How to avoid an overcrowded itinerary

An overcrowded itinerary looks great the night before and falls apart by lunchtime. The cause is almost always the same: the plan counts places but not the time between them.

How many stops a day is realistic?

For most people, four to six stops a day, with meals counted as stops. That’s what Amicly plans at its balanced pace; its relaxed pace plans three or four, and its packed pace six or seven. With young children, jet lag or a lot of walking, plan fewer.

A quick test: if you can’t say what you’ll be doing at 15:00 without reading the plan, the day has too much in it.

Why does travel time matter so much?

Because it adds up. Ten stops with 25 minutes between each is over three and a half hours of getting around, before any queues. Check the real journey times between consecutive stops, and keep each day in one or two neighbouring areas so most journeys are short walks.

What is the one-anchor-per-half-day rule?

Give each morning and each afternoon one main thing: a museum, a market, a long walk. Everything else is optional and fits around it. If the morning anchor runs long, you skip a small thing, not the afternoon’s main event.

Where should rest go?

In the plan, at a set time, like any other stop. One sit-down break in the afternoon, such as a café, a park bench or the hotel, keeps the evening enjoyable. On the first day after a long flight, plan even less.

What should I do when the day slips?

It will. A queue, a long lunch, rain. When it happens:

1. Keep what’s booked at its time. Tickets and reservations come first.
2. Drop a whole stop rather than rushing several. Pick the one that’s easiest to do another day.
3. Stay in the same area. Look for something nearby instead of crossing the city to catch up.
4. Check the next journey before you go, and keep offline maps of the area in case you lose data.

How can I tell if a plan is overcrowded before I go?

• More than two areas in one day.
• More than two things with fixed times.
• No meals or breaks written in.
• Travel time adds up to more than a quarter of the day.

If any of these are true, move something to another day, or let it go. The trip will be better for it.