Ask "where should I go in Europe?" and the honest answer is another question: what kind of trip do you want? The continent rewards choosing a region and going deep far more than sprinting between capitals. Here is how we divide it, and how to pick.
How we split Europe
Meridian groups Europe into nine regions, each its own hub of guides and stories. Follow any of them into the destination pages to go deeper.
- British Isles — England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; entry via the UK ETA (VisitBritain).
- France & Benelux — Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels and beyond, the classic first-timer arc.
- Iberia — Spain and Portugal, from Barcelona and Madrid to the Camino (Spain.info).
- Italy & the Mediterranean — Rome, Venice, the coast and the islands (Italia.it).
- Central Europe — Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Czechia, a rail-lover’s heartland.
- The Alps — mountain passes, lakes and slow scenic trains.
- Nordics & Baltics — fjords, design cities, and the far north (Visit Norway).
- The Balkans — the Adriatic coast and its rising second cities.
- Greece & Türkiye — ancient sites and island-hopping across two continents (Visit Greece).
Matching a region to your trip
For a first trip, France & Benelux or Italy give you the most reward for the least friction. Rail enthusiasts should look at Central Europe and the Alps; nature-seekers to the Nordics; sun-and-history travellers to Iberia, Greece and Türkiye. The Balkans reward the slightly more adventurous with lower prices and thinner crowds.
Mind the memberships
Remember that Europe, the EU, the Schengen area and the eurozone are four different things: 21 of the 27 EU countries use the euro, and several popular destinations sit outside one grouping or another. [6]
That distinction shapes your paperwork and your wallet, so read the first-trip planner before you commit. Then turn a region into a route with our itineraries, or start browsing the Planning collection.
