The best 2-week Europe itinerary for a first trip is Paris (4 nights), Amsterdam (3), Berlin (2), Prague (3) and Vienna (2), linked by four train rides and flown as an open-jaw ticket: into Paris, home from Vienna. It gives you five very different capitals with no leg longer than a day, and the trains start from about €105 (about $116) per person if you book early. Start with the first leg: compare Paris to Amsterdam trains on Omio to see Eurostar’s times and fares for your dates.
If Italy is the dream, there’s a second route below: Venice, Florence, Naples and Rome, with shorter, cheaper train rides. Every train time, fare and booking rule here was checked against the operators’ own sites on October 30, 2026, with dollar figures at €1 = $1.11 and £1 = $1.33.
The 2-week Europe itinerary at a glance
| Days | Base | Nights | Getting there | Book before you go |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | Paris | 4 | Fly into Paris | Louvre time slot; Eiffel Tower tickets 60 days ahead |
| 5 to 7 | Amsterdam | 3 | Eurostar, 3 hours 20 minutes | Anne Frank House, released six weeks ahead |
| 8 to 9 | Berlin | 2 | Train via Hamburg, about 7 hours | Free Reichstag dome registration |
| 10 to 12 | Prague | 3 | Train, 4 hours 15 minutes | Prague Castle tour if you want a guide |
| 13 to 14 | Vienna | 2 | Railjet, just over 4 hours | Schönbrunn Palace tour |
| 15 | Fly home from Vienna |
Why this route works for a first trip: each stop is a capital with its own big-name sights, no train leg takes more than a day, and the open-jaw flight means you never travel backward.
Day-by-day: Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague and Vienna
Days 1 to 4: Paris
Land, check in and keep day 1 light: a walk along the Seine keeps you awake until a normal bedtime. Spend day 2 at the Louvre, which is closed on Tuesdays and needs a timed slot booked online. If you’d rather have a guide get you to the Mona Lisa and the Winged Victory without wrong turns, the Louvre masterpieces guided tour with entry takes 2.5 hours. Our Louvre tickets guide covers prices, entrances and free days.
Give day 3 to the Eiffel Tower. Lift tickets go on sale on the tower’s official site 60 days before your visit, and summit slots go fast, so set a reminder; our Eiffel Tower tickets guide explains which ticket to choose. Use day 4 for Montmartre, the Musée d’Orsay or a half-day at Versailles, and check whether the Paris Museum Pass is worth it if you’ll visit three or more paid museums.
Days 5 to 7: Amsterdam
Take a morning Eurostar from Paris Gare du Nord to Amsterdam Centraal: Eurostar lists the trip at 3 hours 20 minutes, from £30.50 (about $41) one way in Standard. You arrive in time for lunch by the canals.
The Anne Frank House is the ticket that decides your Amsterdam days. Tickets are sold only online, never at the door, and every Tuesday at 10 am CET the museum releases all tickets for visits six weeks later, according to the Anne Frank House. Adults pay €16.50 (about $18), including a €1 booking fee. Spend the rest of your time at the Rijksmuseum and on the water: the small-group canal cruise with snacks and drinks keeps the group small and the drinks included.
For a 3-night stop with a train at each end, stay near the station. The DoubleTree by Hilton Amsterdam Centraal Station is a short walk from the platforms and earns Hilton Honors points.
Days 8 and 9: Berlin
Day 8 is a travel day. Trains from the Netherlands to Berlin are running via Hamburg because of long-term construction between Hannover and Berlin, which adds about an hour and makes Amsterdam to Berlin about 7 hours, with four direct trains a day, NL Times reported from NS. The diversion is expected to last until at least the end of 2027, so take a morning train.
On day 9, start at the Reichstag dome: visits are free, but you must register online in advance, according to the Bundestag, and each person’s name and date of birth is needed. Then see the rest of the center on foot with a guide on the Explore Berlin walking tour of the city’s iconic sights.
To win back day 8, take the night train. European Sleeper runs from Amsterdam to Berlin and Prague three times a week, with seats from €39, couchettes from €69 and sleepers from €109, according to NS International. If Berlin isn’t a priority, ride it straight to Prague and give the two Berlin nights to Prague and Vienna.
Days 10 to 12: Prague
Deutsche Bahn’s trains take 4 hours 15 minutes from Berlin to Prague, with six direct connections a day and saver fares from €14.99 (about $17), according to Deutsche Bahn. A mid-morning train puts you on the Charles Bridge by late afternoon.
Day 11 is for Prague Castle and the Lesser Town below it. The castle complex is large and sold as ticket circuits, so a guide helps: the complete Prague Castle small-group tour includes tickets to the interiors. On day 12, stay in town for the Old Town Square and the Jewish Quarter, or take a half-day trip; our day trips from Prague compares Kutná Hora, Český Krumlov, Karlovy Vary and more.
Days 13 and 14: Vienna, then home
The Railjet from Prague to Vienna runs every two hours, according to ÖBB, and takes just over 4 hours, with advance fares from €14.90 (about $17), according to the rail guide Seat61. Arrive by early afternoon for a coffeehouse and the Ringstrasse.
Spend day 14 at Schönbrunn Palace, the Habsburgs’ summer residence; the skip-the-line Schönbrunn Palace and gardens guided tour handles the timed entry for you. On day 15, the airport train gets you to Vienna International Airport for the flight home.
How long are the train rides, and what do they cost?
These are the four legs of the main route, with the lowest fares each operator advertised when we checked. Saver fares are sold in limited numbers per train and rise as they sell, so treat them as the floor, not the price you’ll always see.
| Leg | Day | Time | From (one way, adult) | Book on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris to Amsterdam | 5 | 3 hours 20 minutes (Eurostar) | £30.50 (about $41) | Eurostar, 10 to 11 months ahead |
| Amsterdam to Berlin | 8 | About 7 hours via Hamburg (direct train) | €38 (about $42) | NS International |
| Berlin to Prague | 10 | 4 hours 15 minutes | €14.99 (about $17) | Deutsche Bahn |
| Prague to Vienna | 13 | Just over 4 hours (Railjet) | €14.90 (about $17) | ÖBB or Czech Railways, 6 months ahead |
| Total | About 18 to 19 hours | About €105 (about $116) |
The Amsterdam fare is from NS International, which says the cheapest €38 seats are replaced by fares of €45 to €131 once they sell out. The other fares are from the sources linked in the day-by-day plan above. Eurostar opens bookings for trains between France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany 10 to 11 months ahead, according to its help center, and ÖBB says its Sparschiene saver fares can be booked up to 6 months ahead.
The table’s route names link to Omio, which shows the operators side by side for your dates; check the operator’s own site for the same train before you pay, since Omio adds a booking fee. For more ways to cut the cost, see our cheap train tickets in Europe guide.
Is a Eurail pass worth it for 2 weeks in Europe?
For this route, no, as long as you book a few weeks ahead. Eurail no longer exists as a separate pass for Americans: since September 10, 2026, travelers worldwide buy the Interrail Pass instead, and Eurail passes bought before then stay valid, Time Out reported.
Here’s the math. In October 2026, the Interrail Global Pass cost €283 (about $314) for an adult with 4 travel days in one month, in second class, and €381 (about $423) for 7 days. Most high-speed and night trains also charge a seat reservation on top, Eurostar included. The same four legs bought as saver tickets start from about €105.
Our rule: buy point-to-point tickets if you can fix your dates at least a few weeks ahead. Price the pass only if you’re booking in the last week or two, when the four legs together could cost more than €283 plus reservations, or if you want to decide where to go as you travel.
Italy instead: Venice, Florence, Naples and Rome in 2 weeks
If Italy is the trip you’ve been dreaming about, this route trades five countries for one and shorter, cheaper trains. Fly into Venice and home from Rome.
| Days | Base | Nights | Train in | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | Venice | 3 | Fly into Venice | |
| 4 to 7 | Florence | 4 | Venice to Florence, 2 hours | €18.90 (about $21) |
| 8 to 10 | Naples, for Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast | 3 | Florence to Naples, 2 hours 42 minutes | €23.90 (about $27) |
| 11 to 14 | Rome | 4 | Naples to Rome, about 1 hour | €14.90 (about $17) |
| 15 | Fly home from Rome |
Times and fares are Italo’s, from its Venice to Florence, Florence to Naples and Rome to Naples route pages; Italo runs 11, 21 and 31 trains a day on those routes. Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa trains cover the same lines, so compare both. All three legs together start from €57.70 (about $64).
What to book for each stop:
- Venice: St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace are the two interiors most people want to see. The skip-the-line Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica guided tour covers both in one morning.
- Florence: the Uffizi charges €25 on the day, €29 booked in advance and €16 for entry from 4 pm, as our skip-the-line hacks guide explains. Use a spare day for the coast: our Cinque Terre without a car guide shows how to do it by train.
- Rome: official Colosseum tickets go on sale 30 days ahead, per our Colosseum tickets guide, and the Vatican Museums are best booked ahead too. The Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s guided tour covers all three in one visit. For your last morning, our Fiumicino airport guide compares the train, bus and taxi.
Book on ViatorSkip-the-Line: Doge's Palace & St. Mark's Basilica Fully Guided Tour
Book on ViatorVatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St Peter’s Basilica Guided TourEasy swaps for your own version
- Start in London. Eurostar runs from London to Paris, so you can add 2 or 3 nights at the start and take a night from Paris. Americans visiting the UK need an Electronic Travel Authorisation, which costs £20 (about $27).
- Add Budapest. Trains from Vienna to Budapest run every hour and take about 2 hours 40 minutes, according to Seat61, so it’s an easy extension if you can fly home from Budapest instead.
- Skip Berlin. Take the European Sleeper night train from Amsterdam to Prague and add the nights to Prague and Vienna.
- Drive in Italy. Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast tempt people into renting a car. Read our Europe car rental tips first: Italian cities fine drivers who enter their ZTL limited-traffic zones.
What to book first, and when
Book in the order that things sell out or get more expensive:
| When | What to book | Why |
|---|---|---|
| As soon as your dates are set | Flights into Paris and home from Vienna (multi-city) | Dates drive everything else |
| Right after the flights | Hotels with free cancellation | Lets you adjust nights later |
| 10 to 11 months out | Eurostar Paris to Amsterdam | Eurostar’s booking window opens |
| 6 months out | Prague to Vienna (ÖBB) and the other train legs as their sales open | Saver fares sell first |
| 60 days out | Eiffel Tower lift tickets | Summit slots go fast |
| Six weeks out, on the Tuesday | Anne Frank House | All tickets released at 10 am CET |
| Before you fly | Louvre slot, Reichstag dome registration, tours, eSIM | Fixed-time entries and phone setup |
For timed-entry tactics at the big sights, our skip-the-line hacks for Europe has the release dates and the official sites to use.
Entry rules, phones and money for Americans
- Passports and ETIAS: no visa is needed for short stays in the Schengen area, which covers every country on both routes. The EU’s ETIAS authorization will cost €20 (about $22) and last three years once it starts, but no start date had been announced when we checked in October 2026, and the EU has promised at least six months’ notice, according to the EU Delegation to the US. At your first Schengen border, the Entry/Exit System records your fingerprints and photo.
- Phones: you’ll show train tickets, museum slots and hotel bookings on your phone in five countries. A Europe eSIM from Airalo covers them all with one plan, set up before you fly: use code GUIDEZ15 at checkout if you’re new to Airalo, or GUIDEZ10 if you’ve bought from them before. For comparison, Verizon’s TravelPass costs $12 a day per line, which adds up to $168 over 14 days. Our Airalo vs local SIM vs roaming comparison runs the full numbers.
- Money: Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin and Vienna use the euro; Prague uses the Czech koruna. Tap to pay is standard on both routes. Use a card with no foreign transaction fee, and when a card machine offers to charge you in dollars, choose the local currency.
Traveling in winter instead? Our guide to the best places to travel in January 2027 covers Paris and Vienna’s quiet season. And once your route is set, browse creator-made travel maps on Guidez for restaurants and neighborhoods in each city from people who’ve been there.
