# Europe 2026 Mandatory Route Brief

**Travel window:** August 1-October 19, 2026 in the current clean route; October 28 remains the latest allowed Austin return.
**Hard anchors:** Copenhagen starts August 1; Venice Biennale weekend on Aug 28; Three.js Conf Paris on Sep 10-11; Paris for at least one week; Austin return by Oct 28
**Current app mode:** one simplified True Nature route. The old comparison UI is hidden.

## Official Research Used

- [Three.js Conf Paris 2026](https://threejs.paris/) is September 10-11, 2026 at Maison de la Chimie, 28 Rue Saint-Dominique, 75007 Paris, France.
- [Biennale Arte 2026 visitor information](https://www.labiennale.org/en/art/2026/information) lists the exhibition from May 9-November 22, 2026 at Giardini / Arsenale / Forte Marghera, with summer Friday/Saturday Arsenale late hours.
- [True Nature - Odyssey of the Heart](https://www.jedfoxyoga.com/greeceretreat) is now penciled into the main Ithaca route: Sep 26-Oct 3, 2026 at Itha108, Ithaca.
- [YOAS Ithaca Sep 2026](https://yoasyogaretreats.com/all-holidays/ithaca-nancyc-sept2026/), [Michele Loew Ithaca](https://www.micheleloew.com/greece), [INEA Corfu](https://www.ineayoga.com/yoga-retreats), and other retreat sources remain backup Greece options.

## Route In The App

| Segment | Dates | Nights | Why it is there |
|---|---:|---:|---|
| Copenhagen | Aug 1-13 | 12 | Hard-start landing pad, jet lag, Fashion Week/Pride opening, easy English. |
| Gothenburg | Aug 13-18 | 5 | Compact west-coast Sweden pass with Way Out West overlap. |
| Oslo | Aug 18-23 | 5 | Compact Norway reset with Chamber Music tail, museums and fjord sauna. |
| Stockholm | Aug 23-28 | 5 | Compact Sweden design/tech pass with Baltic Sea Festival/Fringe. |
| Venice | Aug 28-Sep 1 | 4 | Focused Biennale Aug 28 weekend. |
| Amsterdam | Sep 1-8 | 7 | Full week before Paris and before Greece; no backtracking after the retreat. |
| Paris | Sep 8-15 | 7 | Three.js Conf Sep 10-11. |
| Geneva | Sep 15-20 | 5 | Shorter Swiss lake/CERN/museum reset before Greece. |
| Ionian bridge | Sep 20-26 | 6 | Ferry/beach buffer before True Nature. |
| True Nature Ithaca | Sep 26-Oct 3 | 7 | Core retreat anchor. |
| Greek beach integration | Oct 3-10 | 7 | Post-retreat beach decompression. |
| Marrakech / Atlas | Oct 10-19 | 9 | Final North Africa chapter; return still before Oct 28 latest. |

## Current Recommendation

This is the best current candidate because it restores the simple north-to-south feeling: Nordic first, Venice, Amsterdam, Paris, Geneva, Greece, Marrakech. It starts August 1 because that is now a hard constraint. The tradeoff is explicit: Copenhagen gets 12 nights, Amsterdam gets 7 nights, Geneva and Marrakech are shorter, and Gothenburg/Oslo/Stockholm become compact five-night passes so Venice Aug 28 and Paris Sep 10-11 stay protected.

## App Notes

- The local app is served at `http://127.0.0.1:5173/` while `npm start` is running.
- The route switch and old option cards are hidden.
- Calendar downloads follow the single True Nature route.
- Event/open-mic layers are optional enrichment; they are not hard requirements.
- Timeline stop cards now use the old mandatory-label space for event leads and include a Museums card beside Stay, Next Move and Planning Note.