Compact, walkable cities (Amsterdam, Prague, Bruges, Bologna) are 2-3 nights. Large, sprawling cities (London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona) reward 4-5 nights minimum. Size plus density plus your travel style equals the answer.

The Formula

Two variables matter. First, the physical size of the city and how much of it is reasonably accessible on foot or via good public transport from the centre. Second, the density of things worth doing relative to your interests.

A small, dense city can be genuinely understood in two nights. You can walk most of Bruges in a day. You can cover the essential territory of Bologna in two days and feel satisfied. Adding nights beyond this doesn't deepen the experience much, because the city's core is finite.

A large city with multiple distinct neighbourhoods rewards more time because each neighbourhood is a different experience. Three nights in Rome means you see the ancient sites. Four nights means you also get Trastevere properly. Five nights means you can have a day without a plan and still feel like you got the city.

Compact Walkable Cities: 2-3 Nights

Amsterdam, Prague, Bruges, Ghent, Bologna, Porto, Ljubljana, Tallinn. These cities reward shorter stays because their centres are dense and walkable. Two full days gives you one deep day and one exploratory day. Three nights means a relaxed final morning before you leave.

Going longer than three nights in a compact city often means you've run out of genuine priorities and are filling time. Unless you're using it as a base to explore the surrounding area, in which case more time makes sense.

Large Sprawling Cities: 4-5 Nights Minimum

London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Berlin, Madrid, Istanbul, Lisbon. These cities are not just larger; they are genuinely multiple cities stitched together. Each requires time to switch between the versions of itself on offer.

Three nights in Paris is enough to hit the main sights. It is not enough to understand Paris. Four or five nights starts to build the kind of familiarity where the city stops being a tourist destination and starts being a place you briefly lived in.

The Cost of One Night Too Few vs One Night Too Many

One night too few: you leave feeling rushed, aware of what you missed, slightly frustrated. The trip was good but incomplete. One night too many in the wrong city: the last day can feel like time-filling, which dilutes the memory of the whole trip.

The consequence of underpaying is higher. Book one more night than you think you need in a large city. Book two fewer nights than you think you need in a compact one.