The Biggest Mistakes People Make When Planning European Trips

I’ve been fortunate enough to travel throughout Europe for more than three decades, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that planning a European vacation is a lot like packing a suitcase. Most people try to cram in far more than will comfortably fit.

Every time I hear someone say they’re visiting London, Paris, Rome, Venice, Florence, Barcelona, and Amsterdam in ten days, I can’t help but smile. I know exactly how that trip is going to end. They’ll come home with a thousand photos, a blur of train stations and airports, and a nagging feeling that they never really experienced any of the places they spent so much money to visit.

I understand the temptation. If you’re flying across the Atlantic, it feels like you should see as much as possible. Europe looks deceptively small on a map, and with high-speed trains and budget airlines, it seems easy enough to hop from one country to the next. What most first-time visitors don’t realize is that it’s not the transportation that wears you out. It’s everything that comes with changing locations.

Every time you move to a new city, you’re packing your suitcase, checking out of a hotel, finding a taxi or train station, navigating unfamiliar transportation, checking into another hotel, figuring out the neighborhood, and then doing it all over again two days later. Entire vacation days disappear without you ever setting foot inside a museum or sitting down at a café.

These days, I’d much rather spend four nights in one city than two nights in two different ones. I know that doesn’t sound nearly as ambitious, but I promise you’ll come home feeling like you’ve actually been somewhere instead of simply passing through.

Another mistake I see people make is choosing hotels based solely on price. I used to do the same thing. I’d tell myself I was only sleeping there, so why spend more? Then I’d discover my bargain hotel was a 30-minute walk from everything I wanted to see or required hauling luggage up four flights of stairs because there wasn’t an elevator.

Now I almost always prioritize location over square footage or luxury. A smaller room in a walkable neighborhood is worth every penny. Being able to step outside and wander to dinner, grab a morning coffee, or return to your hotel for an afternoon break changes the entire rhythm of your trip. It’s one of the smartest decisions you can make when planning a trip to Europe, especially if you’re traveling after 50 or 60 and don’t feel like turning every day into a marathon.

Speaking of marathons, people consistently underestimate how much walking Europe involves. Even if you’re using trains and public transportation, you’ll still be walking several miles a day over uneven sidewalks, cobblestone streets, hills, train platforms, and airports. Comfortable shoes aren’t a fashion compromise; they’re travel equipment. Nobody remembers how stylish their shoes looked after spending six hours limping around Rome.

Another common mistake is trying to book every minute before you leave home. I love researching a destination as much as anyone. Half the fun of a trip is imagining it beforehand. But there’s a difference between planning and overplanning. Some of my favorite memories have come from wandering into a neighborhood market, lingering over lunch because the wine was too good to leave, or following a recommendation from a local that never appeared in a guidebook.

Leave some blank space in your itinerary. Europe has a wonderful way of rewarding curiosity, but only if you give yourself enough time to be curious.

One lesson I learned the hard way is to pay attention to the calendar before you book. Europeans tend to take their vacations seriously, and many smaller businesses close on Sundays or during holidays. Museums have unexpected closure days. Restaurants may not serve dinner until much later than you’re used to. Entire neighborhoods can feel completely different depending on the season. Doing a little research ahead of time can save a lot of frustration.

I also think too many people focus on famous attractions and overlook the neighborhoods where people actually live. Yes, visit the Eiffel Tower. See the Colosseum. Stand in front of Big Ben. Those places are famous for a reason. But don’t spend your entire vacation hopping from one landmark to another. Some of the best travel experiences happen far from the postcard views. They’re found in local markets, neighborhood cafés, parks filled with families, and quiet streets where you suddenly realize you’re watching everyday life instead of sightseeing.

Perhaps the biggest mistake of all is believing there’s a “right” way to travel through Europe. There isn’t. Some people love museums. Others would happily spend an afternoon wine tasting or wandering through a fishing village. Some travelers thrive on busy itineraries while others would rather spend four hours sitting in a café with a good book.

The best European vacation isn’t the one where you see the most countries or visit the longest list of attractions. It’s the one that fits the way you like to travel.

After all these years, I’ve stopped measuring a trip by how much I accomplished. I measure it by how often I found myself saying, “Let’s stay a little longer.”

That’s usually a sign you’ve planned your trip exactly right.