Ultimate 2024 Europe Itinerary: 16 Days Exploring London, Krakow, Greece, & Rome – Vacation Guide

Get ready to dive into a 16-day European adventure that’s perfect for anyone and everyone! Whether it’s your very first peek at Europe or you’re practically a local by now, I’ve got you covered with an itinerary that’s as diverse as it is thrilling. Picture this: one day you’re wandering through the historical heart of London and Krakow, and the next, you’re basking on the sun-kissed beaches of Greece or strolling through Rome’s eternal streets. Let’s jump right into a adventure you will never forget!!!

TLDR;

Below is the itinerary I used for my 16 Days in Europe vacation in 2019. This was my first time planning a vacation for this long of time, let alone to Europe. There are definitely things I would differently now that I will note below but I have laid out a solid foundation to help you get started on your journey.

• 2 nights in London
• 4 nights in Krakow
• 7 nights in Greece
• 4 nights in Rome

How to spend 16 Days in Europe

Back in 2019 I took my first European summer vacation. It was my first time taking so much time off of work (I was working in retail at the time) and I had no idea what was in store for me. I wanted to soak up every minute we had and fit in as much as we could as I was working with 2 weeks of PTO. It took around 3-4 months to plan this trip, you definitely don’t need that much time but the more time you give yourself the better.

With the rise of Tik Tok and Instagram reels, Europe is the most sought after place to summer and booking things ahead will save you from the disappointment of not getting into the restaurant you saw on Tik Tok. Below I go into detail about my 2019 travels and things I would do differently today in 2024.

2 nights in London

We started our journey flying from Chicago Ohare to London Heathrow Airport. London is a great place to start your European journey has it has many international routes. I think spending 2 nights in London is the perfect way to ease into your European adventure. It is just enough time to hit up all the main attractions like the London Eye, Big Ben and do some sight seeing. One of the things I recommend doing when visiting a bigger city is to hop on a Big Bus or similar. This way you will stop at all the top attractions and destinations and not spend so much money on Ubers! We stayed a The Wellington Hotel, a great hotel is you’re looking for something centrally located on the budget friendlier slide.

4 nights in Krakow

From London (Stansted Airport) we took a flight to Krakow Poland. Poland as a country is a hidden gem and is definitely on the budget friendly side. We stayed in Poland for 4 nights visiting family so we ended up staying in a little town outside of Krakow (Nowy sasz), but there is so much to do here with every area of Poland having its own vibe. I highly recommend going to Zakopane which is about a 2 hour car ride from Krakow. If we were not visiting family, I would cut this down to just 2 nights in Krakow specifically if it is your first time visiting, but if you wanted to visit other parts of Poland I would highly recommend sticking around for longer.

7 nights in Greece (Athens, Mykonos, Santorini)

7 nights in Greece will likely be the highlight of your trip. You can spend weeks island hopping along the Aegean Sea. For this particular trip we spend 2 nights in Santorni, 2 nights in Mykonos and 3 nights in Athens. If I could go back in time I would only spend 2 nights in Athens and add a night on to Mykonos. It was our favorite part of the trip and would have loved to spend more time there. However, if you are into history and museums you could keep this at 3 nights in Athens.

Hotels we stayed at in Greece

• Mykonos: Grand Beach Hotel
• Santorini: Kavalari Hotel
• Athens: Central Athens Hotel

4 nights in Rome

Ahh Rome. Boy do I have a difficult relationship with this city (mostly my own fault). I will call out immediately that I wish we would’ve only stayed 2-3 nights in Rome. 4 nights is entirely way too much for someone like me who isn’t really into history or museums. Again, if history and museums are your thing, you can spend so much time here pshh maybe even weeks. If I could go back in time I would spent 2 nights in Rome, then rent a car and drive to the Amalfi Coast which is about a 3 hour drive. This is something I would do differently in 2024.

Hotel in Rome: Best Western Hotel President Rome. I don’t necessarily recommend this hotel but this is where we stayed when visiting Rome. It’s cheap and near the Colosseum, but I would recommend staying near the Trevi Fountain if possible.

Final Thoughts

Getting to spend any amount of time in another country is such a luxury. You can absolutely go to 4 countries in 16 days, this is just one example of how you can plan ahead and make the most of your time. It is so fascinating to see how I traveled in 2019 vs now in 2024 and how my taste has changed over the years. Either way, this is a perfect itinerary for someone looking to spend 16 days in Europe. Whether it’s your first time or another adventure in the books, you will love every single one of these amazing countries and cities. If you found this itinerary helpful, here is my 7 day Switzerland itinerary <3