In summer 2024, Sandy and I embarked on what turned out to be one of our most ambitious European adventures yet. What started as a plan to see Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour in Hamburg, Germany, quickly evolved into a whirlwind journey through six incredible cities across Central Europe. After snagging tickets to the Hamburg show, we asked ourselves: why fly all the way to Europe for just one concert when we could explore cities we’d never visited before?
The answer was obvious, and our 12-day Europe adventure was born. Our route might look a bit overwhelming at first glance—Budapest to Bratislava to Krakow to Prague to Hamburg to Amsterdam—but I promise it was far more manageable than it appears! The key to making a multi-city Europe itinerary work is strategic planning, taking advantage of excellent train connections, and being willing to embrace early mornings and late-night departures.
Before diving into our 12-day Europe itinerary, a quick note on booking: for this trip, we chose to book our flights and trains directly through the company websites—Delta, Ryanair, Lufthansa, and rail companies like Polrail. Because our schedule was tight, booking directly made it easier to manage changes and reach customer service quickly. That said, there are advantages to both direct booking and using trusted travel sites, so choose whichever fits your travel style best.
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12-Day Europe Itinerary
Day 1 & 2: Budapest
Our journey kicked off on July 15th when we flew into Budapest, Hungary’s stunning capital. We spent two full days here, soaking in the thermal baths, admiring the magnificent Parliament Building, and wandering the charming streets of the Jewish Quarter. Budapest served as the perfect introduction to our Central European adventure—it’s a city that effortlessly blends history with vibrant modern culture. Our hotel stay was at Hilton Budapest on Castle Hill, which was a great location and easy to navigate (not to mention the hotel was extremely nice with it’s stained glass windows and unique architecture. We stayed until the early morning of July 17th before catching our train to our next destination.
Day 3: Bratislava
On the morning of July 17th, we boarded a 2.5-hour train from Budapest to Bratislava, Slovakia. This capital city is often overlooked by travelers rushing between Vienna and Budapest, but it deserves so much more attention than it gets. I was especially excited to go here since I have family from Slovakia. We spent approximately 12 hours exploring Bratislava, and honestly, it was the perfect amount of time to see this compact, charming city.
The old town is walkable and I loved every bit of it. Every meal we had was delicious. One highlight was taking a Bolt ride to Devín Castle, which I highly recommend. If you’re planning a similar route, I highly recommend building in time for Bratislava—it’s an easy addition that adds tremendous value to your trip.
Day 4, 5 & 6: Krakow
Here’s where our journey got interesting. Instead of booking a hotel for the night of July 17th, we opted for a sleeper train from Bratislava to Krakow, Poland. This is one of my favorite European travel hacks—sleeper trains allow you to save both time and money while covering significant distances overnight. The room itself was good on the train, but you could hear snoring in other rooms which made it hard (definitely recommend bringing headphones!). We departed Bratislava around 10 p.m. and arrived in Krakow around 6:30 a.m. on July 18th, perfectly timed for our combined Wieliczka Salt Mine and Auschwitz-Birkenau tour that day. We dropped our luggage off at our hotel, Hotel Saski Krakow, Curio Collection by Hilton – where we had a delicious and fancy breakfast, and went on our way to the tour.
The salt mine was absolutely breathtaking, with its underground chambers carved entirely from salt, while Auschwitz-Birkenau was a sobering and essential historical experience. We spent two nights in Krakow (July 18-20), giving us time to explore the medieval Main Market Square, visit Oskar Schindler’s Factory, and experience the city’s thriving food scene.
Day 7 & 8: Prague
On July 20th, we flew from Krakow to Prague, arriving just in time to enjoy a relaxed first evening. We spent three nights here (July 20–23), and Prague quickly became one of our favorite stops of the entire trip.
The city is breathtaking—Gothic spires, Baroque details, and Art Nouveau architecture everywhere you look. We explored the Old Town, watched the Astronomical Clock ring, and crossed the famous Charles Bridge, but the experiences that stood out most were the ones that showed us a deeper side of the city.
We booked a medieval underground tour on Tripadvisor that took us through dim, winding passages beneath Old Town—equal parts fascinating and eerie, with stories that made history feel alive.
Our second tour, “Pubs of Prague,” was another highlight. Our guide Gabbi led us to cozy local spots where we played games, met fellow travelers, and tried some incredible Czech beers. For dinner at the final stop, I ordered goulash in a bread bowl (amazing), and Sandy had Svíčková, which she’s still raving about. And of course, we had to try chimney cake—I went classic, Sandy went all-in with chocolate and strawberries.
We stayed at the Hilton Prague. It wasn’t right in the center, but that actually worked in our favor—it pushed us to explore more neighborhoods, and using Bolt made getting around super easy.
Day 9 & 10: Hamburg, The Concert Destination
The entire reason for this European adventure was Taylor Swift’s concert in Hamburg, and we finally arrived on July 24th. We flew from Prague with a brief layover in Frankfurt that morning, settling into this beautiful northern German city for two nights (July 24-26). Hamburg absolutely blew us away with its stunning architecture, waterfront location, and sophisticated atmosphere.
Because our time here revolved around the concert and seeing our friends, we didn’t get to explore Hamburg as thoroughly as we would have liked. This is definitely a city we need to return to—there’s so much more to see beyond the incredible concert experience we had at the stadium.It’s also worth noting that our stay at the Hotel Atlantic Hamburg, Autograph Collection was exceptional. The rooms were incredibly spacious, and the entire property was truly top-tier.
Day 11 & 12: Amsterdam
For our final destination, we flew nonstop from Hamburg to Amsterdam on July 26th, spending our last 24 hours in Europe in this iconic Dutch city. Even with just a day, we managed to visit the Anne Frank House (book tickets well in advance!), take a canal tour that showed us the city from a completely different perspective, and wander through the charming streets lined with narrow houses and countless bicycles. While we didn’t have much time there, we stayed at DoubleTree by Hilton Amsterdam Centraal Station, which was a good location for navigating all Amsterdam has to offer.
Amsterdam was the perfect bookend to our adventure—a beautiful, walkable city that allowed us to reflect on everything we’d experienced over the past 12 days before heading back to the USA on July 27th.
Final Thoughts on a 12-Day Europe Itinerary
Looking back at our six-city European adventure, I’m amazed at how much we packed into less than two weeks. The key was strategic planning, willingness to take early trains and late flights, and embracing different modes of transportation. From thermal baths in Budapest to underground tunnels in Prague to canals in Amsterdam, each city offered something completely unique.
If our Europe itinerary inspires you to plan a similar adventure, don’t hesitate to reach out! I absolutely love creating travel itineraries and would be happy to help you navigate your own multi-city European journey. You can contact us at [email protected] with any questions about routes, timing, or tips for making the most of your adventure.
Europe is waiting, besties—go get trippin’!
