I find a lot of our trips rely on being able to see and explore in one week. As working professionals in North America, it’s no secret that we don’t have unlimited or even a ton of vacation days to use at our leisure. Therefore, we need to be strategic about our vacation days.
While there are tons of one week itineraries for exploring the best of Europe, sometimes it’s nice to just explore one destination. Obviously, you’re not going to be able to see a huge country like Canada in that timeframe but the smaller, more doable countries, should be at the top of your list!
For the sake of keeping things simple, I would say ‘one week’ of travel really equates to 9-10 travel days. Any smart traveler will leave home on a Friday and come back the subsequent Sunday at the very least. Afterall, as a professional, you have to be careful at how many days you take off from work.
So, alas, what countries can you easily explore in one week? Read on to find out:
Iceland
This is the most obvious one I think. We easily saw the entire country in 10 days, with time to spare. The main highway for Iceland, the Ring Road, takes you around the entire island. You’ll see everything from mountains to beaches to glaciers to volcanoes.
The one downside of exploring Iceland in one week? It can be quite expensive. If you plan on renting a car, make sure to consider carefully which kind you’ll actually need. We didn’t plan on going off-roading at all so we knew we didn’t need a 4×4. Plus the option of a smaller, standard car meant less money spent.
I put Iceland at the top of this list because it truly was the most incredible experience we had had travelling as a couple. The incredible natural sights, the feeling of being far away from civilization and the epic accommodations made it amazing.
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Our Iceland accommodations around the ring road
Looking to stay in Iceland? Check out these hotels
Croatia
One of the best road trips I’ve ever taken (besides travelling around the Ring Road) is my trip driving all over Croatia. In 10 days we managed to see all of the major cities: Rijeka, Zagreb, Zadar, Split, Dubrovnik and Plitvice Lakes. Having spent time in each one I would still say there’s a reason Dubrovnik is the most visited city in Croatia.
While I visited in November, the weather was still beautiful and we could see almost everything. We were the only tourists in many places which was amazing. I guess that’s why travelling in the off-season is the best!
If I were to go back I would choose a month where the weather is a bit warmer like September or October. Yacht week is one of the more popular dates but I can imagine it can get very expensive and very busy!
Outside of Dubrovnik we found we could get by fairly well with our English but we did make a bit effort to learn as much Croatian as we could. It goes a long way when travelling if you try and speak in the native tongue.
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| Want to visit Croatia? Check out these hotels |
England
I’m cheating with this one a little, you possibly can’t see everything England has to offer in a week but you can see a hell of a lot. It’s no secret England is my favourite place in the world and one day hope to move there so I’m naturally going to talk it up!
There are so many cute little towns and villages in England you really have to pick and choose which ones you want to visit before going. My favourites are definitely Oxford, Canterbury and the Cotswolds. There’s just something about all of these places that make them magical. Plus in their own ways, they are all steeped in incredible history.
The best part about travelling to England is their public transit system. You’ll find a lot of the places you want to visit or have any desire to go and see are all accessible via trains or buses. This is especially helpful if you’re used to driving on the right side of the road.
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| Want to visit England? Check out these hotels |
Ireland
My first European trip was definitely one to remember. We drove the entire part of Southern Ireland within a week and it was glorious. The lush green landscapes stretched as far as I could see, it was incredible. The little towns outside of London as well were adorable.
I fell in love with Ireland and the United Kingdom on that trip.
You can cover a lot of ground spending a week in Ireland but if you’re looking to hit the highlights, definitely rent a car. This is definitely a trip I would love to go back and do. Mostly because at the time I didn’t have a proper camera so a lot of the landscapes I don’t fully remember (I was 16 and it’s been quite a few years since then).
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| Want to visit Ireland? Check out these hotels |
Bahamas
I mean really this goes without saying for most of the Caribbean countries but I’ll pick on the Bahamas because it’s one of my favourites. While it does have some all-inclusives on the island I wouldn’t classify it the same as places like Cuba or the Dominican Republic. There are some beautiful boutique hotels on the island and of course the infamous Atlantis Hotel.
While we were there we had a great time staying at a cheaper hotel and using the facilities at Atlantis. It’s also easy enough to get around the island in a taxi. There are also options for tours that get you to places like popular Exuma.
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| Want to visit the Bahamas? Check out these hotels |
Belgium
Known for its waffles and chocolate, Belgium is a great destination to visit and travel around in one week. There are five towns you will definitely want to add to your list: Brussels, Brugge, Ghent, Ypres and Antwerp. We only did 4 out of the 5 because everything I read pointed to Antwerp being the city to drop if you’re short on time.
If you only want to pick a few places, Brugges and Ghent were absolutely my favourite. The small towns were stunning to walk around and easy enough to see in a day or two. I think the place the surprised me the most, however, was Ypres. It was eerie but beautiful at the same time. There was also so much history that I couldn’t believe it. As one of the key spots in World War One, any history buff would fall in love with this place.
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| Want to visit Belgium? Check out these hotels |
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Thanks for this article. It is good to know these countries are do-able in a week. How did you organise the transport in these countries?
this looks like an amazing list. i just loved it actually all the places i wanted to visit. thanks for sharing
There are so many great places you can explore in only week. We loved spending a week in the sun in the Bahamas!