two weeks – Back in October 2022, a two-week rail-and-air backpacking trip through Berlin, Vienna, Venice, Rome, Milan, and Zurich felt like a sprint. After 60 hours in transit—after three flights and 11 train rides—I came home with only a sampling. The lesson was simple:
The clock in my head began ticking the moment I landed in Berlin—because 48 hours later, I’d be en route to Vienna.
This was back in October 2022, when I went backpacking through Europe for the first time. I spent two weeks visiting four countries and six cities by rail. From there. the plan never slowed down: I was headed somewhere new every 24 to 48 hours for the rest of the trip as I checked off the other cities on my list—Venice. Italy. Rome. Milan. and Zurich.
On my way to each destination, the same question kept popping into my head: Is two weeks in Europe enough time to explore all these places?
I wanted to see as much of the continent as possible. so I convinced myself that one or two nights in each city would help me make the most of my time abroad. By the end, I wasn’t just tired—I was left with the feeling of having only skimmed the surface. I returned home with only a sampling of what each place had to offer after three flights. 11 train rides. and 60 hours in transit.
What 48 hours can’t do
I longed for more memories in Berlin as soon as I boarded my train to Vienna. When I headed from Austria to Italy, the feeling followed me. I thought I’d gotten a taste of Vienna’s art scene—then I realized it was barely a taste.
I spent a week in Italy. but splitting my time between three different cities—Venice. Rome. and Milan—left me craving more. In Rome, I walked cobblestone streets where ruins sat on one side and modern buildings rose on the other. The dramatic exteriors of Renaissance museums made me want to go inside. Seeing ruins from a distance made me wish I could see them up close.
My last stop in Switzerland gave me the kind of landscapes I still think about. After just two nights, I flew home wishing I’d made time for an epic mountain hike.
From Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate to Venice’s canals, I did see the headline sights. These cities impressed me upon arrival—stunning architecture, rich histories, striking landscapes. But with less than 48 hours to explore each destination. I could only hit the top tourist highlights: the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. the Colosseum in Rome. and the canals in Venice.
What bothered me wasn’t just missing things. It was the sense that I never had the time to see what life actually felt like in each city. If I had more time, I would have cruised on Lake Zurich, shopped in Milan, or spent a night in the Kreuzberg neighborhood in Berlin.
Every day, I walked past remarkable buildings and massive museums that intrigued me, and each time I thought, “Next time.”
A trip measured in transit
The hard part wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy any of it. It was that the pace kept rewriting the trip as I went—less time lingering, fewer chances to go deeper, and more hours counted in movement than in moments.
Three flights, 11 train rides, and 60 hours in transit added up to a return home that didn’t match what my ambition had promised.
So, no—two weeks wasn’t enough time to explore six European cities, and I learned the hard way.
A different way to plan next time
If you’re planning a trip to Europe, don’t make the same mistake I did. For a two-week trip, I recommend visiting one or two cities or towns and immersing yourself in their art scenes, neighborhoods, and history. That way, you leave with a deeper sense of the destinations you carefully selected.
On my flight back to New York City, I’d already started mentally planning to visit Zurich, Berlin, Rome, and Vienna again.
And so, on the way home—if you still wonder about a destination you didn’t get to—make sure there’s a next time.
Europe travel backpacking Berlin Vienna Venice Rome Milan Zurich two week itinerary rail travel