How many days do you need in each city?

3 days. Three days is the right amount of time for Prague: enough for every major sight at a humane pace, plus one evening that belongs to the city rather than the checklist. Two days forces you to sprint the castle and old town back to back; the third day adds Vysehrad, the Letna beer garden and time to sit in a pub without watching the clock.

2 days. Two days is enough for Porto, and for most people it is the right amount, since the city is compact and its core sights cluster tightly on both banks of the Douro. In 48 hours you can see the azulejos at Sao Bento, book into Livraria Lello early, climb the Clerigos tower, walk the Ribeira and cross the upper deck of the Dom Luis I bridge, then spend an afternoon tasting in the Gaia port lodges.

3 days. Three days is the right amount of time for Vienna: enough for the palaces, the cathedral and the great museums at a humane pace, plus one evening that belongs to the city rather than the checklist. Two days forces you to sprint Schonbrunn and the Belvedere back to back; the third day adds the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the MuseumsQuartier and time to sit in a coffee house without watching the clock.

2 days. Yes, two days is enough for Granada's essentials if you book the Alhambra weeks ahead and start early. The center is small, so the palace, the Albaicin sunset, the Cathedral, the Royal Chapel and a free-tapa crawl all fit without a rush.

3 days. Three days is the right amount of time for Amsterdam: enough for the big three museums and the canal ring at a humane pace, plus one day that belongs to the neighborhoods rather than the checklist. Two days forces you to sprint the Museum Quarter and the canals back to back; the third day adds De Pijp, the Albert Cuyp Market and a rooftop view across the IJ, with time to sit at a cafe without watching the clock.

2 days. Yes, two days is plenty for Bruges, and honestly even one long day covers the core, because the whole medieval town fits inside a twenty-minute walk. What two days buys you is time to slow down: the belfry climb, a canal boat, the Groeningemuseum's Van Eyck, and the Begijnhof, without sprinting between them.

3 days. Yes, three days is the right length for Barcelona, and it is what we recommend for a first visit. It gives the Gaudi trail a full day (Sagrada Familia, the Passeig de Gracia houses, Park Guell), the old town its own day (the cathedral, El Born, the Picasso Museum, La Boqueria, La Rambla), and a third day that mixes the beach with the modernist concert hall and Ciutadella park at an easier pace.

3 days. Three days is the right amount of time for Copenhagen: enough for the royal core and the harbour at an easy pace, plus one day that belongs to Christiania, the food scene and the water rather than the checklist. Two days forces you to sprint the palaces and the old town back to back; the third adds the freetown of Christiania, the Christianshavn canals and a proper street-food evening, with time to swim in the harbour on a warm day.

4 days. Four days is the sweet spot for a first visit to Paris, turning a sightseeing sprint into an actual holiday. Days one to three cover the essentials without rushing: the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysees, and a Seine cruise; the Louvre, the islands, Notre-Dame, and Sainte-Chapelle; then Montmartre, the Musee d'Orsay, and the Marais.

2 days. Yes, two full days covers the core of Dublin comfortably if you book the ticketed sights ahead. The centre is small and walkable, so Trinity College and the Book of Kells, Dublin Castle, the two cathedrals, the free national museums and the Guinness Storehouse all fit without a rush, with real pub music each evening.

2 days. Two full days is enough for the core of Dubrovnik if you start early and beat the cruise crowds. The old town is tiny and entirely on foot, so the city walls walk, the Stradun, Rector's Palace, the Franciscan monastery and Fort Lovrijenac all fit without a rush, plus the Mount Srd panorama and a swim at Banje.

2 days. Two days is enough for the core of Oslo because the centre is compact and walkable, with metro, tram and harbour ferries to stitch the rest together. Base yourself in Sentrum or Bjorvika so the fjord-front landmarks are minutes away and you can start early before the summer queues build.

2 days. Two full days is plenty for the heart of Riga, because the medieval old town is small and entirely walkable and the Art Nouveau quarter sits just ten minutes north. Base yourself in the old town so you are among the spires first thing and can walk home across floodlit squares at night, avoiding the weekend stag-group streets after dark.