use.
For more travel time calculations and suggested routes and transportation type go to:
» Rio to Rome
» Travel Math.com

Once you have an idea of which days you will be in what countries or cities you’ll know what days will be travel days. This page will show you distances and travel times between destinations that will allow you to allocate the time of the day or night devoted to traveling to your next destination. As you will find there are many ways to travel between the Europe destinations you have chosen to visit. Go to our ➾ Transportation Options page to view whether driving by car, flying by plane or riding the train, bus or boat will be the best options.

The distance between your selected destinations and the transportation available will determine which mode of travel will be efficient time wise, maybe save you money and an overall good experience.

Travel Time & Mileage…
Distances between major European cities are shown in Miles followed by Kilometers with the duration of travel time underneath. Click anywhere on map to enlarge
 Calculating Travel Time between Cities…

The table below will provide you with distances and times for flying by plane, driving by car and good train options when they are practical.

  •  Flying by Plane – flying time is based a plane departure time arrival time at destination airport. Times are based on non-stop flights when available or shortest duration available with stops. Please add time for travel from the city to the airports as well as time for checking in, going through security, customs or port of entry upon arrival and departure. Airlines suggest check in 1 hour prior to your flights departure for domestic and 2 hours for international flights. 
  • Driving by Car – because of the geographical features of Europe driving to destinations may require going around large bodies of water. This will add significantly to the total miles over flying as the crow flies. It may also require the use of boat service to reach locations like Ireland or parts of Scandinavia, the Baltic and Balkan countries. Driving miles and times are based on shortest route available. Times shown do not take into consideration stops for gas, food and rest.
  • Riding the Train – May be the best option when distances are not too far apart. 2 to 4 hour train trips work as additional time is required for check-in, security and boarder entry on air travel. For long distances consider the many night trains that run throughout most of Europe’s major cities. Night travel allows for a good rest and a night’s hotel stay. Times are based on the fastest trains available with fewest stops. Longer destinations can get long when crossing multiple countries which may require train changes. Layovers are generally short in western and central Europe. Travel is based on departure from a departing city train station to the final destination station.

After setting your agenda go to our » Transportation Options page and see what modes of transportation will be the best forms for you to use.
For more travel time calculations and suggested routes and transportation type go to:
➾  Rio to Rome
➾ Mileage-Charts.com Europe
➾  Travel Math.com
➾ Distantias.com