Those who regularly read this travel blog know that I am a fan of city trip en Europe. A city trip, what is it exactly? It's very simple, city trips are short stays, about 2 to 4 days, during which we visit a city. Of course, to spend 2 to 4 days in a city, it must be of a certain size and have certain interests. A few rules must be respected for a successful city trip such as, for example, a relatively low number of hours of travel so as not to have the impression of spending your stay in transport.
In this article, I will give you 6 tips for a successful city trip to Europe. We will also discuss the practical side of organizing a city trip with the 3 key steps for booking a stay.
At the end of the article I will give you 10 ideas for city trips in Europe, tested and approved!
City trip en Europe
- Book your city trip in Europe in 3 steps
- 6 tips for a successful city trip to Europe
- 10 ideas for the city trip and Europe
Book your city trip in Europe in 3 steps
Let's get straight to the heart of the matter with the 3 key steps to book your city trip.
1. Book your flight
The first step will be to find a flight for your city trip. This is an important step, if not the most important. Indeed, it is often the flight that will determine your destination. At the end of this article, I will give you 10 ideas for city trips in Europe.
We will see in the next paragraph that travel times are an important criterion in choosing your European destination. The destination should be relatively close to you, as should the departure airport, which should also be close to you.
It goes without saying that there would be no sense in traveling for several hours, or even a day, to reach an airport serving your destination.
Whether for a long trip, or for a city trip, the rules are the same to find a plane ticket at the best price: flexibility on dates, flexibility on destination and, as much as possible, flexibility on airports. Even though you may not have many choices regarding the departure airport, you may have some regarding the arrival airport. For example, if your city trip takes place in Milan, know that you have the choice between 3 airports. Of course, they are not equivalent in terms of distance from the city, but 50 minutes by bus will be enough to reach Milan from its most distant airport, in this case Bergamo.
My favorite flight search site is Ulysse.com
A site that I discovered recently and which allows you to search for flights easily and intuitively. It allows you to search for flights to a city (and not just an airport), to integrate the flexibility of a few days and it offers you the best price.
2. Book your accommodation
Now let's move on to the second step of booking your city trip: accommodation.
Less advice on accommodation because it is often less complicated to find the ideal accommodation as the booking platforms are well done.
For example, you can search on Booking.com for accommodation according to the price, of course, but also the type of accommodation, the district, its surface area, its rating, the opinions of people who travel like you (family, couple, friends), …
My favorite site for booking accommodation is Booking.com
A site which has nothing original but which remains, by far, the reference in terms of hotel reservations. A gigantic choice that gives you access to a multitude of options in terms of research and above all to a number of opinions, probably the most important in the sector, the real plus of Booking, not to mention the ease of booking.
3. Book your tours and excursions
Last of our three steps to book your city trip in Europe, booking tours and excursions. This is a topic that should not be overlooked for several reasons. First of all, you have to do some research to know what to see and what to visit in the city where your city trip will take place. Once this list has been identified, you will have to book the guided tours, buy your skip-the-line tickets, etc.
For this, I recommend the use of platforms which will aim to offer you a large number of possibilities in terms of activities but which will also have the advantage of centralizing your reservations. Some activities will, unfortunately, be booked outside of these platforms.
My advice will be above all to anticipate the booking of these visits as much as possible. A large number of monuments and sites are victims of their own success and, in these times of pandemic, limit the number of visitors. The slots sometimes fill up very quickly and you may not have any more places available at the time of your city trip.
My favorite sites for booking activities are GetYourGuide.com and Tiqets.com
Complete sites that offer a wide choice of activities, visits and skip-the-line tickets. There you will find many reviews of these tours. Most activities accept digital tickets to show directly on the app.
If you are passionate about outdoor activities, then go to Manawa.com.
6 tips for a successful city trip to Europe
Now on to the advice part. Here you will find advice in choosing your destination but also advice in making your city trip a success.
1. Don't waste your time in transport
The most important point in choosing your destination is the time it will take you to reach it. Indeed, we are more often attracted by the price of a stay without necessarily worrying about the duration of the journeys to return to this place.
Take into account ALL routes. You will need time to reach the airport of departure, the time to travel by plane, train or car, then the time to travel between the airport or the station of destination and your place of departure. stay.
This travel time is easy to calculate for stays by car or train, but when traveling by plane, we often neglect the travel time to the airport, then the wait before taking the plane.
2. Choose your travel period carefully
The second advice will focus on the choice of the travel period. Here too, we often think of the weather by favoring the southern countries in winter, and those of the north in summer.
In addition to the weather forecast on site, it is a good idea to take a look at the events on site. Some events and major events drastically increase the prices of flights and accommodation but can also deprive you of certain visits. If your goal is to attend one of these events, no problem, but it would be a shame to pay full price for a demonstration or an event that does not interest you.
Here are some examples of events that can increase the price of a stay:
- Visit Rome at Easter time
- Visit Venice during Carnival
- Visit Dublin on St. Patrick's Day
- Visit Seville during Holy Week
- Visit Barcelona at the time of the Formula 1 Grand Prix
3. Find an attractive destination based on the length of your stay
A piece of advice that flows from the source, but should not be overlooked. Depending on the length of your stay, find a sufficiently attractive place. Staying 4 days in a city will give you more possibilities than if you stay 2 days. If your goal is not to visit places, favor “relaxation” places, by the sea, or in the middle of nature which will rejuvenate you.
Conversely, do not underestimate the duration to discover a city. A two-day stay in a city the size of Rome seems a bit short to me, you might be left hungry.
4. Get a travel guide for your city trip to Europe
A city trip often allows you to discover a city, its monuments, its squares and its streets but also its good addresses where to eat and where to have a drink. Travel guides are your allies for a successful city trip.
For short stays that focus on a city, small city guides exist. Practical and complete, you can turn to the "In a few days" collection of Lonely Planet or City map.
5. Beware of currencies
A little practical advice that will be useful during your city trip. Even if you choose a nearby destination in Europe, you may visit cities in countries that do not use the Euro. This is the case of some perfect cities for a short stay in Europe such as Budapest, where you will have to pay in Forint, or Krakow where you will have to pay in Zloty.
To avoid unpleasant surprises on site, but also once back in France, opt for suitable payment solutions such as Revolut or Wise. These services will allow you to pay free of charge, in the currency of your choice.
Personally, I recommend using Wise, a service that allows you to open a bank account easily and quickly in the currency of your choice.
A credit card will then be provided to you free of charge and you can manage your accounts using their mobile application.
6. Be on the lookout for bargains
Some sites allow you to reference good deals for this type of stay. Indeed, some promotions, whether on plane tickets, train tickets or on accommodation, allow you to go on a trip at knockdown prices.
If you don't have any destination ideas, go to sites like Skyscanner or VoyagesPirates which list many promotions.
If you already know your destination, then do not hesitate to activate the e-mail alerts offered by many price comparison sites. You will be notified in the event of a price drop or promotion on the destination.
10 ideas for the city trip and Europe
Now let's move on to ideas for city trips to do in Europe. The choice is vast, many cities just waiting to be discovered.
As I told you above, the choice of your destination will mainly depend on:
- The accessibility of this city in relation to the location of your accommodation
- The price of a city trip in this city
- The time of year you wish to travel
1. Seville
Let's start this tour of ideal European cities for a city trip of a few days with one of my favorite cities, the pearl of Andalusia, Seville.
Seville is the main entry point for a road trip in Andalusia but is no less ideal for a European city trip.
Seville is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, its many historical monuments bear witness to this.
Many reasons explain the beauty of the city, in particular this mixture of cultures with Arab domination for several decades before giving way to Catholics who appropriated many places, making them atypical and unique.
These places are numerous, but the most famous are, of course, the Cathedral of Seville, one of the largest in Europe, which still today has many signs of its first function: a mosque.
Just opposite, the Alcazar of Seville is also one of the emblematic monuments of the city not to be missed.
Several centuries later, other monuments came to embellish this city such as the Spanish Square, built at the beginning of the 1929th century on the occasion of the Ibero-American exhibition of XNUMX.
Much more recently, the Metropole Parasol has also come to enhance the city while adding a touch of modernity.
Seville is a city that can be visited almost all year round. An ideal destination to catch some sun in winter. Avoid in summer, when temperatures can rise quickly.
2. Budapest
Let's move away from Spain and head east to discover, there too, a perfect city for a city trip in Europe, Budapest.
Cut in two by the Danube, we find Pest on one side and Buda on the other.
Two parts of the city which each have their face and their particularities.
On the west bank, there is Buda, a quieter district, more touristy also with the unmissable bastion of the fishermen or the palace of Budavar.
To the east, we find Pest, the liveliest part of the city which conceals countless places to discover such as its very famous parliament or its Saint Etienne basilica.
However, the two parts of the city have one thing in common, there are thermal baths. These baths have made the reputation of the city and some have even become the “postcard” of Budapest, such as the Széchenyi thermal baths.
3. Milan
Less far than our previous destinations, Milan is a city that can, depending on your place of residence, be reached by car or train.
If flying is your means of transport, then no problem, Milan has three international airports within an hour's radius.
One of them can also be particularly good if you are traveling for a longer period, that of Bergamo. The latter will allow you to discover another very beautiful Italian city in addition to Milan.
As far as Milan is concerned, the city has many treasures to offer and there are countless things to visit. The Duomo of Milan, the Vittorio Emmnuele II gallery, La Scala, the many museums dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci or the Navigli district are just some of the amazing things to see in Milan.
For a longer stay, a day trip to Lake Como is also possible.
4. Krakow
Let's go back to Eastern Europe for another city that I particularly like, Krakow.
Krakow is without a doubt one of the most beautiful cities in Europe for me. Its historic center is one of the most beautiful, with its Rynek Glowny square and its Saint Mary's Basilica.
Moving a little away from the center, you quickly come across the impressive Wawel Castle.
Crossing the Vistula, you arrive in the Jewish quarter of the city, a district steeped in history which houses one of the most famous places in Krakow: Oskar Schindler's factory.
Krakow is a perfect city for a short stay, but here too, it is recommended to extend the duration of your trip and take the opportunity to visit the surroundings.
Sadly famous, the Auschwitz camps can be visited from Krakow.
Don't miss the Wieliczka Salt Mines either, listed on UNESCO's very first World Heritage List.
5. Dublin
Let's now go to Northern Europe, to Ireland, to discover its capital, Dublin.
Dublin is an ideal city for a city trip in Europe. Indeed, Dublin is a 1h30 flight from Paris, which makes the city particularly accessible. Moreover, Dublin is not a very big city, so in 3 days of visit, you will be able to see a good part of the essentials of the city.
Dublin is famous for its bars, its whiskey distilleries and for its famous beer, Guinness.
Besides its famous drinks, the city is also home to some treasures such as its impressive "Trinity College" and its library, one of the largest in Europe.
If you stay longer in Dublin, do not hesitate to leave the city a little in the direction of its seaside resort, Bray, located to the south; or, further north, towards its fishing village, Howth.
6. Valence
Let's leave northern Europe and head south, towards Spain. Spain is the ideal country for a city trip, we talked about Seville a little higher, and we will have the opportunity to talk about this country again with the city of Barcelona.
Let's go to a city less known than Seville, Madrid or Barcelona: Valencia.
Valencia, a city surprisingly less touristy than its northern neighbour, Barcelona, but which nevertheless has nothing to envy.
Valence is a large, attractive city that will allow you to spend a city trip of 3 to 5 days without getting bored for a single second.
Indeed, Valencia is full of things to see and do. We can mention its historic center, with its cathedral and its countless small squares. We can also talk about its impressive City of Arts and Sciences and its futuristic buildings, its gigantic park, the city's veritable green lung, or its huge beach.
Valencia ticks all the boxes for a successful city trip. Let's not forget that the city also enjoys a particularly mild climate, summer and winter alike.
7. Port
Another ideal city for a city trip of a few days, Porto. Porto is one of those few ideal cities for a short stay in Europe in more ways than one.
Porto is a city that is connected to many cities in France, even small towns like Dijon via Dole Jura airport.
Porto is a city with a lot to offer. Between land, with its Douro valley, and sea, with its nearby Atlantic coast, Porto is a city to discover without delay.
The size of the city, its geographical location and its climate, make Porto a city to be discovered all year round, even for short weekends.
An ideal city for a romantic getaway, with its sunset cruises on the Douro, Porto will particularly appeal to couples.
8. Barcelona
Is it really necessary to present Barcelona? One of the most touristic cities in Europe, Barcelona alone attracts several million tourists every year.
Barcelona is a city that has everything going for it: a pleasant climate, a very accessible city, a magnificent beach for sunbathers, a rich cultural heritage for culture lovers and even a sporting life of the most present for enthusiasts. sport.
Indeed, there is something for everyone in Barcelona.
Who has never dreamed of seeing the Sagrada Familia with their own eyes, or the many works of Gaudi, the true architect of the city.
A visit to Camp Nou, FC Barcelona's stadium, is a must for all football fans.
9. Venice
Considered by many to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, Venice is one of Italy's joyous ones.
Located on the Adriatic Sea, Venice is full of things to see and do. Certainly its canals are the charm of the small town, but its emblematic monuments are not for nothing. Saint Mark's Basilica, the Doge's Palace, the Campanile or the Bridge of Sighs are the unmissable sights of Venice.
If your stay allows it, move away from the center of Venice and set sail for the islands of Burano or Murano to discover the glassblowers.
If you visit Venice, do not hesitate to bring the city pass of Venice, particularly interesting in this city.
10. Lisbon
The last city in our top 10 of the best destinations for a city trip in Europe, the Portuguese capital ticks all the boxes to be part of our selection.
Lisbon is an accessible city that offers a multitude of things to do and see while enjoying a pleasant climate almost all year round.
The city of seven hills offers a rare diversity in the activities it offers. Escape to its historic district, the Alfma district before discovering Bairo Alto, its trendy district, then moving away to Belem to discover its famous tower and its impressive Jeronimos monastery.
If you have time, take a walk around the April 25 bridge and its pillar number 7. Cross this bridge and go to the top of Cristo Rei to enjoy one of the most beautiful views of Lisbon.
I hope this article on city trips in Europe has been useful to you. Do not hesitate to tell us in the comments of this article, your most beautiful destinations for a short stay in Europe.
