Short Europe Trips

I have done one week trips three times, once to Paris, once to London, and once to Paris and London with a Eurostar connection, trips that filled the amount of time I had available pre retirement, and I had no regrets other than the fact it is very difficult to fully adjust to jet lag until just as you are starting to pack your bags for the trip back home. No regrets, though.

Now in retirement, I will not go for less than 2 weeks, and I find that 3 weeks is the sweet spot for me.

We have done it. Twice. It is not ideal as you know but certainly better than not going.

My advice:

1. Fly nonstop. Pick a destination where that is possible. You can't afford to waste time.
2. Stay in no more than two places and consider staying in one and making some day trips. Best to go to one not in city with airport first so you don't end up dividing your nights more than necessary. Again be careful with travel time if you decide to stay in two places.
   

I once did a 5 day family trip to Paris, which was the perfect amount of time to be together and coordinate the varying interests of 6 people. While I was working, shorter trips had the advantage that not as much work would pile up while I was gone.

I have always told myself that it's crazy to go to Europe (or Asia) for a short trip, because my ability to pay for the travel to/from there is limited, we can't go an infinite number of times, and you just get a better value for your travel dollar if you're staying longer. So I established "personal minimums" for trips: I would never even think of going to Europe for less than 2 weeks (2 weeks on the ground, not counting travel days), or 3 weeks for Asia (takes a bit longer to get to Asia, so I figured I needed longer there to spread out the cost of going). I still think that's true to some extent, but these days I find that I'm more sensitive to the "time cost" and less to the monetary cost.

Also, I've figured out one more trick: if I fly business class, it effectively "buys" me more usable time: I arrive well-rested, feeling good, and ready to hit the ground running (it also gets me home feeling good enough that I can function at work the next morning). So while it's more spendy to fly in a cabin up front, the extra 2-4 days it buys me makes it easier to justify.

I agree with sticking to limited itineraries/fewer places, and the value of nonstop flights. If your trip is short, you need to save every bit of time.

We're retired and take long trips but in November we went only to Lisbon and spent 9 nights. In other years we have spent one week at a time in various cities. We enjoyed those stays because, as mentioned by others, we didn't worry about moving lodging or finding a new restaurant or grocery store, etc., but we have also taken longer trips spending three nights in different towns so we can compare the types of trips. With one week in one city we can really get to know the neighborhood and the city. It starts to feel like home. It's different than traveling for a longer period of time and visiting different locations. Both are good. If I only had one week and could afford it, I would definitely find a city or town interesting to me and go!

Yes, you definitely can have great short trips, we've done it many times. And you are young, so go for it!

It is helpful if you can get non-stop flights, or at least no additional stops in Europe (many of us don't have the luxury of flying directly to Europe from our home base and must make a change in a US city), but even if you can't do a direct flight to your European destination, it's not earth shattering if you have a reasonable layover somewhere. Absolutely helps to stay in one place and if you are itching to go beyond one location, try to stick with day trips.

Is it better to go for longer...of course! Usually the flight cost is a big hit, thus people tend to want to extend their time and get lots of bang for that buck. But just starting out traveling, you will have wonderful week-long trips and when your child(ren) are older, you're more secure in your job, or you've retired, then you can go for those longer trips. Over the years you will put together your list of places you want to go back to and spend more time, and probably have places you won't care to go back to, or spend more than you already have. That's the fun of travel!

I think the last post said it very well. If a week is all you've got, go for a week. Especially from NY where you have many flight choices and shorter flights than from out here on the other coast. I lived in DC for six years in my 40s and wish I'd taken the advice I'm giving now. As a retiree I look for at least a 2-3 week trip, but I can spare the time and need the recovery period. (I haven't achieved David's level of investing in business class to sleep better, I'm still too cheap for that.)

Nonstops to Paris, London, probably Rome, all kinds of places from NYC. Pick a big city to spend a week, don't try to move around too much, do it again if you liked it. Bring the kid when he/she's ready. Happy travels!

I’ve done one week (6-8 nights) multiple times. I have kids in school so it’s either summer or squeeze it into one week school breaks.
I also did 3 nights once. That was a combination of expiring frequent flier miles and a special occasion with family.

For 1 week, it’s easy. The key is to not spread yourself too thin. Pick one city with day trips, or two places close enough together, and close to an airport with decent flights. You don’t want to fly then have multiple hours on trains. Then be selective in your activities so you have time to enjoy it and not be running around trying to squeeze three weeks worth of sights into 6 nights.

I’d actually even recommended my 3 night option under specific circumstances. For this to work you need to have an easy flight to the destination, one that arrives mid day or earlier. Direct flight is best, less chance of delays. Then you can sort of push through jet lag and run on adrenaline in a way that wouldn’t work for even a one week. You’d want a plan and a very limited set of things to do, and to have the logistics taken care of ahead of time. Research is essential- if you mess up a the sights hours or don’t get the right reservations, you don’t have time to go a different day

Hi. I too have been restricted because of limited vaca time. I have gotten adept at fitting national holidays into my available vacation days, but I know that will not work for everyone. I have also explored the shorter RS tours. The benefit of a short tour vs on your own is you don't have any planning to do and can really treat the time as a vacation. That might be more expensive than going on your own, but it has been a solution for me on occasion.

When I have gone short-term on my own, I have learned it helps to have a focus: the year I bought my house (mortgage!), I did a 4-day trip to Bath and London with the purpose of seeing Alan Rickman and Helen Mirren twice at the National Theatre in Antony and Cleopatra. It was a great trip and while short, I got to move at my own speed and do as I wished. Other ideas on the back burner for consideration include a winter short trip to take in one or more scenic Swiss trainlines and a short trip to Colmar/Alsace during spring asparagus season or for winter Christmas markets.

Even if days are limited, I say go for it. Scratch the itch. Just be kind to yourself and don't try to cram too much in. PS, Adventures with Sarah is offering some short staycations in Europe this year.

I suffer quite badly from jet lag, particularly when arriving back in the U.K. from America - it takes me at least a week to recover. The impact is less when heading west. The shortest trips I have had within Europe are 6 night/ 7 day city breaks, but obviously there is no jet lag involved and I have stayed in one place so I don’t waste time in transit. Direct flights help.

The shortest trip I have taken to America was 17 days, but I had 6 weeks holiday a year. I can’t imagine going there for less than a week.

See how family life and the new job develop and how your finances map out. Travelling with a toddler is very different to travelling without children.

Quite a few thanks to Turkish Air. Currently they fly to a half dozen or more US airports and over 100 European destinations. This probably isn't real current, but gives you an idea: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Turkish_Airlines_destinations

Settling it with a good carrier has made decision making easy and pulling the cord on the trip a lot easier too.

Friday after work (Turkish Air #34 out of Houston at 8:50 pm) then with a 1 - 3 hour connection in Istanbul I can reach more places in Europe (and the world) than any other airline serves.

Saturday, recover from Jet Lag but always the evening out.
Sunday, Party
Monday, Party
Tuesday, Party
Wednesday, Party
Thursday, Party
Friday, Party
Saturday, Party
Sunday Turkish Air #33 arrives Houston at 7:00 pm.

Book a few months in advance and the fare to is $600 to $800. So prorated, that's $100 a night or less. Hotel doesn't have to be more than $100 a night. On the ground expenses? I sort of love Eastern Europe so I dont spend any more than if I were home.

I've been on no less than 50 Turkish Air legs over the last 5 years; never canceled, never so late I missed a connection. Parking in Houston is $5 a day. Similar departure times out of Chicago, JFK, Los Angles and I think a few others.

Then once you get comfortable with the concept; my last fast trip was:
Friday depart Houston
Saturday arrive Budapest (of course)
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday; party in Budapest
Thursday a morning discount flight to Odesa which was $65 non-stop in about 90 minutes. Some of my favorite other side trips have been Sarajevo and Podgorica for a few days of fishing in the mountains. Here Budapest works because its a hub for Wizzair which flies to all sorts of wonderful places, cheap and direct.
Thursday afternoon, Friday, Saturday on the beach (or fishing in the mountains)
Sunday; head home (about half the time I stay till Monday)

Oddly enough that open-jaw can be $50 less expensive than a simple RT to Budapest which almost pays for the Wizzair Flight.

Hi
Here's what I found important on 1 week trips:

• the time difference
  in order to mitigate it, take a evening / night flight that arrives the following morning and sleep on the airplane.
  That way you arrive rested and ready for your vacation.

• having a detailed trip plan
  pre plan for hotels, attractions, restaurants, local transportation, etc.

• copies of all documentation
  personal ID, passports, driver's license, insurance / medical, flight tickets, hotel vouchers, credit cards, etc.
  If you have copies that you can leave at the hotel safe and with a relative back home ( they can e-mail you the copies) it will help tremendously if your documents are lost or stolen.

• if you're the type of person that prefers spontaneity you can leave a couple of days completely open and unplanned.

• add extra to the budget
  besides the necessary trip budget ( flights, hotels, attractions, restaurants, etc) add extra not just for a personal splurge but also for last minute decisions ( like taking a time saving taxi instead of a public bus).

These suggestions ( from personal experience) allow for enjoyment of every minute of the vacation and peace of mind because you have prepared for a smooth vacation.
Happy travels

Great replies, really do appreciate the advice and context.

Fortunately (and unfortunately) the job is a great opportunity so I had to take it, even with the crap holiday time. But gotta make the most of every opportunity. I guess we’ll make due of the time we have currently and hope the jet lag and acclimation doesnt beat us up once there or even returned back.

We do typically always look for overnight flights and fortunately JFK is our home airport, so there is no shortage of direct flights.

I also always like the idea of travelling and living like a local, so the 1 big city idea isn’t so terrible.

I remember on the one trip we flew into Brussels as our first stop, we dropped our bags at the hotel and walked to the Grand Place. I was so thrilled at being back in Europe and in such a gorgeous space that I said, "It was worth the flight just to be here, even if we only had one day." Go!

MayNy, if I lived near JFK I would be gone 6 times a year...... Go, enjoy!!!

My advice is to leave on a Friday night and come home on a Monday 10 days later. That gives you more time on the ground and you only use up 6 days of vacation. Travel during a US holiday and you will only use up 5 vacation days.

Lots of advice has been given. My advice is to: travel to no more than two cities that are relatively close to each other--given your allotted time. My suggestions are:

London and Paris
Munich and Salzburg
Florence and Venice
Prague and Vienna
Vienna and Budapest
Madrid and Barcelona
Paris and Amsterdam

The common thread is good rail connections between these cities. And they're all great European cities too and worthy of seeing..

I agree with most posters, one week, one city. I worked in the school system so sometimes we would go during February break. Great cities with more then enough to keep you occupied for a week are abundant. Rome, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Amsterdam, krakow, Berlin, London. I could go on and on. Besides, with a new baby one week will be just enough before mommy misses them too much and grandparents don’t get too exhausted.

Three short European trips for me: London for 5 nights, Ireland for 6 nights (3 Doolin, 3 Dublin), and France for 6 nights (5 Colmar, 1 Paris). Enjoyed them all!

I did a trip last year for just 4 nights in Iceland. It’s nice because it’s just a short 5 hour flight (from New York) and since we went in summer, jet lag wasn’t really any issue since we could stay out until well past midnight and still have light. The trip did feel rushed though however I kept it short to keep it in budget. Was an unforgettable experience and totally worth it. If you can take 5 days off of work and then leave on a Friday after work return on a Sunday, then you have a good 10 days to travel and I’ve done this a couple times as well. First to London and then took the train to Brussels before heading back to London to fly home (before I knew about open jaw flights) and another where I did Paris and Amsterdam. I agree with others that picking no more than one city is ideal. London and Paris certainly have enough for you to do to keep you occupied for that long. Spain is also a good option as its well connected by high speed train.

I wanted to add that budgeting constraints can be different on short trips. For example, paying more for a flight with a convenient time and no layover is more important. Going for 2-3 weeks, you can handle leaving in the middle of the day and having a 7 hour layover to save money. But to maximize time on a short trip, you will want to leave after work one day (no vacation day needed), and fly direct. Or better, tie it to a holiday. Prices are higher, but you don't need to use vacation time. If your work gives you the day after Thanksgiving as a holiday, you can go then and have a one week trip plus two weekends for just 3 vacation days. Again, more expensive to fly, but it's not a European holiday so things won't be more expensive or closed over there!

Overall, you will spend less on everything else, simply because less nights equals less cost on hotels/food, so paying more for flights is a bit more affordable. You might also feel able to justify things like paying for tours or guides in order to get the most out of your time.

Try it and see. Its not an indefinite commitment. As long as Grandma is Ok with it. I know my grandkids require full attention when they're here, and they learn to miss mommy vocally pretty quickly.

I’ve done 3 one week trips. Ireland, where we got a car and stayed in 3 places over 4 nights. We returned to Dublin for 3 nights. It was fast paced, but we saw a lot. We are going back to Ireland in August for 2 weeks this year. Paris for a week. We normally move around and fly into one airport and home from another. Spending all of our time in one city allowed us to get a vacation package from United. It ended up costing the same amount as if we had just purchased the flights, so essentially we got our hotel room for free. It was the easiest trip I’ve ever taken, except for the third one week trip. I took my elderly uncle to Germany to visit his children and grandchildren. We flew in and out of Frankfurt. My cousin, who lives in Cologne, met us at the car rental counter. Since she was there I had her drive us to the small town on the Rhine where we spent a week. I appreciated her driving after our long flight. I had to show her to drive an automatic. My other cousin arranged the house rental.

I prefer longer trips, but sometimes you just have to go with the time you have. I agree with those who recommend staying in one city, or two at the most.

A city with good day trips and train connections for a couple of nights in another place.
London and York
Rome and Florence
Paris and Chartres or drive to the Loire area for 2 nights

We once did a week in London during my spring break as a teacher-we took one bus day trip to Cotswolds and Blenheim Palace.
It was great.

This is a great discussion. I work full time and I’m trying to conserve vacation days. I usually go on an annual European trip for two plus weeks (often on an RS tour with some solo days before and/or after the tour). However this year with the increased financial risk of booking a tour and the risk of using up more vacation days if I end up having to quarantine due to contracting COVID during my trip, I’m considering doing a shorter solo trip to one major city. I’m considering London which I haven’t visited in at least 20 years and which has many sights which I’ve never had the time to visit in two short prior trips.

When I lived in Atlanta, I flew often due to business requirements. Thus, I had Delta Elite status and lots of miles.
On some occasions, we'd get notification of flights that would "enhance" our status, award us triple points, or we just had to make a mileage run as we neared the end of the year to keep our status! Thus, we made MANY short Euro-trips.

20+ years ago, London was often our #1 quick-trip-mileage-run destination. We'd fly over on Thursday, arrive Friday, and come home on Sunday morning. We'd work in a Theater Show on Saturday night and have a tremendous weekend. Perhaps our most adventurous trip was departing ATL on a Thursday evening, flying to Zurich, grabbing a rental car, and heading to Wengen for 2 nights.

We packed light, traveled with friends and business associates, and often used Marriott, IHG, or Hilton points for our hotel stays. We'd always book Economy and back then our flights were usually under $300 RT. Many times we were fortunate to get "operational upgrades" and for this reason, I - or one of the other Elite Flyers - always booked the tickets for the group. The flights across the pond were usually our "planning sessions" as these trips always seemed to be last minute.

So yes, do go - as often as you can! We had some great trips, shared some incredible experiences, and took many folks to Europe who had never been. It was fun & interesting to see familiar locations through their eyes.

The shortest long haul trip I've taken was London to Dallas and driving to Austin for a few days, 7 days in total. Typically the minimum length of a long haul stay is 14 days but would I do it again? Yes, probably.

I can't recall how many long weekends I've spent in Europe but obviously the short distances make it viable.

My wife once flew London to Tokyo for a weekend, she'll never do that again!

The longest duration I've flown within Europe was London to Kos which took 4 hours or Moscow which was slightly shorter. The shortest flight to the US from London is around 8 hours which, if I flew business or first, I could justify a shorter duration but would really only consider one location.

Living on the East Coast makes a shorter trip more viable for you due to the shorter flight duration and anywhere within Western Europe would be a suitable option with 8 days to spend.

Oops, forgot to mention that in late December 2019 (after Christmas) we spend 6 nights in Edinburgh. We traveled with family and that was the only number of days available due to school. We had a great time. In that short time we were able to enjoy Edinburgh and do three day trips, two short ones and one for the whole day. It was a memorable time and we all agreed it was well worth going.

As you said, time is fleeting, we don't know what the future holds. Explore and enjoy yourselves!

Carol, Edinburgh is another city that I’m considering for a shorter trip so it’s nice to hear that it worked out well for your group.

Our shortest trip was five nights to London for a great birthday party held in the Albert & Victoria Museum. It was so quick we hardily had any jet lag. We had a great time but packing light was problem since we had to have both a long gown and formal wear. The gown filled one carry on bag by itself.

From a grandparent perspective -- Ten days maybe stretched to two weeks for babysitting under four is max. If in school, longer is OK. And then, only in their house.

If a week is what you have, go to Europe for a week. I've done multiple 3-night trips and did fine (though jet lag generally is not a big deal for me as long as I keep moving).

My shortest trip was 8 nights, Paris/Colmar. Departed on a Friday & returned the following Sunday. I can work through jet lag, so getting that extra night in which ever country I am visiting is important to me. For the most part I try and do 10 - 11 nights every other year, since I am still working and take leave for other activities (Bike Trips, Grandkids & Family visits). Even better if I plan the trip over a holiday weekend, then that is one less day of vacation being charged.

I have done week long trips. The secret is to focus on one major location. For example, London for a week. That doesn't mean you can't do short day trips an hour or two away, but really focus on one location. You don't have enough time "on the ground" to spend it traveling from location to location.

The next step is to prioritize what experiences are important to you and not try to fill every day nonstop. If you think, "This is the only chance I'll ever have....." it leads to packing too much in. You need to approach it with, "I can always come back, this trip I would like to focus on...."

I would say that you should follow Rick Steves' advice and not bring an infant/toddler to Europe for your one week trip. Couple time is important to keep a strong marriage. My only other concern, and I say this as a loving grandmother, is that one week of taking care of an infant/toddler can be a little tiring on grandparents. It gets a little easier to watch grandchildren if they are at least preschool age when you are talking about a whole week.

My wife and I went to London in October 2019 for 3 days and 2 nights. Yes, sounds crazy, but I have a demanding job, we have two little ones (who stayed home with grandparents), and we were trying to make the best of it. We flew a red-eye on a Friday night, arriving early Saturday morning, so we had all day Saturday, all day Sunday, and didn't have to leave the city for Heathrow until around 5:00 p.m. on Monday, so we had nearly 3 full days. We have been to Europe many times and knew in advance we would be good to go on the day we arrived; that is an issue for others. Like you, I'm on the east coast with plenty of non-stops available, and we had found a very cheap fare on Virgin/Delta. Were we tired when we got home? You betcha. Would we do it again? 100% yes. For such a short trip, just accept you aren't going to do everything, identify your "must-dos," and roll with it.

We've also done many trips to Europe (before kids) in that range of 6-8 nights. As others have noted, I think you want to be really cognizant of transit times while you are in Europe. I would either try to stay in one country and rely on public transportation or a rental car, or if you do multiple countries, keep them to reasonable train rides (like London and Paris or Vienna and Budapest, as two examples). Generally speaking, I would not do less than 2 nights in any one location, and preferably at least 3. If I had 8 nights, I could see doing an intra-European flight halfway through, but I would generally try to stick to ground travel.

In truth, I don't believe I've ever taken a trip to Europe longer than 9 nights on the ground. I wish I had the ability to take 2 weeks or more, but that just isn't in the cards right now. I think 6-8 nights is plenty.

Some feel you need to spend a certain amount of time in a location to "do it justice" or "do everything." I've never felt that way. You are young; act like you are going to go back some day. Just be aware of the limitations that short time mandates, plan thoroughly, and roll with it.

6-8 days is short??

8 is about standard for me. With work and other demands on the homefront, it can be difficult to get away for any longer than that. I have an upcoming trip that will be exactly 2 weeks long and, truth be told, I'm a bit anxious about it! Long time to leave the dogs in the hands of the dogsitter and a long time to be away from the office.

Pre-covid I had gotten into the habit of 2 weeks in Europe in spring and then in September I'd do a 4 day trip to London--arriving at 7 am gave me a whole day, albeit a very long one when I hadn't slept on the plane. Fast forward to 2022 and I have just booked 8 days in London in April--my job has become too demanding for more than 8 days and with the state of things re covid anyway I figure 8 days in a familiar city will be an exactly perfect re-start to my overseas travels. I can see doing a solid week anywhere I can fly non-stop to--Amsterdam, Paris, Munich.

Ideally, I feel that 12-15 nights is a good length for a trip with a couple of big cities and maybe a side trip or 2.

Looking more into it now though, 6-8 nights should be easily doable and enjoyable. We’ve been making a list of our top cities/locations we would want to do.

Also, as some mentioned and advised, anymore than that for us now currently with the baby, would probably be a bit rough on grandma, so would definitely need to put that into consideration.

Really looking forward to the planning and booking of something soon, aiming for sometime in September or October.