Europe Trip Series – 1: How to plan a stress-free Europe trip?

Planning a Europe trip can be a stressful process mainly due to the sheer number of countries that you can visit, the huge cultural difference between the US and European countries, figuring out flights and accommodation etc. but I promise that it gets easier with every trip as you learn more about different countries, their nuances and your travel style. I took my first Europe trip last year and wish I had all the information in this blog post handy at that time. Throw in the need for a Schengen Visa on top of all this and the process cannot be more complicated and time consuming.

I am so excited for your travel escapes in Europe, so let’s dive into Europe trip planning because it can be a lot of fun!

Decide where you want to go

The first step in the process is deciding where to go and when to go. Let’s look at some popular countries and the best times to visit each of them. This list does not cover all of Europe including Eastern European countries but only the top destinations that people usually pick for their first visits. I will update this post when I do 🙂

	Best times to visit
Germany	Summer (July – Aug) – Peak tourist season and best weather. Spring (Apr – June) and Fall (Sep – Nov) – Great shoulder seasons and fun festivals. Winter (Dec – Feb) – Great for snow activities and Christmas markets etc. Rainy months – Mar and Apr are the wettest months. Rainfall increases in Sept and Oct as well.
Greece	Summer (July – Aug) – Peak tourist season and hot weather. Spring (Apr – June) and Fall (Sep – Nov) – Milder temperatures, fewer tourists. Winter (Nov – Mar) – More chances of rain and snow (in mountainous regions) Rainy months – Nov to Feb are the wettest months. Southern and Eastern parts of Greece including popular tourist destinations like the islands, tend to experience less rainfall overall.
Finland	Summer (Jun – Aug) – Warm weather, longer days due to Midnight sun. July is peak tourist season. Spring (Apr – May) – Moderate temperature. Good shoulder season to visit with fewer tourists. Fall (Sep – Oct) – Moderate temperature, colorful Fall foliage. Winter (Nov – Mar) – Colder temperatures. Best time to see Northern Lights in Lapland. Rainy months – Aug to Oct are the months when more rainfall is expected. But it can rain any time in Finland.
France	Summer (July – Aug) – Peak tourist season and warmest weather. Spring (Apr – June) – Mild weather and less crowds. Early Fall (Sep – Oct) – Mild weather and less crowds. Winter (Dec – Feb) – Perfect for visiting the French Alps for skiing, snowboarding etc. Rainy months – Nov to Feb months, more rainfall is expected but rainfall patterns vary since it is a big country.
Iceland	Summer (June – Aug) – Best time to explore the stunning landscapes with nearly 24 hours of daylight. Winter (Sept – Mar) – Best time to see Northern Lights. Rainfall is a bit higher during autumn and winter even though it is distributed pretty evenly throughout the year. Iceland is known for its unpredictable weather, so always check the forecast when planning to visit and dress accordingly.
Italy	Spring (Apr – June) – Pretty good time to visit Italy with pleasant weather. Fall (Sept – Oct) – This is also great weather wise. We did experience some rain during our visit but overall the weather was great. Summer (July – Aug) – Summer is a very popular time to visit. Rainy months are Nov to Feb and depends on the city.
Netherlands	Late Spring and Early Summer (Apr – July) – Some of the best times to visit especially since the Dutch Tulips are in bloom. In the Netherlands, rainfall is spread relatively evenly throughout the year, but the wettest months are typically from October to January. November is the wettest.
Norway	Summer (June – Aug) – Great for outdoor adventures in Norway. Tourist crowds are higher during this time. Winter (Sept – Apr) – Good time to catch the Northern Lights. November is usually rainy and there is more rainfall between the months of October and January.
Portugal	Summer (July – Aug) – Perfect for warm beach holidays. Spring (Apr – June) – The weather is mild and nice and is less crowded. Fall (Sept – Oct) – Good time to visit after the peak summer season. Rainfall (Nov – Feb) – There is more rainfall in the months of December and January.
Spain	Spring (Apr – June) and Fall (Sept – Oct) – Good shoulder seasons to explore with less tourist crowds. Summer (July – Aug) – Warm temperatures and peak tourist season. Rainfall happens during Fall and Winter months.
Switzerland	Summer (June – Aug) – Great for outdoor activities. Winter (Dec – Feb) – Best time for Swiss Alps!!

So, to summarize, the following countries are great choices based on the season that you plan to visit.

Spring

Good shoulder season to visit any of the countries above. Dutch Tulips are in bloom in Netherlands and so are cherry blossoms and many gardens in Paris. Germany and Rome have many fun Spring festivals.

Summer

This is peak tourist season in most of the countries, so you will have to book your flights and accommodation in advance and be ready to pay extra. Countries like Iceland and Norway have long hours of daylight which makes it amazing for outdoorsy travelers. This is also a great time for warm beach holidays in Portugal.

Fall

Early Fall is a great time to visit most of these places but some countries experience rainfall late Fall. So check weather predictions before you book your trip.

Winter

November to February are rainy and wet months in many places but a great time for those who want to experience snow activities or a European Christmas.

Decide the duration of your visit

If you are traveling to only one country, you can probably spend anywhere from 5 to 7 days there. But if it is more than one, then 7 to 10 days would be great. If even more, then 2 to 3 weeks would be perfect to travel without exhausting yourself. I highly recommend that you pick two countries if you are short on time because taking too many flights when you are already jet lagged and running from one place to another can be really overwhelming. Choose 3+ countries only if you are going to go on a Europe trip for more than 2 weeks and will get some downtime between country hops.

How to combine different countries during your visit?

I think from the map above, you can figure out what are some good ways to combine multiple European countries into a single trip.

• Iceland may have to be its own trip.
• You can visit different cities in Spain such as Barcelona, Madrid and Seville. Train journeys between these cities take 2.5 to 3 hours.
• Scandinavian countries such as Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Flights between these country capitals take about an hour.
• France and Italy, France and Switzerland or all three if you have a longer stay planned. It takes 2 to 2.5 hours by train to get to different cities within Switzerland.
• The major cities in Italy such as Rome, Florence, Milan and Venice etc. It takes 1.5 to 2.5 hours to city hop by trains.
• Germany can be its own trip too or combined with Denmark or Netherlands.
• Denmark and Netherlands during spring etc.
• France and Belgium – could be Paris, Brussels and Bruges.
• Greece and Turkey – Athens, Santorini, Istanbul etc.

Apply for a Visa if needed

Many passports do not need a Visa but if you do, you will need a Schengen Visa. You can apply for a visa six months ahead of your trip and I cannot stress enough on applying well in advance. In case your visa processing gets delayed (happens a lot) or it gets denied, you have enough time then to apply again or try at a different Embassy. You also need time to book flights and accommodation in advance.

So far, in my personal experience and from having spoken to friends, France, Portugal, Germany and Switzerland have been relatively efficient. Norway has recently rejected a lot of Indian passports including mine so I don’t know what’s happening. It’s unfortunate but we were happy with the straightforward process with France through VFS Global in San Francisco.

I will be writing a separate blog post soon on applying for Schengen Visa.

Book flights and accommodation

One of the biggest expenses of a Europe trip are flights and hotels. Once you decide where you want to go and when, use Google flights to track flight prices for those dates. You can also use other websites such as Skyscanner. Do this more than 8+ months in advance so that you have a large enough window to book flights when the prices drop.

I know it is tempting to switch flights multiple times to cut costs but I advice against this. Keep an eye out for good deals to Europe but don’t make too many jumps as this can introduce a lot of variables into your travel plans. If you miss a flight, then changing accommodation etc in multiple cities and hotels will be a pain. Also check the baggage policy. Many cheap flights charge a hefty fee for checked in baggage. So take direct flights to places as much as possible, as conveniently as possible if your budget allows and try to reduce the travel fatigue. You can also fly into one city and fly out of another one.

I also tend to keep an eye out for hotel price fluctuations based on the season. The best way to save here is to use points to book hotels. Shoulder seasons are the best for reasonable airfare, cheaper hotel rooms, less crowds and milder weather. In some countries, Airbnbs are a better deal than hotels so don’t forget to check both while looking for accommodation. See my blog post on “How to stay at a 4 star Paris hotel for free?”. You can also stay in hostels in Europe for cheaper prices and also get to meet fellow travelers. Check websites such as Hostel World.

Get travel insurance

Taking a travel insurance is a must when traveling to Europe. Those who require a Schengen Visa should take a Schengen Travel Insurance such as Europe Assistance or AXA. Others who don’t need a Schengen Visa should still consider a travel insurance to cover medical costs.

Plan a flexible itinerary

Make a list of places that you definitely want to visit during your trip. Keep the rest of the itinerary flexible, open to adventure and plan more relaxation time in between such as cafe evenings, brunches, dinners etc. Europe has a lot of beautiful places to do that so make sure to have breathing time for such activities in your itinerary.

This will help you slow down a bit and appreciate the visit more. When traveling to Europe, unless you are relaxing on an island, things get very tiring – bus rides, train rides, inter-city flights, cab rides, walks, you name it. It all adds to the exhaustion very quickly. So do less and do it well 🙂

Book tickets in advance to important places

Many places in Europe require tickets. We booked skip-the-line tickets for museums in Paris and Vatican and this was super useful because the lines can get very long! So research ahead and reserve your tickets online. Only book on official and trusted websites like Get Your Guide and stay off of scammy ones.

Transportation and City passes

City Passes offer low cost travel to multiple attractions including museums in the city. Many of these can be purchased online with a discount. Make sure to buy them on official websites. Day passes might not be worth it unless you plan on rushing from one place to another. But those that last for 72 hours or more give enough time to visit multiple attractions. Here are a few to check out if you are visiting Europe. Some of them might even cover public transportation.

• Official City Tourism Websites
• City Passes
• Official European Museum Cards etc.
• City Cards

Have fun while planning

If you are traveling with other people, it is important to involve them in the planning process as well. This way, you all get to choose activities to do and places to go to and travel planning won’t feel like a chore. You can also set the pace of each day to match the group energy levels.

Watch some nice shows and movies related to a city before traveling. This can be a fun way to hype yourself up for the upcoming trip. For example, I watched “Emily in Paris” before our trip to Paris and my husband read “Angels and Demons” before visiting Rome so that made it a lot of fun for us.

Make packing lists and planning docs before you get there which includes places you want to dine at etc. This reduces the fatigue of trying to search on the go. You can always change your plans if you get some great recommendations from the locals.

Try to spend a day or two relaxing, wandering about the beautiful European streets and taking it all in instead of trying to squeeze in as much as possible into one trip. The fact that you are planning a trip to Europe means you probably can afford to travel again. So try not to tire yourself out and remember that this is a vacation.

I hope you enjoyed this guide on planning a stress-free Europe trip. I would be happy to hear your ideas and tips in the comments! I will also be writing more city specific and country specific guides in the future. For more such useful posts, subscribe below.