A gap year · Europe · 2025–26

A gap year around Europe

Two backpacking trips, Summer 2025 and Spring 2026 — the route, the stops, and the time spent in transit. 28 countries, 44 cities.

Route

Interactive map w/ pictures →

ParisStart / end of both tripsMarseilleBarcelonaNiceMonaco-VilleNiceLyonAnnecyChamonixInterlakenKanderstegInterlakenMürrenInterlakenZermattMilanFlorenceRomeVatican CityRomeSanta MarinellaRomeNaplesErcolanoSorrentoErcolanoAmalfiErcolanoBariDurrësTiranaBudapestKrakówWarsawPragueBerlinAmsterdamParisParisLondonOxfordLiverpoolManchesterChinleyManchesterBetws-y-CoedAbergavennyHolyheadDublinGalwayClifdenGalwayDublinHowthDublinBelfastParisLilleTournaiBrusselsCologneHamburgCopenhagenStockholmTurkuHelsinkiTallinnRigaVilniusMockavaWarsawKrakówOstravaBrnoViennaBratislavaViennaBledLjubljanaZagrebSplitKrka National ParkSplitMostarSarajevoPlužineNiksicŽabljakPodgoricaVirpazarPodgoricaShkodërThethShkodërTiranaParisLondonParisMarseilleBarcelonaNiceMonacoAnnecyChamonixInterlakenZermattMilanFlorenceRomeNaplesErcolanoTiranaBudapestKrakówWarsawPragueBerlinAmsterdamLondonOxfordLiverpoolManchesterBetws-y-CoedAbergavennyDublinGalwayClifdenBelfastCopenhagenStockholmHelsinkiTallinnRigaVilniusViennaBratislavaBledLjubljanaSplitMostarSarajevoŽabljakPodgoricaShkodër

Transit

177h43m on trains — about 7.4 days.

510JulAugSepOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayhours in transit, by day
trainsother transit

93 trains  ·  22 buses  ·  8 flights  ·  4 ferries  ·  12,709 km

Stops

Summer 2025

  1. ParisFrance2 n
  2. MarseilleFrance3 n
  3. BarcelonaSpain4 n
  4. NiceFrance2 n
  5. AnnecyFrance1 n
  6. ChamonixFrance3 n
  7. InterlakenSwitzerland6 n
  8. ZermattSwitzerland1 n
  9. MilanItaly3 n
  10. FlorenceItaly2 n
  11. RomeItaly5 n
  12. ErcolanoItaly3 n
  13. TiranaAlbania2 n
  14. BudapestHungary1 n
  15. KrakówPoland1 n
  16. WarsawPoland2 n
  17. PragueCzechia4 n
  18. BerlinGermany2 n
  19. AmsterdamNetherlands3 n
  20. ParisFrance3 n

Spring 2026

  1. ParisFrance14 n
  2. LondonUnited Kingdom7 n
  3. LiverpoolUnited Kingdom3 n
  4. ManchesterUnited Kingdom2 n
  5. Betws-y-CoedUnited Kingdom1 n
  6. AbergavennyUnited Kingdom2 n
  7. GalwayIreland1 n
  8. ClifdenIreland2 n
  9. DublinIreland2 n
  10. BelfastUnited Kingdom1 n
  11. ParisFrance6 n
  12. CopenhagenDenmark3 n
  13. StockholmSweden3 n
  14. HelsinkiFinland3 n
  15. TallinnEstonia1 n
  16. RigaLatvia2 n
  17. VilniusLithuania1 n
  18. BratislavaSlovakia2 n
  19. ViennaAustria1 n
  20. BledSlovenia1 n
  21. LjubljanaSlovenia1 n
  22. SplitCroatia4 n
  23. MostarBosnia and Herzegovina1 n
  24. SarajevoBosnia and Herzegovina1 n
  25. ŽabljakMontenegro3 n
  26. PodgoricaMontenegro2 n
  27. ShkodërAlbania2 n
  28. TiranaAlbania1 n
  29. ParisFrance16 n

Too Good To Go

Too Good To Go is an app that lets you buy unsold food nearing its sell-by date from nearby restaurants, bakeries and grocery stores at a steep discount, right before it would otherwise be thrown out.

77 bags rescued across 19 cities.

France

26

Italy

22

Switzerland

6

Czechia

5

United Kingdom

5

Spain

3

Poland

3

Denmark

3

Germany

2

Netherlands

2

🥐 Special shoutout to Paul’s in Nice

3 Bd Victor Hugo, 06000 Nice, France

Favorites

Beer me
Beer me

Barcelona

Adding Tour du Mont Blanc to bucket list
Adding Tour du Mont Blanc to bucket list

Chamonix

Taking in the view over Oeschinensee
Taking in the view over Oeschinensee

Kandersteg

Not even worried...
Not even worried...

Mürren

Sunset @ Piazza Michelangelo
Sunset @ Piazza Michelangelo

Florence

Rajmonda and FruitJuice&More (pt. 1)
Rajmonda and FruitJuice&More (pt. 1)

Tirana

Eiffel Tower taking flight??
Eiffel Tower taking flight??

Paris

PSG 3-1 Monaco Ligue 1 match
PSG 3-1 Monaco Ligue 1 match

Paris

Liverpool 4 - 0 Galatasaray UCL RO16
Liverpool 4 - 0 Galatasaray UCL RO16

Liverpool

Quick day trip hike near Manchester
Quick day trip hike near Manchester

Chinley

Facts.
Facts.

Helsinki

Lake Bled (basically Loot Lake from Fortnite)
Lake Bled (basically Loot Lake from Fortnite)

Bled

This big guy kept us company
This big guy kept us company

Plužine

The Durmitor massif at the bottom of our hike
The Durmitor massif at the bottom of our hike

Žabljak

Rajmonda/FruitJuice&More (pt. 2)-- catching up, almost a year later
Rajmonda/FruitJuice&More (pt. 2)-- catching up, almost a year later

Tirana

Trocadéro after Lulu's restaurant (& icecream ofc)
Trocadéro after Lulu's restaurant (& icecream ofc)

Paris

Fit check
Fit check

Paris