First Time in Europe (An ACTUAL Itinerary in mind)

You have a logical progression; plans and options at each destination and have included what is important to you.

I would make a list of "things to do if I have the time" at each destination so if you have time available, you have a plan to use it and not waste time deciding "what should I do now"

A couple of things. Go inside Westminster Abbey, don't just look at it from the outside. The interesting part to me were the tombs of famous people buried there. St Pauls was just as interesting, even just for the architectural contrast. Read all Ricks tips about avoiding lines.

Be flexible enough that you are prepared take advantage of sunny days for sites with a lot of outdoors (like Collosseum, Forum) . its good to have a lot of alternate things to do or see in case some of the things (like Ponte Vecchio, Trevi Fountain) are not as interesting as you thought. And some are closer to each other than you might think. Plot things out on a map if you haven't already. E.g., we walked from our hotel near the train station, past the Trevi & Spanish Steps, then hopped the metro to the Vatican.

Now, for me I find the non-historic things to be just as interesting - like the food and leather markets in Florence, the occasional protest rally, the people-watching stroll through the park, boat rides - so I like to just have a good idea of where the sights are geographically so I can link them with contemporary culture.

This sounds like a great itinerary. You have reasonable amounts of time in each place and reasonable must do’s. Others have already given good advice about some of your optional activities - and having a lot of those. Grouping things geographically in each location can make things much smoother and make better use of your time - so if you finish up earlier than expected, you’ll know some other things nearby to check out. I would also recommend going in Westminster Abbey - it’s okay from the outside but the real treasures are inside. You can go through it as quickly as you need too. Have a wonderful time.

It looks like a good plan, but since you asked for feedback here is some:

• All your day trips are the last day in a city. If it was me I would to a day trip in the middle in order to not have two travel days in a row.
• Is Stonehenge on your "must see" list? If not, I think there are better options for a day trip from London.
• Having no plans your first day in London is a good thing since you will be jetlagged and maybe a bit tired after a long trip. But you can certainly plan things your first day in the other cities, you will not be exhausted by the Eurostar. It is in my opinion better to have spare time in the end of a trip.
• For your day tour to Pompeii, are you planning a private tour from Rome? If that is the case, I would suggest taking the train to Naples and a tour from there, that will save you a bit of travel time.

England
I second the advice to go inside Westminster Abbey. The British Museum is massive and holds some of the greatest relics crafted by human beings. Unless you have enormous stamina for museum visiting, I suggest you go twice, for two half days, rather trying to cram what you want to see into one day. The last I knew, admission was free, so you wouldn’t need to pay twice. Stonehenge may be disappointing. The stones are roped off, so you view them from a bit of a distance. With so much travel time out of just 5 days, perhaps there are sights closer to hand that would be better.
Paris
What I said about the BM applies equally to the Louvre.
Florence
With just 3 days, I’d resist the temptation to cram in a day trip. Stay in Florence. See more of it.

I love this! It’s great to see a realistic itinerary, and I especially like the “no further plans” on arrival days. It’s nice to arrive, get situated and explore the vicinity of your hotel, and maybe further afield without the pressure of “having” to see a big sight.

Some thoughts:
Be sure to find and make note of minor sights to fill potential down time. Map them so you can pop in if you are nearby and have time. You might not get to them, they aren’t plans, just possibilities.

I’m not keen on Pompeii from Rome, but you seem to have done your research and know what’s involved so enjoy! I would NOT save that till the last day though. Both because it’s a tiring way to end and also if there’s some weird emergency (say your guide is sick/Pompeii is closed for who knows what/there’s a train strike/your transfer car breaks down/etc) you might have to skip it and it seems to be high priority for you. I’d do it on day 3 or 4.

Have you read any guidebooks to help plan this trip? I highly recommend RS London and Paris books (23rd edition) and IT (26th edition). You can buy electronic versions from RS app. His books feature good self-guided walking tours with good maps so you won’t miss a thing. RS guidebooks contain tons of information and are a great source of information to take with you. The hotel and restaurant recommendations are good too.
I see you don’t have anything planned on your day of arrival. That’s OK, but try to stay active so you can stay awake and then go to bed after 9p. This will help your body adjust to the time difference. To stay active on your day of arrival, explore the neighborhood that you’re sleeping in. I don’t recommend going to a museum though because you need to be well rested to appreciate it. It’s always nice to know where the nearest grocery / drug store and laundromat is. You may also find some interesting pubs and cafes that will make good dinner options for your remaining nights there.
In London I would take RS self-guided walk of the “city”, London’s birthplace. This is an easy stroll and can be done on your day of arrival. The following day take his Westminster walk and visit the Churchill War Rooms, but you’ll need to buy tickets online before leaving home. If you do go inside Westminster Abbey, rent the headset unless you’re fluent with British history. The British Museum is an excellent choice if it rains because it’s free so you don’t need tickets. Be sure to enjoy a bite to eat in its cafe.
There’s also a West End walk so I would stay in London the whole time and go to Stonehenge the next time you visit England which is an easier day trip from Bath. Also, consider going to the theater. You can buy cheap tickets at the ticket booth and RS guidebook does a thorough write up on it.
If you have an extra day, I would take a hop-on hop-off bus tour. There’s a hop-off spot for Buckingham Palace and then you can get back on and finish seeing fabulous London. A lot of people will say there’s too much traffic, but hey, you’ll see it all.
The same with Paris, buy RS Paris guidebook and take his self-guided historic Paris walk to see Notre Dame, the Champs-Elysees walk to see Arc de Triomph. I would skip the catacombs and take RS guided walking tour of Montmartre instead. Yes, there will be a lot of people, but it’s still worthwhile.
In Venice I would get lost. In Florence I would buy tickets for the Uffizi Gallery as soon as you book your air and hotel reservations. The Uffizi sells out months in advance and in my opinion, is the most magnificent fine arts museum there is. I would take RS self-guided walking tours in Florence just to make sure I saw it all.
The same goes with Rome, RS walking tours are spectacular and try to sleep in the Trastevere neighborhood for authenticity. It’s very bohemian like.
As far as going to Pompeii from Rome, I don't recommend it if you're going during the summer months. It takes a while to get there and there's a lot of walking with no shade. To be honest, I found Pompeii to be repetitive and I was there in the fall and was still over heated (it could have been my age).

On my trip to Europe, I used visitacity.com to help me plan what to see and do in each of the cities. As were were using Eurail for our travels, it showed us lodging possibilities close to the train stations. It allowed me to put in my lodging choice and how many days I would be there and it came up with suggestions on attractions which were very helpful. You certainly will enjoy your adventure. It sounds wonderful!

Don’t let anyone talk you out of going to Stonehenge. But, not doing it on your last day in London is a great idea.

I like the logic of doing 'the big day trip' the day before a travel day. For the most part one will be sitting on some sort of conveyance for most of the day.

Doing a long ( tiring) day trip and then having more major tourist stuff the next day is not ideal in my view. Resting while on the way to the next location gets a 'thumbs up' from me.

Very good. In Florence visit the Duomo Museum which houses items that used to be in the Duomo and other items such as the ACTUAL ORIGINAL BAPTISTRY DOORS ( fantastic ! )

That certainly is a pretty good itinerary overall, though I'd also echo what Badger said about all of your day trips being on the final day of each trip. Have them in the middle to break up the time spent on transportation and to have some flexibility in case of bad weather.

You mentioned "I left more time than I thought for additional activities and ideas" -- this is what I like to do, leave a little extra time as there are always going to be things you might find interesting that you wouldn't know about until you're actually there. Some of my favourite trips have been when I wandered unplanned through some areas and found interesting things to see or stop in at. Hotels can also sometimes alert you to happenings going on in town. Finally, it's always good to have a little buffer in case of bad weather or act-of-god events.

Looks like a good itinerary. I, too, like to do a day trip and then have my last day in the main City I was visiting. Go back to that restaurant you loved or stroll around and pack for the next day's move.

LONDON
Go INSIDE Westminster. It's one of my favorites. Buckingham Palace is a definitely outside only. Greenwich was a fun excursion from London. Lots to eat and a cute market. We really enjoyed it.
We did RS Bankside Walk and our own Pub Crawl.

Extra time on your hands? Head out to Abby Road and Camden Locks if you find you've covered everything else and the Per Lachaise Cemetery was fascinating!

ITALY - ROME
I LOVED Pompeii & Herculaneum. We had a private tour guide and it was the best decision ever. We did take the train from Rome and met our guide at the entrance. I, too, avoid Naples at all costs, so I get the private transfer. If you can afford it - go for it!! The circumvesuviana train to Naples is the worst!

From Rome, if you are looking for a Day Trip -- why not take the train to Orvieto? It's one of the best Hill Towns and easy to get to from Rome. Also Rick Steves Roma Walk will take you to all the major sights, the Trevi, Pantheon, etc. The Forum & Palatine Hill can take hours - there is a Nighttime Tour of the Colosseum that I want to take the next time we go. Check it out because you'll have to book in advance!

FLORENCE
I personally love all the Iconic buildings. Tourist areas are touristy for a reason - because they have COOL things to see! I will never forget what it felt like to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa and climb to the top. Something I had seen i pictures my whole life and bam, there it was. IMO anyways!
Personally, I don't love Florence. I know I'm in the minority, but I find it very cramped and boring. I prefer to stay in Siena. But, I've done the museums, seen David, etc. So, I feel no need to go back.

VENICE
We LOVE the Backstreets & Bar Tour with Alessandro (RS book) He's funny and sarcastic and it's a fun evening.
The Doges Palace Secret Itineraries Tour was very enjoyable and you get to walk through the Bridge of Sighs and get the view looking out. Spring for drinks on Piazza San Marco and enjoy the music.

PARIS
We used Fat Tire Bike Tours for Versailles. It's many miles on a bike, but with lots of stops including lunch. We also used Fat Tire for an Eiffel Tower tour that got us up at Sunset. FYI - there's no bikes involved. We had good experiences with both tours.

FAVE museum in Paris was the Musee D'Orsay - an old Train Station converted, the building is gorgeous and lots of Impressionists.

Sounds like a GREAT Trip!!

This looks like a wonderful trip! On Day 3 in London you may wish to add the Cabinet War Rooms (Churchill's bunker) which is right near Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey. For your day tour from London you may enjoy Windsor Castle and the town of Windsor, or going to Hampton Court Palace. In Paris on Day 2 or 3 I would recommend Musee D'Orsay with its lovely impressionistic art. We enjoyed that more than the Louvre. You have done a great job of planning! Best Wishes!

Wow thank you for all of the responses everyone! :)

Yeah this is by no means all what I want to do. This is just the BARE minimum I was hoping to achieve. I thought about what things specifically would make me sad to not see on the plane ride home.

I love all of the additional ideas. Especially the Orsay Gallery. I would love to add that, Shakespeare & Company book store, and the Sainte Chapelle during my time in Paris. I felt like I left myself a lot of wiggle room during those 2 days of pure sight seeing, not even including the day I arrive.

Please by all means, keep suggesting ideas! I would love to hear about all of the cool stuff that maybe aren’t in the city’s “top 5”.

I’ve binged the Rick Steves YouTube series, idk how many times. I’m doing it again now haha. Please, share personal stories or ideas that a first timer like me lacks :)

You have a realistic and great rough sketch of a first trip to Europe.

If your budget allows, book a car service to pick you up at the airport and take to your lodging. Like many people, I am brain dead when I arrive at LHR, or wherever, after an overnight flight. This is not the time to take public transportation to your destination, especially if it's your first trip. It is so much easier and less stressful to look for someone holding a sign with your name on it who will take you to your lodging.

Speaking of lodging, if your flight arrives in the morning, try to find a hotel that will let you check in early. After an overnight flight, I am one of those people who really want to just check into my hotel, take a shower, change clothes, and probably take a nap. There are people on this Forum who will tell you to tough it out during that time between flight arrival and hotel check in. I am not one of them.

I like the explore and rest time you built in. In London in addition to the places you listed, I enjoyed the Royal and Albert museum, Harrods, and Royal Albert Hall if a show interests you. Plus the Churchill WW2 bunkers. In Paris the Orly (sic) museum and the Napoleon tomb and war museum are good if open. In Venice try to take a boat over to/from Burano or Murano island for exploring, time and weather permitting. In Florence up the hill from the Ponte Vechio is the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens. If you hold onto your ticket you can also enter the nearby Bardini Gardens with its great view of the city from the outdoor cafe. If you can get to/from Sienna easily from Florence for your day it is great. But Lucca is nice too and a straight shot via train. In Rome be advised that Vat museums with Sistine Chapel are one tour, and St Peter’s is another (Vox Mundi). Also I haven’t been up there yet but the Borghese gardens and museum are highly rated. In Europe a Money strap thing under your pants is a must as well as high awareness. Don’t engage immigrants or gypsies. In London NEVER step off a curb without looking right left right. Use crosswalks or pedx tunnels. Stay in well lit areas control your drinking. Live to tour another day!

Two corrections to my reply above: In London I meant to say I enjoyed the Victoria and Albert Museum, Harrods, and Royal Albert Hall. Note these three are in fairly close proximity. In Paris I meant to say the d’Orsay museum. Also consider buying a three day multi-museum pass on your first museum visit versus single entries. The Rodin museum for example is included. Sure hope you can get over to Europe in 22 or 23, as this year appears to be a nonstarter again. Cheers!

I love that you have no other plans on your days of arrival. Also, for adding a list of other things you might want to do, make note of days that places are open/closed. That way you won't waste time showing up somewhere only to find it is closed.

Refreshing to read a rationale itinerary designed to optimize the creation of wonderful memories of your journey. Three thoughts...............

1) For a journey of this length please UNDER PACK and while traveling purchase some clothing meeting your trip needs while offering the potential of being souvenirs. Examples are the scarves and blouses my wife buys while I enjoy shopping for shirts. Wearing these items stateside always brings back warm thoughts of the journey and serve as wonderful useful souvenirs.
2) With the number of nights planned at each destination please take a deep dive into finding non-hotel rental options to provide additional comfort to your journey. We find having a small kitchen provides a benefit in cooking our own breakfast and the flexibility of creating snacks and lite meals (sometimes you just don't want to eat out). The additional space allows the ability to spread out and do some sink washing and dry your clothes. We see one bedroom apartments offering a family room, full size bedroom and a kitchen. Sometimes we get lucky with a small clothes washers. In all locations we have been blessed with landlords who know how to facilitate information to ease transportation needs and tidbits on access to nearby attractions.
3) On your first day ALWAYS take a walk around the block of your accommodations as it helps to stretch our legs , acclimate and sometimes discover the unadvertised: pub, coffee house, cleaners, second hand shop or simply a wonderful time to greet locales.

Enjoy a wonderful FIRST journey!

I already mentioned that I am another man-solo traveler. I have not been to Paris or Venice. Of your 5 cities I only have been to London, Florence, and Rome; also I saw Naples and Pompeii.

When I went to Florence, I had bought a ticket to Brunelleschi's dome of the Florence Cathedral (even though I thought I wouldn't care about it because I was raised Jewish). That is moot because the guy scanning tickets would not let me enter because the machine showed that my ticket had already been used that morning. I suspect that I accidentally gave my ticket for the dome, to the first museum, and the ticket worked for the other museum because the same organization sells both tickets, thus my ticket for the dome was "already used" and there would have been no use in my trying to negotiate with the Italian speaking staff. So you still should buy your tickets the accademia and Uffizi in advance, just make sure you show the right ticket for the right museum when you enter.

When I went to London, I wrongly believed I could only see one city per trip. I wish I had gone to the city of Bath and Stonehenge. I don't know why I skipped or missed seeing Westminster Abby. There never is time to see everything that may be of interest.

When I went to Rome, I wrongly believed I needed a good guided tour of the Colosseum and major ancient Roman Ruins. I bought tickets in advance for a guide from the company "Then Roman Guy". It cost me $99 US dollars. I don't want to say the guided tour was a waste of money but I probably would have been as happy without it. Some advanced reading would been sufficient. I did get to see the basement level of the Colosseum with a reconstructed elevator used raise animals onto the arena, operated by hand crank by 8 slaves and I got to see the (not that interesting) top level - the basement and top level can only be seen with certain guided tours. You wouldn't miss much if you just do the normal self-guided tour that cost about 12 Euros in 2017.

When I went to Pompeii, I stayed in Naples. I saw the site on one day and the archaeology museum in Naples on another day. The museum was worth it, it occupied me for about 5 hours. Seeing Pompeii as a day trip from Rome doesn't look appealing. I know it is logistically possible but it just seems like too much time traveling from Rome to the site and back in one day. Some other posters may suggest Ostia Antica, a site closer to Rome. It looks like it would be of interest to me but I didn't make time for it; I wouldn't know whether it is worth it.

Add to your itinerary: the names and addresses of your logging places, possibly the details of your trains between cities, don't share this with us but print a copy and give it to your parents and/or other trusted relative or friend.

Edit: one excellent guided walking tour I remember was in Florence, from Artviva; the guide was quite knowledgeable and talked for the whole time even when walking. It was a small group and cost 30 Euros in 2018, not sure if they are still running the exact same tour.

That's a busy three weeks, with four intercity trips, but a good first trip to Europe for a high-energy person who expects to return in the future. I agree about your arrival day in London (I'm in the stay-awake-till-evening school but people differ), but I don't see the harm in scheduling some sights on arrival days in the other cities. Fly between Paris and Venice, otherwise trains. I agree about going inside Westminster Abbey. Most of your days will have time for more sightseeing or strolling or whatever than you've mapped out. The British Museum and Louvre are the big time-consumers on your list, just keep in mind you don't have to "see it all." I'd suggest choosing the exhibits/works that interest you most and mapping out a reasonable route that covers them, ignore the rest.

Whenever you can do this trip, I'm sure you'll have a great time.

It is a good itinerary, but your plans tend to still have relatively short visits to these great places. I have been to Rome twice, spending about 12 days total there and still haven't seen it all. Of course, you can always come back.

First, congratulations for saving up & doing the homework needed for a trip like this.

I read your earlier post and think this looks like a sensible plan. When in London, I highly recommend visiting the Borough Market for lunch one day - we took our nephew and he loved it so much, he returned when he revisited London with his older brother a few years later (they were in their early 20s at the time). Another experience that really made an impression on him was riding London's subway system (the Tube). He loved figuring out how to get from point A to point B, people watching (discreetly of course), and comparing the different stations: the small, older stations (where people slept during the Blitz) vs. the newer, huge stations with multiple levels (remember to stand on the right when using the escalator so people choosing to treat them like stairs can pass on the left); it was his first time abroad and this was such an eye-opener for him.

In Paris, definitely go to the top of the Arc de Triomph. My husband did this on his first solo trip to Paris as a young man, and it really made an impression on him - so much so that he insisted we do it on our first trip together, and on the trip with our nephew - who also loved it. The view is fantastic because not only do you see the surrounding city (including the Eiffel Tower) and all 12 avenues & boulevards radiating out from around it, but even better, you can watch the traffic circle down below with the controlled chaos that ensues. It's incredible - something we simply don't see everyday here in the states.

In Florence, definitely wake up early and climb to the top of the Duomo. Plan to arrive when it opens so you can beat the crowds. The climb itself is so cool - to be inside the dome is mind-blowing, and the view from the top is spectacular. In fact, I highly recommend seeing each city you visit from a high vantage point; it's a great way to get your bearings.

In Venice, make a point of taking the vaporetto out to the little island across from the Doge's Palace, to the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore. The view of Venice from the top of the bell tower is spectacular, especially early in the morning or close to sunset (you can use the elevator for six euros). Do not miss this. I also highly recommend visiting the inside of St. Mark's Basilica. Dating back to the 11th century, many of the artifacts were plundered from Constantinople (Istanbul) during the 4th crusade (don't miss the Four Tetrarchs on the outside SW corner), and the gold mosaics are absolutely incredible - it's called the Church of Gold for a reason!

Also, pack a small lightweight pair of binoculars that work well both indoors and out, and carry them with you in your daypack or zippered pocket. It really helps to see details when looking across the rooftops of a city, but also inside various churches since the ceilings are so high up - having binoculars makes such a difference. When we took our nephew, he loved being able to see little details that we would've missed otherwise. He still talks about how we'd never have seen all the details and graffiti on the ancient Coronation Chair in London's Westminster Abbey.

Lastly, I'd love to know if you're still doing the RTW portion too with G Adventures? If so, I do hope you'll write a trip report for both when you get back. I, and many others, would love to hear how both this adventure, and the RTW trip, turn out.

Of course I’ll write a trip report! :) You guys are so supportive and helpful and I couldn’t imagine NOT coming back all excited to share with you guys. My RTW trip is definitely still on board!

Certainly looks doable. Greece has been there for thousands of years, so it’ll wait for you on another trip. And I see from your other post that Germany’s now on the agenda, too, but I can’t offer much there.

A couple of notes on Florence:

One of the most magnificent angles for viewing the Duomo is from the adjacent Campanile. Be sure to include the climb up Giotto’s bell tower in your itinerary.

And just this week, the Uffizi has opened up a bunch more rooms, with more artworks. You can be among the first to see the expanded content. Well done.

You and your friend will have a great trip!

Great Itinerary- Previous posters have all good tips. I would only add that you do not miss the Accademia Gallery that houses David in Florence.
Also to reiterate, RS books (smaller) for Paris, London, Rome and Venice will certainly help especially with his tips, like how to bypass the lines to the Eiffel Tower by booking a time.
Enjoy your planning and trip.

Echoing others who have said definitely go inside Westminster.
There are two schools of thought on Stonehenge. I’ve been, and I’m of the school that’s like, “Yep, there’s a bunch of rocks. We’re in the middle of nowhere. Now what?”
Do Lourve and Catacombs on different days; Lourve is exhausting and unimaginably gigantic.
Sounds good in general though!

When visiting the **Pantheon in Rome, LOOK UP!** The magnificent dome and oculus are the stars of the show! The massive dome is the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world! If you're there on a sunny day, pay attention to the shaft of light. If it's a day with fluffy white clouds, watch them move past the oculus. Do you see the shadows they create on the walls. If you're there on a rainy day, so much better. Now look down. See that incredible floor? It's sloped, and the water drains out thru those little holes. And yes, that incredible floor is original, unlike the statues in the niches. Rome's Pantheon is truly the 8th Wonder of the ancient world. If possible, it deserves multiple visits at different times of day. Honestly, IMHO, the Pantheon is far more awe inspiring than the Roman Forum.

Wow that was an incredible description of the Pantheon. It actually gave my goosebumps thinking about it hahaha. I’m sure pictures just don’t do it justice. I’m just that much more eager to go visit Rome now.

In regards to the Paris Catacombs, I have no other plans for that day in Paris besides the Louvre. I really wanted to give it the serious time it deserved but I thought I would go see it early in the morning (my hostel will be nearby) and start early. I can’t imagine I can stay in a museum all day so I would probably leave at some point in the early afternoon, sit and eat maybe, and then go check out the Catacombs later in the day.

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