Where to spend 7 days in Europe?
Europe has soo much to offer! Whether you enjoy active city trips, chill nature road trips, relaxing island vacations, or maybe a scenic cruise on the Mediterranean is your dream - Europe offers all!
In one week you will be able to see two big cities, taking into account that you would need at least half a day to travel between those places, no matter if it’s by plane or train. You are certainly able to squeeze in a third big city but then you will be rushing through them and you will not be able to fully enjoy everything they have to offer. For those routes, we recommend at least 10 days. On the other hand, smaller cities in nearby countries, island hoping, and road trips are more suited for one week trips.
There are countless ways to plan the best European trip, and in this article we’re going to explore 20 of the best 7-days itineraries for your traveling style.
London & Paris
A trip to London and Paris is THE European trip. If you’re a fan of big, dynamic cities, then you will absolutely love this route! When in London, a day trip to the Cotswolds will be the perfect quiet getaway. For Paris, you already know it - your visit won’t count unless you go up the Eiffel Tower.
Day 1: London
Day 2: London
Day 3: Day trip to the Cotswolds
Day 4: London
Day 5: Train to Paris
Day 6: Paris
Day 7: Paris
London & Amsterdam
Imagine this: you just spent 3 days in London surrounded by insane crowds, looking at large skyscrapers, watching out for cars and double-decker busses that come from the opposite direction, getting confused with the tube lines, then 5 hours later you’re in a whole new universe! The sun is shining in Amsterdam, the canals are filled with boats, people are chilling in the parks, and the only thing you need to be careful or are the bikes that come from all directions. What a life!
Day 1: London
Day 2: London
Day 3: Day trip to the Cotswolds
Day 4: London
Day 5: Train / fly to Amsterdam
Day 6: Amsterdam
Day 7: Amsterdam
Paris & Amsterdam
In case you want to stick to mainland Europe, then Paris and Amsterdam are a great combination! Paris is larger so you’ll need slightly more time to soak up all amazing views, whereas two full days should be enough for Amsterdam if you’re not a museum fan. A day trip to Keukenhof is a must if you’re visiting in spring, for any other seasons we recommend visiting Utrecht.
Day 1: Paris
Day 2: Paris
Day 3: Paris
Day 4: Train to Amsterdam
Day 5: Amsterdam
Day 6: Day trip to Keukenhof / Utrecht
Day 7: Amsterdam
Road trip in Scotland
Scotland is the perfect country for a road trip! In one week you’re able to wander around the old streets in Edinburgh, ride through the scenic Scottish Highlands and visit medieval castles in the Isle of Skye.
Day 1: Edinburgh
Day 2: Edinburgh
Day 3: Scottish Highlands
Day 4: Scottish Highlands
Day 5: Isle of Skye
Day 6: Isle of Skye
Day 7: Edinburgh
Rome & the Amalfi Coast
Ciao Italia! This just might be the most epic itinerary for Italy, starting with the good old Rome and Vatican, moving down south to Naples and exploring the picturesque villages in the Amalfi Coast. You don’t have to stay in Amalfi Town or Positano to be able to explore those places, as both the Amalfi Coast and Capri are easily reachable from Naples.
Day 1: Rome
Day 2: Rome
Day 3: Day trip to Vatican
Day 4: Train to Naples
Day 5: Day trip to Positano and Amalfi
Day 6: Day trip to Capri
Day 7: Naples
Milan, Bologna & Venice
Another popular Italian trip, this time in the Northern part of the country. Lake Como will probably be your highlight of the first 3 days, especially if you visit Bellagio and Varenna. Bologna is a great second stop on the trip as it also brings you closer to Venice. And of course, end the trip perfectly with a nice, relaxing ride in a traditional Venetian gondola.
Day 1: Milan
Day 2: Day trip to Lake Como
Day 3: Milan
Day 4: Bologna
Day 5: Bologna
Day 6: Venice
Day 7: Venice
Genoa, Cinque Terre & Florence
Exploring the North-West coast of Italy is a proper romantic trip. To best way to start is to fly to Genoa and explore it for 2 days before heading down South to the cute, colorful villages in Cinque Terre. On your way to Florence don’t forget to take a photo with the leaning tower in Pisa!
Day 1: Genoa
Day 2: Genoa
Day 3: Cinque Terre
Day 4: Cinque Terre
Day 5: A stop in Pisa
Day 6: Florence
Day 7: Florence
Sevilla & Malaga
Moving to the South of Spain where the weather is amazing all year round! The most popular places in the Andalusia region are Malaga and Sevilla, but you will be able to squeeze in a couple of days in sunny Marbella as well. Ronda is another idea for an amazing day trip from Malaga.
Day 1: Sevilla
Day 2: Sevilla
Day 3: Malaga
Day 4: Day trip to Ronda
Day 5: Malaga
Day 6: Marbella
Day 7: Marbella
Barcelona & Madrid
The ultimate duo in Spain - enjoying a bit of sun and siesta in the lively Barcelona before moving on to the calmer Capital city. Both cities are quite big and there are plenty of interesting things to see, especially museums, parks, and cathedrals. For a more relaxing trip, we recommend spending one extra day in Barcelona, just because it’s a much larger city.
Day 1: Barcelona
Day 2: Barcelona
Day 3: Barcelona
Day 4: Barcelona
Day 5: Train to Madrid in the morning
Day 6: Madrid
Day 7: Madrid
Madrid & Valencia
After soaking up the Capital city views, you can hop on a fast train and head to Valencia.
Valencia is an incredible city and definitely a must-visit in Spain. You can easily spend a whole day just around the Science Museum complex and walking around the park that stretches a few kilometers across the city. A day trip to Gandia is also a great way to relax on the beach.
Day 1: Madrid
Day 2: Madrid
Day 3: Madrid
Day 4: Train to Valencia
Day 5: Valencia
Day 6: Day trip to Gandia
Day 7: Valencia
Lisbon & Porto
Another lovely and sunny country in Europe - great weather, delicious food (you’re not allowed to skip Pastel de nata!), tasty wine, colorful buildings, old wooden trams… what more could you ask for? You can even channel your inner royalty and go on a day trip to the fairytale town of Sintra. Complete the trip with stunning sunset views in Porto.
Day 1: Lisbon
Day 2: Lisbon
Day 3: Day trip to Sintra
Day 4: Lisbon
Day 5: Porto
Day 6: Porto
Day 7: Porto
Island hopping in Greece
The ultimate summer destination - Greece! There are so many islands and options, both in the East and the West side of the country, but the most popular one is definitely Santorini! If you want to visit more islands then this itinerary will be perfect for you. In case you want to combine the two most popular spots - Santorini and Mykonos, then plan the 4th day for travel as the ferry takes around 6h.
Day 1: Santorini
Day 2: Santorini
Day 3: Santorini
Day 4: Ios
Day 5: Ios
Day 6: Naxos
Day 7: Naxos
Croatia - Split & Dubrovnik
Another great summer destination: Croatia. We recommend Split for proper summer, beach vibes, and Dubrovnik for a fun city break (especially if you’re a Game of Thrones fan!). It’s very easy to do island hopping from Dubrovnik, so plan one extra day for that experience as it’s definitely a memorable one!
Day 1: Split
Day 2: Split
Day 3: A whole day boat tour
Day 4: Dubrovnik
Day 5: Dubrovnik
Day 6: Island hopping (Korchula or Lopud)
Day 7: Dubrovnik
Switzerland by train
No better way to explore Switzerland than by train! You can go on an organized train journey with a fixed schedule, or you can help us plan your own itinerary! Our recommendation is to start in Zürich (make sure to make some time to visit the famous Lindt Chocolate museum!), then the next day take the train to the picturesque Jungfrau area. Spend the next 5 days visiting various scenic villages and make sure to also climb to the Top of Europe - Jungfraujoch. Explore Zürich a bit more on your last day.
Day 1: Zürich
Day 2: Grindelwald
Day 3: Lauterbrunnen
Day 4: Mürren, Birg, Schilthorn
Day 5: Jungfraujoch (top of Europe)
Day 6: Männlichen, Kleine Scheidegg
Day 7: Zürich
Prague, Bratislava & Vienna
We already wrote an extensive blog post about this amazing Central European trio, so make sure to give that a read to get additional inspiration about things to do and see in this region.
Day 1: Prague
Day 2: Prague
Day 3: Prague
Day 4: Train to Bratislava
Day 5: Bratislava
Day 6: Vienna
Day 7: Vienna
Trip to the Baltics
Another underrated area of Europe: the Baltics. Although our blog post covers Latvia and Estonia only, it’s definitely possible to start in Lithuania and then move up to Estonia. Or if you want to replicate our own travel experience, then Helsinki is also a great idea! You can even do it as a day trip from Tallinn, it’s just a 2h pleasant ferry ride away.
Day 1: Vilnius
Day 2: Vilnius
Day 3: Travel to Riga in the morning
Day 4: Riga
Day 5: Travel to Tallinn in the morning
Day 6: Tallinn
Day 7: Tallinn
Scandinavian trip
Get ready to hop on a bike and stroll around the lovely streets of Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Oslo. They are quite far from each other so you can either choose to fly in between (1h) or take a long, scenic train ride of 5-7h. You won’t make a mistake either way!
Day 1: Copenhagen
Day 2: Copenhagen
Day 3: Train to Malmö
Day 4: Fly to Stockholm
Day 5: Stockholm
Day 6: Fly to Oslo
Day 7: Oslo
French riviera
A high-end trip to the French riviera will certainly make you channel your inner movie star. Imagine sunbathing in St. Tropez, watching a Formula 1 race in Monaco, feeling the vibes of the International Film Festival in Cannes, and strolling the scenic streets of Nice. What a life!!
Day 1: Saint Tropez
Day 2: Saint Tropez
Day 3: Cannes
Day 4: Cannes
Day 5: Nice
Day 6: Nice
Day 7: Monaco
Berlin & Hamburg
Germany is really big and there are plenty of places to see, both large cities and smaller, lesser-known areas. But if we were to choose one 7-day city trip, then it would include Berlin and Hamburg. They are just 2h by train away from each other so you can make the most out of both cities without worrying about the exhausting travel in between.
Day 1: Berlin
Day 2: Berlin
Day 3: Day trip to Spreewald / Dresden
Day 4: Berlin
Day 5: Train to Hamburg in the morning
Day 6: Hamburg
Day 7: Hamburg
Road trip in Ireland
Last but not least - Ireland! In one week you’re able to have an amazing road trip around the Irish countryside, which is absolutely stunning. From Dublin you will be able to do a day trip to Belfast (Northern Ireland). Otherwise, we highly recommend exploring more of the Western part of the country for the breathtaking views, medieval castles, and cheerful local pubs.
Day 1: Dublin
Day 2: Dublin
Day 3: Day trip to Belfast
Day 4: Galway / Cliffs of Moher
Day 5: Clare
Day 6: Ring of Kerry
Day 7: Cork
We hope you gathered enough inspiration for your next trip to Europe and you’re ready to start creating your dream trip with us!
Is there a destination that you would like to visit but it’s not listed here? Feel free to drop us a message on WhatsApp (+31619118741) or send us an email (info@tripliss.com) and we’ll be happy to create a custom itinerary just for you.
We can’t wait to hear from you!