2026 Europe Trip

The itinerary is good.

Since you're talking Canadian dollars, I'm guessing what it would be in US dollars and adding 40%.

Figure about $140 a day for food. You can probably do a lot less most days, but this will give you opportunities for a few splurges. That's $2,660.

Assuming you're traveling by train for all routes between cities, I count five trips. I'd budget about $140 each, though that could go up based on how long you wait to book or which train you want to take. (Eurostar is significantly more expensive than regional trains.) Add another $140 for intracity transit, but that could go up too if you do more Uber or taxi and less metro or bus. This comes to $840.

I have no idea where you're coming from, other than somewhere in Canada, so I could be way off, but budget $2,000 for flights.

So this all comes to $5,500, leaving you $4,500 for 18 nights' lodging, or $250 per night. So it all depends on you finding the appropriate accommodations for you at that average price. You're not going to get nice hotels at that price, especially in London or Paris. It'll go a lot further if you are interested in doing vacation rentals (where appropriate and legal), or hostels for some locations.

Good luck figuring it all out. And sorry if my numbers are way off. But that's kind of how you need to calculate.

A bit hurried for my taste, but fine if you don't mind packing up and moving every 3 or 4 days. As for Düsseldorf versus Cologne, I would pick Cologne.

I see no need to leave Amsferdam.to.return to London for flight home. Book multi city airline tickets flying from.Canada to London and Amsterdam to Canada. This is not two one way tickets. Book airline tickets.only through the airline never a third party so if you have any problems the airline will work with you. If you book thru third party and perhaps miss a flight or have any other issues the airline will not be of any help. Since this is your first European trip I highly suggest you buy or rent Rick Steve's Europe thru the Back Door. It is full of great advice on European travel such as buying train tickets, changing money etc. Also you can post a question on the specific countries here for hotel ideas what to see and do etc. Good luck and happy travels.

A well trodden route for a first trip to Europe and with good reason. Agree it’s much better if you can avoid having to go back to London. A taste of Germany is not a bad idea, although I would seriously consider adding that time to Paris instead. I haven’t been to Düsseldorf but Cologne (Koln) would be a good stop. One of Europe’s best cathedrals (although with more time in Paris you could do a daytrip to Chartres, which is a better one), and some interesting museums (although again, Paris’s second tier ones are better than Koln’s best). Koln is a lively city on the Rhine, but not what I would call a lovely one as the river is not particularly scenic there and like virtually all German cities, it was flattened during the war and rebuilt in the 1950s. Regarding budgeting, seems doable as commented above although I’m sure you know that these are some of Europe’s more expensive cities, and unless you use hostels solo travel is significantly more expensive than being able to share the cost of a room with a travel partner. Your trip is a long time away, well over a year, and who knows what will happen with exchange rates, other economic indicators and inflation, but one thing that is a virtual certainty is that $10,000 will not go as far in Nov ‘26 as it would today.

Honestly , it’s too rushed . For instance - in Paris you will have two evenings but only one full day . There’s too much to see in Paris to only allow it one full day ? I don’t think anyplace worth seeing is worth more than one day .

While in Belgium recommend you visit Brugges and Ghent.

Also, you aren't staying long in any one place. You could spend a week in London and another week in Paris and not seen enough.
Cologne has the magnificent cathedral, but why travel there just to see that?
We did a week in Amsterdam and loved it, you are spending two nights there, what do you plan to see?

Major European cities like London and Paris are expensive, expect to spend $300 per night in each.

Too rushed.

London > Amsterdam > "Belgium" > "Germany" > Paris for the flight home makes perfect sense.

Germany: Consider Aachen as a base town. It's closer to Belgium (75 mins. to Brussels) and a more inviting/attractive/pleasant option than Cologne or Düsseldorf IMHO. Aachen Cathedral is an outstanding piece of architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage monument. From Aachen you can catch a train to Cologne for the museums and cathedral if you wish. Another great day trip from Aachen is the old Dutch town of Maastricht.

Read about Aachen here.

I agree that this itinerary is very rushed and that Germany is the place to drop. It seems like Day 8 is the thing that is set in stone, as you're meeting your friend, who it seems is also traveling? So is there flexibility with when and where to meet your friend? Wouldn't it be more fun to meet your friend in Amsterdam?
Definitely fly into one city and out of another. London, Paris and Amsterdam should all have direct flights to Canada.
London is connected to all three (Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels) by Eurostar, so London could be the first or the last city you visit.
For each city, make a list of the things you want to see and do and estimate how long each takes, including transport links. This will give you an idea of how much time (which you should measure in nights, not days, for a variety of reasons, including that accommodation is by night) you need in each city. You'll probably have a list that is too long, so then you need to cut. Paris and London are massive cities with way too much to see even if you went to one of those for your whole trip. While I would love to stay in Amsterdam for 3 weeks, I would be satisfied with a 3-night stay. Same for Bruges.
So you're creating basically four blocks, which you can stack in whatever way makes sense for meeting your friend. If you must meet him in Belgium on Day 8, then I would put London or Paris first (7 nights) and go to Belgium next (3 nights), then Amsterdam (3 nights), then the other of London or Paris (all remaining time, fly home from here).
Sounds like a great trip. I hope you and your friend have a wonderful time together!

I’m about to read all of your replies, thanks again for all of the feedback! :)

G3rryCee is correct about counting nights, not days. As you parse out your schedule you will see what that means. 2 nights mean only one full day, plus whatever is left of your intercity travel day. Likewise city departure day. I see five travel days for you out of 19 days total, not including your London arrival and departure days. I would figure out travel times for those five days (meaning checking out of lodgings, getting to train stations, actual time en route, getting to new lodgings and checking in).

Also, the advice to fly open jaw is very wise (NOT 2 one way tickets) to avoid an extra travel day back to London. And, if I am correct, the departure taxes for flying out of London are considerably higher than those for other cities, so if that still holds, I would begin in London and leave from Amsterdam, if that is my final city.
Try to decide on your must-sees for each place and then have a list of other things to add in if you have the time. That will help you figure out your route as well, and tell you if you are giving enough time to a place. Perhaps you might decide on fewer stops.
You have a decent amount of time to firm up your plans. Check out train routes, sights to visit, and then perhaps you may decide that 5 countries in 18 (not counting departure day) days are too many countries. 18 days minus 5 intercity travel days leaves just 13 days for being in a place. Maybe adjust your plans a bit.
Best of luck in your planning and travels.

As fate would have it, just yesterday i read about Köln/Koln, Düsseldorf and Aachen in the LP Germany guide book (2013), having bought it a few weeks ago for 10 kronor (less than €1). Here are some citations:

KÖLN

Offers seemingly endless attractions...especially strong when it
comes to art...easy to have a good time...a 3D textbook on history
and architecture...

DÜSSELDORF

a posh and modern city...those Armani jackets...one of Germany's
most expensive shopping strips...

AACHEN

should be on any visitor's map...very much an international city...
has a unique appeal thanks to its location...

Choose option 1 or 3. Day trip as needed.

This is a fast trip, but doable. Definitely heed the advice to fly into one city and out of another. (Select multi-city instead of round trip.) My only question is how are you going to leave Vancouver and land in London in one day? Most flights leave in the afternoon or evening and land in Europe the next day. You may be very tired that first day after traveling so far, especially if you don’t sleep well on planes, so don’t expect to see or do a lot that day.

I hope your first trip to Europe is great fun!