One of the biggest challenges when planing a trip to Europe is that there are so many things you may want to see and do. Given the limited time you can spend there, you may never be able to see everything on your bucket list, even if you go back on multiple visits in the future. Most of us only have two weeks to go there so while you would like to see as much as possible, you’re going to be forced to pick and choose the places you’d like to see. You’ll need to eliminate some because will not have the time to see them all. Never make the mistake of trying to see too much as it will only lead to frustration and fatigue.
Once you have Determine Your Traveling Style you’ll be able to identify those sights and activities you’ll like best and eliminate those you cannot do. Do the survey on that page so you can put your travel style into perspective. Should you use a travel agent, a thorough one will ask you some of those same questions.
When looking at packaged tours you may notice some will visit quite a few cities and sights in one tour. While this may appear good the tour will rush you into and out of locations quickly and have considerable more travel time between locations. You may not get the opportunity to experience a city other than it’s primary tourist sight. Or the limited time while rob you of the chance to soak in the moment and create that lasting memory of Europe. Plan on taking more time at locations to see more of the area. You’ll regret not taking the time to see something when you were so near and not knowing if you’ll ever be back again.
Popular Countries in Europe…
Which countries should you visit? There are some countries that are more popular than others for obvious other than they are just larger than some others. Countries like England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain where countries that established colonies across the globe. Extracting resources from those areas would fuel their economies at home, making them powerful and wealthy. Greece having given birth to western civilization and Italy home of the Roman Empire and birth of the Renaissance, makes them both culturally and historically significant. European countries offer travelers great history, culture, man made wonders and natural beauty.
International Tourists Arrivals in Europe
The table below show annual number of tourist who arrive in each country and have at least one overnight stay. It would not include day trips into a country from another country or travel through a country without and overnight accommodation.
Overnight visitors (tourists) in the millions
| Country | 2019 | *2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 France | 90,900 | 41,700 | 48,400 | 79,400 | |
 Spain | 83,509 | 18,933 | 31,181 | 71,659 | |
 Italy | 64,513 | 25,190 | 26,888 | 49,811 | |
 Turkey | 51,192 | 15,894 | 29,925 | 50,453 | |
 Germany | 39,563 | 12,449 | 11,688 | 28,463 | |
 United Kingdom | 39,418 | 10,714 | 6,287 | 30,740 | |
 Austria | 31,884 | 15,091 | 12,728 | 26,215 | |
 Greece | 31,348 | 7,374 | 14,705 | 27,836 | |
 Portugal | 24,600 | 6,480 | 9,617 | 22,250 | |
 Russia | 24,592 | 6,359 | |||
 Poland | 21,158 | 8,418 | 9,722 | 15,950 | |
 Netherlands | 20,128 | 7,265 | 6,248 | 15,944 | |
 Hungary | 16,937 | 7,418 | 7,930 | 12,649 | |
 Croatia | 17,353 | 5,545 | 10,641 | 15,324 | |
 Denmark | 14,761 | 6,264 | 7,588 | ||
 Czechia | 14,651 | 3,919 | |||
 Ukraine | 13,438 | 3,382 | 4,272 | ||
 Switzerland | 11,818 | 3,690 | 4,390 | 9.160 | |
 Ireland | 10,951 | ||||
 Belgium | 9,343 | 2,584 | 3,243 | 8,227 | |
 Bulgaria | 7,775 | 1,290 | 2,300 | 10,890 | |
 Sweden | 7,407 | 1,850 | 2,990 | ||
 Albania | 6,128 | 2,604 | 5,515 | 6,738 | |
 Norway | 5,879 | 1,397 | 1,435 | ||
 Slovakia | 5,630 | 3.2 | |||
 Slovenia | 4,702 | 1,216 | 1,832 | 3,936 |
Data Source UNWTO – World Tourism Organization Compendium of Tourism Statistics Data 2023 Edition
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES MOST TRAVELED BY AMERICANS
| Country | % | Country | % | Country | % | Country | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 26.4% | Ireland | 6.5% | Hungary | 2.1% |  Iceland | 1.6% |
| France | 15.7% | Switzerland | 6.1% | Greece | 2.1% | Sweden | 1.6% |
| Spain | 12% | Netherlands | 5.6% | Czechia | 1.6% | Norway | 1.4% |
| Germany | 11.3% | Portugal | 4.0% | Belgium | 1.6% | Poland | 1.3% |
| Italy | 11.3% | Austria | 2.7% | Denmark | 1.6% | Russia | 1.1% |
The Popular Cities in Europe…
Some cities, like some countries, can have more to see and do than others because of the roll they played in history. Ruins from ancient Greece and Rome are spread across Europe from England to Turkey. Major cities served as the capitols of kingdoms and empires were their royalty and emperors would rule from. Vestiges of medieval life are found in preserved old town areas of cities as well as rural villages scattered across all of Europe. Go to our Cities page for more information.
Everyone has a European city that is their favorite. People can love them for their natural beauty, culture, history and more. Deciding on what interest you the most will help you to choose a city that will leave you with a memorable experience.
BEAUTY – There are cities known for their natural beauty but, also their architecture that contributes majestic ambiance of the city.
CULTURE – These cities are noted because of the role they played in shaping the culture of Europe in the arts, sciences, education and traditions. Here you will find some of the best museums.
HISTORIC – These cities played pivotal roles in European history.
OLD – These are some of the best preserved cities or sections of the past. While some may be reconstructed after war damage, many are in their original state and well preserved.
THE FOLLOWING WEB SITES WILL LIST SOME OF THE MOST DESIRABLE DESTINATIONS BY TRAVELERS:
Condé Nast Traveler readers cast thousands of votes in the 2023 Readers’ Choice
Ranker.com Travelers vote for what they fell is the the most beautiful city in Europe they had visited.
Travel + Leisure magazine’s readers survey of the top 15 cities.
The Planet D.com The traveling couple Dave & Deb list the favorite cities they had visited.
World of Wonderlust Ranks The 30 Most Beautiful Cities in Europe
The World Pursuit.com Ranks the most beautiful cities
Popular Regions in Europe…
ALGARVE COAST – LISBON AREA
Portugal
The Atlantic coastline in Southern Portugal includes seaside resorts areas, Lagos and Faro. The historic capital of Lisbon and royal Sintra lie just north.
AMALFI COAST
Italy
Just south of Naples & Pompeii where Sorrento, Salerno and Capri Island are located. Rome is a great add o to this trip.
ANDALUSIA -MADRID
Spain
Madrid, Spain’s capital offers plenty as do along with near by Segovia, Ávila and La Mancha. To the south lies the old Moorish region of Spain where Sevilla, Granada, Malaga, Marbella and the Costa del Sol are all located.
AQUITAINE – BASQUE REGION
France – Spain.
Wine region of Bordeaux, Atlantic coast and the Pyrenees mountains. Basque country, northern Spain with San Sebastian, Bilbao & Pamplona.
ATHENS & GREEK ISLANDS
Greece
Island groups include the Ionian’s with Corfu, the Cyclades with Mykonos & Santorini, the Dodecanese’s with Rhodes & Crete. All accessible from historic Athens, which in itself, is a total experience.
BALTIC SEA
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Russia & Sweden
Popular sea cruise area. Circular cruise trips from Copenhagen to Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn and Saint Petersburg and back.
BENELUX COUNTRIES
Belgium, Netherlands
Flanders in Western Belgium the Netherlands. Historic WWI sites, Brussels, Amsterdam, The Hague, Antwerp and well-preserved cities of Bruges & Ghent.
BERLIN AREA
Germany
Historic Berlin is a city packed with things to see and do. Close by is Potsdam and Dresden. Adding nearby Prague or Hamburg will complete a very nice agenda.
BERNESE OBERLAND
Switzerland
Mountain area with Jungfrau, Eiger, Mönch, the Aletsch Glacier, Lauterbrunnen Valley and Interlaken. Nearby are Bern, Lake Genéva, Lucerne and Zermatt with its Matterhorn.
CATALONIA – BARCELONA
Spain
Cataluña, the province in Northeast Spain along the Mediterranean coast where Barcelona, Valencia and the Costa Brava are located. Add-ons include Madrid, southern France or the Pyrenees.
CENTRAL & SOUTHERN POLAND
Poland
Areas of Silesia and Lesser Poland with historical areas of Kraków, Katowice, Oświęcim, Wroclaw and with its capital Warsaw.
DALMATION COAST
Croatia, Montenegro
The Adriatic coastal of Croatia & Montenegro next to Bosnia & Herzegovina. Includes Dubrovnik, Split, Hvar, Kotor, Korcula, Rovinj, Pula Zadar.
DANUBE RIVER
Austria / Germany / Hungary / Slovakia
One of the largest cruise rivers in Europe through Germany that will include visits to Vienna and Budapest. Munich, Salzburg, Bratislava are easy side trips
THE FJORDS
Norway
Long deep narrow inlets with steep land on its sides located off west Norway’s Atlantic coast and the classic sea city of Bergen. Oslo is a stopping off point into and out of Norway.
ÎLE-DE-FRANCE
France
A cultural giant just on its own, the areas in and around Paris include Disneyland Paris & Versailles. Extras near are Burgundy, Champagne, Normandy and the Loire Valley.
LAZIO REGION
Italy
Area in and around Rome includes the ruins of ancient Rome, the Vatican City, Ostia and Tivoli. The museums, ruins and sights are endless. Easy to add Naples to the south or Tuscany to the north.
LOMBARDY
Italy
Lombardia the area in north central Italy. Milan is located here with the Italian mountain lakes of Como, Iseo, Lugano, Maggiore and Orta. Easy add on trips to Switzerland, Verona, Genoa and Venice
LONDON – SOUTHEAST ENGLAND
United Kingdom
Located in southeast England, London with its long history, is the center of activity for most travelers. One could literally spend weeks in London however, side trips to Bath, Brighton, Cambridge, Oxford, Stonehenge, and Dover are excellent.
PROVENCE & COTE D’AZUR
France
The southern Mediterranean coast of the French Riviera with Nice, Cannes, St. Tropez & Monaco. Provence to its west has Roman ruins, vineyards, hilltop villages, lavender fields & the cities of Avignon, Arles, Aix-en-Provence and Marseille.
RHINE RIVER
France / Germany / Netherlands / Switzerland
Popular cruises area with castles, vineyards and villages from Basel to Amsterdam. Will include popular stops in Strasbourg, Mainz, Koblenz and Cologne.
TIROL REGION
Austria
Province high Alps with Innsbruck near Salzburg, Halstatt, the Dachsteins, Bavarian Alps of Germany, the Dolomites of Italy and Venice.
TUSCANY REGION
Italy
Florence, Pisa, Lucca, Siena and other towns on the rolling hills of Tuscany. Easy side trips to the Cinque Terra, Italian Riviera or Rome.
UPPER BAVARIA REGION
Germany
( Oberbayern) The area in and around Munich in southeast Germany, also encompasses Nuremberg, Regensburg, the Bavarian Alps with Neuschwantstein Castle and unforgettable the Romantic Road.
VENETO REGION
Italy
Area in and around historic Venice and its’ lagoon islands. Near Verona, Padua, Vicenza, the Dolomites, Slovenia and Croatia.