See more of Europe with these multi-destination vacations
Less is more, they say, and that's sometimes true. But not where travel is concerned. Often, when traveling, more is more. Why visit one European country on vacation when you can hop borders and visit two? Thanks to the advent of faster travel links and nation-straddling super-bridges, it's now possible to pack more than one country into a single vacation–and highly recommended.
So, maps at the ready, here are five we suggest you check out first.
London and Paris
Given their proximity, it now feels strange to think that before 1994, traveling from London to Paris or Paris to London was a journey that took much longer than anyone liked. The two cities stand 288 miles apart, and the quickest route from one to the other was a slow boat across the English Channel or the rail-linking Eurotunnel, which only took you part of the way.
Then, in 1994, everything changed. Eurostar arrived, a truly high-speed rail link connecting London with Paris—and on to the sunshine of the South of France. Now, it's possible to wave goodbye to the cosmopolitan charms of London and say bonjour to super chic Paris—or vice versa—in next to no time, reclining in a comfortable seat with a glass of champagne in hand. Best of all, traveling from London's St Pancras International to Paris' Gare Du Nord, or vice versa, you're delivered straight into the heart of the city.
Fly: United flies to from multiple cities in the U.S. to London and Paris
Train: London to Paris: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Vienna and Budapest
To choose between Vienna and Budapest is a regrettable task. The former is one of Europe's must-see cities, a cultural heavyweight full of romance, opera houses, stately boulevards and delicious cake. The latter is no less impressive, a glittering city of hot thermal springs and imperial architecture that straddles two sides of the mighty Danube. Opting for one over the other is a trying task, but you don't have to choose when they sit just three hours apart.
We suggest basing yourself in Budapest and staying on the Pest side of the river, among the main tourist sites and surrounded by bars, restaurants, and nightlife. From there it's a quick, easy and inexpensive train ride west to Vienna. And if you have the time and can handle three cities in three countries in a single trip, you might also want to add Prague to your travel itinerary for a classic Central Europe trifecta.
Fly: United's partners flies from multiple cities in the U.S. to Budapest
Train: Budapest to Vienna: 2 hours, 44 minutes
Amsterdam and Brussels
Around 130 miles and three hours south of the Netherlands' sits Brussels, a thriving, shiny cosmopolitan metropolis that is all too often overlooked by the international traveler.
Amsterdam, of course, needs no real introduction, a bustling sprawl of canals and museums, history and hedonism. Where the Danes have their 'hygge', Amsterdam is famous for its 'gezellig', a feeling of care-free coziness that infects both locals and tourists alike. Brussels, by comparison, flies under the radar but that may be changing.
Majestically transformed over recent years, the city's 17th-century center is flanked by boulevards that are home to a thriving café culture and restaurant scene. Follow them around until day becomes evening and the nightlife takes over. The fact that Brussels remains compact enough to explore on foot makes it ideal for a leisurely overnight visit with more than enough time to explore the galleries and markets and gorge yourself on the famous chocolate, mussels and frites. Though perhaps not all at once.
Fly: United flies to from multiple cities in the U.S. toAmsterdam and Brussels
Train: Amsterdam to Brussels: 2 hours, 4 minutes
Milan and Zurich
The longest journey on our itinerary is worth going the extra mile—or in this case the extra 175 miles. While Rome enjoys capital status, many believe Milan is Italy's actual heart, where fashion, food, art and architecture mix with effortless ease. From your early morning espresso to Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, plus a hundred experiences in between, Milan has enough to warrant never leaving the city. But given Zurich's proximity, that would be wasteful.
Make the short journey north, and you'll discover a beautiful city sat astride the Limmat River and overlooking a vast, crystal-clear lake. Zurich's steep cobbled streets house more than 50 museums and twice as many art galleries, while a thriving café culture gives way as night falls to some of Europe's liveliest bars and clubs. The temptation might be to give the Swiss city a night and then head straight back to Milan. When you reach Zurich, however, you may well change your mind.
Fly: United flies to from multiple cities in the U.S. toMilan and Zurich
Train: Milan to Zurich: 3 hours 26 minutes
Malmö and Copenhagen
Separated by just 27 miles and a single stretch of water—the Øresund strait—the fact that Malmö was once part of Denmark hints at how close these two cities are. Visiting both on a single vacation could not be any easier, nor should you need any persuading to do so, with Malmö one of Europe's unsung stars and Copenhagen currently the most popular culinary city on earth. It also helps that both are compact enough to explore on foot.
Perhaps the best part about visiting both cities in a single vacation is the opportunity to experience the journey between the two. Heading from Malmö to Copenhagen takes you across the 10 mile-long Øresund Bridge, at the halfway point of which makes a plunge underground. Finally, you arrive, emerging from darkness into light, and from Sweden into Denmark.
Fly: United's partners flies from multiple cities in the U.S. to Copenhagen
Train or Drive: Malmö to Copenhagen: 35 or 55 minutes

On March 19, 2020, United operated its first flight carrying cargo without passengers on board. While the passenger cabin was empty, its cargo hold was completely full, carrying more than 29,000 pounds of commodities from Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Frankfurt Airport (FRA).
A year later, United Cargo has operated more than 11,000 cargo-only flights carrying more than 570 million pounds of freight. To support the COVID-19 pandemic recovery efforts, United Cargo has also transported more than 113 million pounds of medical and pharmaceutical products on both cargo-only and passenger flights as well as approximately 10 million COVID-19 vaccines, providing global communities access to the items they have needed most.
"At the beginning of the pandemic, we knew we were uniquely positioned to utilize our widebody aircraft and our network to keep commodities moving, so we quickly mobilized various departments throughout the airline to launch a cargo-only network of flights that would keep commodities moving," said United Cargo President Jan Krems. "Thanks to those efforts, United Cargo has delivered millions of items to countries all around the world. We would not have been successful without the steadfast support of our employees, industry partners and our customers."
Since last March, United Cargo has transported almost 850 million pounds of freight on cargo-only and passenger flights. The airline will continue to monitor market trends adjust its cargo-only flight schedules to help ensure we are meeting our customer's evolving shipping needs.
Whether you haven't flown with us for a while or just need a quick refresher before your spring trip, read this list of tips to know before your flight and arrive at the airport travel-ready:
1. Download the United app for contactless bag check, travel assistance and more
Before your flight, download the United app to view your flight status, check in, sign up for flight notifications, locate departure gates, access our free personal device entertainment when available and more. We've also updated our app with new features that can make your trip a little safer, including contactless bag check.
Don't forget to use Agent on Demand for help with any and all questions you may have before your flight. This new capability is available at all our U.S. hub airports and allows you to use your own mobile device to contact a customer service agent via phone, video or chat to help with day-of-travel questions while you're at the airport. Learn more about Agent on Demand here.
2. Check out the Travel-Ready Center
Our Travel-Ready Center makes it easy to get a personalized overview of everything you need to do in preparation for your flight. Just enter your confirmation number or MileagePlus® number and you'll find detailed information on all the documents, tests and more that you'll need for your trip.
3. Read and sign the Ready-to-Fly checklist
Before completing check-in, all United travelers will need to read our Ready-to-Fly checklist and confirm that they understand and agree to our policies. These include:
Acknowledging that you haven't had any symptoms of COVID-19 in the last 14 days
Agreeing that you will not fly if you have tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 21 days
Confirming that you will follow all policies regarding face masks, social distancing and other health and safety measures we've adopted
4. Arrive early; avoid the stress
Airports can be busy, especially during peak travel periods like spring break season. The TSA advises arriving at the airport two hours before your flight for domestic travel and three hours for international travel in anticipation of long security lines. This can help ease the stress when navigating busy check-in areas, security lines and crowded boarding gates.
5. Get familiar with CleanPlus
United CleanPlus℠ is our commitment to delivering industry-leading cleanliness as we put health and safety at the forefront of your experience. We've teamed up with Clorox to redefine our cleaning and disinfection procedures and Cleveland Clinic to advise us on enhancing our cleaning and disinfection protocols, like:
Disinfecting high-touch areas on board and in the terminal
Using electrostatic spraying, Ultraviolet C lighting wands and more advanced measures to clean aircraft cabins before boarding
Redesigning our mobile app to allow for touchless check-in and contactless payment, along with enhanced travel assistance features
Implementing high-efficiency (HEPA) filters on our aircraft that completely recirculate cabin air every 2-3 minutes and remove 99.97% of airborne particles, including viruses and bacteria
Studies show COVID-19 exposure risk is minimal when air filtration systems and masks are in use, so you can rest assured that the steps we've taken to keep you safe truly make a difference.
6. Wear your mask
Federal law requires all travelers to wear a face mask in the airport, including customer service counters, airport lounges, gates and baggage claim, and on board during their entire flight. Make sure you review the requirements for face masks, including what an acceptable face mask looks like.
7. Get ready for a safer boarding process
To make boarding even safer, we now have travelers board their aircraft from back to front. At the gate, just listen for your row number to be called – we'll ask a few rows at a time to board, starting with the last row of the plane. This helps everyone maintain a safe distance from each other during boarding without slowing things down. As you step onto the plane, flight attendants will hand each passenger a sanitizing towelette, which you can use to wipe down your seat to ensure it's extra clean.
8. Pack smart
Before packing your bags, check to see what exactly you can carry on and what you should plan to check. You can also copy your confirmation number into our Baggage Calculator tool to learn about the bag allowance included with your reservation, as well as the cost of checking any additional bags.
9. Check your flight status, important notices and weather
Check the United app regularly for the latest updates on weather conditions, flight status, gate numbers and seat assignments. You can also visit our Important Notices page to find essential information and updates about travel waivers, international travel, TSA and security, airports and United Club locations.
10. Relax and enjoy your flight
Once you're on board, it's time to sit back and enjoy your flight. Our flight attendants will be happy to help you with anything else you need.
This week, we were honored to become the first U.S. airline to join the UNICEF Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative to combat the COVID-19 pandemic by transporting the vaccine and other critically needed supplies to underserved areas of the globe.
"We are committed to helping the global community in any way we can, and we all must work together to do our part to bring this health and humanitarian crisis to an end," said Director of Cargo Specialty Products Manu Jacobs.
We will leverage our expertise to transport these critical pharmaceutical and healthcare shipments around the world safely, efficiently and expediently. We are proud to partner with the United Nations to support this global effort and provide equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.
Together, we are facing an unprecedented challenge. United Together, we rise to meet that challenge.
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Calling all AvGeeks and travelers! Take your next video call from a United Polaris® seat, the cockpit or cruising altitude with United-themed backgrounds for use on Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
Newly added to our collection is a background encouraging our employees and customers to vote. Our mission is to connect people and unite the world — and one of the most important ways to do that is to engage in the democratic process. No matter which party you support, we know our democracy will be stronger if you make your voice heard and vote.
So for your next meeting or catch up with friends and family, download the app to either your computer or mobile device to get started.
To use on Zoom:
- Start here by downloading your favorite United image to your computer or mobile device. Just click "download" in the bottom left corner of the image.
- Next go to your Zoom app (you'll need to download the app to access backgrounds) and click on the arrow to the right of your video camera icon in the bottom of the screen.
- From here select, "choose virtual background" to upload your uniquely United photo.
To use on Microsoft Teams:
- Start by downloading your favorite United image to your computer. Just click "download" in the bottom left corner of the image.
- If you're using a PC, copy the image you want to use into this folder:
- C:\[insert your device user name here]\AppData\Microsoft\Teams\Backgrounds\Uploads
- If you're using a Mac copy the images to this folder on your computer:
- /users/<username>/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Teams/Backgrounds/Uploads
- If you're using a PC, copy the image you want to use into this folder:
- Once you start a Teams meeting, click the "…" in the menu bar and select "Show background effects" and your image should be there
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20 UCSF Health workers, who voluntarily set aside their own lives to help save lives, are on their way to New York City.
We are humbled by your selfless sacrifice.
Thank you.
#UnitedTogether #UCSFHeroes
In celebration and appreciation of all first responders and essential workers. 👏🏻👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾👏🏿
This is the story of Jason and Shantel. You see, Jason and Shantel love each other very much. They also love traveling and they love the classic Adam Sandler film, The Wedding Singer.
It all began when Jason reached out to United's social media team, hoping for assistance with his upcoming plan to propose. Some phone calls and one borrowed guitar later, the stage was set for Jason. Put all that together, mix in some helpful United employees and, voila, you have a truly memorable marriage proposal. Congratulations to this fun-loving and happy couple, and here's to many more years of making beautiful music together.
A big thank you to Chicago-based flight attendants Donna W., Marie M., Karen J. and Mark K. for making this proposal come to life.
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