Where Should You Stay? Choosing the Right Home Base in Europe.

 By Vicki Kramer, Travel by Vicki

Lucerne, Switzerland (Photo courtesy of Canva)

One of the most important decisions in a hub-based trip is also one of the easiest to overlook: where you stay.

When travelers first start planning a European trip, the focus is usually on what they want to see — landmarks, countryside, villages, famous sites. The assumption is that the itinerary comes first and accommodations follow somewhere behind it.

In a hub-based trip, it works the other way around.

Your home base shapes everything that follows — how far you can comfortably travel in a day, how much time you spend in transit, how relaxed or rushed your days feel, and how connected you feel to the place itself.

Choose the right base and the trip falls into place. Choose the wrong one and you spend your time solving problems you didn’t anticipate.

Start with Geography, Not Just the City Name

Not every beautiful town makes a good home base.

A place might look ideal on a map or in photos, but if it lacks convenient rail connections or requires long travel times to reach surrounding areas, it can quickly turn a relaxing trip into a logistical challenge.

On the other hand, a well-connected town — even a smaller one — can open up an entire region.

Rail hubs, regional crossroads, and towns located near multiple destinations often make the strongest bases. They allow for a range of day trips without requiring long or complicated journeys.

The goal isn’t just to choose somewhere appealing. It’s to choose somewhere functional.

It Starts With the Traveler

There is no universal perfect base. The right choice depends entirely on the traveler.

When I worked with a family who wanted to explore the heritage railways of England and Wales, the priority was a base within driving distance of multiple rail stations spread across the region. The hub needed road access as much as rail access — a different set of criteria than a traveler who wants to leave the car behind entirely.

My husband and I are planning our own hub trip to Lucerne, Switzerland in December, specifically to visit Christmas markets in three countries — Switzerland, Germany, and Liechtenstein — all reachable by rail in a single day. Our criteria were completely different: we needed a base within minutes of a train station, walkable to restaurants and markets, and close enough to Zurich that arriving and departing by rail would be simple. Lucerne checked every box. 

The first question I ask when helping a client choose a base is not "where do you want to stay?" It's "how do you want your days to feel?" The answer to that question drives everything else.

Two European Bases Worth Knowing

In my research and planning, I return to two towns that consistently make exceptional home bases for European hub travel.

Lucerne, Switzerland sits at the intersection of some of the most remarkable destinations in central Europe. From Lucerne, you can be in Zurich in thirty minutes by rail — useful for arrivals and departures. Germany and Liechtenstein are within easy day-trip range. The Jungfraujoch glacier and observatory are accessible by train. And the town itself is genuinely beautiful — walkable, charming, alive with Christmas market stalls in December in a way that feels like the Europe most travelers dream about before they've ever been.

Colmar, France is the other. Tucked into the Alsace region near the German border, Colmar is one of those towns that looks almost too picturesque to be real — timber-framed buildings, flower-lined canals, a medieval old town that has survived remarkably intact. Rail connections put Germany and Switzerland within easy reach for day trips. The town itself is small enough to feel intimate but large enough to have excellent restaurants, cafés and markets within easy walking distance. It is not Paris. That is entirely the point.

Both towns share something important: they are well connected without being overwhelming. They give you access to an entire region while feeling like a place you actually want to come home to each evening.

The Balance Between Convenience and Atmosphere

A well-chosen base offers both — but it takes research to find the intersection.

Major cities have unmatched transportation and endless options. They also move fast and can feel exhausting as a home base after a few days. Smaller towns offer atmosphere and a slower pace but require more planning to reach certain destinations. Neither is better. It depends entirely on who you are as a traveler and what you want from the trip.

What I can tell you is that when the location and the accommodations come together correctly, the trip feels cohesive rather than fragmented. Day trips feel easy. Evenings feel relaxed. And you come home having actually experienced a place rather than passed through it.

That’s the difference a well-chosen home base makes — and it’s worth getting right.

Reach out at explore@travelbyvicki.com or visit travelbyvicki.com.