Essential Guide to Planning Your First Trip to Europe from a Travel Expert

Here’s what to pack, avoid, or consider.

Whether you’re studying abroad, backpacking alone, or going with a group for your first trip to Europe, it’s an experience that will change your life — and alter your perspective in all the best ways.

I took my own first trip to Europe in adulthood when I was 21, newly married, and heartbroken over the loss of my father four months earlier. To prepare, my husband and I consumed YouTube videos from travel writers and movies like Under the Tuscan Sun, Midnight in Paris, Notting Hill, and Eat, Pray, Love. When the semester ended, we set off with nothing but backpacks containing limited clothes, a budget of about $100 per day, and five short weeks to see it all.

Your first solo experience on the continent will be filled with experiences you’ll talk about forever, but can still be intimidating to plan. Looking back, here’s exactly how I would prepare for my first trip to Europe — and what you need to know before going.

Get Around with a Eurail Pass

I devoted a large chunk of my shoestring budget to my Eurail Pass on my first trip, and I’ve bought the all-in-one pass for every extended trip I’ve taken to Europe since then (even once I hit the ancient age of 28 and no longer qualified for Eurail’s discount of up to 25 percent off standard rates for folks ages 12 to 27). It’s best for travelers aiming to visit multiple spots affordably rather than those planning to travel by train only once.

Most of Europe is well connected via a vast rail network spanning the continent. A Eurail pass — available exclusively to non-Europeans — makes it hassle-free to hop between 33 countries and even navigate regional trains. Depending on your travel plans, you can purchase passes for specific countries or regions and choose whether you need unlimited use or a set number of travel days.

Once you’re in Europe, hops between major cities are often surprisingly low-price (I’ve seen flights for as little as $6), but a train may be the best choice when you factor in time, convenience, price, and the chance to watch the world go by from your window. If you’re working remotely, the train’s comfort (and possible WiFi) can be a suitable transit option by allowing you to work normally without forcing you to use time off for your travel days hitting the skies. Splurge on first-class passes and you’ll always have a comfortable seat.

Plan Your Trip Geographically

Make a list of all your must-hit places, then look at where they fall on a map. Connect the dots, and you have your route. You might start in Spain and work your way east or fly into London and work your way down to Italy. Whatever you choose, ensure that your route makes sense geographically, so you don’t waste time (or money) crisscrossing the continent and doubling back unnecessarily.

Consider Which Cities You Want to Visit During Each Season

You might also want to plan your trip keeping tourist seasons — high, low, and shoulder seasons — in mind when considering your budget and enjoyment priorities. What’s the best time to visit your chosen destination for your needs?

It may seem obvious, but if you’re planning a summer trip, don’t expect to frolic in fields of Dutch tulips (that happens in the spring). If Christmas markets are your main motivation for going to Germany or Switzerland, then perhaps save those cities for a wintertime itinerary in November or December. If crowds aren’t your thing and risking bad weather doesn’t bother you, an off-season city visit can save you money and hassle.

The local culture, weather, and season will also impact how you structure your days in a given location. For example, an Italian summer is nothing short of sweltering, and AC isn’t a given, so if you’re planning to cover all of Rome on foot at high noon, you may want to rethink that. (I learned this the hard way and damn near had a heat stroke.)

Don’t Be Afraid to Keep Your Plans Flexible, But Maybe Book Lodging in Advance

A PSA for type-A travelers like me: You don’t have to have your entire trip planned out before leaving home. Part of the fun — especially if you have a Eurail pass — is going where the wind blows you and deciding what appeals to you upon arrival.

Pro tip: Taking a bus tour on your first day in a destination is a great way to get the lay of the land and cover a lot of ground quickly (without exhausting yourself).

Make a timeline and book your departure flight from the USA to Europe before you leave home, but don’t be afraid to wait until you’ve hopped the pond to book your flight back. You may decide to stay longer in a particular country or run out of time to make it all the way to your planned departure point.

The one thing you may want to do in advance is reserve hotels, hostels, and Airbnbs because they can fill up during the popular months. Still, it’s okay to leave some of your trip open and stay flexible beyond a general outline.

What to Bring to Europe

Start working on your packing list a few months beforehand. What you bring will vary depending on destinations, length of trip, and your fussiness level, but there are a few non-negotiables. If you choose to pack lightly with a backpack and carry-on, you can find plenty of laundry options in hotels and hostels across most major cities.

Don’t leave home without:

• Your passport
• Converters for European outlets (both UK and EU, as needed)
• A credit card and/or a debit card for getting cash out of an ATM (you’ll get a better rate this way than doing it through a currency-exchange counter)
• Any health-related items such as medications, masks, or COVID-testing kits
• A secure envelope to hold all of these important documents (including a few color copies of your passport) in one place
• An international plan added to your phone if needed
• Global Entry (optional, but a definite plus to save you time in the customs line when returning to the USA)

You’ll also find life a lot easier with the Google Translate app and the XE currency conversion app on your smartphone. Before you depart, download the countries you’ll be visiting to ensure offline availability. The Been app on iOS, where you can track which countries you’ve visited and how much of the world you’ve seen, can be another fun app for travelers, especially on a trip like this where you’ll be checking off a lot of countries.

Where to Go on Your First Trip to Europe

iBestTravel readers have plenty of favorite cities if you need some itinerary inspiration, including classics like Rome, Barcelona, and Edinburgh that rank highly across categories like friendliness, landmarks, culture, and value. If it’s your first trip, you might want to see some classics first.

Once you have the must-hit places mapped out, plan some additional personalized stops according to your interests. Maybe you’ve been digging into your ancestry and found that you have Hungarian heritage like I have — Budapest was a shoo-in for us this summer — or perhaps you’ve always dreamed of soaking up the sun in the Greek Isles. Start by arranging a shortlist with your top priorities and then tack on additional destinations if you have space.

If you’re purely on “vacation” with no remote work or school obligations, two to three days in each place should suffice, but if you can’t devote your full attention each day to exploring, then you may want a little extra time in each city to do it justice.