If there is one thing you should know about us, we don’t exactly “wing it” when it comes to travel. I had a Google Doc. I always have a Google Doc. There were color-coded tabs, a shared Google Map covered in pins, and a separate document with every reservation number saved in multiple places because you never know when technology is going to fail you. Kira’s contribution to the planning process was trusting that I would get us where we needed to be and reminding me to stop researching long enough to actually enjoy the trip. It’s a system that’s worked pretty well so far.
This entire adventure started with one simple question: “Do you want to go to Spain?”
There was no context, no plan, and honestly no intention of ending up in half the places we eventually visited. Kira immediately said yes, which is probably why we travel so well together. For the record, neither of us has actually made it to Spain yet. That conversation did spark what we thought would be our once in a lifetime European adventure.
Instead, it created a monster.
What followed was thirteen days of train rides, Christmas markets, and questionable navigation decisions. We visited eight cities across seven countries. And we walked enough miles to justify every single dessert, and came home with a growing list of places we still want to visit. Looking back, this trip wasn’t the end of a bucket list item. It was the beginning of a travel obsession that has only gotten worse with time.
We met in London and stayed in an Airbnb near Lower Marsh. This ended up being the perfect place to start our trip. We dropped our bags, and did what we usually do in a new city and started walking without a plan. Some people prefer guided tours. We prefer wandering until we accidentally find everything we wanted to see.
By the end of our first day, we’d walked past Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and the London Eye while stopping for plenty of pictures along the way. Naturally, Big Ben was under construction, which somehow felt perfectly fitting. We had traveled thousands of miles to see one of London’s most iconic landmarks only to admire an impressive amount of scaffolding instead.
The following morning we visited the Natural History Museum, which is free and absolutely worth your time. Whether you spend an hour or half a day there depends on your interests. We both love museums and could have stayed even longer. That evening we made our way to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland for our very first European Christmas market. We were blissfully unaware that this would become our nightly routine for the rest of the trip.
As it turns out, our evenings would all follow a similar pattern. We’d wander through rows of vendors selling handcrafted gifts, convince ourselves we needed another ornament despite limited suitcase space, and debate which stand had the best food before inevitably buying snacks from three different places. Add in a cup of mulled wine while surrounded by thousands of twinkling lights, and it’s easy to understand why European Christmas markets have such a devoted following.
On our third morning, we boarded an early train and made our way to Brugge, Belgium. From the moment we stepped off the train, it felt like we’d walked into a storybook. The canals, cobblestone streets, medieval buildings, and Christmas decorations somehow make the city even more charming than the pictures online, which is saying something.
One of our favorite surprises came when we arrived at our Airbnb. Our host handed us a guide to the city with a history of Brugge and a list of local “rules.” Instead of the typical tourist reminders, they were written with a sense of humor that immediately made us love the city even more. “Thou shall not feed the wildlife.” “Dodge the horse carriages.” “Thou shall not block the bridge.” It was such a small detail, but it perfectly captured the personality of Brugge.
As if I wasn’t already excited to be there, Brugge also happens to be the setting for one of my favorite movies, In Brugge. I lost count of how many times I pointed at a building or bridge and told Kira, “That’s from the movie!” She politely humored me every single time, even if she had absolutely no idea what scene I was talking about.
We spent the rest of the day exploring Market Square, visiting the Basilica of the Holy Blood, and stumbling across a beautiful holiday light show while eating dinner. Although there are plenty of attractions worth seeing, my biggest recommendation for Brugge is simply to slow down. Wander down side streets, cross every bridge you come across, and let yourself get a little lost. Some of our favorite moments happened when we weren’t checking anything off a list and were simply taking in one of the most beautiful cities we’ve ever visited.
Our train ride to Brussels only lasted about an hour. Somehow we spent most of it balancing ourselves in a crowded corner with our luggage trying not to fall over every time the train slowed down. Once we arrived, we stored our bags until check-in and immediately set out with one mission: find waffles.
Fortunately, Belgium makes that incredibly easy.
Everywhere there were waffle stands, chocolate shops, or bakeries displaying treats that looked too good to pass up. We quickly learned that there is no wrong choice when it comes to Belgian waffles. Adding fresh fruit, chocolate, whipped cream, or cookies somehow only makes them better.
We wandered through the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, one of the oldest shopping arcades in Europe, before making our way toward the Grand Place Christmas market. The entire square was glowing with lights, holiday music filled the air, and vendors lined the streets selling handmade gifts and seasonal food. It felt exactly like the kind of Christmas market we’d imagined while planning the trip.
Of course, no visit to Brussels would be complete without seeing Manneken Pis. After hearing about this famous statue for years, I expected something much larger. Instead, we found a tiny bronze statue of a little boy surrounded by tourists trying to snap the perfect photo. We looked at him, laughed at how small he actually was, and checked him off our list. We promptly went back to eating waffles, which felt like the better use of our time anyway.
After Belgium, we made our way to Amsterdam, where we had the luxury of spending two full days. If there’s one thing you’ll notice almost immediately, it’s that bikes rule the city. We rented bicycles ourselves and quickly discovered that while biking around Amsterdam is one of the best ways to see the city, it’s also mildly terrifying if you’re not used to sharing the road with locals who know exactly where they’re going. After surviving the bike lanes with our dignity mostly intact, we headed through Vondelpark toward two of the museums we knew we didn’t want to miss.
The Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum were non-negotiables when we planned this trip, and I would absolutely recommend booking tickets well in advance. The Rijksmuseum is massive and could easily take an entire day if you’re someone who likes to read every display. The Van Gogh Museum is much smaller, but seeing his paintings in person is a completely different experience than seeing them in a textbook or online. You leave with a much greater appreciation for both his talent and the complicated life behind the artwork.
That evening we took a canal cruise during the Amsterdam Light Festival, thinking it would be one of the highlights of the trip. To be honest, it was probably one of the few things we’d skip if we ever went back. While it was nice to be out on the water, the light installations themselves were just okay. I found myself wishing we’d booked a daytime canal tour instead. Seeing the historic homes, learning about the city’s history, and actually being able to appreciate the architecture would have been a much better use of our time. The canal itself was beautiful, but the festival didn’t quite live up to the hype for us.
One stop that absolutely deserves every bit of the praise it receives is the Anne Frank House. We made sure to reserve tickets ahead of time, and I’m incredibly glad we did because they sell out quickly. Walking through the secret annex and hearing Anne’s story while standing in the place where she actually lived creates an experience that’s difficult to put into words. It’s quiet, deeply personal, and serves as an important reminder that history isn’t just something we read about. It happened to real people whose lives were forever changed. It was one of the most meaningful stops of our entire trip and one that stayed with us long after we left Amsterdam.
If you’ve ever planned a trip with this many moving pieces, you know there’s bound to be one destination where absolutely nothing goes according to plan.
Berlin was ours.
Our day started with train issues that forced everyone off our scheduled train and onto a commuter line. This turned what should have been a relatively easy journey into an all-day adventure. By the time we finally made it into the city, we were tired, hungry, and more than ready to check into our hotel and relax.
Instead, we were greeted with the news that our room had flooded.
To their credit, the hotel staff handled the situation incredibly well. They had already arranged accommodations at their sister property, called us a cab, and sent us on our way. The only downside was that the new hotel was all the way across town from where we’d planned to spend our evening, which meant even more travel after an already exhausting day.
Berlin was also strategically planned to be our laundry stop. At this point we’d been living out of our suitcases for over a week, and fresh clothes sounded like the greatest luxury on earth. Our new hotel instructed us to leave our laundry outside the room before heading to dinner, promising it would be ready when we returned.
When we got back, our laundry was nowhere to be found.
What followed was one of the funniest “lost in translation” conversations of the entire trip. Through a combination of broken English, hand gestures, and increasingly confused expressions, we somehow convinced ourselves that our dirty clothes had been stolen. Thankfully, that wasn’t actually the case. The hotel staff had our laundry the entire time. They had simply forgotten to wash it.
So the great laundry day ended with us packing up the exact same dirty clothes we’d arrived with and heading to our next destination.
Luckily, our Airbnb in Budapest happened to be right next to a laundromat. Sometimes the travel gods eventually throw you a bone.
Despite the chaos, Berlin itself left an impression unlike anywhere else we visited. The city wears its history openly and doesn’t try to hide from its past. Walking through the Holocaust Memorial was one of the most sobering experiences of the trip. And visiting the East Side Gallery gave us the opportunity to see one of the longest remaining sections of the Berlin Wall transformed into an outdoor gallery by artists from around the world.
We never made it to Museum Island because of everything that happened, but that’s okay. Every trip needs one city that gives you a reason to come back, and Berlin certainly earned another chance.
By the time we arrived in Budapest, we desperately needed a reset, and somehow this city delivered exactly that. Between the stunning architecture, the thermal baths, incredible food, and Christmas markets lining the Danube, Budapest quickly became one of the biggest surprises of our trip.
We spent time exploring Buda Castle and Fisherman’s Bastion before wandering through the Christmas market. If we’re being honest though, most of our memories revolve around the food.
This is where we fell in love with lángos.
If you’ve never had it, imagine a piece of fried dough that’s somehow crispy and fluffy at the same time, topped with garlic, sour cream, and cheese. It’s simple, unapologetically unhealthy, and absolutely delicious. We ate it more than once during our day and a half in Budapest and have talked about it ever since.
The same goes for goulash.
We ordered our first bowl expecting a hearty soup and ended up with one of the best meals. Rich, flavorful, and perfect on a cold December day, it immediately became something we’ve tried recreating at home several times. Unfortunately, ours never tastes quite like it did sitting in a little restaurant halfway across the world.
We also visited the Great Market Hall, where we somehow managed to eat even more. Between chimney cakes, local specialties, and wandering through the different vendors, it became one of those places where you tell yourself you’re “just looking” before walking out carrying enough food for lunch and dinner.
Of course, no visit to Budapest would be complete without visiting one of its famous thermal baths. After days of walking miles through cities and hauling luggage onto trains, soaking in naturally heated pools felt less like sightseeing and more like necessary recovery. By the time we left, we felt functional again and were almost ready to tackle the next leg of our adventure.
By the time we arrived in Prague, we had settled into a pretty predictable routine. We’d wake up early, catch a train, drop our bags, walk until our feet hurt, find a Christmas market, eat something we’d never heard of before, and repeat the process the next day. Prague gave us all of that. It also gave us something we hadn’t had in almost two weeks: time to slow down.
The city itself is absolutely stunning. Everywhere you look there’s another church spire, another colorful building, or another bridge that looks like it belongs in a fairy tale. We spent hours wandering through Old Town Square, watching the Astronomical Clock draw crowds every hour and weaving our way through the Christmas market stalls. The Charles Bridge somehow lived up to every expectation, especially in the early morning before it filled with tourists. The Lennon Wall was covered in layers of artwork and messages that seemed to change every few feet.
Prague also introduced us to a few foods we’d never heard of before but are still thinking about today. We quickly realized that trdelník was essentially the same delicious chimney cake we’d fallen in love with in Budapest. Naturally we had to have another one. We also discovered Pickle Cheese Me, a Czech specialty that sounded incredibly questionable but ended up being exactly the kind of snack you want after spending the day walking through the city. One of our favorite parts of traveling is playing what we call “snack roulette.” We walk into a bakery or market, point at something we can’t pronounce, and hope for the best. Most of the time it works out, and Prague may have had our best winning streak of the entire trip.
Without question, though, the highlight of Prague was our reservation at Beer Spa Bernard.
Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like.
We spent an hour soaking in wooden tubs filled with beer, hops, and yeast while pouring ourselves unlimited beer from the tap sitting right next to us. Before the experience, they explained that the ingredients are great for your skin and circulation. Whether that’s scientifically accurate or simply brilliant marketing, I couldn’t tell you. What I can tell you is that it was one of the most unique experiences of the trip. It is also something I’d absolutely recommend to anyone visiting Prague.
The one lesson we learned the hard way is to bring a Ziploc bag for your swimsuits.
Your swimsuit won’t just be wet when you leave; it will smell like beer hops. And unless you want the inside of your suitcase to smell like a brewery for the rest of your vacation, you’ll want somewhere to seal it up. Consider that our public service announcement.
One of my favorite days of the entire trip came toward the end of our time in Prague. We had absolutely nothing planned and we took time to slow down. No reservations, no train to catch, and no museum tickets waiting for us. We simply wandered through the city. We ducked into little shops, found an incredible candy store, and stopped whenever something caught our attention. And we enjoyed the rare feeling of not being in a hurry.
Looking back, those unplanned moments are some of the ones I remember most. It’s easy to pack every minute of a European itinerary with attractions and landmarks, but leaving room to simply exist in a place can end up being just as memorable.
As much as we tried to ignore it, eventually our adventure came to an end. We packed our bags one final time, double checked that our passports were still where we’d left them for the hundredth time, and prepared to head home.
While unpacking, I stumbled across the final entry in the Google Doc that had planned every train, hotel, museum ticket, and Christmas market for the previous two weeks.
It simply read:
“Sleep. Contemplate life choices. Cry and beg to go back. Sleep. Land. Get Chewy. Return to airport and move to Europe.”
Honestly, there has never been a more accurate itinerary item.
This trip gave us incredible cities, amazing food, unforgettable Christmas markets, and enough stories to laugh about for years. It also reminded us that even the best-planned vacations will have delays, flooded hotel rooms, laundry disasters, and moments where absolutely nothing goes according to plan. Those moments didn’t ruin the trip. If anything, they became some of our favorite stories to tell.
When we booked this adventure, we genuinely thought it would be our once in a lifetime European vacation. Instead, it became the trip that started a very expensive habit. Every year our travel bucket list gets longer. Our Google Docs get more detailed. And our PTO balances somehow never grow fast enough.
Until we figure out how to convince our employers that European Christmas markets count as professional development, we’ll keep planning the next adventure and sharing every success, mishap, and questionable snack decision along the way.
If you’re planning your own Europe itinerary or have questions about these cities, we’d love to hear from you. We could talk about this trip for hours. Trust us, judging by how often we still bring it up, we’re probably going to anyway.
** Written by Kira & Emily **
