90 days in Europe. Day Trips or Overnight Stays?

This needs some context--are you traveling solo? First trip? Have you done a trip with this kind of pace before?
I know for sure that I would not enjoy that pace at all, but I don't know you, so make sure you have taken everything into consideration.
Things might be looking up right now, but the pandemic is not over--there will still be restrictions to deal with, and I think a trip of this many moves is risky. I will be traveling this year, but I'll be sticking to one country per trip.
Make a very long list that details what you want to accomplish in each place and the travel time required. Some might very well require five days and some might just warrant a pass through en route.
I would strongly suggest putting a week of r&r at the midpoint, not matter what kind of pace you think you will enjoy. good luck!

When are you traveling and are you up to date on what the current Covid requirements are for each of your countries? Here is a good place to start with general requirements.

https://apply.joinsherpa.com/map

In light of other people's experiences, I'd not push things to exactly the 90 day limit for being in the Schengen area. I'd want to give yourself time at the end in case you test positive for Covid and have to do a quarantine stay.

Some of your days are not Schengen - Great Britain days will not be included in a 90 day count of allowable time in the European countries that comprise the Schengen travel zone.

I'd not stay in Interlaken Switzerland. I'd go up in the Alps to stay in the Lauterbrunnen Valley - either Lauterbrunnen itself (valley floor) or up on the mountain side in either Muerren or Wengen.

Cinque Terre would not need 4-5 nights. Paris and London both could do with more than 4-5 nights. I'd probably stay in some of the smaller areas like Bruges and bookend a few of them with stays of a week or more in your major cities.

I'd probably narrow your scope a little as well. You'd want to keep your Great Britain days to bring your total day numbers down in the Schengen area. I'd probably drop some of the countries on the edges, lol.....Krakow, Budapest, Zagreb or Spain and Portugal to free up time. I'd definitely NOT go down to 3 nights in you big cities of Paris and London. It's your trip so your call on what is important to you to see but I'd not try to cover so much territory. Go with Rick's mantra..."Assume you will return" so no need to see everything in one trip.

29 locations sounds exhausting over such a period.
Even 23 feels on the high side, actually - I'd try to pick fewer hubs and do a few day trips.
Also, you are aiming to cover a lot of ground. The places you list are relatively far apart, so you are wasting almost a day every time you move... Basically 25% of your trip.

I would plan to spend an average of 4 nights per stop; some places may warrant longer stays, others not. For example, I could happily spend a full week in London or Sorrento, but a day or two in Cinque Terre or Como would suffice. Think about what interests you: art, museums, hiking, food tours, people watching, history, taking art or cooking classes... Then look at each possible destination, thinking about how each fits into your interests. Here's where you dive into guidebooks to see what's available at each place.

In addition, assume you will spend one full day traveling every time you change stops. It isn't just the travel time, but packing, getting organized and checking out of your residence, then finding and checking into the new one, unpacking, etc., getting oriented to your new city... This cuts the amount of sightseeing or activity time a lot. So 90 days minus travel days between 23 or more destinations = 67 or so actual activity days.

Valadelphia's notion of a "vacation from your vacation" is also a good one. A week might be too long (it would be for me,) but perhaps that would be the time for some place like Como or Interlaken or Cinque Terre.

I have not been to some these places so will speak generally. However, more specifically I will say that I visited Seville and Salzburg for 4+ nights each and do not consider them day trips, and also happened to like them more than Madrid or Munich or Vienna. I have not been to Bruges or Dresden, and I think you are asking about a variety of cities, not just these 4 examples.

In general, I think you want mostly 4 night stays, but add in a selective mix of smaller places, reducing a few of the bigger cities to 3 nights or even cutting a couple in favor of adding more small places.
The issue is that with only 4-5 nights, you won't have time for many day trips. Places like Paris, London, and Rome especially really have more than enough to occupy you without spreading yourself too thin. I'm not the biggest fan of day trips, often they mean you miss the best part of the day - early AM or later evening, only hitting the place for the most crowded hours. For me, my favorite times are either 7AM photo walks or long dinners and after-dark walks in beautifully lit streets. Both of which are usually missed in a day trip unless you have very specific transportation availability.

Daytrips can work for sightseeing, that is seeing museums or specific sights, but they don't work for getting the feel of a place or enjoying the vibe in places where that is important. There are some places that actually do make good day trips. Often these places are daytime destinations, that are kind of dead at night or the highlight is nature activities during the day (you probably don't want to go mountain hiking after dark).
Other places you really want to be able to savor and for those a day trip won't work.

So...do you want to make sure to see a specific museum or cathedral but don't care about lingering? Day trip there. Do you like the sound of the atmosphere of a place? Stay overnight for 1-2 nights. Or more.

So my answer is...a combination of both.

Really appreciate all the insight. To answer a few questions, yes this is a solo trip for the most part. First time to Europe as well. I do plan to return, but would like to see as much as possible. I traveled for work (not internationally) so use to packing light and moving around. Planning on using the Eurail Pass. Edinburgh, London and Zagreb would not be taken into consideration of my 90 days correct? That helps some. Right now I’ve got about 29 cities/hotel changes, which yes sounds exhausting. But then again I want to experience as many cities as possible. Most of the Lee trips are just a couple hours, a few 6 hours so I feel like the commute itself isn’t terrible. But then again this is my first time. Still playing around with locations/routes following Cinque Terre. Def want to experience Swiss Alps, just not sure best route/cities to stay in.

This is what I’ve got penciled in so far. Edinburgh 3, London 4, Paris 4, Bruges 2, Amsterdam 4, Berlin 4, Dresden 2, Prague 4, Munich 4, Salzberg 2, Vienna 4, Krakow 3, Budapest 4, Zagreb 3 (Plitvice), Ljublijaja 2, Venice 3, Rome 4, Sorrento 5, Florence 4, Cinque Terre 3, Como 3, Lucerene 3, Interlaken 3, Montreau 3, Marsellies 3, Barcelona 4, Seville 3, Madrid 4 and Lisbon 3.

Thanks for the extra information. Did you mention "when"?

You'll want to run the numbers on the Eurail Pass to see if it will actually save you money. Since you are pretty definite on your route it might be less expensive to purchase point to point tickets especially on some of your longer trips. In France you'll need to pay for a reservation which negates any savings. Others on the forum are better on train travel than I am as I opt for the long-distance fast trains when I am going a distance.

The Man in Seat 61 website is awesome for train travel. He's just started traveling again so will be updating everything.

https://www.seat61.com/

You'll definitely need to be a light packer and really I would cut something to spend 1 week in both Paris and London. 4 nights gives you 3 touring days.

Are you in to spreadsheets? You may need one to keep up with changing Covid rules for all your countries.

Rick Steves thinks (and I agree) that there are a handful of European cities that are worth one week stays. You have three of the cities on your list: London, Paris and Rome.

Another vote from moving from Interlaken up Murren. I don't know of anyone who felt that they spent too much time in Murren.

There is a balance between seeing a variety of places and just being a tick list of places visited that afterwards will become a blur. Unfortunately, your trip as planned falls into the latter category.

Keeping up to date on Covid requirements alone will be a full time job! This would be a difficult trip pre Covid, but you need to be flexible in case Covid issues arise mid trip.

The big hitters such as Paris, London and Rome would all be rushed in much less than a week. For a trip of this length, it’s useful to have a down day say every three weeks to catch up on laundry etc.

You haven’t allowed for losing half to a full day every time you switch location. The time allocated to some places such as Seville (3 days) is ok, but you will get a day less than this because you need to get to and from there. Staying in far fewer locations will give you the options of day trips, rather than just seeing larger cities.

I really do appreciate all the feedback, so thank you! I definitely would like more info on Covid restrictions. I had a friend just return from Barcelona/Nice and he said as long as you’re vaccinated you’re fine entering/leaving. I guess I assumed once you’re in the region you’re free to travel throughout. I’m unaware of how they’re tracking for example someone taking a train from Amsterdam to Berlin for example. Everybody on the train takes a test? Hotels in each country checking to see if you’ve had a test in that specific country? Honestly I haven’t come across much except you need to be vaccinated so any info would in this area would be helpful.

I also understand quality of time versus quantity. While a week in each location would be ideal, I want to see as much as possible so I don’t see myself staying in one spot for a week. I also can’t imagine I’m the first person to only spend 4 days in London, Paris or Rome either but maybe I should reconsider. Any suggestions based on my route would be helpful (fewer days, more days, places to cut out, etc). The comments on the areas to stay in Switzerland have already been helpful. Trying to use the Eurail Pass as much as possible so was going off those routes

I'll just say that my head is spinning from figuring out the requirements for one country--do let us know how you get on!
How I wish the US had signed on to a digital vaccine pass--it would make this transition SO much easier.

Here's a start on checking Covid Restrictions. Today....you need a negative Covid test within 48 hours to enter France. Belgium is (I think) currently requiring a negative test on entry and then a negative test on Day 1. Amsterdam just lifted it's 10 day quarantine requirements. Rules can be different after you've been in Europe for a certain # of days depending on the country and yes, a French Pass Vaccinal will be helpful down the line.

https://apply.joinsherpa.com/travel-restrictions

You'll do better if you research every country on your list and don't just go on your friend's interpretation of the rules.

ALL this is changing. Kim just posted a thread today saying there are rumblings that the French government will stop requiring a Covid test for entry.

And yes, getting on a French long distance train in October I had to show my Pass Sanitaire BEFORE I could enter the platform where my train left from.

I’m planning this trip May 1 - July 30 if that helps. I was NOT aware that I’d have to take a test each time I entered a new country from within the EU. I guess I assumed once I showed my vaccine card within the EU I’d be free to move about. Having to get a test every few days is definitely not ideal and cumbersome. Had no idea certain countries had a mandatory quarantine either.

Hopefully by May some of this will have passed but based on my list, are any countries currently requiring a mandatory quarantine? I also just recently got vaccinated so I’d assume I’m not required to have a booster? Just so I’m following this correctly, every time I went from say London to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Berlin, Berlin to Prague, etc, I’m going to be required to show a test? So basically every city I’m in I’ll have to find a testing center before leaving?

I appreciate the idea of uploading my Vaccine passport in Paris to one that could be used throughout the EU. Anyone else know if this would work?

It's hard for first-time travelers to grasp that 4 nights in a city is not 4 days of sightseeing time. By the time you get truly settled in your new lodgings, it is very likely that at least half the day will be gone. In some cases the shift to a new city can cost 6 hours are more, and transportation schedules can mean that you have a couple of barely-usable hours before getting on a train and a couple more after arrival rather than a more-usable chunk of 4+ hours in one place.

It's also difficult to understand that moving rapidly from place to place Ieads to seeing less, not more, because so much of your time is spent getting to and from train or bus stations (or airports) and traveling to the next city. The settling-in time in a major city is significant as you try to figure out things like the local transportation system.

Because of the length of your trip, it's quite likely that you'll need a booster along the way to enter places like museums and restaurants in some countries, or perhaps even to cross some borders. You'll need to stay on top of the vaccination requirements for all the countries you plan to visit.

The rules for entering each country tend to depend on several factors: the current infection rate at both the origin and the destination, whether both countries are in the EU, what other countries you've been to recently (often within the last 14 days), and your vaccination status. The rules change very frequently. We can all hope the pandemic will continue to wane, but there is no guarantee things will move in that direction; an ugly new variant could pop up and cause a lot of policy changes that complicate travel.

Once you've gotten into the new country, there may be additional requirements for participating fully in local activities (such as an up-to-date booster), and those rules may vary from region to region within the country.

You might find this page helpful for figuring out Covid regulations and keeping up to date with any changes: https://www.easyjet.com/en/covid-19-travel-hub?utm_source=easyJet&utm_medium=email&utm_content=lang_EN_market_UK&utm_campaign=mkt_14102021%7C15325%7C20211014_1810_AUTO%7CPRG%7CBIOSEC%7CEM%7CEN_v10.1%7CUK%7CEN&sc_customer=85487140

You will get differing opinions, of course, and your tastes might be different from mine, but here's my 2 cents worth:

Edinburgh - love. 3-4 days will give you a good taste. Definitely 4 if you also want a tour to the Scottish Highlands. (We loved our tour with The Hairy Coo.) Highlights: The castle, Cadder Hill, Harry Potter tour (if you're into that), The Real Mary King's Close, Camera Obscura. There was more, but that's what I remember off the top of my head. Jacket potatoes in the main library's cafeteria were an inexpensive and hearty lunch. Oh, yeah, and we visited the oldest pub in Edinburgh: The Sheep Heid

London - definitely not my fave, but others seem to like it. 3 1/2 days there was plenty for me. Highlights: Carnaby Street, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey (except I had to leave partway through due the crowds. I'm short, and couldn't see anything over everyone's heads.), the Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, seeing a play, the Abbey Road Crosswalk.

Paris - love. 8 days there was not quite enough. Highlights: Catacombs, Orsay, Louvre, Versailles, Sacre Coeur, Montemarte, Eiffel Tower, Walking along the Champs Elysees from the Louvre (through the Tuileries), to the Arc de Triomphe. Regret missing - Pere la Chaise cemetary - a big storm prevented us from going as planned.

Berlin - haven't been.

Prague - love. We spent 5 days, but we did a lot of exploring of less visited areas. You could probably see the highlights in 3-4 days. Highlights for us: Prague Castle -- spent two days visiting, avoiding the busiest times. St. Vitus Cathedral was the highlight of this. Strahov Monastery--a good dinner in a cave here. We stayed next to this. Petrin Hill/Tower/Park. The Stations of the Cross here were interesting. Charles Bridge, of course. Lennon Wall. Astronomical Clock. (We had breakfast on the square where we had a prime view of the clock.)

Munich - love. We had, I think, 3 1/2 days there, and we felt that was a good amount. My very favourite site there was Nymphenburg. Be sure to visit the "minor" palaces scattered around the grounds. (You know, in case you are out in your yard and have a palace emergency, as one does. ;) ) We also loved the Residenz and the Englisher Garden.

Vienna - love, but 3-4 days is doable, I think. Highlights: Schonbrunn Palace and grounds (and the Gloriette), Stadtpark, the Rathaus and surrounding area, Museumplatz (especially the Sisi Museum).

Krakow - haven't been

Budapest - love. We spent 6 days and probably could have used one more. Mind you, we visited a bath every second day, so had a bit more of a relaxed pace there. Not to be missed: Museum of Terror. Buda Castle (exterior), Fisherman's Bastion, and the Matthias Church. Great Synagogue. Cave Church. Hero's Square. Opera House (best in Europe, I'm told, and I believe it.) Baths we visited: Szechenyi (if you have time only for one, this is probably a good bet), Gellert Baths (gorgeous, and in the Gellert hotel (worth seeing) and next to the Cave Church). Veli Bej - the oldest baths there, but recently renovated. Turkish-style baths with modern add ons. Allow mixed gender bathing (not all the traditional, Turkish style baths do.)

Rome: We had 6 nights there, and that was a pretty good amount of time. Highlights: Palatine Hill, Colosseum, Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica, Caphucin Crypts, Piazza Navona. Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps were cool, too, but were very quick to see. We took a day trip to Pompeii, but if you go to Sorrento, it would make more sense to do it from there. You might consider a day trip to Orvieto, or even an overnight there. 1/2

We visited Civita di Bagnoregio on the way, and loved this.

Sorrento - spent just an afternoon there, so can't really comment, but it was beautiful.

Florence - 3 days is plenty, IMO, unless you are doing day trips. We spent 5 and took day trips to Pisa and to Sienna. (Enjoyed both. Particularly enjoyed Pisa far more than we expected, given how many posters here sort of pooh-pooh it, and it was not a priority for us.) Our highlights: Ponte Vecchio, Duomo, Uffizi Gallery (but way too crowded), Accademia (loved), Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens, Piazza della Signoria. Wandering along the streets near the river on both sides.

Cinque Terre, Como, Interlaken. Haven't been.

Nice: loved. Spent, I think, 5 days here, taking 2 day trips. 1 to Ville Franche sur Mer and Monaco, and 1 to Cannes. Highlights: The Chagall museum. The Matisse museum and nearby Roman Ruins. We happened upon a festival here: Fetes des Mais, and it was charming. The harbour area and restaurants there. The flower market (food such as baguettes, fresh cheese, tapenade, tomatoes, etc. also sold here). Castle Hill (spectacular, iconic views of the Cote d'Azur from here), the museum of modern art., the Promenade des Anglais. We also wanted to see St. Nicholas Cathedral, but it was closed for renos when we were there.

Barcelona- not my favourite--too crowded and frantic--but there is a lot to see there. 4 days would be plenty for me, including a day trip to Montserrat. Highlights - day trip to Montserrat ****!!!!. Sagrada Familia. The other Gaudi buildings. Park Guell (very, very crowded, though, making it hard to look at some of the tile work, etc.), Cathedral of Barcelona, Picasso Museum, Montjuic, the harbourfront.

Madrid - loved. Spent, I think, 4 days there, and that was a good amount. Highlights: The Prado, the Palacio Real, day trip to Toledo, Retiro Park, Reina Sofia (Guernica!!!), Plaza Mayor. We were there during a festival and happened on a wonderful parade with giant puppets.

Lisbon - one of my favourite cities ever. We had 5 days with day trips to Cascais and Sintra, although an overnight in Sintra with more time to explore would be good, too. Highlights: Sintra, The Castelo de Sao Jorge (we stayed in the castle district), Jeronimos Monastery (easy to see the Belem Tower and the Colonizer's (Discoverers) Monument on the same day), the Sé (Cathedral with an archeological dig of Roman and Moorish ruins in the cloisters), Estrela Basilica and the park across the street from it, the harbourfront area, the Pantheon, and the food!!!!

90 days! I envy you. Have a wonderful trip!

I would cut out some of these cities and plan longer stays in London and Paris. You can do some great one day trips from these 2 cities and not have to pack up, move and settle into a new hotel. There are books about day trips from both these cities. I would cut out Berlin or Munich or both, but then I'm not a fan of Germany. I would choose Vienna over Germany. Personally, I would allow a lot of time in Italy and cut out some of the other destinations.

Just one small example of the differences between countries CURRENTLY- in Austria, your covid vaccine is only good for 180 days; with a booster, you would have 270 days.

In Germany, there have been G2 and G3 restrictions , depending on the area of the country. If you don't know what these are, you haven't done your research.

You may be able to get INTO a country, but you may not be able to get INDOORS in a country [museums, cathedrals, restaurants] without additional covid testing.

For us last Sept, 2021, because we transited thru Heathrow, Italy would have required a quarantine; Switzerland did not; then once we were in country, the rules changed again.

Come back after you've read each of your intended countries current covid policies! Good luck!

The Man in Seat 61 website is awesome for train travel. He's just started traveling again so will be updating everything.

One of my favorite websites (not just travel but anything) ... if you're thinking about taking trains, this is your Bible ... saved me many hours and $$$ with all the information he has gathered on train travel in Europe ... and I love to just surf the site and read (dream) about travelling around the continent ... when I go over to England April 2023, I'm hoping I can meet up with him and buy him a pint or two of Guinness.

Well, I have friends that leave every year and spend two nights in each place for 6 weeks and love every moment of it. I have friends that go to Croatia and park for 6 weeks. I have friends that stay in hostels and friends that scoff at anything less than 5 star. And you know which of them are doing it right? All of them. So, that's not the issue. What ever you do you will enjoy. Maybe be a bit prepared for some modifications on the go. Thats always a good thing and is more about attitude than it is about planning.

The most important issue you have to consider is transportation between locations and the order you will do them in. Although it looks like you have thought it through: Edinburgh, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Munich, Vienna, Krakow, Budapest, Zagreb, is a good start.

Then start testing all the connections and you might find out that Krakow works better between Prague and Budapest and Vienna works best after Budapest. It becomes a real shell game and all that has to be in the context of a good RT ticket to Europe. I will spend hours and hours and hours just dealing with 3 or 4 stops to get them efficient. Cant imagine 20-something. In the process you may discover that getting to city X is just too much trouble or cost and that might cut the number of stops a bit.

Oh, and dont buy into the TRAIN only scenario. Flights can be as cheap and a lot faster at times. Always test the plane against the train. For instance, Prague, Krakow, Budapest is a great and cheap flight choice; then you finish up with a short train ride to Vienna. But thats preference too and again, you cant do wrong. The only rule is that it works for you.

Personally, and this means nothing because you need to do your trip, not mine. But I would skip Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, Zagreb, Cinque Terre, Como; and add one or two places outside of your comfort zone. Maybe Istanbul or Sarajevo or Sofia ..... I think you will be glad for the experience. My first trip to Europe in the very early 1980's was Italy, Greece and Egypt and Egypt was my favorite.

And do keep in mind that the RS forum is an odd bunch. Generally speaking they will take the bus from the airport to save $15, and they will be flying with $300 designer brand Carry-on only. Enjoy your decisions!!

James
"And do keep in mind that the RS forum is an odd bunch. Generally speaking they will take the bus from the airport to save $15, and they will be flying with $300 designer brand Carry-on only. Enjoy your decisions!!"

Geez, I am SO guilty! But you know what- I am SO content with each decision here!

And do keep in mind that the RS forum is an odd bunch. Generally speaking they will take the bus from the airport to save $15, and they will be flying with $300 designer brand Carry-on only. Enjoy your decisions!!

Darn, James. I feel called out. LOL

BB, I just spent $134 on a a bag, something I swore I would never do ... but in my defense that included tax and shipping.

I would never suggest anyone take such an aggressive itinerary on their first trip to Europe. I traveled to most of these cities in the last 51 years. Traveling that fast would put too much pressure on you--taking away much of the pleasure.
My suggestion is that you split your itinerary up into segments like:
Berlin-Dresden-Prague-Vienna-Budapest
Rome-Sorrento-Florence-Venice
Madrid-Barcelona-Paris-London-Bruges-Amsterdam
I'd take trains between the cities and fly budget airlines between the segments. I would not plan ahead--taking each day as it comes and making hotel reservations on the fly with a smartphone or tablet. Booking.com or Hotels.com will always lead you to a room.
Edinburgh, Krakaw, Zagreb, Cinque Terre, Lake Como/Interlaken, Nice and Lisbon are off the beaten path, and they'd push you.