Backpacking Europe: Itineraries For Every Budget – Europe, how we love you! If you’re reading this, you’re probably thinking about a longer European adventure, and we’re so happy for you! Having completed 6 months of full-time travel in Europe and numerous other trips to various regions on the continent, we are uniquely qualified to offer a little advice and a few suggestions! We encourage you to do plenty of research, including reading blogs like ours, before you start planning your adventures. Check out some recommendations below, where we would go if we visited Europe for 3 months, and some suggested itineraries for you to check out!
3 months is not as long as you think.. don’t try to fit it all in! Yes, 3 months seems like a lot, and it is! However, Europe is vast and despite the temptation to tick off every one of your ideal destinations, we advise you to slow down a bit and reassess. We traveled Europe for 6 months and despite visiting 25 countries, we didn’t come close to seeing everything, or ticking off all the places we wanted to visit (Malta, we’ll be back for you!). Therefore, we invite you to choose your specialties, decide where you definitely want to visit and spend some time in these locations.
Backpacking Europe: Itineraries For Every Budget
Fast and slow travel: Starting from the last point, you can skip some destinations faster, but we definitely encourage you to slow down at others. Not only will it help you refresh and enjoy yourself more, but you can’t physically go from country to country every few days. We’ve put together a little piece on slow vs fast travel if you want to read a bit more about this area.
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Head to tons of different locations. Don’t spend all your 3 months in big cities. However, spending the entire trip on the beach is probably also too much. We recommend striking a balance. Be sure to include some great cities full of history, culture and good food (see our favorites below). We also strongly recommend you check out the smaller towns as they often provide a more authentic and often more scenic experience. And depending on your wishes, head to nature, whether it’s a beach, hiking or a lake. There is so much in Europe and we recommend you try the whole range!
Get off the beaten path for a while. The ‘big subjects’ (eg 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 lower costs and fewer tourists. We definitely think it’s worth considering.
Do a lot of research! Well done, you are already on your way with this point by reading this blog! There is so much great information out there, and the more you research, the better you can plan your dream 3 month trip!
If we were you and were planning a dream vacation for 3+ months, these are some of the countries and regions we would immediately include in our travel itinerary.
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That’s nonsense. Italy is one of the best countries in all of Europe (and the world) to visit! Full of amazing food, stunning big cities, so many inland and coastal towns and lots of impressive beaches. Despite its popularity, there are still plenty of places to see that are slightly removed from the hustle and bustle. Don’t think twice, plan a trip to Italy. Breaking down where to visit in Italy becomes a bit more of a challenge. To give you some inspiration, we recommend you consider the following locations:
The stunning country of Croatia is a real gem and a place you should definitely visit, especially during the warmer summer months and seasons! With some of the best beaches in the world, an insane amount of amazing islands to explore, and tons of beautiful seaside towns, Croatia is a must-see! Check out some of the locations in Croatia that we loved!
Ah Switzerland, your beauty is boundless! Our visit to this beautiful country was punctuated with family moments (Tessa’s Swiss-Italian family), amazing views, great walks and cute towns to explore. We invite you to visit numerous mountain and lake areas, where postcard views will be at every turn. Don’t miss:
Portugal is perhaps our favorite country in Europe, or at least right behind Italy. We loved the cities, beaches and smaller towns, but even more enjoyed the positive and hospitable nature of the local population. The food was excellent and there was so much to see and do. If you are going to Europe, definitely consider Portugal on your hit list to visit. We invite you to visit:
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This region in Central and Eastern Europe is truly a hidden gem packed with so many amazing places to explore. Although 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 two in this region alone, so we strongly encourage you to consider adding the Balkans to your Europe trip. Check out our guide to the Balkans here.
There are so many more amazing locations to include below, including cities like Copenhagen, Prague, Budapest and Edinburgh, along with amazing small towns and regions like the South of France, Lake Bled, the Albanian Riviera and more!
Planning is always a strange mix of extreme excitement and wanderlust, mixed with stress and “fear of missing out”. However, as we mentioned before, we encourage you not to try to ‘fit it all in’ and to choose a few key areas and regions that you want to visit! Additionally, we also recommend a combination of coastal, large cities and smaller towns/regions. We’ve put together a few sample itineraries that we think cover 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 your quarterly travel planning.
This itinerary covers so many of our favorite places, especially 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 favorite countries, Italy! Spend up to a month in Italy visiting Tuscany, Rome, Puglia and Venice, before stopping in Lake Bled en route to another of our favorite countries, Croatia! Head along the coast, to some islands and stop in Mostar on the way to Dubrovnik. After Dubrovnik, don’t miss Kotor in Montenegro, before flying over to check out the growing Albanian Riviera. Head off the tourist trail with Lake Ohrid, Sofia and Transylvania (Romania). Finish your amazing trip by visiting 2 of our best big cities in Budapest and Prague!
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This is another amazing option to visit some of our few favorite European locations, including Portugal, southern Spain and France, Switzerland, Lake Bled and Sicily! Start your trip in one of the best countries around, Portugal! Work from Porto, Lisbon and the Algarve, before heading to the Andalusian region of Spain. A stopover in Barcelona takes you to the beautiful south of France. Don’t miss Avignon and Gordes! Head to Switzerland’s Jungfrau region, then head to northern Italy. We recommended Lake Garda instead of Como and a stop in Venice before stopping at beautiful Lake Bled! Head to the underrated Sicily, Italy to round off your adventures with great food, beaches and culture!
Start in one of our favorite cities in Europe, Edinburgh. Spend at least 3 days here and try to climb the Scottish Highlands if you can. Make your way down to London and stop in the historic cities of York and Cambridge. London has so much to offer, but it can easily be sampled in a few days or spent longer and see a lot more. Catch a train from London to Brussels and then check out some of Belgium’s other smaller cities, with Bruges at the top of our list. Head to Leiden which we consider “little Amsterdam” and is a great base to stay and visit nearby Amsterdam. From the Netherlands, travel to Copenhagen and make several stops in northern Germany. When in Copenhagen, stay at least 3 days in one of our favorite cities in Europe! Consider day trips to the Swiss city of Malmo by train (about 45 minutes) or the fishing village of Hornbaek (1-2 hours by train). Tick off some of the best big cities in Europe with Berlin, Prague and Munich before slowing down a bit in the Jungfrau region and the lake region of Switzerland. Then we encourage you to end your trip in 2 of our favorite countries, Italy or Croatia!
These are just examples of itineraries put together to spark inspiration and excitement! We have visited most of these locations and have literally hundreds of guides available on our blog. We have also put together some recommendations that will help you during your trip.
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