When we first boarded our flight to London, I thought the trip would be the story. I was wrong.The trip was only the beginning.
Over four weeks, we travelled through London, Paris, Switzerland, Germany, and Amsterdam. We rode trains across countries, climbed cathedral towers, explored old cities, got lost occasionally, changed plans more than once, and somehow returned home with memories that would stay with us long after the jet lag disappeared.
Looking back now, I don’t have many regrets. What surprises me most is how much I loved almost everything we did.
I’d Do Almost Everything Again
The easiest way to summarise the trip is this:
If someone offered me the chance to do the entire trip again tomorrow, I would say yes.
- London exceeded my expectations.
- Paris became far more enjoyable once we settled into the city.
- Switzerland somehow managed to look even better than the photographs.
- Munich delivered exactly the atmosphere I had hoped for.
- Berlin became one of my favourite cities.
- Amsterdam was the perfect final stop before heading home.
That’s not to say everything went perfectly. It didn’t. But even the mistakes ended up becoming stories.
My Biggest Regret
If I have one genuine regret from the trip, it’s not trusting my own instincts when planning Berlin. Originally, I wanted to spend longer there. After taking advice from others, I shortened our stay. In hindsight, I wish I hadn’t.
Berlin was the city that left me wanting more.
- The Stasi Museum.
- Tempelhof Airfield.
- The Neues Museum.
- The Pergamon Museum.
- The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.
- More time on Museum Island.
More time simply wandering through the city. Berlin wasn’t the city that disappointed me, it was the city I ran out of time for.
That taught me an important lesson.
Advice can be helpful, but nobody understands your interests better than you do.
Amsterdam Was the Right Choice
One change to the itinerary that I don’t regret was replacing Rome with Amsterdam.
At the time I wasn’t completely sure it was the right decision. I was even less sure while standing in Münster wondering if we’d actually make it to the Netherlands after our train was broke down and half the journey fell apart.
But looking back now, Amsterdam was wonderful.
- The canals.
- The museums.
- The atmosphere.
- The stroopwafels.
- The slower pace after several busy weeks.
It ended up being exactly the right city at exactly the right point in the trip.
Sometimes the best travel decisions are the ones you’re uncertain about at the time.
The Small Things I’d Change
Most of the changes I’d make are surprisingly minor. I’d book some trains a little later in the morning. While arriving early in a new city sounds great in theory, missing hotel breakfasts became a recurring theme throughout the trip. The infamous Munich buffet disaster remains one of the funniest examples. Looking back, I’d happily trade an extra hour of sightseeing for a relaxed breakfast. I’d also use the Swiss Travel Pass a little differently. It was excellent, but I probably purchased more days than I actually needed.
In Paris, I’d skip the hop-on hop-off bus and spend more time walking. The city rewards wandering and exploration far more than sitting in traffic staring at the back of another tour bus. I’d also book a better Paris hotel from the beginning rather than changing halfway through our stay. Thankfully we received a refund and the Novotel turned out to be one of the better accommodation choices of the entire trip, but starting there would have saved us some time and stress. In Munich, I’d stay directly in the Old Town rather than a little further away.
Not major regrets. Just lessons learned.
The Things We Missed
One thing travel has taught me is that every itinerary requires trade-offs. No matter how much planning you do, there will always be something left for next time.In Switzerland, I became quite unwell on one of the days and we ended up missing the Lake Brienz cruise that was included with our Swiss Travel Pass. I would have loved to experience it.
At the same time, we spent a second day in Bern instead, which became one of the biggest surprises of the entire trip. That’s the funny thing about travel. Sometimes the thing you missed creates the opportunity for something equally memorable.
Tempelhof Airfield falls into a similar category. I absolutely wanted to visit but I also knew it deserved more than a rushed visit squeezed into an already busy itinerary. When I visit Tempelhof one day, I want to do it properly. Bring bikes. Pack a picnic. Spend the day there. That wasn’t this trip.
That’s simply a reason to return.
Learning to Travel With Family
Perhaps the most valuable lesson from the entire journey had nothing to do with Europe itself. It was learning how to balance my own interests with everyone else’s. Left to my own devices, I could spend entire days wandering through Cold War museums, historical landmarks, engineering exhibits, and obscure corners of European history.
That doesn’t necessarily make for a great family holiday.
One example was Berlin. I wanted to visit the Stasi Museum. Instead, we spent the afternoon riding through Tiergarten and visiting Berlin Zoo. Looking back, I think that was absolutely the right decision. The Stasi Museum will still be there next time. My son being the perfect age to enjoy the zoo won’t. The same thing happened at the Victory Column. I wanted to see it. We saw it. We took photographs. We enjoyed it. Did we really need another staircase and observation deck after everything we’d already experienced that week?
Probably not.
I’ve gradually learned that holidays aren’t competitions to see the maximum number of attractions. They’re supposed to be fun. Knowing when to stop, when to rest, and when to swap another museum for a bike ride or a park is part of travelling well.
The Moment I Forgot to Enjoy It
Oddly enough, my biggest mistake wasn’t a hotel, train, or attraction. It was occasionally forgetting to enjoy the moment. There were times when I was thinking about the next city before I had properly appreciated the city I was already in. I worried about the next train, the next hotel, the next attraction. I can still remember descending towards London after a long flight feeling uncomfortable, exhausted, and wondering whether spending that much money on a holiday had been a sensible idea.
Looking back now, that seems ridiculous.
Because none of those worries are what I remember. I remember the train rides. The cathedral towers. The views across Berlin. The streets of Paris. The bike ride through Tiergarten. The canals of Amsterdam. The mountains of Switzerland.
The small moments between the major attractions.
A Different Perspective
One moment from the trip has stayed with me for a completely different reason.
About a year after we got home, I asked my son what he remembered about the chaotic train journey from Berlin to Amsterdam. In my mind it had been one of the most stressful travel days of the entire trip.
His answer surprised me.
“Dad, I trusted you would get us there eventually. I wasn’t worried at all.”
I still laugh when I think about that response.
While I remember cancelled trains, missed connections, Google Translate, platform changes, and surviving on a single sandwich for most of the day, he simply remembers arriving in Amsterdam.
The funny thing is that we both remember exactly the same day. We just experienced it differently. Maybe that’s part of travelling too. The things that feel stressful in the moment often look very different in hindsight.
The Surprising Part
What I didn’t expect was how much I would enjoy writing about the trip afterwards. A month of travel somehow turned into nine months of writing. The more I wrote, the more memories resurfaced. The businessman who helped with our luggage. The laundromat in Paris. The bike-lane disaster in Berlin. The cancelled train to Amsterdam. The cuckoo clock shop. The missed breakfasts. The little details that would have disappeared over time.
Writing about Europe gave me the chance to experience it all over again. In some ways, the trip became bigger after we got home. What began as a holiday slowly became a collection of stories, reflections, photographs, and lessons that I can revisit whenever I want. The trip stopped being just a trip. It became something worth preserving.
Final Thoughts
Looking back, I don’t have many regrets. I’d spend longer in Berlin. I’d book a few later trains. I’d tweak some accommodation decisions. I’d slow down occasionally and remind myself to enjoy where I was.
That’s about it.
For a trip that crossed multiple countries, involved countless trains, flights, hotels, and attractions, that’s a remarkably short list. The overwhelming feeling I have when I think about Europe isn’t regret.
It’s gratitude.
For the places we visited. The people we met. The mistakes we made. The stories we brought home. And perhaps most importantly, for the reminder that the best travel memories aren’t always the famous landmarks. They’re often the small moments that happen in between them.
The trip may have only lasted a month. But the memories, the stories, and the lessons have stayed with me for much longer.
And if there’s one thing Europe left me with, it’s this:
I can’t wait to do it all again.
FAQ Section
What was the biggest lesson from your first Europe trip?
The biggest lesson was learning to enjoy the moment instead of constantly focusing on the next destination, attraction, or train journey. Looking back, the memories that remain strongest are often the unexpected moments between the major landmarks.
Which city would you spend longer in next time?
Berlin. While we enjoyed every city we visited, Berlin was the destination that left us wanting more. Attractions like the Stasi Museum, Tempelhof Airfield, and several museums on Museum Island are already on the list for a future visit.
Was Amsterdam worth choosing over Rome?
Yes. Although Rome remains high on our travel list, Amsterdam turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip. The canals, atmosphere, walkability, and slower pace made it the perfect final destination before flying home.
What would you change if you planned the trip again?
I would spend longer in Berlin, book some trains later in the morning, make a few accommodation adjustments, and spend more time enjoying the moment instead of worrying about the next item on the itinerary.
Is Europe suitable for family travel?
Absolutely. One of the biggest lessons from the trip was learning to balance personal interests with family experiences. Sometimes choosing a zoo, park, or bike ride instead of another museum created the best memories.
Was travelling Europe by train worth it?
Yes. Train travel became one of the highlights of the trip. Journeys between cities were comfortable, scenic, and often became memorable experiences in their own right.
Why write about a trip after returning home?
Writing helped preserve details that would otherwise have been forgotten. What started as a month-long holiday became nine months of storytelling, photo organisation, and reflection, allowing me to relive the journey long after it ended.
Would you do the trip again?
Without hesitation. There are a few things I would tweak, but the overwhelming feeling I have when looking back on the trip is gratitude rather than regret.
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