Travel Itinerary: Where To Go On Your Next Europe Trip 2024

If you need ideas on where to go for your upcoming Europe trip in 2024, consider this your Europe trip planner!

We spent months researching for an adventure packed 2 to 3 week Europe itinerary for a September to October trip.

Here is a detailed Europe Itinerary – where to go, where to stay, what to eat and what to do. We traveled with our 3 year old toddler and had the most memorable European vacation.

Europe Trip Overview

3 days in Paris
4 days in the South of France (Nice, Monaco, France-Italy border, Cannes, Antibes, Saint Tropez)
5 days in Greece (Mykonos, Naxos, Santorini)
3 days in Puglia
3 days in Switzerland (Zurich, Sigriswil, Iseltwald, Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, Grindewald, Lucerne)

If you want to know how we spent a fraction of the cost on this trip, you can read more here!

Detailed Itinerary

Day 0 LAX-CDG (California to Paris)
Day 1 PARIS🇫🇷
Day 2 PARIS ✈️ NICE 🇫🇷
Day 3 NICE-MONACO-ITALY (South of France road trip north)🇫🇷
Day 4 NICE-ANTIBES-CANNES (South of France road trip south) 🇫🇷
Day 5 CANNES-ST TROPEZ 🇫🇷
Day 6 NICE ✈️ MYKONOS 🇬🇷
Day 7 MYKONOS 🇬🇷
Day 8 Mykonos ⛴️ Naxos🇬🇷
Day 9 NAXOS 🇬🇷
Day 10 Naxos ⛴️ Santorini🇬🇷
Day 11 Santorini ✈️ Puglia 🇮🇹
Day 12 Puglia 🇮🇹
Day 13 Puglia 🇮🇹
Day 14 Puglia ✈️ZURICH🇨🇭
Day 15 Sigriswil🇨🇭
Day 16 Zurich 🇨🇭
Day 17 Zurich ✈️ Paris 🇫🇷
Day 18 Paris 🇫🇷
Day 19 Paris ✈️ LAX

Day 0 LAX-CDG (California to Paris)

🛫Delta Airlines – 15 hours direct overnight flight

Day 1 PARIS🇫🇷

🛬 1pm Paris

🏨 Hyatt Paris Madeleine

🚘 CDG airport to hotel – 1.5 hour drive

🆓 We used Hyatt points to stay at this 5-star hotel for free.

🏙️🛍️ Galeries Lafayette Haussmann

Walk to Galeries Lafayette Haussmann mall. Step in and you’ll immediately appreciate the grandeur of the Art Noveau architecture. The best part awaits you on the 8^th floor of the terrace. Take the escalators all the way up to the rooftop to witness a breathtaking cityscape view of Paris.

🥘 Girafe Paris Restaurant

Try to secure advance reservations to the exclusive Girafe Paris restaurant for a sunset dinner. Located in the Cité de l’Architecture with stunning views of the Eiffel Tower on the Terrace. Unfortunately, it rained the day we were there and the terrace was closed. We did not get to experience the amazing view, but the food was amazing.

🌇 Place du Trocadero

For beautiful Eiffel Tower photos by night, walk over to the Place du Trocadero. This is one of the best spots to get pictures of the Eiffel Tower.

☕️ Carette Paris

Walk across the street to Carette café for the best hot chocolate and macarons.

Day 2 PARIS ✈️ NICE 🇫🇷

🥐 Chez Meunier

Go to Chez Meunier to try the best rated croissant in Paris for 2023.

🍳 Cafe de Flore or Les Deux Magots

Keep your options open to eat at either Cafe de Flore or Les Deux Magots since they are both popular breakfast spots located next to each other. We opted for a lovely breakfast at Les Deux Magots.

🏙️ Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Explore Saint-Germain-des-Prés, including a visit to Shakespeare & Co and Odette Paris, a quaint pastry shop famous for their traditional choux pastries (cream puffs).

🏞️ Jardin du Luxembourg

Walk over to the Jardin du Luxembourg to just bask under the sun and take in the beautiful garden views. If you continue walking down pass the garden you’ll find a little playground – our toddler loved it.

We then checked out and headed to the ORY airport to catch a 4pm flight to Nice. That wrapped up our first 24 hours in Paris!

🛫 Flight ORY-NCE (Paris to Nice, France)

Air France – 1.5 hour flight

🛬 5:30pm Nice

🚘 OuiCar Rental

Rent a car to explore the French Riviera. We booked a car via a peer-to-peer car rental service called OuiCar, which is France’s equivalent of Turo in the US. The owner met us at the airport to drop off the car.

🏨 Hyatt Regency Nice Palais de la Mediterranee

🚘 Nice Côte d’Azur Airport to hotel – 15 minute drive

🆓 We used Hyatt points to stay at this centrally located 5-star hotel for free.

🍝 La Favola

Walk to Old Town Nice for dinner at La Favola, a highly reviewed Italian restaurant located in a lively main square. We arrived at 8pm without dinner reservations and got in line. We waited around 30-40 minutes but it was well worth the wait.

🥘 Le Plongeior

Le Plongeior is an iconic restaurant perched atop a rock pillar hovering over the sea. Try to secure reservations here for a magical sunset dinner. We we were not able to get reservations here!

🍨 Fennocchio

End the night at Fennocchio, a popular ice cream stand in Old Town Nice.

Day 3 NICE-MONACO-ITALY (South of France road trip north)🇫🇷

💐 Marche Aux Fleurs Cours Saleya

Before breakfast, stroll through the stalls of Old Town Nice’s long-running outdoor market, full of fresh flowers, fruits and local food products.

🥞 Marinette Kitchen

Have breakfast at this shabby-chic spot hidden in the charming alleys of Old Town Nice. We recommend you sit upstairs overlooking the rooftop for a quaint Parisian vibe. There are more sweet than savory breakfast options here.

🚘After breakfast it’s time to start your South of France road trip northbound.

🏞️🛍️ Monaco

First stop is Monte Carlo in Monaco – 30 minutes from Nice. Explore the small town of the rich and famous filled with luxury yachts and fancy cars. Visit the grand casino and do some shopping nearby. For Goyard lovers, there is a store right near the casino that is not as busy as the one in Paris.

🏞️ Menton

Next stop is the cute town of Menton – 25 minutes from Monaco. Try to arrive before 1pm if you want to explore the shops or have lunch. By the time we arrived, it was already close to 2pm, which meant most places were closing for their 4-5 hour “siesta.”

🏖️ Les Sablettes Beach

If the weather permits, take a swim at Les Sablettes beach, which has a beautiful view of old town and the Italian coast.

🗺️ France-Italy Border

The France-Italy border is only 10 minutes from Menton! You can say you’ve crossed the border and have been at two places at once! There are no border controls and you can come and go as you please.

🍝 Amadora Ventimiglia

Have lunch at this local seaside restaurant in Italy, just 15 minutes from the border.

🥘 Bocca Nissa

Make sunset dinner reservations to eat at the rooftop deck of Bocca Nissa, a popular Mediterranean tapas restaurant. With the rain we ended up eating inside. Just a risk we knew we’d take traveling in late September. Nonetheless the food was light and delicious.

🏊‍♂️ Late Night Swim

The Hyatt Regency Nice Palais de la Méditerranée has an amazing indoor/outdoor heated pool so we took a late swim after dinner for our last night here.

🍔 McDonald’s

We heard that French McDonald’s was much better than back home in the States. There was one right by our hotel, so we gave it a try after our late night swim. There are self-ordering kiosks and the space was huge. We ordered our toddler the kid’s meals and you can taste the difference – the nuggets tasted like real chicken and the fries tasted like real potatoes.

Day 4 NICE-ANTIBES-CANNES (South of France road trip south) 🇫🇷

🍳Clay restaurant

Have breakfast at Clay restaurant in Old Town Nice. There are both sweet and savory breakfast options here.

🚘We then checked out of our hotel and headed southbound for our second day roadtrip down the French Riviera.

🏞️ Antibes

Explore the old town of Antibes overlooking a marina filled with quaint shops and luxury yachts. Shop for some local snacks and souvenirs.

☕️ NOMADS coffee

A specialty coffee shop located in Antibes. Also one of the few places that serve iced coffee.

🥗 Bistro Chez Jules

For lunch, check out this cute bistro with a nostalgic French farm to table Provence vibe. This was on our itinerary, but we didn’t get a chance eat here as we arrived when they were closing for their siesta around 2pm.

🏨 Airbnb – Cannes

We checked into our Airbnb centrally located in the heart of Cannes.

🥘 Chai Dee

If you’re craving authentic Thai food in Cannes, Chai Dee is the spot. Owned by a French husband and Thai wife.

Day 5 CANNES-ST TROPEZ 🇫🇷

💐 Forville Market

Check out the large and lively Forville Market for some local food and produce.

🚘We’re going even more southbound down the French Riviera to Saint Tropez – 1.5 to 2 hour drive from Cannes, so start early if you’re coming from here!

🏞️ Saint Tropez

Explore the upscale coastal town of Saint Tropez and check out all the designer boutiques lining the streets.

🥐 Dior Des Lices

Make advance reservations at the Dior Des Lices Café. Have brunch in their beautiful courtyard garden adorned with Dior decor everywhere down to the pastry. Take some photos and check out the Dior boutique right up the stairs.

🏖️ LouLou Ramatuelle or Gigi Ramatuelle

Enjoy a beach day at one of these posh private beach and restaurant spots. Sunbed rentals can get pretty pricey. We went to LouLou during shoulder season when water was getting a bit chilly and they were starting at EUR 75 each.

🏖️ Plage de Pampelonne

A budget-friendly alternative is to not rent a sunbed and just bring your own beach towel and hang out on the same public beach.

🥗 Tono Pampelonne

Tono is a great and affordable option right by the beach for a light lunch and drinks.

🚘 Cannes

After a nice day in Saint Tropez, drive back to Cannes to explore everything it has to offer

🏖️🛍️ La Croisette

Continue your beach day at the sandy Croisette Beach in Cannes. Then stroll along the Promenade de la Croisette and do some shopping at the famous shopping district Rue d’Antibes.

🍝 Tredici

Have dinner at Tredici, a deliciously authentic Italian restaurant, located in the vibrant Suquet neighborhood of Cannes

🍨 Niva

End the night with admittedly the best and most authentic Italian gelato in town at Niva.

Day 6 NICE ✈️ MYKONOS 🇬🇷

🥐 Tarte Tropezienne

If you didn’t get a chance to try the popular dessert in Saint Tropez made famous by Brigitte Bardot, you can still try it in Cannes. Tarte Tropézienne, known as “La Tarte de Saint-Tropez” is a brioche filled with thick pastry cream and buttercream – almost like a cream puff.

🛫Flight NCE-JMK (Nice to Mykonos)

EasyJet – 5.5 hour flight (inc. layover)

🛬 7pm Mykonos

🚘 Hertz Car Rental

Rent a car at the airport.

🏨 Archipelagos Hotel

🚘 Mykonos Airport to hotel – 20 minute drive

🆓 This independent boutique luxury hotel is part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World collection. You can use Hyatt points to stay here for free.

🥘 Pame Plateia

Have a Greek tapas dinner at Pame Plateia in the Ano Mera village. This is where we had the best (free) Greek yogurt dessert. There is an enclosed playground right in front of the restaurant for your child to play in, so you can enjoy dinner and drinks in peace and still be able to see them).

Day 7 MYKONOS 🇬🇷

🥐 Breakfast

We enjoyed a complimentary breakfast at the hotel.

🏊‍♂️ Morning Swim

Go for a dip in the pool

🏞️Mykonos Town

Take a stroll through the blue and white cobblestone roads of Old Town Mykonos.

🦐 Kavos Taverna

Enjoy a lunch with a lovely view of the Aegean Sea at Kavos Taverna. This was by far one of our favorite Mediterranean seafood meals here.

🏖️Platis Gialos Beach

This is our favorite kid friendly beach in Greece! Lennon is 3 years old and usually just plays in the sand but this time he ventured out in the ocean and loved it. The water was crystal clear and calm with beautiful views. There were plenty of restaurants you can easily spend the entire day here.

🍹Yialo Yialo

Sunbed rentals in Mykonos can get pricey (not nearly as expensive as Saint Tropez). If you’re looking for the best deal, we recommend Yialo Yialo at EUR 25 per sunbed.

🥘 Kastros Restaurant

Make reservations to Kastros, an Instagram famous spot. We weren’t able to eat here since we didn’t make reservations and it was so busy.

🥘 Rouvera

We ended having dinner at Rouvera in Mykonos Town, which was lively with views of the sea.

Day 8 Mykonos ⛴️ Naxos🇬🇷

🥐 Breakfast

We enjoyed a complimentary breakfast at the hotel.

⛴️ Ferry from Mykonos to Naxos

Time to island hop!

🚘 Hertz Car Rental

Rent a car at the port.

🥙 Yasouvlaki!

Located by the port, go here to have the best gyros in town.

🏨 Naxian Collection

🚘 Naxos port to hotel – 15 minute drive

🆓 This independent boutique luxury hotel is part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World collection. You can use Hyatt points to stay here for free.

🍹Avaton 1739

Want the best views of Naxos? Avaton 1739 is located at the rooftop of an old monastery with the most breathtaking views of the town. Come for sunset drinks and desserts at this “all day café + wine bar.”

🥘 Doukato

Eat like a local at Doukato, a traditional Greek restaurant located in a cute and quiet courtyard, just around the corner from the touristy Mykonos Town.

🍨 Aktaion

End the night with ice cream at Aktaion.

Day 9 NAXOS 🇬🇷

🥐 Breakfast

We enjoyed a complimentary breakfast at the hotel.

🏖️ Agios Prokopios Beach

Spend the day at this kid friendly sandy beach with clear blue waters. Sunbed rentals in Naxos is much cheaper than Mykonos. Our rentals were EUR 12 each with a minimum spend of EUR 20 for food and drinks.

🏞️ Halki (Chalkio)

Explore the quaint village of Halki. We didn’t get a chance to explore here as we were all hungry so went straight to lunch.

🥗 Rotonda

Have lunch with a view on top of a mountain at Rotonda. You have to drive all the way up windy roads to get here, but it’s worth it, especially if you already plan on exploring Halki and Apiranthos.

🏞️ Apiranthos

Walk through the marble paved alleys of Apiranthos and explore this charming village full of shops and restaurants.

🏖️ Plaka Beach

Take a sunset swim at Plaka beach. You can rent sunbeds here for EUR 10-15 each.

🥘 Maro’s Taverna

Eat like a local and try traditional dishes at Maro’s Tavern. We were trying to go to Elliniko or Meze 2 but they were packed.

Day 10 Naxos ⛴️ Santorini🇬🇷

🥐 Breakfast

We enjoyed a complimentary breakfast at the hotel.

🍕 Cafe Lotto

There are plenty of dining options near Naxos port. We had pizza at Cafe Lotto while we waited for our ferry. Good pizza, great service.

⛴️ Ferry from Naxos to Santorini

Time to island hop! The ferry from Naxos to Santorini was around 1 hour 20 minutes.

🚘 Hertz Car Rental

We didn’t see available car rentals at the ferry port but used a taxi service to get dropped off near the airport where we were able to rent a car with Hertz.

🏨 Santorini Secret Spa & Suite

🚘 Airport to hotel – 25 minute drive

🆓 This independent boutique luxury hotel is part of the Smll Luxury Hotels of the World collection. You can use Hyatt points to stay here for free.

🌅 Oia Sunset

Catch the most beautiful sunset at the popular Oia village.

🥘 Thalami

Have dinner at Thalami, centrally located at the famous Caldera in Oia.

Day 11 Santorini ✈️ Puglia 🇮🇹

🥐 Breakfast

We enjoyed a complimentary breakfast at the hotel.

🏊‍♂️ Morning Swim

Go for a dip in the pool.

🏞️ Oia

Explore Oia and find picturesque cliffside photos spots of the blue dome churches.

🦐 Sunset Ammoudi

If you’re adventurous enough, take the Oia Steps all the way down to have lunch or dinner at this beautiful restaurant with great views and fresh seafood. You can also take a taxi. Whatever you do, please do not ride the poor donkeys L

🛫 Flight JTR-BRI (Santorini to Puglia)

Ryan Air– 1 hour flight

🛬11:55pm Puglia

🚘 Turo Car Rental

Rent a car at the airport. Because we arrived so late, we used Turo, a peer-to-peer car rental service.

🏨 Airbnb – Locorotondo

When in Puglia, stay at a masseria or trullo to have an authentic Apulian experience. A masseria is a traditional rural estate that’s been renovated into luxury accommodations that still retains their historic charm and architectural features. A Trullo is a traditional dry stone hut with a conical roof. We stayed at a trullo in Locorotondo and had the most memorable experience.

Day 12 Puglia 🇮🇹

🏞️ Centro Storico Locorotondo

Explore the charming small town of Locorotondo at Centro Storico.

🥐 Caffe della Villa

Have a light breakfast at Caffe della Villa.

💐 Piazza Antonio Mitrano

On Fridays, check out the weekly local market located at Piazza Antonio Mitrano for some local fruits, cheese, etc. The market ends at 1pm.

🍷 Sirose – Bufano Winery

Stop by and enjoy a quick wine tasting at Sirose Bufano Winery. It was around EUR 12 to sample 3 glasses

🛒 Todis

Go grocery shopping at Todis, a local supermarket in Locorotondo, and buy food to make lunch and breakfast at the Airbnb.

🥗 Lunch & Siesta

Make the most of your Airbnb stay – opt for a home cooked meal, take a swim, take a nap.

🏖️ Polignano a Mare

Explore the town of Polignano a Mare and take in the views of the Cala Monachile beach from above or go down for a swim.

🏞️ Monopoli

Explore Monopoli, a picturesque fishing village, known for its historic old town and beautiful beaches. We had early dinner reservations so didn’t have time to check it Monopoli on the way back.

🍝 Borgo Egnazio

If you don’t have the opportunity to stay at this gorgeous luxury hotel, make reservations to have dinner at any one of their restaurants located in the hotel. We ate at La Frasca.

Day 13 Puglia 🇮🇹

🥐 Breakfast

Have a home cooked breakfast at the Airbnb.

🏞️ Lecce

We drove a little over an hour to explore the historic city of Lecce. Take a walk around in the old town and appreciate the baroque architecture.

🥗 00 Doppiozero

If you’re eating outside of the siesta hours of 2-7pm when most restaurants are closed, Doppiozero is a good spot for lunch. The portions were huge.

🍨 Tentazioni Gelateria

We had the best gelato at Tentazioni. You can also try the local Caffe Leccese here.

🏞️ Ostuni

On the way back, stop by Ostuni to explore the white-washed buildings.

🍹 Borgo Antico Bistrot

Have a sunset dinner and drinks in the heart of Ostuni. We unfortunately didn’t make it to Ostuni since everyone was tired after the drive back from Lecce.

Day 14 Puglia ✈️ZURICH🇨🇭

🛫 Flight BRI-ZRH (Puglia to Zurich)

ITA – 3.5 hour flight

🛬10:00am Zurich

🚘 Hertz Car Rental

Rent a car at the port.

🍜 Pho Vietnam

We at at this pho restaurant in Zurich, located 15 minutes from the airport. It was a perfect lunch spot after an early and tiring flight.

🏞️ Bern

Explore Bern, the capital city of Switzerland. We stopped by here on the on the way to our Airbnb.

🛒 Coop

Go grocery shopping at a Coop or Migros, local supermarket options. It was a Sunday and most stores were closed, but the one in Bern Bahnhof, located in an underground train station, was open and busy.

🏨Airbnb in Sigriswil

🚘 Airport to hotel – 2 hour drive

Our Airbnb was located near the Sigriswil Panamora bridge, which was made popular by the Netflix Korean drama series “Crash Landing on You.”

🏞️ Iseltwald

Explore this small village in Switzerland, notably Lake Brienz – also where the popular piano scene of “Crash Landing on You” was filmed.

🏞️ Interlaken

Explore the resort town of Interlaken and take in the beautiful emerald blue waters of Lake Thun and Lake Brienz

🥘 Aare Korean BBQ Restaurant

Complete your night with this popular Korean BBQ spot.

Day 15 Sigriswil🇨🇭

🥐 Breakfast

Have a homemade breakfast before checking out of Airbnb.

🏞️Lauterbrunnen

Explore the small village of Lauterbrunnen and witness the huge 300m-high Staubbach Falls nearby.

🍟 Food Point Kebap

For an affordable lunch spot in Lauterbrunnen, try Food Point.

🍨 Restaurant Schutzen

Have some coffee & ice cream at Schutzen with a view.

🏞️ Grindewald

Take a train into the Grindewald village

🥘 C und M Cafe

Dinner on the terrace of C und M Café, located on a wooden chalet with the most majestic views of the Swiss Alps.

🏞️Zurich

Drive to Zurich

🏨 Ambassador Hotel

🆓 This independent boutique luxury hotel is part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World collection. You can use Hyatt points to stay here for free.

Day 16 Zurich 🇨🇭

🥐 Breakfast

We enjoyed a complimentary breakfast at the hotel.

🚘 Drive to Lucerne – 40 minutes from Zurich

🏞️ Lucerne

Walk around Lucerne’s old town (Alstadt), considered one of the most beautiful cities in Switzerland.

🥗 Bfistern

Have lunch at Bfistern and try some local Swiss dishes like fondue and raclette.

🚘 Drive back to Zurich

🍫 Lindt Home of Chocolate

Visit the Lindt Chocolate Factory and sample as much free chocolate as you want.

🍜 Thach

Try some authentic Vietnamese dishes at Thach restaurant in Zurich.

Day 17 Zurich ✈️ Paris 🇫🇷

🥐 Breakfast

We enjoyed a complimentary breakfast at the hotel.

🛫 Flight ZRH-CDG (Zurich to Paris)

Air France – 1.5 hour flight

🛬5:10pm Paris

🏨 Renaissance Paris Republique

🚘 CDG Airport to hotel – 1 hour

🆓 We used Marriott points to stay at this 5-star hotel for free. We stayed here as it was close to Le Marais.

🥘 Bouillon Pigalle

Have dinner at this popular spot that services traditional French cuisine at an affordable price. Beware the lines can be really long.

🌆 Moulin Rouge

Take a walk over to see the Moulin Rouge windmill. Explore with caution if you have children as you will be in the redlight district.

Day 18 Paris 🇫🇷

🥐 Tout Autour du Pain

Grab a croissant and/or baguette at Tout Autour du Pain.

🏞️ Le Marais

Explore the hip neighborhood of Le Marais

💐 Marche des Enfants Rouges

Take a walk through this covered market with stalls of local flowers, food and local produce.

☕️ B Coffee – Enfants rouges

Take a coffee to go at B Coffee

🥪 Chez Alain Miam Miam

Try the crepes and sandwiches at Chez Alain Miam Miam.

🏛️Archives Nationales

Visit this free Musee des Archives Nationales in Le Marais

After exploring Le Marais, we checked out of the hotel to check in to our final free hotel.

🏨 Intercontinental Paris – Le Grand

🆓 We used IHG points to stay at this 5-star hotel for free.

🍝 Pink Mamma

Make lunch reservations at Pink Mamma, a renowned Italian restaurant known for its trendy IG worthy décor and ambience.

🏞️Montmarte

Explore Montmarte and take in the panoramic view at the front of the Basilica de Sacre Couer before going inside. Just behind the Sacre Coeur is the Place du Terte, known as The Artist’s Square.