Europe is such a joy to explore. With world-class cities, medieval towns, the towering, snowcapped Alps, gorgeous beaches, and some of the world’s most delicious food, these are the perfect ingredients for your next vacation. If you want to spend 10 days in Europe, we have five amazing itineraries with some of Europe’s most popular destinations. These itineraries are perfect if it is your first time in Europe or if you need a little travel inspiration to plan your next trip.
10 Days in Europe: Sample Itineraries
London & Paris: Two of Europe’s Great Cities
This is a great introduction to Europe. By starting in London, you get your first taste of Europe without a language barrier. Ride the London Eye, tour the Tower of London, explore the amazing British Museum, ride the Underground, and even take the double-decker bus tour through the city. Travel by Chunnel to get to Paris and spend several days exploring this gorgeous city.
London & Paris
- Day 1: Arrive in London
- Days 2, 3, 4 & 5: Explore London, consider a daytrip to Bath, Stonehenge, or Windsor Castle
- Day 6: Train to Paris in the morning
- Day 7, 8 & 9: Paris
- Day 10: Fly home
Read the full itinerary: 10 Day London Paris Itinerary
Related: 10 Day London Amsterdam Paris Itinerary
Tower bridge in London.
Overlooking Paris from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
Scandinavian Explorer: Copenhagen, Stockholm, & Oslo
Explore three of Scandinavia’s great cities on this itinerary.
Copenhagen, Stockholm & Oslo
- Day 1: Arrive in Copenhagen
- Days 2 & 3: Explore Copenhagen
- Day 4: Fly to Stockholm, explore Stockholm
- Days 5 & 6: Stockholm
- Day 7: Fly to Oslo
- Day 8: Oslo
- Day 9: Norway in a Nutshell
- Day 10: Fly home
Copenhagen is a delight, with its picturesque harbor called Nyhavn. If you are traveling as a family, kids will love Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest amusement parks in the world.
Stockholm is a gorgeous city. Stroll through Gamla Stan, visit City Hall (where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded every year), and take a day cruise through the archipelago.
Then, hop over to Oslo, Norway. Learn about Vikings, visit a ski jump, and then take the Norway in a Nutshell cruise to sneak a peek at the fjords.
A Taste of Italy: Rome, Florence, & Venice
Who doesn’t dream of touring Italy? Ten days is just enough time to get a taste of this country. Rome, Florence, and Venice are three of Italy’s most popular cities, places that many travelers feel like they must see. Here’s how to do it.
A Taste of Italy
- Day 1: Arrive in Rome
- Day 2: Rome
- Day 3: Rome, take a train to Florence in the evening
- Days 4, 5, & 6: Florence and Tuscany
- Day 7: Train to Venice
- Day 8 & 9: Venice
- Day 10: Fly home
Florence deserves the biggest chunk of time in this itinerary. Spend at least one day exploring Florence, and then use your extra days to take daytrips into Tuscany, visiting Siena and the other hill towns. You can do this on your own by renting a car or using the public buses (but this was a nightmare in our experience…we highly recommend renting your own car or hiring a driver while in Tuscany!).
Rome
San Gimignano in Tuscany
Florence
Venice
If you have more than 10 days, considering adding in Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, the Cinque Terre, or the Dolomites into your itinerary.
Want more itinerary ideas for Italy? Read our post: 10 Days in Italy: 3 Amazing Itineraries
Amsterdam, Brussels, & Paris
On this itinerary, three cities are connected with short train rides. Travel time is low which means you have plenty of time to explore these three cities. If you are planning to travel to Europe in April, this itinerary gets our vote. In April, the bulbs are blooming in The Netherlands and it is a sight to see!
Keukenhof, the Netherlands in April
Amsterdam, Brussels & Paris
- Day 1: Arrive in Amsterdam
- Day 2: Amsterdam
- Day 3: Day Trip in the Netherlands
- Day 4: Amsterdam with an afternoon train to Brussels
- Day 5: Brussels
- Day 6: Bruges and Ghent
- Day 7, 8, & 9: Paris
- Day 10: Fly Home
Read the full itinerary: 10 Day Amsterdam Brussels Paris Itinerary
Walk, cruise, or cycle along the canals in Amsterdam.
Get a bird’s eye view over Ghent, Belgium.
Visit the Louvre in Paris.
Read more about Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris:
Coastal Explorer: Barcelona & the French Riviera
On this itinerary, tour one of Europe’s great cities and then explore the glitzy, gorgeous French Riviera. Dine on gourmet cuisine, drink fine wines, relax on the beach, and get a taste of the good life.
Barcelona & the French Riviera
- Day 1: Arrive in Barcelona
- Days 2, 3, 4, & 5: Barcelona plus day trips
- Day 6: Travel to Nice, France
- Day 7, 8, & 9: French Riviera
- Day 10: Fly home
Barcelona needs at least two days of your time to see the best of it. There are also great day trips you can take from Barcelona, such as visiting Montserrat, Girona, Costa Brava, and Tarragona.
Barcelona
In the French Riviera, Nice is a great city to make your home base. From Nice, you can easily get to the other coastal cities, such as Cannes, Antibes, Monaco, and Villefranche-sur-Mer by train. Or, if you want, rent a car, which gives you more freedom and a chance to hit some of the hillside towns. Nice has an international airport, convenient for your flight home.
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Are You Designing a Custom Europe Itinerary?
These itineraries make a great starting point for designing your own custom Europe itinerary. For more tips and tricks to help you plan the perfect itinerary, consider reading this article:
7 Things to Know when Planning Your First Trip to Europe
More European Itineraries
There are endless ways to piece together itineraries for 10 days in Europe, these are just five of our recommendations. However, if you need even more ideas, check these out:
10 Day Bavaria Itinerary
10 Day Norway Itinerary: Road Trip through the Fjords
10 Day Scotland Itinerary: Edinburgh, Glasgow & the Isle of Skye
10 Day Central Europe Itinerary: Budapest, Vienna, & Prague
11 Day Balkan Peninsula Itinerary: Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia & Herzegovina
10 Days in Greece: Athens, Mykonos, Naxos & Santorini
Comments 184
Wonderful read … I am planning my second Europe Trip .. first we did only Switzerland and v satisfied with it .. I want to three cities London Paris and Amsterdam with a 12 -14 days itinery.. could u suggest how I can go about . Thanks
Author
That sounds like a great trip. There’s 2 ways to do it. We have a London Amsterdam Paris itinerary for 10 days. You can use this itinerary and add on your extra days. One more day in each city would be perfect. Or, take our 10 day London Paris itinerary and add on our 2 day Amsterdam itinerary. A third day in Amsterdam would give you more time and the ability to day trip to another destination in the Netherlands. Cheers, Julie
Great article! We’ve been to Rome, Florence and Venice years ago. Now our daughter is studying for the semester in Rome and is taking weekend jaunts to Amalfi coast, Tuscany, Ireland, Paris and London (and maybe more). We are planning to visit and see Rome with her again (throwing that coin in the trevi worked lol) and also take her to Venice. But with the cheap flights to Paris and London I’m wondering how if we can squeeze it all in? I’ll be there prob 10 days, my husband is coming later. You’ve got me thinking 😐
Author
Hello Nancy. What a great place to study abroad!! It sounds like you would like to see Rome, Venice, London, and Paris in 10 days. It’s possible but you might feel like you are in a race. Two days in Venice is enough time to see the main sights. If you want to see Rome with your daughter, you probably need at least 2 days, maybe 3. So that leaves you with 5 days, not including any time you need to travel to/from the US.
You could fly to London or Paris to take advantage of the cheap flights and then catch a short flight the same day to Rome. Spend a few days in Rome, a few days in Venice, and then travel back to London or Paris and do some sightseeing here. You can see both cites very quickly or just choose one and thoroughly explore it. It’s very easy to spend a full, busy 5 days in London without running out of things to do. Fly home from London or Paris.
Hope this helps! Cheers, Julie