We just got back from our 2 week trip to Europe and had the time of our lives! We were able to see and do so much during our time, and have memories now that will last forever. I plan to do detailed posts on all of the cities and countries we visited, but first wanted to give 5 tips we discovered while we were in Europe! Here are the top 5 things you must know before traveling to Europe:

Cash is King

This is hands down the biggest tip to take with you to Europe! We were almost in a bad situation early on from not having cash in Paris, and made sure to carry it with us every day after. There are particular cities in Europe where the taxi drivers do not accept anything besides cash, and even if they do take cards they prefer cash. Same goes for some food vendors and restaurants. So, no matter what, make sure you’ve got around $100 cash with you and you’ll be good to go in just about any situation!

Learn Public Transportation

In almost every city we visited, public transportation saved the day more than once. I highly suggest researching and learning about the public transportation options anywhere you plan to visit in Europe. Similar to large cities in the U.S., we found the metro systems to be the quickest and most reliable option the majority of the time. Plus, it’s much more affordable than taking a taxi or Uber everywhere you want to go!

Have a Plan

Before we left for our trip, we printed out a calendar and listed off everything we wanted to see and do each day of our vacation. This is especially important if you plan to hop around and visit multiple countries and cities! Having a plan allows you to stay on track during your visit and not miss out on any of the things you want to see while your there. We even planned out free days after listing out all that we wanted to do, and loved knowing when and where we wanted to be each day.

Do the Research

After you make a plan, you’ll be able to research each of your major points of interest. This includes buying tickets or making reservations ahead of time so that you can skip the lines! Some places, like the Colosseum for example, will only sell tickets to visit online. It’s also important to know the appropriate dress code if you’re visiting a religious building or city. We discovered a couple of situations where masks were still required too, so doing a little bit of research ahead of time can help you be much more prepared!

Build in Extra Time

Last but not least, make sure you build in extra time when planning out where you want to go and what you want to visit. You never know when something crazy like a taxi strike (true story: this happened while we were in Italy) can throw a wrench in your plans! Or you might show up to the airport to see the longest line that’s ever existed (again, happened to us in Rome) and not want to be stressed that you’ll miss your flight. Long story short, give yourself some breathing room so that your whole day or trip isn’t thrown off over something out of your control!

Final Thoughts

That’s it! Those are our top 5 tips for European travel! Of course, there is so much more information we could give after our visit and I hope to dive deeper soon. Until then, if you’re planning a trip to Europe I am so excited for you and hope you have the best time!

If you have a different top tip for European travel, leave it in the comments below!