How Many Days Do You Need in Europe? Trip-Length Planner

How it works

Most first trips to Europe fail the same way: too many places, one night each, half the trip spent in stations. The fix is bases: two or three nights in a well-placed town, with day trips around it. This planner takes your countries, your days and your pace, and splits the nights the way our designers do when they build a trip. It also tells you honestly when the time is too short, and what to cut.

How many days do you have?10 days

Including arrival and departure days.

Your pace

RelaxedTwo nights minimum everywhereBalancedA base every two or three daysFastSee as much as possible

Good fit9 nights, 4 bases

10 days works well for France and Switzerland at a balanced pace: 4 bases, no night under 1 nights.

Paris France · 3 nights
Museums, food, and the easiest arrival point in Europe.
Provence France · 2 nights
Hilltop villages, markets, lavender in July, wine all year.
Lucerne Switzerland · 2 nights
Lake, old town, and the Pilatus and Rigi excursions.
Interlaken and the Jungfrau region Switzerland · 2 nights
Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn.

Itineraries for this length

Accessible French Riviera in 8 Days: Nice, Monaco, Eze & Grasse from €1,499, 8 days
Switzerland by Train in 12 Days: Lavaux, Jungfraujoch, Glacier Express from €3,499, 12 days
Belgium, Alsace & Switzerland by Train in 10 Days: Brussels to Zermatt from €2,999, 10 days

A starting point from our designers' experience. Trains between these bases take 1 to 3 hours; we can add a private transfer where it saves a day.

Our designers’ advice

Once you have a split, check the trains between bases on our Europe by train guide, and compare with our 10-day France and 7-day Switzerland itineraries. When you send us a request, we start from your split and adapt it to your dates.

Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need for France and Switzerland?

Ten days is the minimum for a satisfying first trip: three nights in Paris, two in Lucerne or Interlaken, two in Zermatt, and a night on Lake Geneva on the way. Fourteen days adds Provence or the French Riviera without rushing.

Is one week enough for Switzerland?

Yes, for one region. Lucerne, the Jungfrau region and Zermatt fit in seven days with two nights each. Adding the Glacier Express to St. Moritz needs nine or ten days.

How many countries in two weeks?

Two, three if they are neighbors and you accept one-night stops. Paris to Lucerne is 4 h 45 by direct train; Zurich to Milan is 3 h 20. More than three countries in 14 days means more time in transit than on site.

Do you count arrival and departure days?

Yes, as half days. Transatlantic flights land in the morning and leave at midday, so the first and last days are mostly for transfers and settling in.