Tips for Planning Short Trips & City Trips

Are you ready for a vacation but short on time and money for a long trip? How about a short getaway or a city trip? Escape the daily grind and immerse yourself in nature, culture, or the beach. Whether it's Barcelona, Berlin, Stockholm, London, Budapest, or New York.

I love city trips. Often, these short getaways last a few days or just an extended weekend.

Whether in the U.S. or abroad, many destinations are easily reachable within a few hours. In the morning, you might be stressed and exhausted at the office. By the afternoon, you're already strolling down Las Ramblas in Barcelona, cruising through the archipelago near Stockholm on a boat, enjoying the view from the London Eye overlooking the Thames and the skyline of London, or happily sitting in a café in Berlin.

Allow yourself to wander in the city - after all, you're on vacation! Yet, a little planning and preparation are necessary, as there are always more options than time.

Travel planning can include arranging options for arrival, accommodation, and local transportation... and what exactly do you want to see? You won't be able to see everything, so it's essential to come up with a rough plan beforehand. Then you can enjoy your short trip stress-free.

Short trips provide a perfect opportunity to escape everyday life for a few days, relax, and discover a new city or even a new country. City trips are inspiring, diverse, and exciting.

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Which city will you visit? Does it always have to be London, Paris, or Rome? I love to be surprised by cities that are not on the must-see list: Malmö instead of Stockholm, Trondheim instead of Oslo, Schwerin instead of Berlin. Check out my category Destinations for City Trips for inspiration.

Once you've decided on a city, it's time to figure out what you want to see. For me, an essential item is a travel guide. Whether in print or online. Additionally, I like to read a few books about the city I am going to visit.

First, decide when your short trip will take place. If you have flexibility, you can save a lot of money by choosing dates when flights, train tickets, or hotels are quite affordable.

Here you will find an overview of the best travel destinations (Month by Month) or the overview of the best travel times for popular destinations.

You can undertake city trips at any time of the year, even outside the 'recommended travel times.' I prefer city trips when there are fewer tourists in town because then I save a lot of time by not having to wait in line at attractions. However, you should avoid cities in Southern Europe during the summer since it gets too hot and many places (restaurants) are closed.

I once visited New York in the summer at 40 °C and Rome at 36 °C. It was really not enjoyable. Summer in Venice isn't great either. The canals are beautiful, but the smell is unbearable.

Check if there are any holidays at your destination. If you're using bridge days, there might be holidays at your location as well. We were there during such a time in Rome. It was not only a long weekend in Germany but also in the Netherlands and Italy. The city was crowded. A visit to the Vatican is not fun at that time. I experienced this personally and was glad to have reserved tickets for the Vatican visit with the Sistine Chapel in advance.

Still, I have also written down how you can make the most of bridge days to have more time for your short trip without taking too many vacation days.

Why should you travel during less popular months? Hotels and flights are cheaper. Cities are not overcrowded, and you can visit attractions without long waiting times and throngs of tourists.

New York in February doesn't always have to be cold. Reykjavik is also worth a visit in winter (Northern Lights), and Tromsø is even more expensive in winter than in summer. Stockholm in October was wonderful: sunny, around 70°F, and hardly any tourists. However, I had bad luck in Oslo in May: There was still snow outside, and the city and fjords were shrouded in thick fog. You see, due to climate change, you can sometimes be lucky or unlucky. That's always a reason to come back.

Oslo a year later:

Since I'm always on the lookout for 'unique' experiences that not every tourist has on their itinerary, I check out other travel bloggers: They have written about various cities and shared their insider tips.

Additionally, there are great websites and apps like Spotted by Locals, unlike.net, and Like a Local. You can always find inspiration and ideas here.

Write everything down and sort a possible order of the things you want to see after looking at the city map.

Books that provide inspiration for city trips include "The Underrated Cities in Europe", highlighting places that many don't think of for a short trip. The Europe Without a Plane Guide is also a great source of inspiration.

For Barcelona, for example, I prepared by gathering tourist guides, travel magazines, and books about my favorite city, Barcelona. I've also created city trip planners and diaries to use for planning my city trips, tracking expenses, and noting highlights every day:

Depending on your budget, there are options: couch surfing, hostels, hotels, or vacation rentals. I prefer booking hotels without breakfast or a vacation rental since I don't want to sleep in the same room with strangers.

I like to search for the best locations so I can eat like a local in the evening or avoid the expensive and noisy places in Manhattan (New York) and book a much cheaper accommodation in New Jersey instead.

LOOKING FOR A HOTEL?

For searching a good hotel, we recommend the platform Booking.com. We always book our accommodations on this platform or directly with American Express, as we receive additional discounts with the American Express Platinum Card (here are the details, it's worthwhile only for frequent travelers).

Many German and European metropolises can now be easily reached by train or bus. Options for traveling by electric car are also improving (I've tested this multiple times in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland).

However, these options often take a lot of time, especially if you (as I did in Heilbronn) don't have direct ICE connections. Not to mention punctuality. Therefore, the alternative is still flying. Many cities in Europe can be reached in just a few hours. My favorites, besides Stockholm, Oslo, and Copenhagen, include Belfast, Reykjavik, Lagos (Algarve), and Tromsø.

Caution: If you book low-cost airlines like Ryanair, you often land far from the city. This adds additional transfer fees and time loss. Therefore, I avoid these airlines. My tips on how I book flights can be found here. You should also pay attention to flight times. An early morning departure and a late afternoon or evening return flight gives you maximum time for your trip.

Almost every city offers 24, 48, or 72-hour sightseeing passes. In New York, there are several options (-> New York Pass Comparison), and in London as well (-> Comparison of London City Passes), as well as in Rome (-> check out the Roma Pass test with alternatives).

For Budapest, I had the 72h Budapest Card, in Oslo the Oslo Pass, in Copenhagen the Copenhagen Card, and for Munich the Munich City Pass. For Barcelona, I recommend the Barcelona Card. For Vienna, there's the Vienna Pass, and for Oahu (Hawaii), the Oahu City Pass.

Here you can find an overview of all the city passes we have tested (and whether they were worth it).

City passes often include not only admissions and discounts but also the costs of public transport. Researching in advance is worthwhile. Furthermore, you sometimes skip the lines.

For my short trip to New York, I compared which New York City Pass is worth it. If you choose one of the New York passes and order it online before traveling, you often get extra discounts on the purchase price (-> Information about New York passes).

However, it is not always the case that a tourist ticket is worth it for you. Therefore, I advise you: Consider in advance what you want to see and check for discounts and free admissions.

Most passes are available digitally, which is even more convenient:

Where to go? For short trips in the U.S. or city trips in Europe, extended weekends during popular bridge days are suitable. I usually plan for 4 to 5 days for city trips.

For smaller cities like Belfast, a weekend is enough. However, if you want to do excursions - for example, visiting filming locations for the series Game of Thrones - you should plan at least 1-2 days longer.

For European cities, I try to take at least 4, sometimes even 5 days if possible. Three days are fine to get a first impression, but for me that is usually too short. I found three days too few in Budapest and Stockholm, which is a great reason to return there. I've already been to Stockholm three times and always look forward to coming back.

For large sprawling cities like Rome, London, or Istanbul, I would plan a minimum of 5 days.

A city trip to New York never takes less than a week. Otherwise, the long journey is not worth it. Unless, of course, you use the time for a stopover. The city offers so much that you can easily spend 3 weeks there without getting bored.

Unfortunately, many travel destinations for city trips are expensive. Scandinavian cities (especially Oslo), New York, Rome, London, or Paris.

The cost of living is high, and entrance fees are often steep. Long lines at attractions are an added hassle.

I could go on listing endlessly. Therefore, I always recommend checking if a city pass is worth it for attractions, as it often helps skip the lines.

Another option is to pre-book tickets for specific time slots (e.g., Sagrada Familia in Barcelona).

You can reserve tickets in advance at GetYourGuide. I also like to use these platforms.

If you plan to visit museums, attractions, or major sights for a trip, it's worth buying so-called sightseeing passes.

These usually cover a specific number of days (1, 2, 3... days) or a predetermined number of attractions you can visit with them. Often, the use of public transportation is included, as well as bypassing long lines at popular sights.

Here are my articles on tested city passes:

As soon as you know which city you want to visit, you should find out if you need to reserve tickets in advance for popular attractions.

For the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, a visit to the Vatican in Rome, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, or the Eiffel Tower in Paris, you must book your timed ticket well in advance.

Before your trip, find out which currency you can pay with. Norway, Sweden, England, and Hungary do not have the Euro. Are you someone who likes to exchange money before leaving Germany, or are you like me?

I usually exchange money at the airport. With my travel credit cards, I can withdraw cash all over the world without having to pay fees.

Since I travel a lot, I always carry at least two credit cards in case one doesn't work. It can happen. You should always have a backup credit card. Check my tips for credit cards that don't cost you a dime. Better safe than sorry, so you should also consider getting a second credit card. In many countries, cash is rarely used. Germany is still lagging internationally in this regard.

In Scandinavia, cash is hardly used either: even for a beer, the Swede pulls out their debit card for payment. Research beforehand.

The best way to hide your money while traveling and how to create a simple and quick hiding spot for cash can be found here:What Are the Best Ways to Hide Money While Traveling?

Currently, the best free travel credit cards are the Debit Card from DKB Bank, GenialCard (Hanseatic Bank), and the Mastercard Gold from TF Bank. With a setup of at least 2 of these cards, you can withdraw cash almost anywhere overseas fee-free and pay on site without incurring foreign transaction fees on foreign currencies!

-> Here you can find all tips based on my experience for the best travel credit cards.

If you're arriving by plane, train, or long-distance bus, look in advance for the best and fastest way to get to the city.

At the airport, there are usually shuttles or public transport that can quickly and affordably take you to the city center. Avoid taxi rides. In cities like Istanbul, you often get overcharged for taxis or they might take advantage of your unfamiliarity with the city and drive in circles.

I often get asked which guidebooks I use for planning and while on city trips. I can never say this universally, as different cities have various up-to-date editions and offers.

In general, I like the newly released Dumont Direct travel guides for cities. They are compact, precise, and perfectly designed for a young audience.

Do you keep travel journals? We've created ideal books so you can not only jot down memories and expenses from your city trip but also outline what you'd like to see. There are checklists to ensure you remember everything!

Check out the travel journal for city trips here!

Do you have further questions or tips on what to consider when planning a city trip?

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