r/Europetravel

Edit: i will start the antibiotic - i didnt because an ear infection wasn't confirmed and I didnt want to start antibiotics if it was just a cold that would resolve itself - if you have nothing nice to say please move on im very sensitive and sick - please have empathy im in a foreign country and feel very sick. I posted this to vent not to be ridiculed and made cry more. I will also go go a pharmacy for ibuprofen - as I am alone I didnt not feel well to leave recently and when I had arrived the area I was in did not feel safe at night and I have been asleep during the days.

Edit 2: Pharmacist would not sell me ibuprofen Referred to urgent care center Waiting and hoping english is spoken or google translate will get me by

Im here for 26 days which is a rarity only made possible by my starting a new job in September and quitting my previous

I spent the first 4d5n in Amsterdam - lovely place felt very safe and the weather was beautiful if not a little hot

I travelled to Ghent 3d4n, which was a bit of a mishap after missing my blablacar - first time taking one and just didnt pay enough attention inspecting every bus i guess - expensive lesson learned but I still got to my destination. I had a great rest of my evening and got a bit of a cold after my arrival day - not fun but I slept in most of that day to rest and headed out a little in the evening was able to enjoy the city centee still. The next day was fine as well more or less, slight cold symptoms but not unbearable and I got a nasal spray from a pharmacist. On the day to leave around 3am I woke with the most terrible pain and pressure in my ear and found my voice sounded very muffled.

I've never experienced this from a cold and was beginning to panic a bit. Got more meds and an antibiotic prescribed for an inner ear infection in case the medications dont start helping.

At this point I started masking and caught my bus to Lille, France. Another 4d4night (I have a late train to London) I have not seen much of Lille aside from a pharmacy and it has felt less safe than the other cities. I have been bed rest and sleeping and hoping each night I wake up with relief but I keep waking up worse.

At this point you can conclude I'm still in the middle of my trip - I'm supposed to take a flight from London to Dublin in exactly one week on the 28th and terrified of my ears still being disrupted as I was advised by the teledoc and just the internet in general to not fly if that is the case.

I would have an opportunity to catch my connecting flight to Iceland on September 3rd or worst case scenario September 6th

I did not purchase travel insurance... Yes I am deeply regretful

I am feeling pretty sorry for myself this morning, I try to feel gratitude and consider myself pretty optimistic and resilient but I'm in so much pain and have run out of my ibuprofen (another regret) I feel like a dumb American in france trying to go anywhere (metro, pharmacy, takeaway) and effectively all my support family and friends are thousands of miles and several hours behind in the timezone so I spend most of my day without communication.

I just really want to vent somewhere, I feel so horrible and the medicines arent working. I'm not looking for medical advice - Im afraid to try the antibiotic in case its a viral infection and the antibiotic hurts my immune system more. All the money I've spent to be here to be sick and miserable is upsetting but the time is worse. I don't imagine I'll find myself with 26 days free to travel in a long time under the corporate American PTO system.

So today I will try more with the meds, drink fluids, drug myself to sleep a bit and hopefully get through the day feeling slightly better than before. On day 5 of my cold symptoms, I know I shouldn't listen to the internet but most places suggest symptoms should start improving days 6-10.

I hate being in pity for myself but Im so sad, sick and alone right now. 💔

Hi everyone!

I’m planning to visit the Amalfi Coast from October 9–12 as part of my honeymoon and then head to Rome. We will be coming from Florence to Amalfi.

We will be travelling almost entirely by public transport and won’t have a rental car. We’d like to visit places like Positano, Amalfi, Ravello and possibly Capri, while keeping the trip relatively relaxed.

I’m currently considering staying in:
Minori
Maiori
Sorrento

For those who have visited the coast without a car, which would you recommend as a base?

Our priorities are:

1. Good public transport/ferry connectivity
2. Easy access to Positano, Amalfi and Ravello
3. Reasonable/budget accommodation
4. Not too difficult with luggage
5. Easy onward journey to Rome
   6. We will be coming from Florence.

Preferably a nice coastal atmosphere rather than staying somewhere that feels too urban

I’ve read that Minori/Maiori can be significantly cheaper than Positano/Amalfi**, while Sorrento has better overall transport connections. But I’m wondering whether staying in Sorrento would mean spending too much time commuting back and forth along the coast.

Also, is October 9–12 still a good time to visit? Are ferries generally running at that time, or should we plan primarily around buses?

Would love to hear from anyone who has stayed in **Minori, Maiori or Sorrento in October,**especially if you travelled without a car.
Thanks!

I am in the early stages of planning a trip for spring 2027 that includes Amsterdam, Brugge, Ghent, and Paris. I am seeing in my research that boat tours on the canals and rivers of these cities are popular attractions. Some even go so far as to say your visit to (insert city here) is not complete without a boat ride!

My question is, is it worth doing in multiple destinations, or should I pick just one? Are the experiences all that different? If only one, which would you do?

If it helps, the likely itinerary is 4 nights Amsterdam, 3 nights Ghent (with day trip to Brugge), 4 nights Paris. I will likely do one day trip Amsterdam and maybe Paris as well. Just giving an idea of how much time I will have in each place.

Thanks!

I’m planning a week long solo trip through Central Europe in early October and am currently deciding where to spend most of my time.

I’m leaning towards choosing just one or two cities rather than trying to cover a lot of ground. I’ve already been to Germany, Prague, Italy, Greece, Spain and Netherlands in the past, so want to see some other place. I am particularly interested in places where I can explore architecture, do some hikes, historic sights and some unique experiences.

Which cities would you recommend for this kind of trip? Places that are enjoyable to explore on foot, have a good atmosphere in autumn, and offer enough to keep you occupied for several days.

I’m considering destinations such as Vienna and Budapest, but I’m very open to other suggestions.

Also interested in hearing how you found solo travel in these cities — whether it was easy to meet people naturally or not?

Thanks in advance

Need to be in Berlin on Sunday 4th April next year for the half marathon, and due to the fact that the previous weekend is Easter (for which those of us in the UK get a four day weekend) I’m going to take a week-and-bit holiday from Friday 26 March (Good Friday) until the following weekend.

I’ve been to Berlin a couple of times and it’s shall we say…not my favourite city. Therefore my plan was to arrive there Saturday and spend the week beforehand elsewhere. My question is around Easter in Germany - as I understand it shops, supermarkets etc all shut for the three public holidays (and nothing wrong with that), but what else closes?

I’m thinking to spend the week in either Saxony/Thuringia or Bavaria. Would just be a trip of wandering around a few smaller towns/cities, having lunch, visiting some castles/churches/cathedrals, nothing too heavy.

Has anyone in this sub been to Germany around Easter weekend? Are there any regional variations in openings? I know Easter is still a massive tourist getaway weekend in Germany but I’ve heard as an example that Bavaria shuts down much more extensively than elsewhere, so any input is very welcome.

Hello!
We are a group of friends looking for a peaceful getaway for new years celebration. We are based in Vienna and Bavaria (near Salzburg) and we are specifically looking for somewhere peaceful and quiet- without fireworks and it should be accessible by car (we dont mind a longer drive). The Alps (Austria, Germany) are filled with party people. So we are currently thinking Czechia, Slovenia? or maybe it could be peaceful at some of the croatian islands in the north?
Any good recommendations are highly welcome!
Thanks!

Looking for some advice -

I Was planning on Flying out of Budapest on the 10th to either Tirana or Skopje, and going the following route:

*September 10-14 Tirana
*Bus to Skopje 14-18
*bus to Kosovo (idk where) 18-21
*bus to podgorica 21-23
*bus to budva 23-26
*bus to mostar 26-29
*bus to split 29-1
*fly to Geneva from split 10/1 OR
*bus to dubrovnik 1-3
*fly to Geneva from dubrovnik 10/3

But through my research i’ve learned that I will spend more time in transit than at these places.

Would really appreciate some advice on what route to take, or an area to really concentrate on considering the lack of Trains in the area.

Maybe would make more sense to start north (croatia) and make my way south? Or maybe just do Albania and North Macedonia? Or Greece?

I definitely want to see a good chunk of Albania, Budva, Mostar, and potentially North Macedonia.

Ideally would like to visit at least 2 culturally distinct areas in the timeframe if that’s reasonable, and places that are easier on the wallet.

Definitely need to end up somewhere where we can fly for a decent price to Geneva to meet my Momma between October 1-3.

For reference, I love hiking, walking literally everywhere, checking out (free) museums, people watching, trying local foods, and live music. And literally everything I like to try every and anything that pushes me out of my comfort zone.

Thanks all.

Hi all! I’m looking for route advice and border gotchas.

My partner and I are relocating from Athens, Greece to Oslo, Norway and we're seriously considering driving instead of flying, mainly because of our dog. She is a former stray dog with lots of fears and high amounts of stress. Flying feels more stressful for her than a slow drive with proper breaks, but I want to be realistic about it rather than romantic, and if the drive turns out to be worse for her, we'll rethink.

This would be my first road trip of this scale, so I'd rather learn from people who've actually done it than guess.

Route
- Is the Greece → Italy ferry (Patras/Igoumenitsa to Ancona/Bari/Venice) the sensible way to start, or is driving up through the Balkans (Bulgaria/Serbia/Hungary) genuinely better? Ferry seems calmer for the dog but I don't know how pet-friendly the cabins actually are in practice.
- From Italy northwards, what's the least stressful and with better roads, corridor? Austria/Germany/Denmark and then the Denmark–Sweden crossing, or something else? Alpine passes vs tunnels — anything to avoid with a dog in the car?
- Realistically, how many days should we budget if we're driving max 5–6 hours a day with proper stops?

Dog / border questions (the part I'm most unsure about)
- She's microchipped with a valid EU pet passport and rabies vaccination. I know Norway requires a tapeworm treatment 24–120 hours before entry, done by a vet in the last EU/EEA country. Anyone done this in Sweden or Denmark? We can do that in Greece but we will probably arrive in Norway after the expiration date. How easy is it to find a vet who knows the paperwork and will stamp it correctly?
- My main confusion: some countries have specific rules for dogs entering — does that apply if I’m only transiting through? And if it does, how do you actually demonstrate you’re just passing through? Do border officers ever ask, or is it a non-issue inside Schengen? Any experience with non-Schengen legs (if we go via the Balkans) would be really useful.
- Any breed restrictions or muzzle/leash rules that catch people out in transit countries?

Practical stuff
- Pet-friendly hotels/stops along the way that you’d actually recommend, especially anywhere that lets the dog decompress rather than just tolerating her.
- Roads or areas you’d avoid for safety reasons (road quality, night driving, border queues, anywhere you wouldn’t want to break down with an animal in the car).
- Anything you wish you’d known before doing something similar.
We’re not in a rush and we’d rather add days than push her too hard. Any advice, route maps, or “don’t do what I did” stories very welcome.

Thank you and apologies for the long post!

Hi!

I had other travel plans that fell through so now I have November 1-17 off.

I haven't solo traveled a lot, but my friends were recommending going to the Netherlands, specifically Amsterdam, since its said to be safe with a good night scene. While I was in that area, I was thinking about going to Belgium and France for a few days as well.

An alternative recommendation was Spain and Portugal, which seems warmer for that time period, and I've been meaning to visit Italy for a long time too.

I'm having a hard time deciding between either choices.

For Netherlands/Belgium/France: I like art and going to museums, am a big fan of Miffy, and I wouldn't mind colder weather (although rain every day might be a bit of a bummer) and I hear the cafe culture is nice. Also I heard there might be some Christmas markets that I mayyyy be able to catch in the middle of November, but I'm a little worried about it being too early for them.

For Portugal/Spain/Italy: I do prefer warmer weather and I absolutely love, love, love beaches. I've been hearing really good things about Andalusia and Sicily for this time of year too. My concerns for this route is that it might be too tight of a time frame? and closed beaches. I was considereing Greece a bit too but it seems like most places are closed for the off season.

I am a woman in my mid 20s, and it'll be my first international solo trip (although I have separated from my group in past Asia trips). I'm not trying to pack too many things in my itinerary, and most important for me is just good food and meeting friendly people.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Hello there, my first post here, i saw some people in other posts saying sleeper trains aren't really good and made me question the original plan i had in mind. My current plan for a trip in November is:

- Paris to Ghent - Arrive at Ghent around 13h00, roam around for a bit, eat some local food, drink some beers and possibly see the Gravensteen and St Bavos, get to know the city for a bit then back to Brussels.

- Brussels to Berlin Sleeper train - 21h45 - arriving 10h00

- Berlin to Prague - leaving Berlin at around 15h00 and getting into Prague 19h00+-, where i'll be staying for 4 nights before going to Vienna to catch another sleeper to Rome.

I know Ghent and Berlin are really rushed in this, but Berlin isn't a city that really attracts me to be honest, i was going to take the sleeper directly to prague, but I would really love to see some places like the Wall Memorial, Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, and Ghent looks like a lovely place, and I saw the opportunity to check it out since it was kinda on route for the sleeper.

I thought it was a solid plan, but it might require a good rest between Brussels to Berlin, since i'll just have roamed around for a full day and will roam around in Berlin for some hours as well.

Alternatives would be: (I'm also considering this alternatives in case the sleeper gets cancelled or something)

Plan B - From Ghent to Cologne, arriving at Cologne at like 22h00, just staying for the night somewhere near the station and checking out the Cathedral, which does look amazing. Then Morning train to berlin, arriving at 13h00, staying there until 19h00 and last train to Prague. Would get a proper rest, get to see Cologne Cathedral but would arrive really late in Prague and leave a bit earlier from Ghent.

Plan C - Directly from Paris to Berlin, arriving at around 19h00 spend a night there then getting a train to Prague next morning. Would lose Ghent (and around 25 euros since i already got the eurostar to brussels haha), but would get a proper night, a bit more of Berlin and some more Prague.

Heading to Belgium (Charleroi) to stay with Family in September. Going to do a three nights in Amsterdam wed - sat. Got the international driver's permit. Not sure price & convenience wise whether it's better to book trains or rent a car?

From googling I didn't really see a big price difference train tickets vs rental but my partner believes if you rent a car you cannot leave the country, but I have no option to select that when checking prices?

What is driving like in Amsterdam? Is traffic crazy or decently manageable?

I'm leaning towards rental so we can circle around for sights on the way in/out but am concerned about that "No leaving Belgium" rule my partner is sure they have.

We are Canadian and have member perks and visa infinite privilege plus for discounts.

Any advice?

Hey everyone,

I am trying to plan a quick holiday in september for a week in europe. The trouble is, I'm really struggling to feel inspired and excited by places (that sounds horrid, please bare with me!)

My favourite holidays have been staying in tiny towns in lake como (NOT the tourist traps!) We stayed in Mandello del lario where we were some of the only tourists. The town was tiny, pristine and quiet, you could walk around at night and not bump into anyone even in September. The water lapped at your feet. We would then hike to nearby towns to swim and have pizza. Lake Maggiore was another favourite; perusing the little market, cooking pasta at our airbnb, swimming at the lido.

We're not looking for all inclusive, overly catered to tourists vibes. We like small romantic towns that are quiet and peaceful over well-catered tourist spots. I'd trade Cinque Terra for small towns on Lake Maggiore any day, for example.

The reason I'm uninspired is because we're looking for this vibe, and outside of Italy, but I'm just not sure where to look. We're vegetarian, which complicates things a bit. France, Spain and Portugal seem like obvious options, but not necessarily when veggie? Also we both have intolerances and allergies.

So, looking for personal accounts of trips that marry quiet romance and peacefulness, beautiful architecture and scenery, pleasant way of life that we can sort of slip into. We're still open to Italy but I've travelled there a lot (I lived there and speak some of the language.) We're also open to 'unexpected' destinations; for example, I was looking at Montenegro, but I've read a lot of accounts of politics and social issues impacting relations between tourists and people who live there (creating a lot more unpleasant tension than places like italy (though I know similar issues exist there!). PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong as I hope I am as it looks kind of perfect for what we're looking for.

Coming from London, prefer less expensive areas. I've loved:

- Small town regions in Italy

What we were slightly less in love with:

- Thessaloniki in Greece, super amazing food but prefer smaller vibes

- cities in Croatia were cool but imagine they're heavier touristically now, small areas/islands were stunning

- Antalya was beautiful but seemed overly catered to tourism?

Not looking for:

- Large city trips

- all inclusive/resort vibes

- expensive/luxury holiday

Need:

- accessible by train (no car)

- veggie-friendly, cuisine that doesn't rely heavily on rice. Nut allergy sensitive.

- ideally well connected for day trips but not essential

- swimming spots

THANK YOU!!

Still formulating an itinerary for spring that will include much of Belgium and adding in Amsterdam and Leiden, Northern France, Luxembourg City. Some of the beautiful places I want to visit are an hour or more away by train from a large city , so a day trip would already take 3 hours round trip.

Would it make more sense to just go stay in the smaller town even for a night? Train in the morning to be there by lunch, drop bag at hotel and have the day and night and next half day as well before leaving, instead of train in morning to spend 4-5 hours before getting the train back. It doesn't sound like it does any location much justice.

I read "Bruges is really a day trip destination" but if I am getting a tour to Ypres from there it's gonna be a couple nights.
Are people just rising at the crack of dawn for these day trips? Dinner in the destination before heading back on late trains?

I plan to just have 1 carryon rolling bag and a purse/bag.
Also this trip will be about a month.

Give me some insight into how your trips have gone please. I feel like I don't want to miss anything but also don't want to be so tired I can't enjoy it.i

Hello!

I live in the United States, and have never travelled outside of the country. My fiancée and I will be joining her parents and brother in Paris for a week over Christmas. We will be in Paris from 12/19-12/27, and my fiancée and I have decided to extend our trip by an additional 5 days for a romantic getaway after our family time in Paris.

We were originally planning to extend until 1/2 or 1/3, but long story short, the money and cost just wasn't working in our favor. Instead we will be flying back home on 1/1.

Our plan is to travel to Seville, Spain from 12/27-12/31, fly back to Paris for New Years Eve, and travel back home on 1/1. We could potentially leave Paris 12/26 too.

Does this sound like a good first trip to Europe? Are there any suggestions on itinerary, hotels, attractions, destinations? Would Seville be a romantic place for my fiancée and I or should we be looking elsewhere? We are open to any and all suggestions and critiques!

I would love and appreciate any insight and suggestions from anyone! Thanks for your time and help!

Im looking to go to Europe to scope out some of the colleges in applying to for maters and I’m looking for advice when it comes to the itinerary and timing.

I’m applying to KU Leuven, TU Delft, politecnico di milano, ETH Zurich, and CTU Prague.

My thoughts on it were to go at a time that would be best to get the best vibe of the city and also if there was potentially anyway for me to line it up with any cool events (music, art, theatre, etc) that are happening coincidentally. I wasn’t sure if it would be a good idea to go in the spring to try to get ahead of all of the tourists or to wait out until the summer when there are more music festivals.

My hypothetical itinerary (might take things off)

\*Home
\*London (I have a travel voucher there, if not I would avoid it)
\*Brussels (KU Leuven)
\*Delft
\*Amsterdam
\*Prague (CTU Prague)
\*Zurich (ETH)
\*Milan (Polimi)
\*London
\*Home

If I were to change anything it would be to drop Brussels, Prague, and Zurich because CTU and KU Leuven are safety schools for me, and Zurich is hella expensive so idk if it’s worth it.

Also I don’t have a set amount of time in each city, and don’t know how much time I should spend in each proportionately, I would probably be going for around 2 weeks total.

If anyone has any advice when it comes to these cities or if there are cool places worth to check around let me know!

I’ve noticed this in Budapest, but I guess it happens in a lot of European cities.

In the main tourist areas, there are always places advertising “traditional local food”. Some are great, but some feel pretty generic once you sit down.

When you travel in Europe, how do you avoid the obvious tourist traps? Do you look for local recommendations, smaller menus, certain areas, recent reviews, or something else?

i’m an international student at maastricht university for a term and i wanna do this trip but it seems insane (timeline safety cost etc) feasibility wise but it’s the only way my attendance works could anyone who’d know more be able to guide me as to whether this makes sense

**2nd Sep Wednesday Class Ends 6 PM**
****
**Train 1 : S84 #18965**
**19:53 Maastricht - 20:42 Aachen**

**Train 2: Nightjet #469**
**21:10 Aachen Hbf - 06:22 Rosenhein**

**Train 3 : Railjet #81**
**08:11 Rosenhein - 15:15 Venice St Lucia**

**Reach Venice Thursday 3 PM**

**Check In, Rest**
**Venice Evening Walk Around, Explore, Film if can**
**Sleep in Venice: Night 1**

**Friday = Venice Day**
**Sleep in Venice: Night 2**

**Saturday Morning Train to Monza**
**Check In, Rest**
**Milan Day, Monza Grand Prix**
**Sleep in Milan: Night 3**

**Sunday Morning Train to Maastricht**

Train 1 : FR #9708
07:18 Venice - 09:45 Milan

Train 2 Eurocuty 178
10:10 Milan - 14:56 Basel

Train 3 Intercity Express 104
15:16 Basel - 19:05 Cologne

Train 4 DRB 26828
19:15 Cologne - 20:07 Aachen

Train 5 NRE 18966
20:17 Aachen - 21:11 Maastricht

reading this back it looks insane again
if it is
please be kind :.)
not sure if this post goes here btw

We (northern Europeans) are planning a week in the second half of September.

Because it's a week it should be Europeanish, because we can't spend like two combined days flying there and back.

Do you have any recommendations? My only conditions are: it should be warm (26+?) and you should be able to get around there without a car. We've been to Greek islands where you can easily bike between destinations and to the south of France where you can bike or bus or ferry quite easily from wherever you're staying to different beaches. By contrast, Normandie is hard to navigate without a car.

Edited to change water Temp to outside temps

Hi there! I’m going on a 2 month trip to Europe doing the following countries/regions:

\- The Baltics (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia)
\- The Balkans (Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia)
\- Other: Hungary, Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, Germany

I’m hoping to leave in mid September (and come back mid November) and am wondering what the right orientation of the travel is with weather and seasons.

My current thought is to start in Austria to see a bit of the alps in the beautiful summer, then head down through Slovenia and into the Balkans - I think Croatia would likely be best to experience in the warm temperatures. Then, head to Romania area for mid October for the forest (hoping to spend time in Transylvania) and then do some of the middle countries (Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia), and then the last month in Poland, the Baltics and Germany where it would likely be colder but we’d be more interested in doing indoor activities anyways in these countries (e.g. museums).

I want to take advantage of the most beautiful landscapes in the months where they are naturally beautiful (hence the beaches of Croatia in the summer and the forests of Romania in the peak foliage). I’m not sure I’ve done it correctly though! Or that this is even advisable. I also thought about doing North to South to keep it as warm as possible but worried the Balkans would be a little subdued in November.

All thoughts welcome :) Thank you, sincerely