Create Your Agenda

Here’s the biggest challenge, there is so much to see and do in Europe how does you decide what to see and not to see within your limited time. Like most travelers, you may only have two weeks to spend there and it may be impossible to see all that you have on your to do list. Never make the mistake of trying to see too much as it will only lead to frustration and fatigue. What you do see, you’ll want to spend some extra time soaking in the moment and creating a lasting memory of Europe. Plan on taking more time seeing area around your visiting and not just the popular tourist spots. 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.

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 » Travel Time & Mileage section below to find 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?

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.

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”.

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.

… Travel RegionallyIf 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 idea here is to try and compact your travel time…

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 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.

The tables 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.