Most travelers do Paris-Rome-London for trip 1. Trip 2 should look different. Here's the honest sort.
If you liked Paris
- Lisbon: Fado + pastel facades + light. Different climate, similar density.
- Vienna: Imperial architecture, museums, café culture.
- Madrid: The Prado-Reina-Sofía-Thyssen triangle.
If you liked Rome
- Florence + Tuscany: Different Italy. Renaissance vs ancient.
- Athens + Greek mainland: Ancient Greek history vs ancient Roman.
- Naples + Pompeii: Wilder, more chaotic, food-dense.
- Istanbul: Byzantine + Ottoman in same city.
If you liked London
- Edinburgh: Different UK. Castle, festival.
- Dublin + Galway: English-speaking, different feel.
- Berlin: Comparable scale, very different vibe.
- Amsterdam: English-friendly, canal-city alternative.
For a wholly-different second trip
- Baltic loop: Tallinn + Riga + Vilnius. Cheap, atmospheric, off-tourist.
- Croatian coast: Split + Hvar + Dubrovnik.
- Andalusia loop: Seville + Granada + Córdoba.
- Bavaria + Salzburg: Munich + Neuschwanstein + Salzburg.
- Sicily: Catania + Taormina + Palermo. Bigger trip than islands.
What second-trip travelers tell us
The most common feedback: "wish I'd skipped one of the obvious capitals on trip 1 to spend time on something deeper." For trip 2, prioritize fewer cities, longer stays.
For specific itineraries see first-time itineraries.