The Best 21 Day Europe Itinerary You Will Find!
Travelling around Europe? Are you planning a trip around Europe for 21 days? When we went to plan our trip, we found it so difficult, so many places we wanted to go to but not enough time.
We worked full time when we travelled Europe and the most Jess could get off work was 3 weeks. So we wrote this jam-packed 21-day itinerary for travelling around Europe, starting from London, visiting Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Krakow, Prague, Budapest, Venice, Rome and Paris!
The only itinerary you'll need to plan your perfect trip around Europe seeing the major cities.
How to Travel Around Europe
When travelling around Europe it is a perk, that as a continent, there is so much to see in a fairly small area. When we travelled, we did so primarily by train. It was easy, convenient and cheap too with our Eurail/Interrail pass.
You could travel by bus and also by plane between destinations too as more last minute decisions may be cheaper. But if you're wanting to save even more money doing it, we would suggest a range of travel
To save more money when travelling throughout Europe, you can always compare bus, plane and train. Taking a bus can usually be a cheaper option but obviously takes a lot more time!
Ed and I’s favourite way to travel is doing a road trip! We love having a campervan and having the choice and freedom to go anywhere we want. A European road trip is definitely bucket list stuff, but it can take a lot longer to drive between destinations
Destination 1: Brussels
London to Bussels via Train 3h 10m (eurostar)
Brussels is the home to waffles and chocolate, right? We spent 1.5 days and 2 nights here as the first destination of our trip.
Travelling from London to Brussels on the Euro star and arriving at 4 pm. We spent one full day walking around the city of Brussels admiring the Grand Place, Mannequin de Pis, and eating waffles.
I think we ate 3 waffles and Jess got the cream all over her face while eating they were so good. Brussels has an amazing history in its city and not a city to miss.
Brussels also has great beer, which ed thoroughly enjoyed drinking out of a Viking looking horn, and the delirium bar is definitely not to miss with thousands of beers!
Destination 2: Amsterdam
Brussels to Amsterdam via Train 1h 51m
Amsterdam is known for its extensive canals, amazing buildings and coffee shops. We spent 2.5 days and 2 nights here.
We stayed at The Student Hotel, which although was a little further away from the city centre and therefore had to use trams, the tram system was great and an easy way to explore the city and an experience in itself!
When visiting Amsterdam we visited the Ann Frank museum, the Dam Square, ride a pedal boat around the canals, and got engaged here!
Destination 3: Berlin
Amsterdam to Berlin via train 9h 41m, 1h 30m via plane
Travelling from Amsterdam to Berlin isn’t particularly easy. We stopped in Hamburg for 1.5 days therefore if just going straight through may be easier to fly.
While visiting Berlin for 2 days we visited the Zoo, the Reichstag building, the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall, and the Holocaust Memorial. Berlin has so much history, and since I have always been a history buff I have always wanted to visit the capital of Germany.
Destination 4: Krakow
Berlin to Krakow via train 7h 36m
If you have read our post the ultimate guide to 3 days in Krakow, you will have read the long process of travelling from Berlin to Krakow. It wasn’t too easy but manageable, and such a reward for visiting a city like Krakow.
Before visiting Poland, we didn’t realise how nice of a city Krakow actually was, the buildings, the history and it was also very cheap! Overall a city which can't be missed.
We stayed in an Airbnb which couldn't have been any more amazing! Close to the city, very homey, and a great place to take off my walking boots on an evening and relax
Destination 5: Prague
Krakow to Prague via train 6h 20m
We visited Prague on a weekend away, which was our first holiday together! We weren’t too sure what to expect with Prague but it was truly beautiful
Take a walk along the river, across many many bridges and get panoramic views from the castle
Destination 6: Budapest
Prague to Budapest via train 7h 17m
Budapest is so big! We only spent 2 days here and it definitely wasn’t enough. There is so much to do and see in Budapest.
One side of the river has the parliament building and holocaust memorial of shoes by the Danube, and the other side of the river has the Buda castle and amazing viewpoints! We walked up a lot of hills and steps in Budapest but would do it all again for the amazing views of Budapest below.
It also is home to Budapest Ruin bars. I can’t for the life of me remember which one we went too, but it was one of our favourite places we’ve ever been too. So many rooms and so extensive in size different rooms did different things! Drinks, musicians, just sit and chat, meals, everything! It was amazing.
Destination 7: Venice
Budapest to Venice via train 13h 17m, via bus 10h
Venice is completely different to anywhere you’ve been before. No cars, only boats and walking, and much more extensive canals than Amsterdam!
Every place you look you need to take a photo of. We spent 1 night and 2 days here which although isn’t too long, we managed to see all main tourist attractions! See our walking tour in Venice to see all the main attractions
In Venice, you can visit multiple churches including the Piazza San Marco, see the Grand Canal, the Rialto Bridge and beautiful scenery throughout.
Of course you can also have a ride around the canals! If you’re visiting Venice in a couple, why not team up with another couple in the queue and half the cost? Gondola rides can cost 60euros plus each so definitely something to look into
Destination 8: Rome
Paris to rome via train 10h 5m, via plane 1h 05m, via bus 6h 10m
Rome is the home of the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, the Vatican and of course the home of the pope!
While visiting Rome for 3 days and 4 nights it was the longest we spent somewhere on our trip around Europe, and we just managed to visit all the things we wanted to see.
There is so much to do in Rome, we would suggest spending 3-5 days here to get the most out of your experience. Rome is also much larger than we thought, so public transport is key
Destination 9: Paris
Rome to Paris via train 12h 35m, via bus 20h 25m, via plane 2h 10m
Paris will more than likely be the most expensive destination when travelling around Europe.
It is the home to the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, Notre Dame and so much more. Paris was the last destination on our trip where we spent 2.5 days and 2 nights with an Airbnb.
The metro system in Paris is great for getting around and day tickets are not too expensive either. We underestimated how big Paris actually was - the second time doing this, and how long it would take to walk in between attractions generally will take longer than you think. So the metro system was by far the best way to explore the City.
Although expensive, we didn’t spend as much as we expected to spend by eating lunch in the park next to the Eiffel tower, and a good take away which we took back to the apartment we had. Which was actually so good, we get sick of always eating out for food and always a good way to save money!
You can get from Rome to Paris by night train, however, we flew here instead. It was an extra £260 for reservations for the night train whereas to fly it was £30 each instead, and much faster and allowed us to spend more time in Paris rather than travelling there.
We finished our trip travelling around Europe by travelling back to London with the Eurostar. It was such an exhausting but rewarding trip.
We visited all the cities we wanted to as we love exploring the old buildings, seeing views from heights, the culture and the food from completely different cities and we also came back as an engaged couple!
One day we were in Venice patrolling canals and waterways, and the next seeing the Colosseum and being blessed by the Pope
We used our Eurail/Interrailing Pass, which allowed us to hop on and off trains at our will. We did pre-book some reservations for the more busy trains too
If we were going to interrail again – which we do plan to! We would be more spontaneous, but unfortunately due to only 3 weeks, it had to planned so we could spend as much time exploring each city!
If we had more time, it would have been better to save more money by getting buses to new destinations.
We didn't include travelling to London or Edinburgh. This is simply because Ed and I are from the UK and we've both been to London and Edinburgh multiple times! But we love the UK and since COVID have had more time to spend across the UK. If you’re looking to travel to London or Edinburgh have a look at the blog posts below
Useful Travelling Website
Hostelworld: Find your local hostel
Omio: Compare buses, trains, cars and planes for the cheapest mode of travel
Booking.com: To book all of your hotel needs
Airbnb: Wanting something a little more comfortable and homey?
