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If you're thinking about an itinerary for an upcoming trip to Europe, you likely already have a picture in mind of how you want your trip to be. Perhaps you wish to explore the architecture of your destination, have candlelit dinners in romantic cafes, enjoy outdoor activities, or sample great food and wine.
The challenge is creating an itinerary that makes the best use of your time. To this end, consider these tips for deciding on what to include.
How many travel days?
When determining how many days to schedule for your trip, consider the distances you plan to travel. Traveling can be enjoyable, yet exhausting, particularly when you factor in jet lag. Spending more time in a place allows you to avoid having to unpack and repack. It also prevents the hassles of hopping from city to city within Europe.
Also,while filling your itinerary with many activities may give you great stories to tell, it also may leave you feeling too exhausted to enjoy them.
Getting around
How will you get around once you arrive in Europe? Most of the major cities have extensive public transportation systems or are easily walkable. A car is generally not necessary unless you plan to visit the countryside.
Day-to-Day Planning
Many seemingly small details impact how well your trip goes. If you have a layover, will you have enough time to make it to your connecting flight? If your flight lands at 8 am, will you be able to check into your hotel to freshen up, and recover from jetlag? How long will it take you to get from your hotel each day to the sights you wish to visit?
Preventing Itinerary Mishaps
Get as much information about your destination as possible when planning your itinerary because many things can derail your trip. For instance, your hotel might be renovating its rooms, causing noise and a mess in the lobby and hallways. A place you plan to visit might be damaged by bad weather.
Your time will also be impacted by the distance you must travel between the cities you plan to visit. It may not be worth the effort to travel 4, 5, or 8 hours between cities if you only have a week for your trip. Consider the details in advance to save time and prevent hassle once you arrive in Europe.
For help with your itinerary, view our Europe trip planning service.
