16 Best Travel Websites and Tools for Europe 2023 (Planning and Booking)

There are a lot of fantastic travel websites for traveling to Europe. Besides our own little resource, we think you should know about the following websites we actually use ourselves.

This is a site you want to bookmark. Here are all the best sites for travel planning 2023.

These apps and tools will help you find tickets, transportation, rent a car, and all of that sort of nature. Basically, this here is your Swiss-knife of the best websites to travel to Europe.

Top Websites to travel to Europe in 2023

We organized this guide by topic, and the websites in no particular order. Every single one we mentioned is used by us too.

On the menu:

1. Sightseeing Tickets
   1. Get Your Guide
   2. Tiqets.com
   3. Take Walks
2. Renting a Car
   1. Discover Cars
   2. Planning your route
3. Travel Insurance
   1. HeyMondo
   2. Safetywing
4. Accommodation
   1. Booking.com
   2. Vrbo
   3. Airbnb and better Alternatives
   4. Hostelworld
   5. Hostelz.com
5. Flights
   1. Google Flights
   2. Skyscanner
   3. Omio.com
6. Public Transport (Train and buses)
   1. Omio.com
   2. Flixbus
7. Other: Visa & Internet
   1. iVisa.com
   2. Airalo eSim Card

Under One Week in Europe, we share all the destinations we cover and more generic articles as well. We also included a full map with all European cities and countries we cover.

1. Sightseeing Tickets and Tours

There are three websites we highly recommend for getting your sightseeing tickets and tours.

1. Get Your Guide
2. Tiqets.com
3. Take Walks

Get Your Guide and Tiqets.com are ticket suppliers. Here you will find all your tickets for the Colosseum in Rome, Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Eiffel Tower in Paris and so on.

Compare both websites. Prices can differ, it depends on the sight really. Here is my review about Get Your Guide.

The Best Tours in Europe

Walks of Italy or Take Walks (it is the same company!) is a small walking tour company offering high-quality walking tours with exceptional guides.

I know, this sounds a bit over the top, maybe?! Yet it is true. We joined their tours in Florence, Venice, Rome, and Athens so far. All their groups are small and they even run some exclusive VIP tours. No kidding! You can enter the Sistine Chapel after hours or get some skip-the-line-tickets for special sights like the Colosseum in Rome.

We absolutely loved it every single time! Here is my review of Take Walks with more details.

Check out All Take Walks here

2. Car Rental in Europe

Car Rental: Discover Cars

Planning to rent a car in Europe? There are so many options and websites out there. We always start our research at Discover Cars.

It compares all car rental companies and even offers car insurance. This saves you a lot of money as it is much cheaper with them. Read our complete guide and review on Discover Car Hire.

Planning your route: Viamichelin.com

The absolute best website to plan your route and the costs of that trip. It is a very easy website to use. Just add your origin and destination. Via Michelin runs a few routes and gives you the best options.

My favorite part is the calculation of costs, including gas and tolls. Especially in countries like France and Italy, the tolls can up a lot. In countries like Spain, it is often not necessary to take the toll-road, since there is a national street nearby.

Check Discover Car Rental here

3. Travel Insurance

Do you need travel insurance? In case your own health insurance does not cover travel, we really recommend getting one. Please check if you already have your own insurance, though. No need to have 2-3-4 different ones.

Also, very important: make sure your travel insurance covers:

• the countries you will be visiting
• activities you plan to do
• is legal
• covers other basics you require

The two go-to websites we used both in the past:

1. Hey Mondo
2. Safetywing

Find here a complete review of Safetywing. It is also important to compare Safetywing to HeyMondo. Maybe some of them fits much better for your own needs.

Here is a detailed review of HeyMondo Travel Insurance.

Check out HeyMondo here

4. Accommodation

1. Booking.com
2. Vrbo.com
3. Airbnb.com  and better Alternatives to Airbnb
4. Hostelworld
5. Hostelz.com

These are my best websites for accommodation in Europe. As a very first step, we recommend checking our Europe itineraries.

We also share our best tips on where to stay in several, major European destinations. These guides are for instance:

• Where to stay in Paris
• Guide to where to stay in Florence
• Places to stay in Vienna
• best places to stay in Venice, Italy
• where to stay in Edinburgh
• Where to stay in Istanbul
• Where to stay in Barcelona

Booking.com

Booking.com usually lists every single type of accommodation from the North to the South. Not sure how booking.com work? Read this review of Booking.com

Vrbo.com

Vrbo is another home-sharing and rental platform. It is a big competitor of Airbnb, yet not as known.

Here you can find our review of Vrbo.

The prices are competitive, and it has a stronger focus on more unique accommodation near beaches and such. For Europe, Vrbo is a good alternative. Sign up, it is free.

Check VRBO.com here

Airbnb (yes, but…!)

On the other hand, Airbnb is obviously famous for its apartments. However, I urge you to check for apartments in Europe with a proper tourist license. There have been cases you people have thrown out of the apartment by police as the host had no actual tourism license.

Furthermore, in many touristic places, Airbnb is not very popular among locals. Personally, we stopped using Airbnb due to the abuse of local markets. It just does not sit right with us (anymore!)

Guide to Alternatives to Airbnb

We wrote up a big, detailed guide on Airbnb competitors and alternative websites you can use. There is many interesting websites you may have never heard of. The range goes from high-end luxury to free stays and camping.

Our Guide: Better Alternatives to Airbnb

Hostelworld

For traveling on a smaller budget, I use Hostelworld.

Here you can find all the hostels in Europe. Some hostels are really low-quality, while others can be surprisingly cool. For backpackers and solo-travelers, Hostelworld is a cool app and website to use.

Check out Hostelworld here

Hostelz.com

Last but not the least comes in Hostelz.com.

This website is actually a budget traveler’s best friend. It lists every single hostel in the world, and it compares its prices through Booking.com and Hostelworld.com

You can end up saving 25% less on your accommodation in Europe. Imagine that. Therefore, add Hostelz.com to your favorite travel sites. It is an easy money saver!

Check Hostelz.com here

5. Flights

1. Flights Google
2. Skyscanner
3. Omio.com

Finding flights can be a big task. When traveling in Europe, I always check these websites. I listed them above.

When taking a flight in Europe, make sure you check the luggage restrictions in size and weight. Especially low-budget airlines charge extra for oversized and overweight luggage.

Check out Skyscanner here

6. Public Transports (Trains and buses)

1. Omio.com
2. Flixbus

Omio.com

My best website for trains in Europe is Omio.com.

You can check train schedules and buses. It is sooooo so easy to use. Love it! The website is relatively new and so powerful. Also, you can buy your train and bus tickets with Omio.com directly as well.

Check Omio.com here

Flixbus

Not a public transport, but a private bus company connecting cities in Europe is Flixbus. It is a great way to travel Europe cheap. Bear in mind, bus trips can be long. Personally, I prefer taking the train.

Read: Flixbus in a review—is it reliable?

Check Flixbus.com here

7. Other: Visa and Internet

For Visa, we have one trusted source.

1. Sort out your Visa with iVisa.com

Before traveling to Europe, make sure you have the correct visa. Make sure you check the right country and if it is part of the Schengen Area. The UK, for instance, is not part of the Schengen area and requires a different visa than Spain.

We love to use iVisa.com for checking out our visa situation. Just add your citizenship and the country you want to visit. It will give you all options for the visa. It even tells you if you need a visa at all.

Check your Visa Requirements here

Important: Some countries require a valid proof of onward travel. You can use onward ticket as a service here. Check this review of Onward Tickets.

I am adding here a little widget. It is completely free to use. The visa itself usually costs anything from €15.

2. Internet in Europe: eSim Card with Airalo

Are you tired of dealing with the hassle of physical SIM cards while traveling? Imagine a seamless, borderless mobile experience, enabling you to explore Europe without limitations. That’s where Airalo’s revolutionary eSIM card comes into play! With Airalo, you can unlock a world of connectivity, convenience, and cost savings like never before.

Find here our discount code for Airalo.

What exactly is an eSIM card anyway?

Basically, instead of a physical Sim Card to put in your phone, it is a digital that you “download” or “install“.

It’s an electronic SIM that eliminates the need for a physical SIM card. Instead, your smartphone connects directly to the cellular network using a small chip already embedded within it. This means no more fumbling with tiny pieces of plastic or worrying about misplacing your SIM card.

No worries, it is super easy to set up! Airalo has an app and it works just smoothly; no need to be a tech nerd.

Get your eSim Card with Airalo

Summary: Best travel websites for your Europe travels

Here you go. I will keep this list updated whenever we start using another cool app or website. It is worth it for you to bookmark this exact page.

Over to you:

Do you have any questions? Any websites you are missing for a specific topic? Then please leave us a comment. We are thrilled to help you and to make this article even better for all of us.

Safe travels!