Best Countries in Europe to Travel: 12 Picks by Trip Type
No single country wins. France, Italy and Spain suit a first trip, Switzerland, Austria and Germany suit rail travel, and Portugal, Greece and Albania suit the coast. Routes, trip lengths and trade-offs follow.
Fortrip Editorial Team
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A yellow tram on a cobblestone street in Lisbon, the anchor city for the coastal picks in this guide.
Written by the Fortrip editors from desk research against official sources. The method is at the foot of the page.
The best countries in Europe to travel depend on the trip, because no single country wins on every count. France, Italy and Spain suit a first visit. Switzerland, Austria and Germany suit anyone who wants to travel by train. Portugal, Greece and Albania are the coastal picks. Malta and Cyprus suit a short island break, and Ireland suits a week on the road.
This guide covers twelve countries, grouped by trip type. It does not cover Croatia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Czechia or the Nordic countries, which we have not researched. It makes no claims about safety, cost or seasonality, because we have not sourced them. Read it as a pick-by-trip-type guide, not a ranking of all of Europe.
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Frequently asked questions
Which European countries are the most visited, and does that make them the best?+
UN Tourism data names France, Spain, Türkiye and Italy among the most visited European countries in 2024. Visitor numbers measure popularity, not quality, and the busiest countries often have the longest queues.
Is ETIAS required yet?+
Not as of drafting. The official EU ETIAS page said the system was not yet in operation, and we saw no confirmed start date. Check the EU ETIAS page before you book.
How does the 90-in-180 rule work across several countries?+
The limit is one 90-day allowance in any 180-day period, shared across the whole Schengen Area. Time in Italy and time in Spain come out of the same allowance, so a month in each leaves 30 days.
Do Ireland and Cyprus follow the same rules as Schengen countries?+
No. Ireland and Cyprus are not in the Schengen Area at the time of writing, so their entry rules differ. Check Irish Immigration and the Cyprus foreign ministry.
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Days are editorial advice, not official standards. Adjust them to your own dates.
Most visited is not the same as best
UN Tourism's World Tourism Barometer data shows Europe drawing more international visitors than any other region. It names France, Spain, Türkiye and Italy among the most visited European countries in 2024. We list them without a ranking and quote no arrival totals, so check the barometer for exact figures.
Arrivals measure popularity, not quality. The country that draws the most visitors is often the one with the longest queues at its headline sights. That does not make it a poor choice. It means the numbers tell you where everyone is going, not where you will enjoy yourself most.
The picks below are our editorial judgement, not an official ranking. We weighed three things: how easy a country is to get around, how well it fits a given trip length, and what it offers beyond its capital.
How we set the trip lengths
The day counts in this guide come from three simple rules, not from timetable data. We assume at least two nights in any base, so arrival and departure do not eat the stay. We allow about half a day for every change of base. We add one flexible day where weather or ferries can disrupt a plan, which is why Switzerland and Greece carry one.
These are assumptions we apply consistently, and we have not sourced journey times for them. Check each operator's timetable before you plan around a named line.
For a first trip to Europe
These three countries each have enough variety to fill a week or more without changing hotels every other night.
France, for Paris plus the Loire Valley
France lets you pair a major capital with one slower region, so the trip has a clear shape. A workable route is four nights in Paris, then a base in Tours for the Loire Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of river towns and châteaux. Chambord and Chenonceau are the two names most visitors build a day around. We suggest eight to ten days in total, which follows the two-base rule above.
Trains for the Loire leg leave Paris from Gare Montparnasse, and you can check and book them on SNCF Connect. In Paris, book timed entries for the Louvre and other headline museums, since the best-known sights draw the heaviest crowds. The Banks of the Seine are UNESCO-listed and cost nothing to walk.
Whether you need a visitor visa depends on your nationality, and the rules change. The official route is France-Visas. For wider guidance, use France Diplomatie and the official tourism site France.fr. France is in the Schengen Area, so the shared entry rules near the end of this guide apply.
Italy, for one great city and one slower region
Pair Rome with Tuscany or Puglia and use two bases, not four. Using the half-day rule for each change of base, that is why we suggest nine to ten days on this plan. Intercity trains are on Trenitalia. The catch is that the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums book heavily, so a loose plan means queues. Italy's official visa portal is Visto per l'Italia.
Spain, for strong regional variety
Madrid earns its place for the Prado and its late evenings. Barcelona is there for Gaudí, including the Sagrada Família. Seville has the Alcázar and the old quarter around it. Ten days across those three works, as long as you accept that you are choosing three cities and not covering the country. Rail timetables are on Renfe. Spain's foreign ministry is at exteriores.gob.es.
For rail journeys and mountain scenery
Rail-first travel means fewer bases and longer stays. A train from city centre to city centre also puts the journey inside the day, not in a gap between airports.
Switzerland, for rail-led alpine travel
Switzerland is the clearest case of a country you can build a whole trip around by train. The Glacier Express links Zermatt and St. Moritz. The Bernina Express, run by the Rhaetian Railway, crosses the Bernina Pass to Tirano in Italy. National timetables are on SBB.
We suggest six to eight days with two or three bases. Mountain weather can change what you see on a given day, so keep one flexible day in the plan. Swiss entry rules are set out on the State Secretariat for Migration's entry page.
Austria, for lake and mountain country without a car
Vienna and Salzburg are the two city anchors, joined by the main Vienna–Salzburg rail line. The Semmering Railway south of Vienna is a UNESCO World Heritage site. From Salzburg, you can reach Hallstatt in the Hallstatt-Dachstein Salzkammergut lake district by train plus a short ferry. Book through ÖBB.
We suggest a week. A shorter trip forces a choice between the cities and the mountains.
Germany, for city-to-city rail
Berlin sits in the east, Hamburg in the north and Munich in the south, and each anchors a distinct region. The Berlin–Hamburg and Berlin–Munich links make a workable backbone for three bases over eight to ten days. Timetables are on Deutsche Bahn.
For scenery, the Upper Middle Rhine Valley between Bingen and Koblenz is a UNESCO World Heritage landscape you can watch from the train. A trip that tries to include every region turns into a rail timetable.
For coastline
This section is about the sea, not price. We did not research cost, so nothing below is a price comparison.
A red and white tram in Lisbon, where trams are part of getting around the hills.
Portugal, with Lisbon as the anchor
Lisbon is built on hills above the Tagus, and its trams climb them. That makes it a good base for a city-and-coast trip. Sintra and Cascais make straightforward day trips, and the Algarve is the long-stay coast further south. Intercity and regional trains are on CP.
Five to seven days works with Lisbon plus one coastal base. Plan walking days around the slopes, not against them. Portugal's visa portal is vistos.mne.gov.pt.
Greece, for island-led trips
Greece's best trips are built around one or two islands, such as Naxos and Paros in the Cyclades. Ferry timetables eat days when you hop every night, so stay longer. As editorial advice, we suggest ten days with no more than two island bases. Leave slack on either side of a flight home, because ferries can be disrupted. Official visa information is on the Greek foreign ministry site.
Albania, for a lower-profile coast
Albania's southern coast is the usual starting point, with Sarandë as the base for Butrint, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Inland, the Historic Centres of Berat and Gjirokastra are Ottoman-era towns on the UNESCO list. It suits travellers who have already done the better-known Mediterranean coasts.
We have not verified current transport connections or entry rules. Use the Albanian foreign ministry for entry questions, and treat Albania as something to research.
For a short island break
Both entries below suit a long weekend or a four-to-five-day trip.
Malta, for a compact island trip
Valletta is a UNESCO World Heritage city, and the walled town of Mdina is a short ride inland. Ferries cross to Gozo for a quieter day. One base covers the island, so there are no transfers to plan. It will not fill a long trip, so pair it with another country if you have more than a week. Government information is at foreign.gov.mt.
Cyprus, for sun with ancient sites
Paphos has the Tombs of the Kings, Kourion sits on the south coast to the east, and the Troodos mountains have painted churches on the UNESCO list. That gives a sun-led trip a few days of history. Cyprus is an island, so there is no overland extension. It is not in the Schengen Area at the time of writing, so check the Cyprus foreign ministry for entry rules.
For a road trip
Ireland, for a west-coast drive
Dublin to Galway, then down to the Cliffs of Moher and the Dingle Peninsula, is the classic west-coast route and fits a week. Distances look short on a map and take longer on narrow roads, so cut stops, not days. Ireland is not in the Schengen Area at the time of writing, so entry rules are set by Irish Immigration.
Before you book: entry rules in short
This is a pointer, not a full checklist. The EES and 90-in-180 points below apply to the nine Schengen countries on this list: France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Portugal, Greece and Malta.
Albania, Ireland and Cyprus are not in the Schengen Area at the time of writing, so their entry rules and day counts differ. Use each government's own site, linked in the table above, before you book.
Entry/Exit System (EES). The EES began on 12 October 2025 and was due to be fully operational at all external border crossing points from 10 April 2026. It records passport data, a facial image and fingerprints for non-EU short-stay visitors, and registration is free. See the European Commission's EES page and EU Travel Europe's EES page.
The 90-in-180 rule. The short-stay limit is 90 days in any 180-day period, counted as a single period across the Schengen Area, not per country (see EU Travel Europe). As an illustration, 30 days in France in June, 30 in Italy in July and 30 in Spain in August is 90 days in total. Any further day takes you over. To check the pacing of a multi-country route, use the itinerary validator.
ETIAS. At the time of drafting, the official EU ETIAS page said the system was not yet in operation, and we saw no confirmed start date. Reread that page on the day you book. Treat any site that offers to sell you an authorisation now with suspicion, and use only the official EU page.
Your passport. Rules depend on nationality. Use the official government source for each country you visit.
Questions readers ask
Which European countries are the most visited, and does that make them the best?
UN Tourism data names France, Spain, Türkiye and Italy among the most visited European countries in 2024. Visitor numbers measure popularity, not quality, and the busiest countries often have the longest queues.
Is ETIAS required yet?
Not as of drafting. The official EU ETIAS page said the system was not yet in operation, and we saw no confirmed start date. Check the EU ETIAS page before you book.
How does the 90-in-180 rule work across several countries?
The limit is one 90-day allowance in any 180-day period, shared across the whole Schengen Area. Time in Italy and time in Spain come out of the same allowance, so a month in each leaves 30 days.
Do Ireland and Cyprus follow the same rules as Schengen countries?
No. Ireland and Cyprus are not in the Schengen Area at the time of writing, so their entry rules differ. Check Irish Immigration and the Cyprus foreign ministry.
Methods note
This edition is desk research against official sources: UN Tourism, the European Commission, EU Travel Europe, UNESCO World Heritage pages, national rail operators and government sites. It makes no first-hand claims, and we have not re-travelled the routes for it. Trip lengths follow the rules set out above and are editorial suggestions, not official standards. Entry-rule details reflect the official pages as read when this edition was drafted, so recheck them on the day you book. Safety, cost and seasonality were not researched, and several countries, including Croatia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Czechia and the Nordics, are left out for that reason. For more destination guides, browse the Fortrip blog.
