Europe

Europe's the rare region where a 90-minute flight changes the alphabet. Italy and Spain alone could absorb a lifetime of returns; the Schengen zone makes a 12-country trip in a fortnight an admin-free reality (the new ETIAS authorisation is the only added paperwork from mid-2026 onward).

We split our coverage along editorial-fault lines, not just political borders. The Iberian peninsula and Italy share a slow-food, walking-city DNA. The Alpine countries (Switzerland, Austria, Germany's south, France's east) lean Alps-and-trains. Iceland and the Nordic edge are their own creature. We tell you which of those you actually need to do separately.

Each country page below carries our regional editors' on-the-ground reporting — visa rules, budget breakdowns, transport calls, seasonality verdicts — refreshed against current conditions. The hubs are the starting point; the topical guides we cross-link inside each country are where the trips actually get planned.