Euro-Dreaming: The Travelnaut Team's Ideal Eurotrip Itinerary

Planning trips can be tough, even when trying to put together an itinerary for a family, a couple, or a small group of friends. But what happens, when you try to accommodate everyone’s needs in a much bigger and more diverse group?

At Travelnaut we love a good travel planning challenge, so we played a little game: We asked our colleagues to imagine they were offered a big amount of money to go on a month-long Eurotrip, so each had to vote for their most desirable European destinations. Based on the results, we decided how many days to spend in each country, as well as how many cities to visit before moving to the next destination. Finally, we tried to plan the trip in a way that minimized air travel and allowed for more traveling by train, bus, or car - all while still allowing us to visit all destinations within 31 full days.

Day 1: Ride the tram to the scenic Bairro Alto, explore the area and walk all the way to the Commerce Square, where the heart of the city beats. End the walk at the historic Alfama District with the beautiful architecture. Have lunch and a good rest, so you can be energized to visit the Beem Tower and the nearby Jeronimos Monastery in the afternoon.

Day 2: Catch a 50-minute train ride to Sintra, a town in the vicinity of Lisbon. Explore the Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle, allowing plenty of time to enjoy and photograph the stunning surrounding views. Go back to the city and prepare for your night flight to Madrid.

Day 1: Start your exploration of the Spanish capital with a visit to the Royal Palace of Madrid, residence of the Spanish royal family. From there go to the Prado Museum where you can admire famous paintings by Goya, El Greco, and Bosch. Grab a bite and rest from all the sightseeing before embarking on a fun night out at the Chueca District, popular among the city’s LGBT community.

Day 2: The day begins at Plaza Mayor, dating back to the 15th century. Take a 20 minute leisurely walk to the Reina Sofia Museum hosting the Guernica, Picasso’s most iconic work. Finish the day’s sightseeing with a relaxing walk around the Parque de Retiro, one of the city’s main promenading spots. A night train will take you to Barcelona, the next destination in the itinerary, in under 3 hours.

Day 1: The first day in the capital of Catalonia will be dedicated to no other than Antoni Gaudi and his work. Start your visit from the Sagrada Familia, making sure you have pre-booked tickets as queues can be excruciating. Continue to Parc Güell, a place combining architectural delights with relaxation by nature. Lastly, stroll around the narrow medieval streets of the Gothic Quarter in the early afternoon.

Day 2: Begin the day’s exploration from the Picasso museum, where you will be able to enjoy some of the famous artist’s less known masterpieces. Take the rest of the day easy, visiting the nearby green oasis of Parc de la Ciutadella and strolling around or dipping your toes in the water at the cosmopolitan Barceloneta beach.

Day 3: Take a quick stroll around Plaça de Catalunya, your starting point to reach Tibidabo hill and amusement park via train and funicular. Enjoy the beautiful views of the city, visit the majestic Tibidabo church, and spend some time on the different rides of the park. Prepare for your descent after lunchtime to catch a train to Marseille, the trip taking about 5 hours.

Day 1: Spend the first day enjoying the city proper. Walk around the picturesque Old Port area, visit the Longchamp Palace housing the Fine Arts and Natural History museums, and climb up to the hill housing the Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica.

Day 2: This is the day for some relaxation with a well-deserved half day trip to the Calanques National Park. Take this opportunity to relax and enjoy the small, hidden coves or indulge in activities, such as kayaking or scuba diving. Catch the evening train to the next stop of the itinerary, Paris. The trip will take approximately 3 hours.

Day 1: Start the day with a visit to the Louvre, one of the world’s largest and most prestigious museums. A decent visit should take until just before lunchtime. Later walk by the Place de la Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe to reach the cosmopolitan Champs Elysees street a little before nightfall. Your day will end at the iconic Eiffel Tower, all lit up under the evening sky.

Day 2: The schedule starts with a visit to the Montmartre neighborhood, dominated by the Sacre Coeur Basilica. After you take some time to enjoy the views and take photos, head back downhill towards the city center to visit the Centre Pompidou complex. Enjoy lunch in the area, before heading off for a long walk along the banks of the Seine. Don’t miss the Notre Dame church, which currently is only partially visitable after the 2019 fire.

Day 3: Before boarding the Eurostar train to London in the evening, you can use the first half of the day for a visit to Versailles Palace, just outside Paris. The former royal residence of King Louis XIV served as a model of the ideal royal residence throughout Europe for over a century.

Day 1: The first day is dedicated to some of the city’s most iconic historical landmarks. Exactly at 10:45am attend the changing of the guards in front of Buckingham Palace. Continue with a tour on the Big Ben, making sure tickets have been booked at least 3 months in advance. Admire the rest of the Palace of Westminster before visiting the Westminster Abbey, location of many royal weddings. Spend the afternoon shopping in some of the city’s most popular spots, such as Oxford Street.

Day 2: Start the day with a visit to the British Museum, where you can spend a few hours admiring artifacts and art from around the world. Walk to nearby Soho with its hip shops and bars, before reaching London’s Chinatown for lunch. Spend the afternoon walking along River Thames to enjoy the multiple majestic bridges and ride the London Eye, which will give you memorable views of the city. Spend the evening enjoying London’s nightlife in the South Bank area, known for its clubbing and bar scene.

Day 3: Begin the day with a guided tour to the Tower of London, one of the most impressive and historic buildings in the city. Reach Angel and Islington via public transport to enjoy lunch in some of the city’s best restaurants for ethnic/international cuisine. Ride the Amsterdam-bound train in the early afternoon, expecting to reach the Dutch capital in about 4 hours’ time.

Day 1: With the Eurotrip exactly halfway, start exploring Amsterdam from its historic center. Visit the Red Light District, the Flower Market, and the Royal Palace of the Netherlands, located on the Dam Square. Take a well-deserved break and spend the afternoon enjoying the Heineken experience, walking you through the production process of the world-famous Dutch beer.

Day 2: Start the day with a visit to the inspirational Van Gogh museum. As it tends to get crowded, make sure to be there early or pre-book tickets for a specific time slot in advance. Continue with a walk or a nice lunch break at the hip Jordaan neighborhood, where you can also visit small trendy shops and boutiques. Since there won’t be any night travel to the next destination, use the full evening to enjoy a night out in Leidseplein or Rembrandtplein, both known for their bar and clubbing scene.

Day 1: You will be landing in Keflavik airport in the early afternoon after a slightly over 3-hour flight. Use the first evening to explore Reykjavik after settling in your accommodation. The city is known for its beautiful and innovative architecture, such as the Hallgrímskirkja, and the Harpa Opera House. Spend the evening in a relaxing pub, where you can grab a bite and get in touch with the local population.

Day 2: This day is fully dedicated to Iceland’s biggest pride and joy; the Golden Circle tourist route. Start from the impressive Gullfoss waterfalls, before continuing to the nearby geysers of Geysir and Strokkur, all natural monuments of rare beauty. You’ll then get a guided tour of the Thingvellir National Park, serving as the grounds of the Icelandic Parliament for 900 years. You will spend the evening in Reykjavik, where you will enjoy an Icelandic food and beverage tour.

Day 3: With only half a day available before going back to Keflavik airport to reach the next destination, you’ll have enough time to visit the Blue Lagoon for the ultimate relaxation experience. Extra treatment packages are available at an added cost, such as mud therapy, invigorating massages, and more.

Day 1: Start the day by attending the 40-minute changing of the guard ceremony in front of the Royal Palace. Explore nearby Storkyrkan, the oldest church in Stockholm, as well as the Riddarholmen Church, serving as the final resting place for Swedish monarchs. After lunch, visit the Nobel Prize museum to learn more about all the laureates and nominees of the prestigious award. In the evening visit the Casino Cosmopol building to enjoy the beautiful art deco architecture over a long drink.

Day 2: The day begins with a visit to the Skansen open-air history museum, best enjoyed during the morning hours on a relatively sunny day. Head to the nearby ABBA museum next, where you can learn more about the world-famous Swedish pop band from the 70s and 80s. After lunch, prepare to go to the airport to catch your flight to Salzburg where you will also overnight.

Day 1: Salzburg’s center is compact and easily explorable on foot. Start early to climb up to the Hohensalzburg Fortress, offering nice views of the city. Climb down to explore the historic center of the city of Salzburg, a UNESCO World Heritage site and birthplace of world-famous Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Spend the rest of the day visiting the Mirabell Palace gardens, as well as small shops and restaurants to enjoy a drink or Austrian meal.

Day 2: After breakfast, take one of the many tourist ferries offering guided tours of the Salzach river. Take in the beautiful architecture of Salzburg on both sides of the river, as well as the impressive alpine landscapes in the distance. Get back to town, enjoy lunch and a few last strolls around town, before boarding the direct ÖBB night train to Venice.

Day 1: After dropping your bags to the hotel, visit the city’s most popular site: the St. Mark’s square, hosting the homonymous Basilica. Going early will allow you to enjoy the stunning architecture before hordes of tourists arrive. Afterwards, visit the Doge’s Palace, before heading for late lunch. Spend the whole afternoon exploring Venice’s smaller canals.

Day 2: Spend the second day exploring the marvels surrounding Venice’s Grand Canal: the Rialto Bridge, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the Fenice Theater, and the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. You are free to explore the city in any order you’d like and it’s also highly recommended to ride on a vaporetto or ask a gondolier to take you on a tour of the canal by gondola. Leave some time to rest, as the bus will pick you up to go to Venice Marco Polo airport in the early evening.

Day 1: Bari will essentially serve as a transit destination for the last leg of the Eurotrip in Greece. Visit the San Nicola Basilica, the Castello Normanno-Svevo and make sure to walk around the Strada delle Orecchiette, a street famous for its ear-shaped local pasta. In the evening reclaim your luggage and board the overnight ferry to Corfu, Greece.

Day 1: The first day’s schedule will focus on exploring the vicinity of the old town of Corfu. Admire the Venetian architecture of the Fortress of Corfu and walk around the picturesque Liston and Spianada squares. In the afternoon you will be getting guided tours of the Mon Repos royal summer residence where Prince Philipp, Duke of Edinburgh, was born in 1921.

Day 2: Since you probably didn’t have a lot of chances to swim during this Eurotrip, spend the morning at Paleokastritsa Beach, one of the island’s most popular bathing spots. A bus will then transfer you to Achilleion Palace for a half-hour guided tour. Before returning to your hotel to rest and pack for your evening flight to Athens, you will make a quick last stop at Vlacherna Monastery to snap pictures of the renowned Pontikonisi.

Day 1: The day will start with brunch at Koukaki, one of Athens’ most up-and-coming neighborhoods. You will then get a guided tour of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, known for its modern architecture and sustainable energy generation practices. After a well-deserved rest, spend the evening having dinner and enjoying Athens’ renowned nightlife spots of Kerameikos and Gazi.

Day 2: You will start early with a visit to the Acropolis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Athens’ main landmark. Upon descent visit the Acropolis Museum, where most of the area’s valuable historic artifacts are safely preserved. You will spend the rest of the day walking around, shopping, and celebrating the end of a once-in-a-lifetime experience in Athens’ most popular neighborhoods, such as Syntagma, Monastiraki, and Plaka.