Europe trip May to July 2026

[Goldendoodlebug]

Your itinerary looks nice.
We will also be in Europe this summer; taking a cruise of Norway fjords then visiting other Baltic countries. I’m a little worried about the jet fuel situation and currently looking into other ways to get around.

One thing that works for me and my husband ( or actually any traveling companion), spend a day or half a day doing your own thing. Too much togetherness on a trip can lead to squabbles. People frequently have different interests and aa day to pursue your own can be nice.

 

[flyingaway]

In Bucharest, we arrived very late at the airport, so we took a Uber car to our hotel in the city center, for 17 euros. There were a driver in the arrival hall who accompanied us to the parking lot and said he also works with Uber. But we decided to use Uber app to call a car, for safety reasons.
We took the bus back to the airport with no problems. It would be ok to take a bus from the airport during day time.

 

[ut2sua]

In Bucharest, we arrived very late at the airport, so we took a Uber car to our hotel in the city center, for 17 euros. There were a driver in the arrival hall who accompanied us to the parking lot and said he also works with Uber. But we decided to use Uber app to call a car, for safety reasons.
We took the bus back to the airport with no problems. It would be ok to take a bus from the airport during day time.

One thing I like about Uber is the driver is on record for having us, and we are on record to drive with him/her. Safety both ways. DW and I did get on a taxi thru the Lisboa airport official taxi line last year, and let's just say we were glad at least we were delivered to the right hotel (driver had a real bad vibe, and claiming we needed to pay him cash because his credit card machine didn't work [standard rip-off trick]). We didn't argue since we just wanted to get out of there. We didn't have a choice with the particular taxi because it was our turn to have that cab.

 

[ut2sua]

We took the bus back to the airport with no problems. It would be ok to take a bus from the airport during day time.

Were there room for luggage on a bus there? We have larger-than-carry-on sizes (24"/26"), and I am worry that is too much for a bus. Thx

 

[tulak]

I mentioned the domestic - in this case Europe - flight issue in the travel thread.

I'd recommend for a backup plan, in case things go sideways. I have an Easyjet flight in June and if it gets cancelled, then we'll take a train. That will take much longer, but at least we'll get there (and try to enjoy it as much as possible).

With UK ETA, I had a flight to Europe that was delayed and we were able to rebook through London. The only reason that happened is because we were able to get immediate ETA approval at the airport. It was a bit hectic, but we entered all our information using our phones, and once submitted, the approval was within minutes.

 

[tulak]

I would recommend installing Bolt. It's more common than Uber in a lot of European countries.

 

[RobLJ]

A note on the UK ETA for those who may need it. Do use your phone to start the app as recommended by the instruction. Your phone is needed to scan your passport and to take your picture. Both are needed and are much easier to do with your phone than otherwise.

Also, don't smile in photos or have your glasses or a hat on. My application was accepted immediately but DW's was denied (for above reasons). The app doesn't really inform you.
We're hiking Coast to Coast (England) in early May so I hope our flights aren't cancelled, either to or fro. We shall see.

 

[flyingaway]

Were there room for luggage on a bus there? We have larger-than-carry-on sizes (24"/26"), and I am worry that is too much for a bus. Thx

If you are not sure where to get off, taking an Uber would be better. Going to the airport with large lugages is also not good, as there may be many people on the bus. Taxis are not expensive in those countries. We took buses because I like to have that experience.
In Istanbul, it would be a different story, I lost my wallet on a taxi to the airport when the driver demanded me to pay more than what I expected to pay. (I was in a hurry to find alternative cash to pay the driver).

 

[Luvtoride]

We just returned from a Viking River cruise from Budapest to Bucharest and did tours in every city/ area we stopped at. A few of the “off the beaten path” highlights were:

- Belgrade, Serbia- visit the Fortress of Belgrade- we had a guided tour and learned much about this strategic site at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. It’s the highest point in Belgrade and had spectacular views of the city and surrounding area.
Also, make sure you leave time for shopping/ strolling at the Knez Mihaila Street area. Massive pedestrian only district for shopping, restaurants and entertainment (street performers). We were there last Saturday and the Belgrade Marathon and 1/2 Marathon were going on/ ending there that day. It was a wild, fun scene!

Knez Mihailova Street - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

- Bucharest, Romania- our trip ended here but make sure you spend some time exploring this fascinating city. The buildings are massive and impressive such as the Palace of the Parliament, the “heaviest civilian building “ in the world. These structures built under the rule of Nicholae Ceausescu, literally can’t be missed around the city! We stayed at the JW Marriott overnight there and it was the largest Marriott outside of Orlando, I believe.

I don’t know if it’s on your itinerary, but if you can include a stop in Budapest, it is well worth it. What an amazing city with a rich history and spectacular sights, buildings and neighborhoods. Doing a Danube cruise at night is a must!

Yes it will be HOT in Eastern Europe. We were told that temperatures regularly reach 100 degrees in many of the places we visited.

Have a great trip!

 

[ut2sua]

We took buses because I like to have that experience.

We do this ^^^ from time to time to get the experience too. We are thinking taxi/uber for this one since we do have larger luggage. Thanks.

 

[ut2sua]

I don’t know if it’s on your itinerary, but if you can include a stop in Budapest, it is well worth it. What an amazing city with a rich history and spectacular sights, buildings and neighborhoods.

We were able to spend time in Budapest for the first time last year. It was a much more wonderful city than we had imagined. But we will be in Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia for the first time this year. Appreciate your valuable tips very much.

 

[ut2sua]

My wife and I really enjoy traveling. Mostly for the people and hotels. We combine a few high points, lots of down time to explore or sit and read. This is written while sitting in the Baku, Azerbaijan airport waiting on our flight to Istanbul and then back to Atlanta.

Don’t do stupid stuff that makes you stand out, but enjoy the trip. Trying to cram in too much and you just beat yourself up.

Most of my Europe travel is done by car. Strasbourg and Colmar are nice. Strasbourg Hilton was excellent.

Suggest you make sure you have a good international cell plan that includes data, TMobile has worked very well for us. You need at least 256K speed for Google Translate and some other services to work well.

If you don’t have your home network set up with a VPN you can access, get a US VPN set up. This secures some of your online account access and will let you get into your US Netflix accounts among others.

Sign up for the State Department STEP program and load your itinerary.

If you drive, be very careful about entering restricted emissions zones. You can get the stickers for a rental car, but it takes some work. Some rental cars will have the ones for the country you rent in (Germany), but not for France’s CRITAIR.

Have fun. We hit the Baltics in May, back to the UAE in June. September-Nov are multiple Asia trips. Dec had us in Poland for two weeks of driving Christmas markets.

We have driven the route from Germany through Poland and zig zagged to Budapest.

Be aware. If you have mobility issues, you will need to allow extra time. Escalators and Elevators may not always work. The locations can sometimes be difficult to find. Some of the subway platforms are a long way down.

If you are taking trains, travel as light as possible. You will be dragging your bags yourself.

Late edit: add the Bolt app for taxis. Works well. Not in every country.

Sorry this a bit mixed, but hope it helps.

Appreciate all the great travel tips above. I do agree with the benefit of travelling light, but DW has just upsized her luggage to 26" (you know who won the battle there ) Also DW has already put up with my desire to go on longer trips, and 50 days will be less days than our last year trip, so I can't complain too much

 

[ut2sua]

Both cities are beautiful and very walkable, but if you need a ride taxis and Ubers are plentiful as previously mentioned. Too many great restaurants to list. One standout is called Charrua in Madrid. I mention it because you will likely need to make a reservation.

Thanks for the travel tips. Much appreciated.

 

[ut2sua]

Just to share info with those who may be travelling to similar cities as us.
For Paris, we booked and paid guided tour tickets for the Eiffel tower, the Louvre museum, and Notre-Dam from GetYourGuide. GetYourGuide cancelled out Louvre museum tickets saying they ran out of tickets even though we had secured and paid our booking earlier. Turned out tickets price were increased by $40, and we had to rebook at the new price ($230 for 2 now).
For Barcelona, we booked guided tour tickets for Sagrada Familia with tower access (>$100 per guided tour ticket which is more expensive than a Vatican guided tour, but YOLO), a walking tour, and the Picasso museum. Picasso museum is one of those places needing prepurchase tickets. So far, no cancellation there.

Another update to those who may be interested. GetYourGuide cancelled our previously booked tickets to Sagrada Familia. They had a better reason this time since the Pope thinks visiting the church that same week is a good idea. We were able to rebook for a later date, BUT the price is another 20% higher!!! So if you plan to visit the church in the 2nd week of June, it could be a problem to get tickets.

 

[BarbWire]

….We're doing a 3-week Hotel to Hotel walking trip mostly in Switzerland

I would like to know more about this — sounds fabulous!