How to Plan a Multi-City Trip Without Wasting Days in Transit

Seeing several cities on one trip is exciting, but it is easy to plan a holiday that is mostly packing, checking out, transferring and checking in. Each move between cities usually costs at least half a day once you count travel to stations or airports, waiting and finding your accommodation. A good multi-city plan minimises those costs and maximises time in each place.

Step 1: Choose fewer bases

A useful rule of thumb is at least two to three nights per base, and more for big cities. For a week, two or three bases is usually plenty. For two weeks, three to five. If you want to see more places, use day trips from a well-connected base instead of moving your luggage every day.

Step 2: Route in a line, not a zigzag

Put your destinations on a map and arrange them in a logical line or loop. Backtracking wastes time and money. If two cities are far apart with nothing you want in between, consider flying that leg and travelling overland elsewhere.

Step 3: Fly into one city and out of another

An open-jaw ticket, arriving in your first city and departing from your last, avoids a long return journey to where you started. It is often similar in price to a standard return. Compare it when you search for flights.

Step 4: Compare transport door to door

A one-hour flight can take five hours once you add getting to the airport, security, boarding and getting into the city. A three-hour train from city centre to city centre may be faster and more comfortable. Compare total door-to-door time, cost and luggage rules. The long-running site The Man in Seat 61 is an excellent guide to train travel in many countries.

Step 5: Time your transfers well

• Travel mid-morning rather than at dawn, when you will lose sleep, or in the evening, when you will arrive tired.
• Book accommodation near your arrival and departure stations for short stays.
• Check whether you can leave luggage at your hotel before check-in or after check-out.
• Book long-distance trains in advance where prices rise closer to the date.

Step 6: Build in slack

Leave at least one unplanned half-day per city, and one completely free day on longer trips. Delays, weather and tiredness happen. Unscheduled time is also where many of the best travel memories come from. If you cross several time zones, plan an easy first day; see how to beat jet lag.

Step 7: Plan one anchor per day

Choose one main activity for each day, ideally in the morning when you have the most energy and queues are shortest. Leave afternoons flexible. Over-scheduling every hour makes a trip feel like work.

Practical booking tips

• Book refundable or flexible accommodation for later cities in case plans change.
• Keep all bookings in one place: a spreadsheet, notes app or travel app.
• Check entry requirements and visas for every country on your route.
• Make sure your travel insurance covers every destination and the whole trip length.

Pack for moving

Multi-city trips reward light packing. A single cabin bag makes trains, stairs and cobbled streets far easier; use our carry-on only packing list.

A sample 10-day plan

1. Days 1 to 4: Base 1 (arrival city), with one day trip
2. Day 5: Mid-morning train to Base 2
3. Days 5 to 8: Base 2, with one free afternoon
4. Day 8: Short transfer to Base 3
5. Days 8 to 10: Base 3, departing from here on an open-jaw ticket