I’ve been to Europe numerous times, in all different seasons, with kids & without and I feel like I’ve finally perfected my European must haves packing list (after much trial and error lol).
So I thought I would share the best of the best items to pack for your next Europe trip to help you narrow down what to pack as it can be super overwhelming! I did a post on Instagram but it only let me tag 30 items and let me tell you, I can help you more than that! So let’s get into it!
First off, let me say, if you can be a magician and pack in a carry on for your trip, do it! The streets of Europe were not made for carrying luggage around and there are a TON of stairs (in train stations, neighborhoods + hotels) so it can be hard to tote around a lot of huge bags. I cannot pack in just a carry on BUT I can narrow it down to pack everything in a checked bag and have it be all stuff I actually will wear and need.
SHOES:
When it comes to shoes, don’t mess around. The worst thing you can do is pack a brand new pair of shoes, walk in them for 10+ hours the first day and get a ton of blisters. You’ll be miserable the rest of the trip. Take shoes that you actually have worn before, are comfortable and easy to walk miles in. I personally pack the following:
- Two pairs of sneakers – one a classic white tennis shoe (I love these ones) and one a little more athletic/walking shoes (I love these ones). You also can never go wrong packing a pair of Adidas Sambas or Vejas – very popular and on trend with any outfit.
- 1-2 pairs of neutral sandals that give you support, will stay on your foot and will match with anything. I always like to pack a pair of studded sandals because you can dress those up too! I’m packing these ones this year.
- 1-2 pairs of neutral, easy flats. I find these ones super comfortable (wore them last year) and pick a good pair of comfy jellies or mary janes.
- Heels – so for my first 3 Europe trips, I packed a pair of heels to go out in and never wore them once, so I personally stopped packing a pair of heels. If I want to be more dressy, I will just wear a pair of studded sandals. Now, if you have an event planned or need a dressy heel, just make sure it’s a neutral pair that you can wear with anything (something like this) and make sure it’s easy to walk in – aka cobblestone streets and heels are hard!
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BAGS:
My tip for packing bags + purses is to always go neutral. I normally always bring a raffia or neutral crossbody bag (goes with every summer outfit) a tote that can be packed flat so that I have something bigger to take to the pool or beach, my small backpack and my travel backpack for the airplane. The travel backpack is LEGIT one of my favorite purchases last year. Fits a ton, opens up flat and slips onto a luggage handle too!
HAIR TOOLS:
When it comes to hair tools, I’ve had a lot of trial and error with it. I’ve ruined a Dyson, a T3 and many more tools the first few trips and it’s definitely not worth the risk. I never bring a blow dryer, I always use the hotels and when it comes to other hair tools, I do the following: I bring this dual curling iron/straightener (works well enough!) and if you need a round brush, this one works really well over there too!
ADAPTERS:
A lot of hotels now come with adapters but we always bring 3-4 in our luggage just in case! If you want to plug anything in, you need a European adapter based on which country you are in. London is a completely different adapter than Paris so we like to bring THIS ONE that lets you choose the country but it’s still all in one! You will also need portable chargers, trust me. You will be using your phone a ton (for pictures, maps, etc) and your phone battery will drain. We bring 4-5 of these on our trips (we have kid’s devices to charge too), and they work perfectly in the adapters!
OTHER:
I do have a post from last year on how to dress in the spring/summer in Europe that you can check out here and I’ve created a few more outfit options below! If anything, these wrinkle free pants, denim shirt and basic tees are a STAPLE in my luggage. You can mix and match them many different ways and create new looks by just adding accessories!
*To get outfit links for the images below, just click the images themselves!
