Everything you need to know before you go and while you're there. Skim once before flights, screenshot the emergency numbers, come back during the trip for the per-country etiquette.
Europe is broadly very safe — but busy tourist corridors are pickpocket and scam territory. Read once, screenshot the emergency numbers.
Don't walk around in head-to-toe gear with a camera around your neck + map in hand. Phone in hand for nav is fine — pop it in your pocket between glances.
Crossbody bag with zipper, worn across the front of your body in crowds. No back pockets for wallets. Ever. Backpack on your front in metros.
Wise + Revolut, always split between you. Keep one card in a different bag/pocket from the other. €100 cash + ID = main wallet; backup €100 in a different layer.
If someone approaches you on the street (bracelet, flower, petition, "found ring", helpful with the ticket machine), polite "no" + walking pace. Do NOT slow down or engage.
If a situation feels off — a "tour guide" who appeared from nowhere, a "policeman" asking for your wallet — it almost certainly is. Walk to a busy café and ask there.
Never put your phone on an outdoor café table. Lanyard / strap when shooting near monuments. Find My (iPhone) or Find My Device (Android) shared between you, always on.
Where: Paris (Sacré-Cœur, Trocadéro), Rome (Trevi), Florence (Duomo).
How: Someone ties or hands you a colourful string bracelet "for friendship!" — then demands €20 to remove. While you're distracted, an accomplice picks your pocket.
Counter: Hands in pockets, no eye contact, keep walking. If one is on your wrist already, calmly cut it off later — you owe them nothing.
Where: Paris (Pont des Arts, Notre-Dame), Rome (near Trevi).
How: Someone "finds" a ring at your feet, asks if it's yours — then asks for a few euros "for finding it". The ring is brass, worth nothing.
Counter: Smile, "no thanks", keep walking.
Where: Rome (Trastevere, Trevi, Spanish Steps), Florence (Duomo), Paris (Eiffel area).
How: Pushes a rose into a partner's hand "free for the beautiful lady!" — then turns and demands €10. Or rubs rosemary on your wrist "for luck" with the same demand.
Counter: Don't accept anything physically placed in your hand. "Non grazie / non merci" + keep moving.
Where: Paris (Champs-Élysées, Louvre, Eiffel), Rome (Spanish Steps).
How: Young person (often pretending deaf-mute) shoves a clipboard for "deaf children" petition. While you focus on the paper, an accomplice empties your pockets.
Counter: Wave off immediately. Real charities don't ambush tourists at landmarks.
Where: Rome (Termini), Paris (Gare du Nord), Prague (train station).
How: Someone "accidentally" splashes ketchup/mustard on your jacket. A "helpful stranger" rushes to clean you up — and picks your pocket while doing so.
Counter: Step back firmly. Wave them off. Walk into the nearest café/hotel to clean up.
Where: Prague — yellow "EXCHANGE 0% COMMISSION" booths near Old Town + Charles Bridge.
How: Massive numbers advertised, actual rate (small print) ~30% worse than market. €200 exchanged loses you A$100.
Counter: Never change cash at street booths. Use Wise card or pull CZK from a real bank ATM (ČSOB, Česká spořitelna, KB) — never yellow "Euronet" standalones.
Where: Rome (Fiumicino airport, Termini), Prague (main station rank), Venice (water-taxi pier).
How: Driver "forgets" the meter or names a "flat fare" far above metered rate. €60 for a €20 trip.
Counter: Rome — fixed-rate to centre is €50 (signposted in airport, ask for receipt). Always use official white taxis with meter ON. Better: Bolt or FreeNow apps. Leonardo Express train Rome FCO → Termini is €14pp.
Where: Outside the Colosseum, Vatican, Eiffel Tower.
How: Touts in branded shirts sell "fast-pass" tickets at double face value. Sometimes work, often don't.
Counter: Buy only from official sites (museivaticani.va, parcocolosseo.it, toureiffel.paris) or from your hotel concierge.
Where: Tourist-trap restaurants near Trevi, San Marco, Old Town Square Prague, Eiffel.
How: "Today's special seafood" or "house wine" with no price. Bill arrives: €60 for a glass of wine.
Counter: ALWAYS confirm prices before ordering anything off-menu. Coperto €2–€4pp in Italy is normal; €10 is not. Walk out if they refuse to write prices.
Where: Rare, watch in Rome (Termini area) and Prague.
How: Plain-clothes "police" claim you have fake money, ask to see all your cash + cards. They pocket some/all.
Counter: Real police carry visible badges AND never need to see your wallet on the street. Ask for badge number, say you'll walk to the station with them. Real cops agree; fake ones vanish.
Where: Trevi, Spanish Steps, Eiffel — anywhere selfies happen.
How: Stranger offers to take your photo, walks off briskly. By the time you realise, they've vanished.
Counter: Ask an obvious tourist family with their own phones out, or use a selfie stick / set timer.
Where: Paris (Gare du Nord, Châtelet), Rome (Termini), Vienna (Stephansplatz).
How: "Helpful local" offers to help at the ticket machine. They take your card or cash and either dispense fewer tickets than paid or skim your card.
Counter: Politely refuse all "help" at machines. The machine has English. If stuck, walk to the manned counter.
Stay alert in these specific zones and you avoid 90% of all incidents. Outside these areas, relax.
What to do: Crossbody bag zipped, in front of body, hand resting on it in the métro. Don't put phone in jacket pocket. NYE: phone on lanyard, wallet in deep inside-jacket pocket, no jewellery worth more than €100.
What to do: Use Bolt instead of bus 64 to the Vatican (€8 vs free bus, worth it). Termini: head straight to Leonardo Express or hotel taxi, don't linger.
What to do: Tram 22 — bag in front, hand on zipper. Confirm bar prices before sitting. Never change cash on the street.
🇮🇹 Florence: Mostly safe — just don't accept anything physical from strangers at the Duomo. 🇩🇪 🇦🇹 🇨🇭 Munich, Vienna, Salzburg, Grindelwald, Lucerne, Nuremberg: Among the safest in Europe. Watch Christmas markets (pickpockets follow crowds) and Munich Hauptbahnhof at night. 🇫🇷 Strasbourg + 🇮🇹 Dolomites: Very low risk. Strasbourg is well-policed, Dolomites is ski-resort villages. Worry less, enjoy more.
Pickpockets work in teams of 2–4. One creates a distraction (asks directions, drops something, points overhead). One bumps. One does the lift. One walks off in a different direction. By the time you notice, they're 100m apart.
The giveaway: if someone gets unusually close on an empty platform or street, that's the bump. Pat your wallet/phone instinctively. Step away if you can.
Distribute valuables so no single hit ruins your day:
Markets are the densest crowds you'll be in (Nuremberg, Vienna, Strasbourg). Pickpockets love them.
The single highest-risk evening of the trip. 1.5M people, dense crowd, post-midnight chaos. Plan ahead:
Airbnb tip: if no safe, hide valuables inside the kitchen freezer in a ziplock — cleaners rarely look there.
1. Freeze cards via Wise/Revolut apps (on partner's phone if yours was stolen). 2. Find My to locate phone (often shows it moving — useful for police report). 3. Report to local police within 24h. 4. File insurance claim within 7–14 days with the police report.
1. Police report — required for everything. 2. Call DFAT consular: +61 6261 3305 (24/7, free from anywhere). 3. Visit Australian embassy (see numbers below). 4. Emergency passport ~A$650, valid for limited travel, issued within 1–2 days.
1. Call 112 — universal EU emergency, free, English-speaking dispatch. 2. Tell hotel/Airbnb host — they have a "house doctor" relationship. 3. Allianz/Cover-More 24/7 nurse line — call BEFORE hospital, they triage + direct to in-network. 4. Photograph all receipts for insurance.
Politely ask for an itemised receipt. If they refuse, say you'll call the Carabinieri/Polizei. Most scam-restaurants back down. If they still insist, pay with card (chargeback option), get the receipt, dispute later with photos of the menu.
Ask for receipt and driver's licence number ("fattura" / "facture"). They almost always back off. If not, pay, take photo of driver's ID + receipt, report via city's taxi commission.
Pre-trip rule: agree a default meet-up spot per city. Munich: Marienplatz Glockenspiel. Vienna: Stephansdom entrance. Paris: at your Airbnb. Rome: Trevi Fountain coin throw side. Find My is your backup.
Tap any number to call.
So you don't get scolded for not knowing. Tipping, table manners, greetings, taboos — country by country, plus the universal "always do" and "never do" lists.
Europe is NOT American-style tipping. Service is usually included. Over-tipping marks you as a tourist; under-tipping is fine in many cases.
| Country | Restaurant | Café / Bar | Taxi | Hotel | How to give it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇩🇪 Germany | Round up + 5–10% | Round up | Round up to nearest € | €1–2/bag · €1–2/day cleaning | Hand to server: "Stimmt so" |
| 🇨🇿 Czechia | 10% expected | Round up | Round up + 10% | CZK 30–50 per bag | Cash on table OK. Never on card. |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | 5–10% | Round up | Round up to nearest € | €1–2/bag · €1–2/day cleaning | Hand to server: "Passt schon" |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | Round up or 5% if happy | Round up | Round up | CHF 2–3/bag · CHF 2/day | Service included by law — genuinely optional |
| 🇫🇷 France | Round up · 5% if you loved it | Leave coin change | Round up to nearest € | €1–2/bag · €1–2/day | "Service compris" = included. €5–10 on €100 is generous. |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | Don't tip — "coperto" cover charge IS the tip. €1–5 cash if served exceptionally well. | Standing at bar: no tip · sitting: coin change | Round up + €1–2 for bags | €1–2/bag · €1–2/day | Cash always. Never on card. |
In tourist zones some restaurants print "tip 15%" / "20%" on the bill or pre-fill tip suggestions on the card terminal. This is for the US-tourist market — not the local norm. If service was good, leave 5–10% in cash; you do NOT have to add 20% via card.
Always say "Bonjour" BEFORE anything else. The "rude French" stereotype is almost entirely about people who skip this. Walk into a boulangerie and say "do you have…?" — chilly response. Walk in, say "Bonjour" first — totally different vibe.
You'll visit at least 8 working churches: Stephansdom, Salzburg Cathedral, Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, St. Vitus, Florence Duomo, St Peter's, Strasbourg Cathedral. They're active places of worship, not just monuments.
Christmas in Europe is bigger + more ritualised than Australian Christmas. Here's what to expect:
Birthday plays, packing list, jet lag plan, weather, phrases, photo spots, rain backup, the long flight home, and our opinionated pro tips.
Birthday is the third day in Salzburg — slow morning, no rush. Maximum-magic moments to engineer:
Pre-arrange with hotel/Airbnb (when you book): flowers + small cake + handwritten note in the room for Dec 22 morning. ~€50. Coffee + cake in bed before anything else.
Bus 120 from Salzburg, 25 min to Oberndorf. The tiny chapel where the carol was sung for the first time on Christmas Eve 1818. They sing it daily at 17:00 in December. Free.
1-Michelin in the old town. Modern Austrian tasting menu €145pp, mocktail pairings available. €290 for two. Book 4+ weeks ahead. Alt: Magazin (€220 for two, more relaxed).
On Dec 21 Hallstatt day trip, book a 60-min photographer via Flytographer (~€350). They know the angles + light. 30 edited photos within a week.
Small + meaningful trumps expensive. A hand-engraved Hallstatt salt-crystal pendant (Salzwelten gift shop, ~€60); a wooden charm from Christkindlmarkt; a Mozartkugel + handwritten letter at Café Fürst.
If she loves the film: walk the "Do-Re-Mi" steps at Mirabell Gardens on the birthday morning. Free, 5-min from old town, very photogenic.
From late 2026, Australians need ETIAS to enter the Schengen Area. €7pp, online, valid 3 years.
Winter rule: layers, waterproof boots, real coat, gloves, hat. Switzerland and Dolomites reach -10°C. Rome will be +10°C.
1× 22kg checked + 1× 7kg carry-on each. ~58kg total — leaves room for Christmas market shopping. Pack a system of layers, not outfits-by-day. Plan laundry around Day 12 in Grindelwald (hotels have coin-op) or Day 17 in Strasbourg.
MEL → SIN → MUC is ~26h door-to-door. You land Munich at ~07:00 local time = your body thinks it's 17:00 the previous day. First 36h are the hardest.
| City | Avg high | Avg low | Snow? | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Munich | +3°C | -3°C | Often | Cold + layered up |
| Nuremberg | +3°C | -2°C | Often | Christmas market weather |
| Prague | +2°C | -3°C | Often | Snow + mist on the Vltava = magic |
| Vienna | +3°C | -2°C | Sometimes | Crisp, dry, occasional snow |
| Salzburg 🎂 | +2°C | -4°C | Yes | Snowy alpine vibes |
| Hallstatt (day trip) | +1°C | -5°C | Yes | Almost always snowy |
| Lucerne | +4°C | -2°C | Sometimes | Lake fog mornings |
| Grindelwald 🎄 | -1°C | -8°C | YES | Proper alpine, snow guaranteed |
| Strasbourg | +5°C | +1°C | Rare | Damp, often clear evenings |
| Paris 🎆 | +7°C | +2°C | Rare | Damp, grey, occasional crisp sun |
| Dolomites 🎿 | -2°C village | -10°C slopes | YES | Proper alpine — snow + sun |
| Florence | +10°C | +2°C | Rare | Chilly, foggy mornings |
| Rome | +12°C | +3°C | Very rare | Mild, often sunny |
Save battery + framing time — here's where to stand:
| City | The photo | Stand here | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Munich | Marienplatz + Glockenspiel | Top of Alter Peter church (€5) | 11:00 Glockenspiel show |
| Nuremberg | Hauptmarkt + market | South side of Christmas tree | 16:30 dusk |
| Prague | Astro Clock + spires from above | Old Town Hall Tower elevator (CZK 300pp) | 17:00 just after dusk |
| Prague (classic) | Charles Bridge + castle | East end of bridge, looking west | 07:30 sunrise (no tourists) |
| Vienna | Schönbrunn + snow | Gloriette top of garden, facing palace | 14:00 best winter light |
| Salzburg | Fortress + old town from above | Mönchsberg viewpoint (lift €5) | 16:00 golden hour |
| Hallstatt | The "viral" shot | East lakeshore path past Catholic church, ~10 min walk | 14:00 winter light |
| Lucerne | Chapel Bridge + lake | Kornmarktplatz side, looking SW | 17:00 lights on |
| Grindelwald | Eiger from balcony | Your hotel balcony | 07:30 sunrise (pink rocks) |
| Strasbourg | Petite France canal reflections | Pont Saint-Martin bridge | 17:00 lights on |
| Paris | Eiffel from Trocadéro | Trocadéro upper terrace | 17:30 sunset + 18:00 sparkle |
| Paris (classic) | Eiffel from Pont de Bir-Hakeim | The bridge metro overpass | 08:00 empty morning |
| Dolomites | Sassolungo enrosadira sunrise | Alpe di Siusi cable car platform | 07:45 sunrise — pink alpenglow |
| Florence | Duomo + orange rooftops | Top of Brunelleschi's dome (climb) | 10:30 first slot |
| Florence (panorama) | From Piazzale Michelangelo | Top of the steps | 16:30 sunset |
| Rome | Trevi Fountain coin throw | Steps directly in front, right side | 07:30 sunrise (empty) |
| Rome (classic) | Colosseum at golden hour | The west arch terrace | 16:30 |
Winter Europe can dump on you. Here's the all-indoor backup plan per city:
~24h door-to-door. Coming home with a full month of memories is exhausting. Prep before the FCO leg:
You'll take 8,000, look at 50. Try "one-camera-day-only" sometimes — Dori has phone, Andy doesn't. Then swap. You'll see more of each other and more of the place.
Write one each in the café you stop at on day 2. Mail them to yourselves at home. They show up over 2–6 weeks in random order.
One meaningful thing per city. Munich: Steiff teddy. Salzburg: original Mozartkugel box (Fürst). Grindelwald: hand-carved wood ornament. Florence: leather. Rome: Pineider notebook.
Breakfast Airbnb or café. Lunch mid. One nice dinner. Stops you blowing the food budget on 3 fine-dining meals.
One notebook, hand-written. 3 lines at end of each day — what you saw, ate, laughed at. You'll thank yourselves in 10 years.
You'll walk 15–20km most days. BREAK IN BOTH PAIRS OF BOOTS with a full weekend of Melbourne walking first. Blisters week 1 = misery.
Pick ONE café per city as your ritual. Become regulars for 2 days. Staff start to recognise you.
At least 3 dinners — phones face-down. Birthday at Esszimmer = mandatory. Christmas at Belvedere = mandatory. NYE Paris = mandatory.
Foreign supermarkets are weirder than museums. Buy 5 random snacks for the train. €4 total per country.
You'll buy clothes — scarves, an Italian sweater, leather goods. Plan for 4–5kg return weight, or ship bulky items from Rome (Poste Italiane EMS ~€90 for 5kg, 2 weeks).
Build in 1 "soft day" per long stop. Hot bath. Hotel spa. Slow walk. The point of 27 days isn't to see everything.
A street musician you want to listen to for 20 minutes. A bakery window you have to go in. A view you want to sit at instead of walking past. Say yes.