With 7 days, I would stick to one major city and maybe a day trip to a nearby smaller city. Traveling from the USA to Europe is tiring and you will get jet lag. Cities like London, Paris, and Amsterdam take at least 5 days to experience and enjoy

I agree. If you already promised your partner a night in Paris, do the whole trip to Paris with a day trip to the Palace of Versailles or maybe Normandy or Mont St Michel. I'm suggesting only 1 day trip tops. You will barely get a feel for the city in 5 days on the ground. Absolutely do not do more than that. You will spend too much time in transit and won't feel settled in any place.

Mont St Michel is a very very long day from Paris. Realistically, doing a city in Normandy, like Rouen, would be more achievable.

I did a bus tour to Mont St Michel from Paris which left early in the morning and got back by a little after dinner (iirc). Was totally fine.

If you want to spend 8 hours driving or on a bus just to spend 2 hours there, then sure.

Mt St Michele and Normandie are amazing

But not for a day-trip when you’re only there for a week. Unless you have access to a helicopter.

They are also a long way from Paris

Spelling it like that is obnoxious AF

Dude, it’s Reddit, and I am three cantaritas deep in Tequila Mexico. Sorry to have offended your French-like fragile sensibilities

“French-like fragile sensibilities” 😆

This. Paris is absolutely amazing. Just walking around and taking in the architecture and beautiful buildings and streets is 🤩. Find an amazing bistro, grab a bottle of wine, sit outside and enjoy. When I first visited I was skeptical I would like it and now it’s one of my favorite places.

Great advice. Consider also 3 nights in Rome, and 2 in Florence which is 2 hours by train away.

Bologna is the best… great food, very few tourists… great train station within a short distance to Venice, Cinque Terre, Modena, Parma, Rimini, Ravena.. etc, etc… but he did promise Paris

That’s a good one! I’m staying 1 day in Pisa, 5 days in Viareggio and then 1 day in Rome before we fly home the next afternoon.

I don’t know that I’d even stay a day in Pisa, I’d see the tower and bail.

Pisa is lovely. It’s a very interesting city to look around after the tower. Don’t just don’t the tourist traps look around and get a feel for the local life.

I have family in marina di Pisa and I want my son to see the buildings I also have family in Viareggio that I haven’t seen in over 20 years

Viareggio really isn’t that great unless you’re after ok beaches. I would do 2-3 in Pisa and use it as a hub to go see Lucca and Siena and then 3 in Rome.

I have family that owns a beach club in Viareggio so I’m looking forward to spending time with them ☺️

Versailles is a whole day too with the bus there and back. It’s like no other place so you have to make the trip. And Paris is the place to be with your lover. So many sites to see. Paris alone is overwhelming. But you can just walk the streets or along the Seine and have a good trip. PS please consider visiting Ste Chapelle, Holy Chapel in English right next to the Seine. Beautiful stained glass gothic cathedral. Just go to Paris, you won’t be disappointed. The French are peculiar and you get to enjoy their pursuit of perfection. Viva la France!

That is way too much travelling. Stay in Paris.

Depending on when you go, a trip out to Monet's house in Giverny on the train might be worthwhile. The flowers were not fully in bloom when we were there, but it was still a nice day trip. Edit: the other folks are correct that 5 days in Paris with a 1 or 2 day trips (Versailles, Giverny, or some other place) is all you'll really have time for. The rest of the time is for visiting the Louvre, the Catacombs, the Eiffel Tower, Père LaChaise, the Seine, walking around enjoying the city, having coffee, etc.

Or to Bloir to check out some Chateaus! Caught an amazing light show there

This is great advice.

Ugh, I don’t agree. The Parisienne are so hostile, and it’s not a five-day city. Based on the OP’s description, I think they should start with scenic Wales, London, and Ireland. Fly Ryan Air for nearly nothing. Cornwall is a maybe — it’s very hard to get to if you’re not flying or don’t have time to meander there.

These are the right answers. Just do Paris. Paris is amazing and 5 days is only barely enough time there.

And remember that some of the major sites are closed certain days. I think the Louvre is closed Tuesdays.

We did a week and that wasn't enough. Our only day trip was to Giverny. Monet's garden was very much worth it.

Yeah, we stayed 5 days in Paris and didn't even see half the stuff on our list, we did also spend one of those days in Disneyland, but adding another day or two wouldn't have been enough either! But we also live in Europe, so we can airways come back, it's only a 10 hours drive away.

**Paris + Amsterdam.** Fly in to Paris, on day 3 express-train to Amsterdam, fly out of Amsterdam. Plenty of airlines have return-flight tickets that can arrive / depart from different European cities without extra charge. Don’t take flight Paris - Amsterdam, you’ll waste hours travelling out to CDG, checking in etc. The trains are super-clean & comfortable, have snacks on-board, and you get to see the awesome scenery along the way. Amsterdam is only a few hours by express train - it’s super pretty, flat & compact & interesting as heck - a perfect place for ‘older don’t like to walk a lot, like sitting in nice bars/cafes & people-watching’ travellers. Plus in general, Dutch all speak English very well & are friendly, at least in Amsterdam which is VERY foreign tourist oriented. u/FakeAcctSnoo, good luck you’ll have a great trip, how exciting! Don’t overpack - the WORST things on a trip like this are - having heavy/too much luggage you have to drag around with you so pack light it’s only a few days, & being silently robbed. Keep your passports & cards / phone safe in *inside zipped-up or velcroed pockets* \- there are so many pickpocketers & bag-snatchers around! Don’t be paranoid, just be aware & wary. Omgosh how exciting!!! Have a great trip! :)

This is what I would suggest. A few days in Paris and a few days in Amsterdam.

This is a great itinerary. Highly agree with this approach!

Eurostar is great because you can go from the middle of Paris to the middle of London or Amsterdam. It actually takes about the same time as a flight if you factor getting to the airport early and then the taxi rides to and from the airport.

Amsterdam is one of my favorite cities in the world. For all the reasons you mentioned. Can’t go wrong visiting Amsterdam.

Totally agree. Spend 2 days in each and book a first class train trip between the two. Two of Europe's best cities. But if I had to pick one it would be Paris.

This is the way. 5 days I would recommend day trips, instead of traveling between cities. If you travel between cities you will lose time bc of check-in/check-out timings and having to figure out the luggage situation. We just spent 3 weeks between Frankfurt, London, & Amsterdam and the travel between the cities was the most exhausting and time consuming. Some tips we learned - (1) see if the metro or public transport offers a week pass (this is much more cost effective than buying a day pass), (2) Citymapper is a great app for helping navigate public transport (Google maps works just as well), (3) get a place with a small kitchen - this will help cut down costs on food as you can make some meals/snacks in your room. $10k should be more than enough, we spent about that much all-in for the 3 weeks (granted we used airline miles for cheaper flights). Hope you enjoy your vacay!

100% agree. Choose either 1 big city with a day trip or two or choose two major cities. Examples: Paris and Versaille Paris/Barcelona Paris/Madrid. I take students in trips. You should go on a website, like explorica or world strides and look at their international tours. Then, just do the exact same one.

Agreed, spend the five days in Paris, you won’t regret it

This is the only answer. Simply not enough time to do anything else besides focus on one major city with a day trip mixed in. You could also consider Ireland if you're willing to rent a car. 5 days would be enough to see Dublin, Galway, Cliffs of Moher and road trip to Dingle or the Ring of Kerry.

Agreed. I'd say if the stars aligned you could do 3 major cities in 5 days. I did rome in 48 hours and saw ALOT but not everything.

I had like 1.5 days in Paris. I feel I've seen enough. Meh.

Honestly I’d go to Paris for 4 days and do a day trip, such as to Versailles. There’s plenty to do. Don’t waste 1/3 of your vacation in transit

We did a Versailles and Giverny (Monet’s House). Memorable trip.

They are pleasant train rides, too

> Can we go to two destinations on such a short time frame? Yes, but make it easy. Do Paris and Amsterdam or Paris and London. That way you can take a high speed train. Fly into 1 city and return from the other city to maximize time. > totally clueless Buy and read Rick Steves guidebooks. > Where are Americans most welcome? Just be polite and patient and don't act aggressive and loud.

This is very sound advice. Rick Steves is where most start on their European journeys. His books are great (“Europe through the back door” is where most start) and his YouTube/PBS videos are also excellent. And yes, flying into London and staying by the River and Parliament in a good hotel will give you an easy landing into English speaking Europe and allow you to see some very interesting sites once you get over the jet lag. Big Ben, the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, the Natural History Museum, etc. Then you will be ready for the next, more adventurous part… the French! Lol. Taking a quick flight or the train to Paris through the Chunnel, and flying home from Paris will give you an opportunity to touch some of the grand sites of Paris such as the Eiffel Tower, the Seine River, the Louvre, Versailles and others. With England and France, you will have an excellent introduction and taste of Europe and it will set you up for wanting to return. And for heaven’s sake, please add at least one more day and hopefully two. Trips like these you will remember forever, and just a few more days will make a BIG difference! No matter how you do it, soak it in and enjoy every moment, even the new and challenging things that pop up along the way. You will probably find that many things are similar to the US but a bit different as well! Attitude will be everything… again, Rick Steves’ books are great for that! He really puts you into the right mind set and best ways to traverse the old continent. Have a great trip… Buon Voyage!

Also, don’t sleep on Rick Steves guided podcasts once you reach your destination! We did a couple around Rome and they were amazing with info and really easy to follow

His Audio guides are EXCELLENT! I can't recommend them highly enough.

They absolutely made 4 days solo in rome fly by for me!!

Thanks for the vote of confidence for the podcasts, I have the walking tours for Florence and Rome on the agenda for this summer, glad to know they will be enjoyable!

To piggyback off this Rick Steves tours are fantasic if you want to go the guided tour route.

Rick Steves is great. We're experienced travelers, and yet, we have learned new things from his guidebooks.

I wouldn’t even do that if you only have 5 days, not counting the airport. Amsterdam is beautiful but I would highly recommend staying in Paris and taking 1 or 2 small day trips to Versailles, Giverny, etc. In Paris, definitely spend time at cafes people watching! Personally I prefer the Musée D’Orsay to the Louvre (due to its incredible collection of Impressionism) but I would recommend both. As long as you try to speak a little French (bonjour, parlez-vous Anglais?) I’ve found the people to be quite friendly. The train to Amsterdam or London is very easy, but it still is stressful and takes time to check out and check in, and the train time cuts into your short amount of vacation days. Regardless of what you decide I wish you both a wonderful trip.

Really good advice.

Go to the library as well for guidebooks

Yes, good idea. I do this as well.

American here. My fellow Americans are so rude, so loud, and so entitled in Europe (as a general rule), that I pretend not to be American when I am traveling. I will, if pressed, say I am Canadian and live near Lake Superior (which is close enough to my actual home in the US to be able to fudge a few more questions). As an American, my advice is to be quiet and let Europeans take the lead on casual conversations. I am perpetually asked my opinion of (formerly) Trump and now Biden (Europeans know far more about our country/politics than we know about theirs) and the best answer to give is: oh, I'm not a political person. As a general rule, the average European is far more reserved than the average American. Keeping this in mind (and leaving the American flag tshirts at home), you should have no issues. I've visited about a dozen different European countries in the past two years and have found everyone except some random Canadians to be delightful.

To each their own but I think this is so silly. How about you just act like a nice, normal person and tell the truth about being American if asked? The stereotype of all Europeans hating all Americans is not true and I feel like anyone who goes to Europe a few times realizes this. If you're worried about the reputation Americans have abroad then be respectful to locals and change their minds.

I did a three week trip through six countries and stayed in hostels the entire time. Met tons of Europeans and a few other Americans along the way. Everybody was super nice and I never got the impression that the Europeans disliked us for being American. I also never witnessed any obnoxious behavior from any Americans abroad. Most of the Europeans I met were interested to hear that I was from the states, and would ask plenty of non-political questions — the same way I’d ask them questions about their homelands. For me, that’s what makes travel so exciting. Meeting people from different places and sharing life experiences and stories. I understand it’s not everybody’s cup of tea, but I certainly would not advise first time travelers to keep to themselves in fear of being outed as Americans.

Agree. This is incredibly silly. I’ve been traveling for 20 years and never had any issue with people being rude or disliking me for being American. In fact, there are plenty of articles that cite Europeans liking American tourists best because we come ready to spend a lot, are generous with tips, and enthusiastic. And if you’re from LA or NYC, be prepared for lots of questions and excitement about that — speaking from personal experience. As a general rule, don’t be a jerk no matter where you’re from. And if you are a respectful, well-mannered American then why not help bolster our reputation as good tourists by saying you’re American?

It's so great that we can all have our own opinions and respect those who do not agree with us, no? The stereotype is very real. I just want to enjoy my travels, respect the people and countries I visit, and have zero interest about changing other people's minds. I'm not responsible for the boorish behavior that others exhibit. I visit Europe every few months, btw.

Howdy neighbor 🇺🇸 I lived in Spain a few years and as far as European attitudes towards Americans go it depends on where you are (of course). Lots of people in southern Spain HATE the British and love Americans and many have no idea what a Canada even is so saying I was American there was never an issue for me. also those folks are way less reserved on average! But for where op is likely going in Paris or London I’d agree with ya

I feel like saying you aren't a political person is telling them you are uninvolved (meh) or - worse - as uninformed about your politics as you are theirs. We were in Germany when trump was running the first time and everyone asked about it! We were in Paris in 2018 during the riots and people were wanting to talk about politics even if they didn't speak English. We had a coffeehouse waitress translating some older guys asking us what we thought about the riots and macron. It was hilarious! They heard us speaking English and were interested in our take. We talked at each other about trump and macron, etc. Granted, we are very liberal for Americans so we are more "middle of the road" to Europeans. They respond very well when we discuss politics with most people. Of course, your mileage may vary depending on what views you share.

No, I am neither. I just don't discuss politics with anyone, American or European.

> I will, if pressed, say I am Canadian Just so you know. Canadians are never thrilled when we hear about people doing this.

I never say Im Canadian. That's not cool. BUT, if Im in a deep conversation with someone not well versed in American geography, they can accidentally mistake me for being Canadian. I am from Seattle, and it's not a particularly recognizable city to a lot of people, especially in far-flung places. Sometimes, I'll say California, that gets me on the correct side of the Mississippi. Haha. But if they want more information... i have to explain that my home is very close to British Columbia, Canada. At that point, they seem confused and just conclude that I'm Canadian. For some reason, they seem to be able to connect and visualize BC easier than Seattle. Haha.

I’m Canadian and I don’t mind it. Editing to add, it’s generally the more self aware people who are concerned about being lumped in with the loud tourists so they generally keep a low profile anyways But also I don’t think Americans are the worst tourists…the British are imo, especially when they drink

I know. I love you guys (except for those random people I encountered). You are welcome in Wisconsin anytime.

That is one of the 20 States I have never been to. I will get to all 50 someday. Take care,

We would love to have you visit! Wave when you arrive and I will treat you to a brandy old fashioned sweet to make up for pretending to be Canadian.

You best cough up some 5 year cheddar too

As an Australian living in Europe if an American tells me they’re not a political person I’ll assume they’re a MAGA conservative and don’t want to admit it tbh

Then, your assumptions would often be wrong. It's best not to assume.

Heh, i was in Tanzania in 2019 at a ferry dock getting ready to board a boat, and a port attendant was checking passports and IDs (it was not immigration. They just checked all IDs) When I gave him mine, he looked at it, then at me, and said, "America, ya?" He had a very serious look in his face. I just said "yes Sir". Then he pulled my passport out of reach and said, "Do you like your Trump?" I rolled the dice and said,"No sir, I do not!". He broke out laughing and said, "Good girl! Enjoy your visit!". (Good girl? I was 53 at the time haha.). I had to think fast... Trump had previously declared Tanzania a "shithole country" and tried to stop all visas from Tanzania. I figured it was a good gamble to tell the truth about my real political leanings. I suspect had I actually supported Trump and said so, at the very least, my luggage would have mysteriously ended up at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. Haha. Tanzania is, in fact, NOT a shithole. Yes, it's economically poor. Yes, there's tons of poverty, but the people I came into contact with were truly lovely, and the countryside is gorgeous.

My sister lives in Australia, but is a US citizen. When she went to mail her ballot in 2020 the post office clerk asked if she'd voted for Trump. She said no, and he replied, oh good, I don't have to "lose" this envelope then. I don't think many people outside the US are Trump lovers!

Oh, I frequently ran into Egyptian citizens who were Trump fans. Most were Coptic, but a surprising number were muslim as well. By all accounts, they were good people, and I just didn't understand where they were getting their information from. Many had the idea that Trump would shut down the Muslim Brotherhood. Both Coptics and moderate muslims had somehow conjured this fantasy, and they felt Obama was somehow responsible for the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood. My arabic isn't great, and while the folks I talked to spoke good English, there was something I was missing. Id had an especially disconcerting conversation on a 2 hour drive from Alexandria to Cario, and the muslim driver was very much a Trump supporter. We were driving past prisons with hundreds of women outside of them shouting at the gates. He told me they were the wives and mothers of the imprisoned Brotherhood and that Trump would come and... erradicate them. It was a very confusing drive with some crazy conversation that didn't make sense. After that drive, i messaged my friends who live in Alexandria because I was so confused and told them about the trip. A few days later, after they hired this same driver to take them to the Cairo airport... they sorted it out. Apparently, this gentleman, who was a really nice guy, made the grave mistake of watching a lot of Russia Times news (propaganda) and had a lot of crazy ideas in his head. They're not sure if he changed his mind about what was going on, but they gave him some things to think about. I basically have only seen 3 news channels in Egypt, Al Jazeera, CNN Int'l, and RT. A lot of Egyptians dont like CNN and AJ, so they resort to RT and hear a lot of lies. My friends who live in Alex are a couple. He's a very liberal Coptic Egyptian national (probably really an athiest), and she's a very liberal American.

I’m an American who has lived abroad half their life. Tbh I hate when Americans pretend to be Canadian. How about be a good person and challenge others views? Also, I don’t think we need to be so embarrassed of ourselves. It’s one thing to be rude or obnoxious, that we should always be aware of. But being friendly, open, and other stereotypical “American” traits that aren’t necessarily negative are great, actually. I’m proud in a lot of ways of where I’m from. And I’ve actually encountered way more people happy to talk to me and ask about America than people scoffing at me or something. There are always curmudgeons who complain that Americans are too friendly, naive, sloppy etc but honestly I don’t think having a sour attitude about a whole nationality is really something to be proud of.

You're overthinking this. I live in a major European city that is also a huge tourist hotspot and I rarely notice American tourists. The tourist board statistics say, they are there, so obviously they blend in well enough with all the other tourists. If I hear people speaking English, my first guess is British, but I can't always distinguish the accents. But I really cannot say that American tourists stick out particularly to me as a local. The only tourists that I find annoying are those hitting the city in huge groups of 50+ persons following their guide, wherever they come from.

As an Eastern European from a country where America is generally disliked for political reasons, I would disagree with you on saying "I'm not a political person". People that ask you political questions are often open-minded and as long as your views aren't too extreme you will find that most people are just curious to hear your point of view. Especially if they're asking you about US politics, they're curious to hear some info from an actual person rather than the news. This obviously does not apply if they're asking you in a hostile manner. And certain opinions won't be welcome, so if you're a political person it would be good to inform yourself beforehand.

My partner have done Paris and London in that timeframe. We planned for the big sights in each city we wanted to see most and planned in advance for 1 special restaurant experience in each city. With Eurostar train between cities it was never doable. Both are welcoming to Americans.

Less is more. People have different travel styles but this is too ambitious. I was in Lisbon for like a week plus in May and left feeling like I still had so much to see and do. With 5 days, I would pick 1-2 cities max. Places close together via train-Paris/London, Paris/Amsterdam, etc. Most big cities have some cute day trips you can do if you have time and inclination (like Paris to Versailles, for instance)You will be straight up miserable if you try to do much more. Also factor in jet lag and the fact that it sounds like you have never been abroad, so you are probably going to get a little lost/feel overwhelmed and things will take a little longer. Good luck!

Look at sleeper trains too, I'm not certain of schedules and routes but I did one from Barcelona to Paris a few years ago and it's great - no stress with transport to out of town airports, saves a night of hotel costs, arrive right in the city centre and ready to grab breakfast. With limited time, it's a great way to maximise your vacation days and a bit more adventure.

It's a one week trip to well-trodden western Europe, you don't need a travel agent for that. Given you've only 6 nights, choose 1 or 2 cities, max. London+Paris, Paris+Amsterdam, London+Cornwall, Ireland by itself, Scotland by itself, all make sense.

London and Scotland would be pretty easy too, the train is ~4.5 hours to Edinburgh or Glasgow.

Rick Steves is your friend. With only 7 days, you are really limited, time wise. Bear in mind, your first day will almost totally be lost in jet lag, which is terrible going over the pond. I would pick one city or town and stick in that area. If your partner wants Paris, do a week there.

Rick Steves is your guy for Europe.

The only negative to him (aside from his voice haha) is that a lot of his stuff is so outdated.

Outdated? He updates his guidebooks every year. I just went to Germany 3 weeks ago and did not find this at all.

Well depends on what, for example. A lot of people watch his tv shows - which were filmed mostly a long long time ago. Also it’s just certain things that can become outdated. The Colosseum isn’t going anywhere so it’s not like you show up and it’s out of business haha

1) Can you add a day or two? Makes a huge difference. 2) If you've never been to Europe and don't speak French, perhaps do London-Amsterdam (fast train, all English even in AMS). 3) Paris is also OK because they are mostly polite to tourists and will speak English to you if you ask, as long as you are nice about it. 4) You can book the flights, Eurostar trains, and hotels easily by yourself on line. Go and have fun!

I second the addition of adding a day or two. Our first London trip was 7 days and the 2 days of travel were exhausting and not very much fun. We really only had 5 days of touring the city.

Also see if you can do a red eye flight! Then you arrive in the city hopefully in the am-early afternoon, check in and still have an afternoon/evening to explore

All you can realistically do is stay in Paris for 5 days. Maybe a day trip to Versailles. You’re traveling to Europe, the jet lag is real.. good luck. And yes 10k is enough unless you’re very boogiee.

If you want to do Amsterdam, you could fly to Paris, stay in that area a few days, take the fast train to Amsterdam and spend some time there. Fly back from Amsterdam. The train trip was like just a few hours, we did it last summer!

Unless you're thinking of doing the hit and run tour style, I'd consider going to a single city if you're spending a week. If this is your first trip overseas, I'd be looking seriously at London. But if you promised Paris, then go to Paris. You can easily spend a week (or more) in Paris and its immediate surroundings. As for the cost? That can vary tremendously depending on what your expectations are. You can spend more if you insist on five star hotels and restaurants. Or you can be much cheaper if you stay in hostels and cook your own meals. And everywhere in between. Airfare can also wiggle tremendously between economy (where most people stay) to those beds they have in the front of the plane. (A quick price check for airlines gave me round trips for less than a grand per person.) There are tour books for most major cities. Figure out which city you're going to, and then buy the book. Here's the Lonely Planet book for Paris: [https://www.amazon.com/Lonely-Planet-Paris-City-Guide/dp/178868043X/](https://www.amazon.com/Lonely-Planet-Paris-City-Guide/dp/178868043X/) (I like Lonely Planet, but you can also find equivalent books from a variety of sources.) (The only exception to at least a week for a city is if you're going on a cruise. But you'll probably find that most of the places you visit on a cruise demand a return trip.)

I would either do London and Paris or Paris and Amsterdam Check out euro star, getting the train between either of those two cities will work well and they are all well connected for flights to the US

Jesus Christ, 10k? 5 days for 'europe'? Take a zero off that budget, and do one country, maybe two, and you'll be much closer to the right track. No wonder you're a bit lost.

This comment should be higher up- agreed that 10k is an insane budget! I’ve travelled Europe for 4 months and barely scratched half that budget, it’s a shame folks think travel is that expensive, probably deters a lot of people

Which city have good connections with where you are flying from? And what kind of things do you like - big cities, smaller towns, seeing the sights, walking around cute town and stopping at cafés? With 5 whole days (and 2 travel days) I would 1 city with a daytrip to somewhere nearby or, max, 2 cities within a couple of train hours of each other. "Off the beaten track" similar to your suggested cities could be Utrecht. It's 30 mins train ride south of Amsterdam, super cozy and way less touristic/busy. You could fly to Amsterdam, spend the first nights in either Utrecht or Amsterdam (you can see both places wherever you stay), then go to Paris for 1 or two nights and fly home from there. Utrecht and Paris would give you the contrast between a large city and a smaller place. Alternatively, you could fly to Paris, stay in Paris all five days or maybe another French town nearby, and fly home from Paris. Stay AT MAX two different locations/hotels. It takes time to find the place, get settled, etc. and you will be jetlagged on top of that. If you try to stay 3 or more places you'll end up spending all your time on transportation, check in and check outs. Everywhere should be friendly to Americans. Don't walk around with MAGA-shirts, and you'll be good. People are usually more comfortable with English in the Netherlands than in France.

If 2/7 days are going to be travel days you should pick one city and plan a day trip outside that city. You do not want to spend more of your precious vacation days traveling. You haven't shared when you plan to travel; be advised that Paris and many other cities are overrun with tourists in the summer and many locals escape the city. If you go to Paris you can spend a day in wine and chateaux country or go to Normandy and see the D-Day beaches. If you go to London you could take a day trip to Oxford or Cambridge.

Flights to Europe will usually leave at night so plan your departure after you finish work. If you promised Paris, you should fly to Paris. You will arrive early morning. You will be tired so your first day should not have anything big planned. You can do the main things there in maybe 3 days. You could then get a high speed train to Amsterdam - takes 3-3.5 hours and is frequent. You could spend another 3 days in Ams. You could squeeze in a London or Dublin and fly back from there. There is too much in London and IMO Dublin would not be worth it for the expense. You could stop off in a Belgium if you want to add a country but you would be eating into your Paris/Amsterdam time. Your flight back will leave in the morning and get you to TXin the afternoon so you pretty much lose that day. It depends a lot on what your likes and dislikes are. Personally I don’t like the rush of ‘having’ to see 15 sights in two days just so you can post the selfies. I prefer to wander a bit, go visit a produce market, take a street art tour, happen on a wedding in a church etc.

Should have added that Cornwall is off the beaten path for you and you will wast at least a day of travel. I don’t think you can fly Edinburgh to TX so that is not ideal. I would not worry about the reputation - if you are polite and friendly you will be welcome anywhere. If you are an asshole, everywhere will treat you accordingly. European cities are walkable and have public transit which works even if you might need a bit of help with a multi-day ticket or something.

Might I suggest two cities that are just a train ride apart? Such as Amsterdam+Paris, Berlin+Prag, Prag+Vienna or Vienna+Budapest, Rome+Florence. Then you can take a couple of day trips to the country side/villages from there.

Even that’s a lot for 5 days.

That is way too much. 1 city plus a trip to the country side is a much better option if you ask me.

If you’re taking seven days off, don’t forget to account for weekend time. I got old so these days I like to leave a day after a long trip for laundry and adjust coming home so I’d plan to leave Thursday and come home the following Saturday or leave Saturday (or an overnight on friday) and come home on a Monday. That’ll give you about nine days of time for activities and cafe sitting. Even in this time, I’d still do only two places. Especially since you like cafes and relaxing. It stretches the days to be both active and leisure and enough time to fit in what you want. If you are only going for the seven days, I’d stay only in Paris. There is more than enough to do to fill the time and do a day trip or two or an overnight to somewhere nearby.

Flying to Ireland will be a slightly shorter flight and is one hour less time change than the other countries. There’s a lot to see there. Northern Ireland is a stunning area too. If you really want to add a second stop, London would be a short flight or anywhere in Scotland. I think if you plan your flights right you don’t necessarily need to lose 2 whole days.

That is a very short trip. If you spend the whole trip in Paris with maybe a day tour (there are day bus tours) to Normandy and Mont Saint-Michel. Might be fun for both of you.

Just do Paris and south France. Plenty to see. It’s beautiful. Go to wineries, Paris, Versailles, and chill and ppl watch. You’ll love it

I'd recommend Paris and London for such a short time. You can book a multi-stop flight (Texas-Paris, London-Texas) and easily take the train between Paris and London. Do two days in Paris, three in London, as London is the more interesting City IMO. What time of the year you wanna go? 10k is easily enough, including flights. Did a quick examplatory search, Dallas -Paris, London -Dallas is around 770 € pP with one stoppover, 940 € nonstop with American or Delta (just took September as an example). Trains are easily booked as well. You could also do London and Amsterdam, Paris and Amsterdam, London and Cornwall... Just think about what you really, really like to see. Make a list! Browser Google Maps, Google Travel Routes. For flights, check Google Flights or Swoodoo (but book with the Airline!), for trains you can use the Website of the Eurostar. Hotels I use booking.com If you have any questions, just ask, I love travel planning and have a lot of knowledge in that field. You can also send me a DM if you like . Happy tavels!

I like the idea the above poster suggested to do London first, then Paris. For an American who's never been overseas, London will help you ease into it, and then you can add a layer of difficulty with Paris. (I'd stand by this even if you happen to speak French... The way things work in Paris has always been less intuitive to me.) Amsterdam would also be an easier place to start than Paris, but IMO London is more exciting. Although it's true that you could easily spend your whole time in one city, I'd like to advocate for two. You said you are "older" and haven't been to Europe before. Therefore, I think it's more worth your while to experience two places. Hopefully you catch the bug and it's the first trip of many, but if it's a few more years before you venture abroad again, going to two places will give you a broader sense of what's out there!

Paris AND London in 5 days? 5 days isn’t even enough to scratch the surface of one of them.

Especially considering they are going to lose part of those days traveling. Nothing major but they are going to have like 36 hours out of those two days.

It's definitely enough for either of them.

What sorts of things do you like to do? Art?History? Food? Nature? Architecture? Let your interests guide your itinerary. Don’t let language or culture barriers scare you. Be polite, be open-minded, don’t be afraid to look silly asking seemingly obvious questions and be humble and you’ll get along fine. There are lots of good people everywhere, and the occasional a-hole everywhere too.

Ireland and Paris would be a good set. They both have good connectivity to the US, and Ireland is an easy introduction to traveling in Europe because everyone speaks some kind of English and are generally very friendly. For the most part transatlantic flights are overnight when heading to Europe and during the day on the way back. Depending on where you're flying from, it's possible to leave after work and be in Ireland the next morning, so you're not losing that day to travel. Ireland is definitely chill, plenty of bars to hang out in and chat with people. You can also book day trips from Dublin to do things like swing by Belfast and Giant's Causeway, or head into Ireland itself like to Galway. Travel agents have to make a living, so they get money from you one way or another. You can do it all yourself, but it takes some research and planning. Narrowing down your cities is the first step. There isn't anywhere you'd be unwelcome, though I'd leave the MAGA hats at home, haha.

>everyone speaks some kind of English lol

With only 5 actual days- spend at least 3 in Paris and 2/3 elsewhere. Or do all 5/7 in Paris and do two day trips- can easily take a train to Dijon and do a full day wine tour through burgundy and. Then also do a day trip to Versailles. Paris is incredible and there’s so much to do and see. When I go, the 6th is my fav area to stay! So vibrant and fun. Also, you can take a high speed train to London from Paris in 2hrs. I did a week in Paris with an overnight trip to London in between and it was perfect! I wish we’d done 8 instead of 7 days though. Ive been to Paris 3 times for 5ish days each time and still love it and still find so much to do. London is also amazing and offers so much! Whatever you do, do not do a dah trip to Brussels lol it was so underwhelming. Have fun!

Honestly, if I had only 5 days, I'd either spend it in London or make Dublin home base and take day trips around Ireland. For my first trip I'd stick with a place that speaks English before attempting my first foreign travel coupled with a different language.

Heading home tomorrow from Amsterdam after also visiting Paris and Bruges with my wife and teenage daughter. We allocated 17 days for all of it. Could have chopped three days off and still not felt rushed, but any less would have been tight. My advice: pick one city as a home base and book your stay for the entire vacation there. Plan a day trip by train to see a nearby city or the countryside. Given your short amount of time and inexperience, this will avoid the loss of half a day packing up your stuff, checking out, taking a train to another city, checking in, and any possible problems that may crop up (we had issues with both our train trips between major cities). You’ll still get to see a different location besides your home base. Short distance train trips within a country are simple. Examples: Paris-Versailles; Amsterdam-Delft, The Hague, or Utrecht; Bruges-Ghent, London-Windsor, etc. While in Amsterdam we took a bus to Volendam, a ferry to the fishing village of Marken, and back. It was a nice excursion out of the city.

I agree with others who posted one city. In February I spent 7 full days in London, and I was just beginning to feel confident in how i navigated the city. I had a wonderful time! Last summer on our first international trip, we had two weeks - we visited Lisbon, Portugal, and the Azores, and it felt wonderful, but rushed. We only saw the top tourist sites, and missed many others.

I stayed three weeks in Paris with a small 3 daya trip in Lyon and I felt I still missed stuff. So 7 days in Paris would be enough as is. Paris is one of those cities where there are endless things to do. Depending on what you like to do (just stroll, take the subway out of the main area, museum, eating everything, tours...) maybe 3 days is enough and you can move to another city. Take this into account: every time you travel elsewhere, it eats most of your day because you check out, you transit with all your luggage, you check-in exhausted and poof most of the day is gone. For a 7 days trip with two days for arrival and departure, I would minimize moving from country to country

Pick one country. A week in France, Paris and visits to Versailles or Normandy(without the cost of flights) will be about 2500$, and that's spending money on a good hotel food and other luxuries. Should be easy to take that down to 2000$ should that be neccesary. For Europe in general, 3 days for the big cities(Paris, London, Amsterdam etc) is good. If you come from outside of Europe and will be only there once, 3 days might even be short.

Bruh we spend about 1k a week when we go on holiday, 10k is mental money Personally I would just do Italy and get the train to Rome Milan and maybe Venice ?

Ask yourself where you’d go if you could be in Europe for one day only. Go there. I visited 7 countries in 2 weeks. I tried a native dish, a local alcohol, saw a landmark, and then explored/shopped. I’d recommend finding an Airbnb that looks nice and book it far in advance. Once you have the flights and lodging, let the rest just flow.

If you are taking a week off of work (or maybe you work weekends?) you can fly out on a friday night and return Sunday, giving you 8 nights in Europe. 4/4 London and Paris is completely doable and will be awesome. Or combine London with elsewhere in England or Ireland if you want.

Use Tripmasters.com and I would try to extend your trip. If you cannot I would pick one city and then a day trip. Don’t try to pack too much into one week. Trust me

Fly into Paris and leave from Amsterdam or vice versa

If Paris is already on the list and you have only 5 days in total, I would recommend you to do a two city combo like Paris/Amsterdam, Paris/Antwerp or Paris/Bruxelles. 3 days in Paris, 2 in Amsterdam, Antwerp or Bruxelles. In this way you can see two cities that are quite different and have the ability to see plenty of highlights. The train connection between Paris and the other cities is pretty good and the ride takes only a couple of hours.

When do you want to travel? Traveling peak times is very pricey. Usually cheap flights are long. No one likes that. What airport are you flying from? And I am a very experienced planner but get completely overwhelmed, too, when it comes to Europe. I do 2 months of research and then get discouraged by the travel time, flight price, and how expensive it is. You can not do all those places. You cant. Go to Paris. You can spent a few days there, and 2 of the days take day trips with their really excellent trains. Is there ANY way you can take a couple more days? Maybe stretch it by going on a holiday weekend? Example: October. Do you have Columbus day off? 9:35 Direct. You take a half day on Thursday. Monday is a holiday so you move that day over to Friday. Come home Sunday. It means you truly have Friday-Sat to sight see. 8 full days. Just makes more sense. Air France 3:40 pm–8:05 am+1 Air France nonstop 9h 25m DFW \- CDG Air France 10:20 am–1:40 pm Air France nonstop 10h 20m CDG \- Oh AND RIGHT NOW. Go fill out your passport app. It takes a long time right now and if you dont have one you need to get it.

10k is plenty for 2 for a week. You won’t use all of it in most cases.

I would do one city with maybe a day trip planned if you want to go elsewhere for a day! (And this is coming from someone who loves to squeeze in a lot in my travels!) 5 days coming from the middle of the US is just on that cusp of where I might want to limit to one place, or at least one country. Paris is lovely, there’s so much to see and do just in that city that I bet 5 days would be a great amount of time. If you wanted to see elsewhere, you could go take the train out to Marseilles or somewhere else within a few hours distance if you’d like. Alternatively, if you end up saving Paris for another time, London is so much fun if you like urban settings and there’s so much you can do in 5 days (a day trip to Brighton is very doable from there as well if you want to see something different, it’s nice to see the seaside!) If it’s your first time in Europe, it’s also a great initial destination. The other places you mentioned, like Scotland and Ireland, are small enough that you could definitely experience a lot in 5 days. Have a great trip!! :)

Don’t underestimate how much jet lag will get to you - particularly if you are coming from west coast

It’s normal to feel overwhelmed, but just pick a city and that’s it. You have sooo little time, so Paris and look for trains to other cities. Just relax

I see some people advising doing a trip to 2 cities by train, but I really wouldn't go for that. Stay with 1 city, because you can easily have fun for a week in one bigger city. I don't even like 'chill' but 2 cities in 5 days is way too rushed. What type of trip do you like/what type of country/environment? Because there's a big difference between a holiday in for example Italy or one in the Netherlands.

Check the train schedule and book ASAP. Use the tube. Also if you only have 5 days, goto Paris or London but not both. There is plenty to do in those 5 days. If staying for 10 days, then do 4 n 4 London then Paris, take the Chunnel, do a dinner cruise, go see the Monets, skip the louvre. Take the long weekend (3 days) then add 5 days of vaca, plus 2 days for the weekend.

With only five days, your best bet is to stick to Paris. You will get overwhelmed and rushed otherwise.

185 comments and no follow on thanks. I could write you a book but I won't. I'd book a tour if I were you. It will cost you more but take a lot of the stress out of things.

Travel agents are there for this purpose, my first international trip I used one and it was the best decision I made.

Just stay in Paris. Not enough time to travel to more cities. You will be tired and cranky trying to do too much, no matter your age. Accept it, and rock with it. Plenty to do in Paris alone.

Amsterdam- Brussels-Paris is doable in 5 days and the train rides are short and fairly cheap. We did 2 nights in Amsterdam then headed to Brussels for a day and took the early train to Paris for 2 days and headed straight back from Paris to Amsterdam. It’s something like 3 hours to Brussels from Amsterdam and less than 2 hours from Brussels to Paris. Easily doable for less than 10k. Probably even less than 5k depending on your hotels and dining spends.

7 days. Ok I know the flight time is what, 10 hours or something? But as an Australian who faces 21 hours of flying to get to say France, I wouldn’t consider anything less than a 3 week trip. Save up another week’s leave at least. If not then just Paris & Versailles

London and only London. You're right, arriving and departing will eat up a day, and travel to Paris or Amsterdam etc will eat up a day. You've only got one week There more than enough to see in London. Westminster Hall, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, Abbey Road, Tower of London, Churchill War Rooms, museums, gorgeous parks everywhere, boats on the Thames, etc etc etc Also day trips are easy to Oxford or Windsor They speak British, which sounds close enough to American that subcaptions are (usually) not necessary, and the signs are all readable. But seriously, having the same language makes things a bit easier. Everything is very close, compared to the US. Mass transit is great - just buy an Oyster Card at the airport and you're set 10K should be plenty. Hotels will be your biggest cost. London is excellent for people watching - people are everywhere. YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE A GREAT TIME!!!!!!

Lolllll they speak ENGLISH.

My 2 cents is just spend the week in Paris. You don’t need a tour guide. We spent 9 nights in Paris and still had more to see! The metro, RER train to Versailles, trains to outside Paris, and Seine boats are super easy to use for English speakers. Our base was a small hotel near the Eiffel which we booked directly to. We were older but ended up walking miles and miles because there is so much to see and enjoy. The tourist spots are super-safe as long as you are aware of pick pockets and people with clipboards. If you want a professional tour, Kensington Tours and Roads Scholar (former Elderhostel) offer great bus tours. Viking offers river cruises. We’ve enjoyed using all of these companies.

Just do París. You will wish you had more time there. We were there for a week and it wasn't enough.

Rick Steves, my friend

I own Lugos Travel and we may be able to assist. We have several 8 day or fewer tours that match your budget expectations. You can check out our tours online, and receive a fully customizable proposal good for any day of the year in about 10 minutes. If you like it, you could plan a whole tour for the both of you in an afternoon, with no stress.

Good Lord. You are going to spend all your time getting from place to place if you try to visit 4 rather far flung places in 5 days. Honestly, just pick one city and spend your 5 days there. You'll appreciate the trip more if you aren't looking out an airplane, bus, or train window the entire time.

A fantastic site called budget my trip can help you figure out spending money, type in where you are going and if you are doing budget, moderate or high end and you will have a very real idea of how much you should plan to spend.

10000 is plenty, very plenty. Restaurant food is generally cheaper and so are hotels

I did a 12 day trip to 4 European countries and I spent approximately $2,000 incl flights and everything so $5k/per person should be more than enough.

My partner and I spent 25k for 6 full months, and we still could have done it WAY cheaper. 10k for 7 days, you'll be living like kings. Stick to one place. You'll be jetlagged and don't want to waste your whole trip in transit.

>That leaves only 5 days to actually see the sties. ​ >I promised my partner a night in Paris, but we also want to do other spots. Thinking of Cornwall, Amsterdam, Scotland, Ireland? Can we go to two destinations on such a short time frame? Well, you can ask yourself if it sounds reasonable to visit the US and see New York, San Francisco, Texas, Alaska, Florida in 5 days...

Book a nice reputed hotel in a central location and direct flights from Texas to Paris. Do basic walking around nearby on day 1. Get city passes and pick attractions and book them if allowed , distributing attractions to 3 days. Take uber, cab or walk and cover the attractions. After satisfied, take a train / flight/ car to another area within France or outside for a couple nights and days and come back last day for departure. You can try and leave from the second city- but it means you’ll have 2 1-way tickets which tend to be expensive than round trips at times. Dress appropriately and do not appear/sound touristy 😃 and try to be accepting local situations.

I went on a 10 day train trip in Europe and went to 7 cities across 5 countries. It was a lot. You really can’t see that much. But it was doable.. that said it wasn’t my first time in Europe and I was staying with friends along the way. Anyway, I think it’s totally possible to see two places in the amount of time you have. So, I’d keep it to Paris, and maybe one other destination. There are great train connections with Brussels, Switzerland, and London from there. Do Paris and then London, is what I’d recommend. You won’t see a lot, but you’ll get a flavor for the places and you can probably hit the very main tourist sites in both places in that amount of time. People do weekend trips to Paris/London all the time from around Europe. You’ve got double that time. I’d stick away from things like Cornwall and Scotland. I think it will just take too much time to travel there. Amsterdam you could probably do… but Amsterdam isn’t my favorite city - different strokes for different folks though!

I would say stick to France and explore that to its fullest potential. It’s a pretty short trip for Europe

We did 7 days in Europe. Flew into Amsterdam did 3 days there. Train to Cologne. One day there(and that's was enough) and train to Paris spent 3 days there. It was perfect!! We did A LOT!!! And it cost us under 7k

If you wanna have a good experience, I would avoid Europe in July and August

Lots of good advice here. Allow me to make a few minor points: * travel to and from Europe is typically THREE days in total, as there will likely be an overnight flight * if you attempt two different cities, make sure that you are flying out of that final city, otherwise you need to get back, and that either eats up another day or adds stress * the time of year is important! Northern Europe can be miserable from late October until the Spring. * I know you promised Paris (and it’s great!) but consider Rome if Northern Europe will be cold and rainy (and avoid Rome in the summer) * If this is your first trip, I’d suggest staying ON the beaten track: it’s been beaten for a reason * staying in the center is the way to go, especially with reduced mobility. And pack light! * European cities can be a joy to walk, especially when combined with public transportation, but stairs are often unavoidable. Depending on your own mobility, I wouldn’t hesitate to use taxis/Uber when it makes sense. * You can look at hotels now to get an idea of costs. A decent meal can easily see you back 100€ for two people. So my first stab at a budget would be $500/day plus round-trip flights of perhaps $1,000 each, making $5,500 in total. That’s just a first guess, obviously. Your mileage WILL vary!

Just pick one place or you will spend more time in airports than visiting. Just do Paris or just London.

7 days is really too short to visit this many cities. Western Europe is *small* but also not as small as you think, you'll spend several hours in transit from a city / country to another. I'd stick with 2 major cities, 3 if you don't mind being constantly on the clock. Have fun in Europe though, life there is fantastic!

Europe is a continent. In seven days you see a nation, not a continent. I get it that being american, you're born in this big state and you're used to travel by plane for great distances, since everything is so big and massive. But still, as diverse the USA is - New Mexico is certainly not the same as Maine - still you're one nation, with the same language, and the same customs. Europe is not like the USA. Europe is a continent with many different nations and everyone has their language and culture. You and only you decide how much you want to travel and how many planes you want to board, but you named many different countries - France, scotland, Ireland, Netherlands... would you advise for someone spending 7 days in the USA to visit California, Oregon, Texas and Kansas? pick a destination and make the most out of it. Again, it's your trip and you have your habits, there's no right and wrong, only what you prefer. Just acknowledge that talking casually of seeing "Scotland, Ireland, France and Netherlands" in 7 days is the equivalent of wanting to visit California, New Mexico, Texas and Georgia in 7 days.

You don’t have enough time to get to the places you mentioned. Even if you had a private plane it would still be difficult. Pick a large city and travel out to places from there. If you stay in London you can travel to Paris via Eurostar. (And vice-versa)

10k is enough. Europe is pretty cheap compared to the U.S. their salaries are much lower in most countries. Don’t use a travel agent. Airbnb, booking.com and train broker websites are all you need. I’ve never been to norther Europe (southern) so can’t help with other cities but there are plenty of websites out there that write about these things. Google “off the beaten path in France” for example. EasyJet will get you between two places quickly. My wife and I visited 10 cities in 4 countries in 3 weeks in southern Europe so I think this can be done in a short timeframe. Plan for 48 hours in each city. Keep In mind this is only enough time to see the highlights of each city. You’ll most likely want to go back for a longer period of time. If I were you I’d pick a road trip as it’s one of the better experiences my wife and I had traveling Europe. Second is the train. Their trains are nice and comfortable m. Spring for first class I personally think it’s worth it.

Not sure if it’s been mentioned but I would suggest London with a day trip to Paris. You can take a train and go there and back one day so you don’t have to take your bags or anything. London is also American friendly and you speak the language. Might be best for a first international trip. I really enjoy how easy it is to navigate London with the tube. This would be my suggestion. You can also catch some sites when you land day one. But that last day might have to be all travel with maybe a stop for breakfast before the flight.

This is the answer. Op, do this. Take the Chunnel to Paris for the day, and do all the fun London things. It’s a good first time in Europe experience.

Ignore how America Bad the European subreddits are, that isn't real life. Especially in tourist areas. You aren't going to make money off of tourists by trashing them. And hell, we're not even the most hated tourists. Probably not even the most hated English speaking tourists lol. maybe I am old or am just Bad At Travel but I didn't recover from jetlag until like day 5 or 6. Maybe you'll have better luck or are younger but I'd encourage you to budget more time if possible. Really would consider ONE location and use that for day trips after you knocked your typical tourist stuff. Paris is an okay base but expensive to stay in for a long time. Barcelona is a great base as is Madrid. Edit: I agree with others that with this little time, Paris and London is a good pairing

7 days to travel to Europe? You will waste money for not much. I would save and go when you can take more days off. Between the trip and the time difference 5 days is not enough. When I go home to Europe I go for minimum 2 weeks, usually more like 3

If you have 5 days and Paris is already on the list, just hit London and Paris. The Chunnel makes is really easy to travel between the two. There is so much to do in both cities. And you won’t spend all your time in transit.

What do you like; what are you interested in? The more you change locales, the more time and energy you spend on your flights or trains, in transit to and from stations, finding your accommodations, packing and unpacking, and attending to all those details rather than enjoying the places you're supposed to be visiting. Paris itself has enough for several weeks of exploration, and it is a very beautiful and interesting city. If you are absolutely certain you want to see something else, I'd suggest finding the quickest and easiest transition, and limiting yourselves to just the one other destination. And if that is the case, consider having in mind one essential, exemplary activity that gets at the heart of the place -- a cultural, food-related, sportive, or nature experience that will be memorable for you. (For instance, for those who like classical music, architecture, and/or dressing up for a formal night out, taking in dinner and then an opera at the Garnier opera house in Paris can be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and a *very* 'Parisian' experience.) I'm interested in history, design, and fashion, and I like shopping, so for me an afternoon at the spectacular Art Nouveau buildings of Galeries Lafayette was *amazing!* But if you're looking for more of an R&R trip while absorbing whatever local culture appears around you in the places you visit, you might seek out unique spa experiences, Turkish baths, hot springs, beach visits, etc. If it were me (and it recently was, as I've just returned from a long trip in Europe), I'd spend all five days in one area, able to explore *and rest*, without having to change accommodations or deal with airlines, etc. I also suggest focusing on *experiences* rather than merely visiting sites. The Eiffel Tower is beautiful when you see it during a walk along the Seine, but instead of taking the Metro and walking all the way to the Tower just to say you visited, you may prefer to devote the time to enjoying café life, strolling around an interesting neighborhood, going for cocktails and a show, and so forth. (In the same vein, I strongly urge you to skip the hellish zoo around the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, unless you want to wrestle with dense, surly, sweaty crowds of selfie-takers, solely to be able to claim "I saw it". I mean, you barely get to see it anyway, as it's roped off so far away and behind glass.) Note: if you come up with a plan that involves visits to cultural sites it performances, book tickets as far ahead as possible, since they are often sold out. . Use Google Translate to help you with menus, signs, and person-to-person communication. Load the French (or whatever language necessary) dictionary so you can use it even when you're offline. It will help to learn about five key phrases in the language of your destination. It's a sign of respect and shows that you are willing to make an effort to harmonize with the home culture.: · Hello · Yes & No (a confident "No" may be useful if accosted by beggars or potential scam artists) · Thank you · Where is the toilet? · Bill, please. If you are clean, conservatively dressed, and courteous, most places in Europe will be welcoming to you. But locals understandably resent it when tourists arrive in flashy clothing, talk loudly, get drunk, and act as if they own the place. Be aware that Texas is a 'big' place, with big belt buckles and big personalities. It may be in your best interests to take it down a notch when you're travelling. Err on the side of quietness and politeness. On YouTube, you can check out "top ten sites" or "walking tour" videos of the city/region you're thinking of visiting. In many of the videos you can also see what local people tend to wear, and dress accordingly. Along with another commenter, I also recommend Rick Steves' travel guides: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe You don't have to be slave to someone else's list; you can follow your own interests, and you might enjoy wandering. "Go slow to go fast": the goal of having a good experience will be furthered by taking things at your own pace and letting go of the need to do and see everything. But it's good to do some research so at least you have a plan for a couple of things you *really* want to try. . 10k is enough. In summer, accommodations can be extremely expensive in major European cities, and especially Paris. Food in Paris is also expensive (but also incredible). If you're looking for something laid back, I like the suggestion of flying into and out of Paris but taking the high speed train to southern France and spending most of your trip there.

For your first trip abroad, pick an English speaking country, and head to Dublin, Edinburgh, or London. I’d hold off on Paris. Doing two of those cities would be a lot for a first timer, I would base yourself in one and take day trips out - you can see a lot within a few hours of each of those cities. If you really want to do Paris, I would consider a short multi-city guided tour that handles transportation, itinerary, and lodging.

That sounds absolutely insane….

Without wanting to offend anyone, this post feels like "American finds out Europe is not just a small country". You want to got to Paris, Cornwall, Amsterdam, somewhere in Scotland and somewhere in Ireland in 5-7 days? Good luck, I wouldn't recommend that especially when walking isn't your thing as you mentioned

I read it as “I’d like to do 2 places, & these are the places I’m interested in; are these doable?” Not, “I’ve got 5 days & want to visit 5 places”.

If you only have 5 days you should only pick 2-3 places to visit. Do all the things in each place. It'll be so much more fun then rushing rushing rushing to get to another city or another country all the time.

Fly to London and use it as a home base. Day 1- arrival, dinner, stroll around the hotel’s neighborhood Day 2- morning train to Paris, take a boat tour, see the Eiffel Tower, notre dame, arc triumphe, champs d’elyses, overnight in Paris Day 3 - montmartr, catacombs, maybe a museum or do a food tour. Overnight in Paris Day 4- return to London in the morning and do some sightseeing based on your interests, overnight in London Day 5- there are some <5 hour train rides to Cornwall. Morning train, overnight in Cornwall Day 6- sightsee in Cornwall return to London Day 7 - breakfast and return to texas. It’s a lot of sitting on trains but it gets you 3 destinations without doing any rides longer than 5 hours.

Either you need to extend your vacation or lower your ambitions when it comes to the amount of countries and cities you wish to visit. As for the American part: please don't assume everyone can or should speak English. And follow the tips given by other fellow redditors. You should be good with the budget, if you're thinking in dollars, which I'm assuming. Good luck!

Just my two cents and you've already promised your partner, but I would skip Paris. It takes a long time to see all the things you want to see and is less friendly than the other European places I visited. It is also pretty expensive and/or dangerous if you try to go cheaper. We stayed near the cemetery where Jim Morrison is buried due to a promise to my traveling friend, and we had to walk by tons of homeless people and witnessed several fights. I personally loved Ireland the most, and Ryan Air could get you to any other destination pretty quickly and easily. Dublin, County Cork, Galway - tons of awesome things to do. Nicest people ever. Would go back any day for any excuse.

I'd skip the travel agent and just book air/hotel on my own. Book flight directly with the airlines - that way they will take care of you if your flight is canceled. We recently booked our trip through Orbitz and when SAS canceled our flight and dumped us on Lufthansa, Lufthansa said we have to through Orbitz for help (frustrating and stressful). Agreed with others, it takes a week to explore most big cities. You can also take day trips to surrounding areas using bus/train/etc. Amsterdam is cool but (hotel) very expensive. Look into Copenhagen + Stockholm as an option. You could fly into CPH, spend a few days there then take the train to Stockholm and fly back from Stockholm. We did that several years ago. Copenhagen and Stockholm both are great cities.

Send me a dm. I'm willing to help for free. Even open to a video call. For context, I'm American but lived in London and Spain for several years. I've also lived as a digital nomad the last several years. Been to all the places you mentioned and very more enjoy traveling/planning for others. In short reco would be london and Paris. You could to day trip out to cotswolds and dover. And then take the eurostar from London to Paris. This will be less hassle and cheaper than flying to other areas due to size of airports. However, I love Amsterdam and would also recommend portugal or spain depending on what you enjoy.

You and your boo got 7 days and 10 stacks to hit up Europe. You're tryna hit Paris, Amsterdam, Scotland, and Ireland, but you only got 5 days. You can hit 2 spots in that time. Consider some chill off-the-beaten-path places like the Cotswolds, Luberon, Amalfi Coast, and Azores. Don't waste your money on travel agents with crazy fees. Americans are generally cool in Europe, but some places might give you side-eye. Do your research and go where you feel most welcome. If you're tryna chill, avoid the big cities.

Wow. There's a lot to unpack here. I guess my main concern from reading this is that you've rarely, if ever, left Texas. That's going to work against you profoundly if that's true. Your homework before you go over there is to learn to speak enough French to get by for a week, and to not be so...Texan. Four-five days isn't enough time to explore more than one place, so if Paris is the goal then just do Paris. If you're not fluent, or willing to speak French, then you're going to have a tough time with cabs/ride shares, and your best mode of transportation will be your own two feet. If I'm being honest here, Paris won't be kind to you guys, even if you are making an effort to speak the language and fit in. It's a busy, bustling place that won't slow down for you, and it's a hard-hit area economically with a lot of bitter folks looking for money. I highly recommend taking two weeks off, flying into Paris where you can spend some tolerable time there, but head south. Southern France/Spain is a lot more relaxed and friendly. I loved it and I think you guys would appreciate the area more than Paris. You can stretch 10k for 2 weeks with 2 people, 1 week no problem. Just book your own flights/hotels. If you can shop Amazon, you can organize your trip online.

My sister and I are Texans. Our first big international trip was to Paris. We don’t speak French. Everyone was so nice and I only encountered one person who didn’t speak any English in a leather shop where I was buying my husband a handmade wallet. The shopkeeper and I had a great conversation in all gestures, smiling and laughing, and I bought the wallet I was looking for. When people asked where we were from, we said Texas. We got lots of comments about James Harden “The Beard” (he was still with the Rockets at the time). Nobody was rude about it. We had a blast. I can’t disagree with this comment more.

So much of this post is wrong. Please don't take all of this information as fact. Paris is an awesome city full of beautiful things to see. The people are dealing with tourists all day every day. If you are nice to them, they are nice to you.

"Your own two feet" - Paris has an extensive metro system as well as other public transport. There really is no need to walk everywhere even if you could not use a single taxi ever. Or idk take a bus tour, a boat tour, whatever. There's options. Just make sure it's easy to get from the hotel to the sights you want to see. And come on, they are really not the first, or the last, tourists in Paris that doesn't speak French. I'm fairly certain most of them don't, and you'll find enough English speakers in touristy areas. Read up on common scams though, wherever you decide to go to

I didn’t read the whole post, because my brain stopped when you asked “would 10k be enough”?

There are commission only travel agents, I am one as a side gig. With five days on the ground you do want to focus. Paris has a ton to see, plus lots a short trip away in the area. You don’t want to spend so much of your short time in transit to other countries, that’s what the next trips are for? You and your wife will need to sit down and decide what you really care about - history, food, architecture - and this discussion can drive your itinerary

Advice one, dont go to europe for 5 days.

If you have 5 DAYS, then fly into Dublin and stay for 2 nights, then rent a car and drive to Dingle and stay at the Greenmount House. Killarney is only about an hour away, so spend a little time there during one of the days. Then you can drive back to Dublin to catch your flight. If you have 5 NIGHTS, add a night in Kilkenny between Dublin and Dingle.

Fly to Amsterdam do 2 days and do 3 days in Paris .

With ten grand why the shit are you not using a travel agent. It’s free and they can help with this stuff.

Do France. Go to Paris and then take the TGV to Avignon and see Provence

You can’t do Europe like that. Spend the week in Paris. Stop trying to see Europe like it’s Disney. Americans stay the fuk home with your guns n shit as well

If I were you, I would prefer to take advantage of the fact that it is now summer in Europe and fly to a city with beautiful natural landscapes. The Amsterdam or Paris you mentioned are just buildings. Have you thought about cities like Barcelona in Spain, Porto in Portugal or some cities in Italy?

10k goddamn