Europe how we love you! If you’re reading this, you’re likely considering a longer Europe adventure, and we are so happy for you! After completing 6 months full time travel in Europe, and multiple other trips to various regions in the continent, we are uniquely qualified to give a little advice, and a few suggestions! We urge you to do lots of research, including reading blogs like ours, before you start planning you adventures. Take a look below at some recommendations, where we would head if we visited Europe for 3 months, and a few proposed itineraries for you to check out!
A few things to consider when travelling for 3 months (or more)
3 months isn’t as long as you think.. don’t try and fit everything in! Yes, 3 months seems like a lot, and it is! However, Europe is enormous, and despite the temptation of trying to tick off every one of your ideal destinations, we urge you to slow it down a little and re-assess. We travelled Europe for 6 months, and despite visiting 25 countries, we didn’t even get close to seeing everything, or ticking off all places we were keen to visit (Malta we will return for you!). Therefore, we urge you to pick your standouts, work out where you definitely want to visit, and spend some time in these locations.
Fast & Slow travel: Leading on from the last point, some destinations you may skip through quicker, but definitely we urge you to slow down in others. Not only will this help you refresh and enjoy it more, you physically cant keep going country-to-country every few days. We put a little piece together on Slow vs Fast travel if you want to read a little more on this area.
Head to a variety of different locations. Don’t spend your entire 3 months in big cities. However, spending the whole trip on the beach is likely too much as well. We would recommend striking a balance. Definitely include some big cities full of history, culture and good food (see our favourites below). We also strongly encourage you to check out the smaller towns as the often give a more authentic and often picturesque experience. And depending on your preferences, head out into nature, whether it be beachside, or hiking, or lakeside. There’s so much in Europe and we recommend you sample a complete range!
Step away from the conventional tourist paths for awhile. The ‘big ticket items’ (e.g. Italy, France etc) are popular for a reason, they are often spectacular. However, underrated countries and destinations are often just as impressive, and come with far less cost and fewer tourists. We definitely think it’s worth considering.
Do lots of research! Well done, you’re already on the way with this point by reading this blog! There’s so much great information out there, and the more you research the better you can plan your dream 3 month trip!
Where we would travel if we were heading to Europe for 3 months
If we were in your shoes, planning a dream 3+ month holiday, these are some of the countries and regions we would lock straight into our travel itinerary.
Italy:
It’s a no-brainer. Italy is one of the best countries in all of Europe (and the world) to visit! Filled with amazing food, stunning big cities, so many inland and coastal towns, and lots of impressive beaches. Despite the popularity, there’s still many places to see that are a little away from the busy crowds. Don’t think twice, plan to head to Italy. Breaking down where to visit in Italy becomes a little more of a challenge. To give you some inspiration, we urge you to consider the following locations:
- Puglia: see why we loved this underrated coastal region!
- Tuscany: see our road trip through this amazing region!
Croatia:
The stunning country of Croatia is a true gem and definitely somewhere you should look to visit, especially during warmer summer months and shoulder seasons! Boasting some of the best beaches in the world, a crazy amount of incredible islands to explore, and lots of wonderful seaside towns, Croatia is a must visit! See some of the locations in Croatia that we loved!
- Croatian Islands: our favourite island is Vis!
- Makarska: this beachside town is bursting with reasons to visit!
- Dubrovnik: despite the tourist ‘hype’, it’s worth visiting!
Switzerland:
Ah Switzerland, your beauty is boundless! Our visit to this stunning country was punctuated with family moments (Tess’s Swiss-Italian family), incredible views, great hikes and cute towns to explore. We urge you to visit the many mountainous and lake regions, where postcard views will be at every turn. Don’t miss:
- Jungfrau: see our guide to the region!
- Oeschinensee: one of the most beautiful natural regions we have ever seen!
Portugal:
Portugal may well be our favourite country in Europe, or at least a close second to Italy. We loved the cities, beaches and smaller towns, but even more so enjoy the positive and welcoming nature of the locals. The food was excellent, and there was so, so much to see and do. If you’re heading to Europe, definitely consider Portugal on your ‘hit list’ of places to check out. We urge you to visit:
- Lisbon: our pick of things to do in Lisbon!
- Porto: our snapshot of Porto!
- Algarve: the impressive Portuguese beachside region
The Balkans:
This region in the central-east of Europe is truly a hidden gem filled with so many amazing places to explore. While Croatia (listed above) is part of the Balkans, there are many more amazing countries like Slovenia, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia, Romania and more! You could easily spend a month or 2 just in this region, so we’d strongly urge you to consider adding the Balkans into your Europe trip. Take a look at our guide to the Balkans here.
And don’t miss..
There’s so many more amazing locations which we will include below, including cities like Copenhagen, Prague, Budapest and Edinburgh, along with amazing small towns and regions like south of France, Lake Bled, Albanian Riviera and more!
3 month Europe travel itineraries:
The planning is always a strange mix of extreme excitement and wanderlust, mixed with stress and ‘fear of missing out’. However, as discussed above, we urge you to not try and ‘fit everything in’, and choose a few key areas and regions to visit! Additionally, we also recommend a mix of coastal, big cities and smaller towns/regions. We have put together a few sample itineraries that we think cover off all the regions we love, and give you a wonderful mix of different locations. These can be copied exactly, but are more designed to give you inspiration for you 3 month travel planning.
Option 1: Switzerland, Italy & the Balkans
This itinerary covers of so many of our favourite places, particularly Switzerland, Italy and the Balkans! Start in the Swiss capital of Zurich, make your way down to the stunning Jungfrau region, before heading to one of our favourite countries, Italy! Spend up to a month in Italy covering off Tuscany, Rome, Puglia and Venice, before a pit stop in Lake Bled on the way to another of our favourite countries, Croatia! Head along the coast, to some of the islands, and a pit stop to Mostar on your way to Dubrovnik. After Dubrovnik, don’t miss Kotor in Montenegro, before flying across to check out the booming Albanian Riviera. Head further off the tourist path with Lake Ohrid, Sofia, and Transylvania (Romania). Finish your amazing trip visiting 2 of our top big cities in Budapest and Prague!
- Switzerland: 1-2 weeks
- Italy 3-4 weeks
- Lake Bled 3 days
- Croatia 2-3 weeks
- Mostar 1-2 days
- Kotor 3-4 days
- Albanian Riviera 7 days
- Lake Ohrid 3-5 days
- Skopje 1 day
- Sofia 2 days
- Romania 5-7 days
- Budapest 2-3 days
- Prague 2-4 days
Option 2: Portugal, Spain, Sth France, Italy & Croatia
This is another amazing option to visit some of our few favourite European locations, including Portugal, southern Spain and France, Switzerland, Lake Bled and Sicily! Start you travels in one of the best countries around, Portugal! Work down from Porto, Lisbon and the Algarve, before heading to the Andalusian region of Spain. A pit stop in Barcelona takes you through to the beautiful south of France. Don’t miss Avignon and Gordes! Head across to the Jungfrau region of Switzerland, and then make your way to northern Italy. We recommended Lake Garda over Como, and pit stop in Venice before stopping at the gorgeous Lake Bled! Head down to the underrated Sicily in Italy to finish you adventures with great food, beaches and culture!
- Portugal: 1-2 weeks
- South Spain: 1 week
- Barcelona: 3 days
- South France: 1 week
- Switzerland: 1 week
- Northern Italy: 1 week
- Lake Bled: 2-3 days
- Southern Italy: 1-2 weeks
Option 3: Northern Europe
Start in one of our favourite cities in Europe, Edinburgh. Spend at least 3 days here, and try to get up to the Scottish Highlands if you can. Make your way down to London stopping at the historic towns of York and Cambridge. London has so much to offer, but could easily be sampled in a few days, or spend a longer timeframe and see so much more. Catch a train from London to Brussels, then check out some of the other smaller Belgian towns, with Bruges top of our list. Make your up to Leiden which we consider a ‘mini Amsterdam’ and is a great base to stay and visit the nearby Amsterdam. From the Netherlands, make your up to Copenhagen stopping a few times in Northern Germany. When at Copenhagen, stay at least 3 days in one of our favourite cities in Europe! Consider day trips the the Swiss town of Malmo by train (approximately 45minutes) or the fishing village of Hornbaek (1-2 hours via train). Tick off some of the top big cities in Europe with Berlin, Prague and Munich before slowing down a bit in the Jungfrau Region and lake region of Switzerland. We then encourage you to either finish your trip in 2 of our favourite countries, Italy or Croatia!
- Edinburgh: 3-4 days
- Scottish Highlands: 2-3 days
- York: 1-2 days
- Cambridge: 1-2 days
- London: 3-7 days
- Brussels: 2 days
- Bruges: 1-2 days
- Leiden: 1-2 days (or stay here for Amsterdam)
- Amsterdam: 1-3 days (pending if you stay Leiden or Amsterdam)
- Dusseldorf/Dortmund: 1-4 days
- Hamburg: 1-3 days
- Copenhagen: 3-5 days
- Hornbaek: 1-2 days (or day trip)
- Malmo: 1 day (or day trip)
- Berlin: 2-4 days
- Prague: 2-4 days
- Munich: 2-4 days
- Switzerland: 1-2 weeks
- Choose Italy or Croatia to finish your trip for 1-2 weeks
Remember..
These are only example travel itineraries put together to spark inspiration and excitement! We have visited most of these locations, and have literally 100s of guides available on our blog. We have also put together some recommendations to help you travel. A few top options include our complete Europe Travel Guide and our Favourite Accommodation in Europe!
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