Traveling around Europe involves a lot of walking. Or at least it should, in my opinion. Our favorite days in Europe are spent wandering around cities or through the mountains. We spent a year in Europe, but even if you are going for a week or two, you will probably need a decent-sized travel backpack.

When you leave your hotel, hostel, or vacation rental to spend a day on foot (or bus or train), you will likely want to bring some items, but not everything you brought with you. That’s when the best daypack for travel in Europe comes into play.

Make sure you check my post on the best travel backpacks to find: the best weekend travel backpack, best backpack for Europe, and other best day trip backpack reviews.

Best City Backpack –

REI Co-op Ruckpack 18 Recycled Daypack

Anyone who does choose to backpack through Europe or venture from one destination to another will want to choose the perfect travel rucksack for their journey. The REI Co-op Ruckpack Recycled Daypack is an amazing choice, as it is lightweight yet roomy. This best small daypack for travel expands to hold everything a person needs for a day of exploring or a couple of days on the road.

This ensures that you can keep a change of clothes, a few snacks, and your important documents, and valuables with you at all times. No one will need to make the difficult decision of what to take and what to leave behind, because this is one of the best small rucksacks that expands to fit it all.

No matter how much a person puts inside this best lightweight daypack, it will always feel comfortable on their back. The lightly padded shoulder straps ensure that you won’t end up all sweaty, but provides enough comfort to wear it all day. Plus, the sternum strap adds stability when needed. The side pocket stores a water bottle to help keep you hydrated and there is a port for a hydration tube, too.

The best part about the REI Co-op Ruckpack Recycled Daypack is that it has lockable zippers that keep bag contents secure while traveling and ensure that a traveler’s items are safe from pickpockets out and about or in a hostel at night. While you will still need to use caution as you explore Europe, this will allow you to not be as worried that something is going to go missing at an inopportune time.

The REI Co-op Ruckpack Recycled daypack comes in five colors and looks more like an urban daypack than a hiking daypack. It will function perfectly well for either activity. You could even use it as a minimalist travel backpack. Of the two travel daypacks reviewed here, this gets my vote for the best urban daypack

When you don’t need to use this tourist backpack, this small daypack for travel can be tucked into a suitcase or duffel bag.

My favorite thing about this daypack for Europe travel is its use of recycled and bluesign®-approved materials, which keep waste out of landfills. Bluesign®-approved materials conserve resources and protect the health of the environment, workers, and users.

Get the REI Co-op Ruckpack Recycled Daypack at REI online.

Best Weekend Backpack –

Osprey Packs Daylite and Osprey Daylite Plus

Another one of the best rucksack brands is Osprey. You can read about the best Osprey backpack for travel on the travel backpack reviews page, but for the best day backpack for travel, I recommend Osprey Packs Daylite Daypack or Osprey Daylite Plus Daypack.

There are more than 15 colors to choose from, so if a red daypack isn’t your thing, try another color.

These are both in the daypack reviews as one of the best travel day bags since they are the same pack, only in different sizes. The Daylite is 13 liters while the Daylite Plus is 20 liters. The Daylite Plus can double as a weekend travel backpack for the light packer. This alone makes it the best Osprey daypack, in my opinion.

They both have lightweight suspension and a webbing hip belt. They are both rated as “ultralight,” which puts them in the ranking for best packable backpack. The Osprey packs have the look and functionality of a hiking daypack. They are rugged and have an “Almighty Guarantee” so you can send it back for repair or replacement for any reason.

The Daylite and Daylite Plus can be added on to the following packs to create a backpack with a detachable daypack: Aether/Ariel Series, Volt/Viva Series, Ace 75, Sojourn Series, Farpoint 80, and Porter Series.

You can get the Osprey Daylite travel daypack and the Osprey Daylite Plus backpack online at REI.

Get the Osprey Dalylite travel daypack and the Osprey Daylite Plus daypack online at Amazon.

Best Travel Purse For Europe –

Osprey Packs Daylite Sling

The Osprey Daylite also comes in a sling version. It’s easy to stuff in a backpack and then pull out and throw over your shoulder. This Osprey travel bag is perfect when you don’t need to carry much around with you.

Either of these packs rate as the best daypack for women or men, depending on what you are looking for.

This sling bag comes in three colors.

Anyone that is planning a trip to Europe, or any other area of the world, will benefit from using a daypack backpack. It will make the entire journey more enjoyable and better than anyone could have ever imagined!

You can get the Osprey Daylite Sling online at REI.

You can get the Osprey Daylite Sling at Amazon.