Glimpse of Europe

You can spend a couple of months exploring Europe and still feel like you have not seen everything. Generally speaking, a two-week Europe trip should be just enough if you are looking to cover its major highlights. However, if you want a comprehensive travel experience within this duration, it is better that you focus on a region or a few countries rather than traveling all over the continent. 

Choose a single country or schedule your trip around a handful of cities in different countries. While larger European cities may require three to four days to explore, you can get around smaller destinations in a day or two. Planning your trip around a particular region will cut down your travel time and save your time in transit.

Travel from one place/city to another place is carried out by a comfortable, air-conditioned, long-distance coach. Journey time depends on each day of the itinerary but usually will not exceed 7 to 8 hours each day with a comfort stop included.

France is a year-round destination. However, the best time to visit France for most travelers is either from April through to June or from October to November. Highlights across the country see less footfall – and therefore shorter queues – during these periods compared to the high summer season between July and September. Temperatures are also more suitable for exploration and hiking during these months, averaging 16°C to 23°C. The winter season, lasting from December to March, is the coldest and the wettest period of the year, although this is the best time to undertake a skiing trip in the Alps or Pyrenees. Find more information here.

If you are planning to visit multiple countries, you should prepare a tentative list of destinations you are interested in. If it is your first trip, stick to major cities and cultural centers for the sake of simplicity and convenience. Also, be flexible and optimize your travel time and budget. Be open to changing your itinerary depending on schedules and ticket prices.

France is not the cheapest of European destinations to visit. A combination of high accommodation costs and an amazing range of attractions means budgets often get stretched. Traveling outside of the summer will give a better value for money. Paris is by far the most expensive city in the country. By comparison, food is relatively cheap in neighborhood cafes and restaurants, so you certainly do not have to go hungry! Expect to spend somewhere in the region of USD 210 per person, per day on both food and accommodation.

Travel insurance is an absolute must and needs to include a medical cover that can otherwise top hundreds of thousands of dollars in case of an accident.