Well if you split the time evenly that would be almost 4 nights each, so three full days in each location (some deserve more time, some less). A fast pace but certainly not crazy.

I have been to all the places you list except Krakow - which I am very interested in visiting but it never seems easy to get to (long train rides, cheapo flights only to certain cities on certain days). You might want to check train times between Krakow and Prague/Budapest to see if you really want to devote that much time.

And if you did decide to cut out Krakow it would seem you could pretty easily add Venice on at the end. There are also more choices of flights and better prices from Venice to the US than from Ljubljana so it does sort of make sense to have that be your end point.

Not crazy. Sounds good, actually.

I know 4 week seems like a long time but once you allow the time to get from one place to another you will have at the most 3 days in each place. This is OK for Bruges and Krakiw - but IMHO a first visit to London deserves at least 5 days - 6 nights - and if you want to add Venice you need to drop something else - unless yuo want to spend a LOT of time and money getting from one city to another.

I think you will find that spending more time in each place will end up being much more enjoyable.

Separately, you have listed only major cities. If yuo want to see any of the countryside - via day trips from the cities - you are squashing even more places into an already busy trip.

for someone age 24 I think this is a great itinerary.
at this age you have the energy to go at this pace.

I think it makes sense, too - kudos!

Adding Venice to the end would complicate things, though, and might make your plan a bit less reasonable.

I'm sure others will have different ideas, but FWIW, I think you can probably enjoy lovely Bruges and delightful Ljubljana with stops of 2 or 3 nights, giving you a bit more time for London (or whichever of the other cities most intrigue you).

Whatever you decide, you'll have some wonderful experiences!

Thanks for the responses! I was thinking maybe cutting Krakow and adding even a day and a half in Venice might be good. Cheap flights do seem to be easier to come by from Venice as opposed to Ljublana. . Would love to see Krakow and take a day trip to Auschwitz, and I don't know when else I would do it, but it would be simpler to skip it.

I think it sounds like a good plan! It's fast-paced but not crazy by any means. I only know Amsterdam from your list. And I really do love Venice. So my only personal input might be to cut one place in order to add a few days in Venice at the end.

(Which city is geographically the most out of the way? Or which city are you least excited about?)

I have heard many wonderful things about Prague although for some reason I'm not as excited about it. Also it's a place I could perhaps do on a separate trip with Vienna and other places.

Looks good. I've been to every city you mention, of these I'd spend less time in Bruges and Ljubljana than the other ones. Both cities have very small centres

Cutting one place to add a couple of days to London (both because it is HUGE and because you'll probably have jet lag for the first day or two) and Venice is reasonable.

One caveat though - US-bound flights out of Venice leave very VERY early AM. You'd have to pay for an expensive 0 dark thirty transfer to the airport. If you could find a way to fit Venice in but not as your last destination it would be better.

For instance you could fly from London to Venice and then do the rest of your itinerary in reverse.

What bob said,
Actually, I would skip LJubljana.

Is there a particular reason youd recommend skipping Ljubljana?

I am somewhat biased I'll say that up front, I lived in Prague for 3 years and would certainly recommend it.

Reasons to keep Prague on your itinerary:

- Its comparatively cheap (not as cheap as it was sadly) but certainly much cheaper than London, Amsterdam and Bruges. A pint of the local beer will cost you about $1.50. Accommodation is also likely to be substantially cheaper than some other cities. I like www.trivago.com for hotel deals. If its hostels you're after you'll be spoiled for choice, there are hundreds.

- If you are looking to party, it goes late. There are a number of really interesting clubs and pubs abound. If you want individual recommendations a bit nearer the time just ask. There are also a number of large beer gardens which are great fun and should still be in full swing in September.

- The city centre is beautiful, very compact and easy to navigate. Although the cobbled streets are hard on the feet and some of the hills leading up from the river are steep. For everything you cant walk there is an amazing (and cheap) network of trams and metros.

- The food scene is getting better month by month. Czech cuisine is heavy on the dumplings and beef or pork but there are some fabulous restaurants specialising in international cuisine. My favourite food blog can be found here http://czechoutchannel.blogspot.co.uk/

I could go on for pages but I'll leave it there for now. If you have any questions just fire away.

Oh and to qualify I have visited all of the other cities on your list with the exception of Ljubljana and Venice so cant comment on those two but London is great (every time I go there to visit friends I think to myself 'I could live here' and then it dawns on me that I've spent about £400 in a weekend and I probably couldn't afford to!). Berlin is great for clubs and the place is steeped in crazy modern history. Amsterdam shocked me because I really liked it when I thought I wouldn't. I'm not into the stoner thing and I travelled there with my girlfriend so the red light district wasn't on the agenda either but it turns out that its a beautiful city with a lot more to offer than you might expect.

Whatever you decide, Happy travels.

All the cities that you originally mention, plus Venice, are among the most beautiful in Europe (actually have not been to Berlin or Krakow but I've been to all the others - they are all worthwhile). Everyone, including you, seem to agree that cutting one is a good idea so as to have sufficient time in the others. I suggested Krakow because of relatively more difficulty getting there.

Brugge can easily be seen in one or two days, Ljubljana also in two days. Prague and Budapest 'deserve' at least three each. Amsterdam can be seen in two or three but I would give it more since there are several great smaller cities that are extremely easy to see as day trips from there (Haarlem, Delft, Leiden). I could spend a week in any of them and not get bored, but I'm just giving you an idea of how long it takes the average person to see the highlights and get a feel for a place. London of course is the largest and most people never have enough time in London.

I would check flights home from Venice and see if they are all extremely early. That seems to be the consensus here, but I think I've read there are some later. The problem with flying from London to Venice and doing the trip in reverse is that that will take most of a day. So no ideal solution. But having spent a lot of time researching flights from the US to/from Ljubljana I can tell you you'll have cheaper and more flights to chose from if you fly home from Venice (over Ljubljana). Last summer I did a trip that included Ljubljana, London, Amsterdam, Venice and a few other places and I found by far it was cheaper to have my entry and exit points be London and Amsterdam. And Easyjet flies cheaply from London to Ljubljana.

Ljubljana
Castle, two good museums, two very good shopping & restaurant streets, odd little places. Working hard you can visit the lot in 16 hours.

I just don't find Ljubljana that interesting - compared to the rest of the list.

I thought Ljubljana absolutely charming! Some fascinating and playfully engaging architecture, lively markets, lovely river front, not to mention the things bilboburgler lists. And a nice contrast IMO from other places considered for this itinerary. (And yes, I've been fortunate enough to see them all! ) (Vive La Différence, danon - wouldn't it be horrible if we all traveled for the same things?) Look for isabel's pictures (I'm hope she posted some!).

I think janisj's advice is on target - be sure to consider the costs of getting to the airport in Venice before committing!

I also absolutely loved Ljubljana. Not even sure I can explain why, it just had everything that makes me love being in Europe. Here's the link to my photos of Ljubljana and the other cities on your list (most of them) - http://www.pbase.com/annforcier

Thanks for the advice re: flying out of Venice - I never would have thought about that. Part of what attracts me to Ljubljana is as you said - it seems a nice contrast to the other places and a lovely, calm way to end a lengthy trip.

You're 24, you'll be meeting fascinating people... Don't be surprised if your plans change enroute! Have a wonderful trip!

Hi:
I have traveled solo to all of the cities that you mentioned
except Ljubljana. I agree with NY traveler that London
could be a trip all unto itself as there is so much to do and
see. Krakow has been one of my most favorite cities so far.
I took the train from Prague to Krakow. I had only planned to stay there a few days but I was having such a good time
that I changed my itinerary. I met some young people at
a jazz festival and they showed me around for a day or two. One day Auschwitz & I spent a day going to the salt
mines. Krakow is very walkable, has some beautiful squares and is easy to get to from the
train station. (I am many times your age, so I need more down time in between. I tend to do my yearly trips by region & I travel by train, so I stay where towns are walkable). Krakow reminds me of Boston with
all of its young people & colleges. Most speak English and everyone really liked Americans and all were very helpful. It
is my favorite city in Eastern Europe. I really enjoyed Berlin Prague & Budapest. This past summer, I did Italy and spent
several days in Venice. If you haven't been, it is a must see but it is so crowded and lots of tourists...just my thoughts
I got my rail pass, which is flexible, from BETS, as recommended here on this forum. Have a great trip!

johanna - how was the train trip from Prague to Krakow? As I mentioned above, I would love to visit Krakow, everyone I know who has been there loved it. But it seems like such a long slow train ride from just about anywhere (except other places in Poland). I don't really have a strong interest in seeing other places in Poland so would try to combine it with some other cities/countries. Every trip I start out including it but end up dropping it in favor of other places that seem easier to combine. When you went to Krakow where else did you go?

I haven't done much research into what day trips I could do from the cities I'm thinking to visit other than Krakow (Auschwitz, Salt Mines) and Ljubljana (Lake Bled, Skocjan Caves) but are there any "must-see" places that would make good day trips and perhaps provide some contrast to the city? If so this also would make me think I need to focus on fewer places.

Oh definitely, especially London and Amsterdam (and Brugge). From London there are tons including Oxford and Cambridge - gorgeous world famous college towns with fabulous architecture and beautiful settings and Warwick (great castle, can be combined with Stratford-upon-Avon). I've also done Canterbury and Brighton as day trips. Then there are the even closer one which are more like half day trips - Windsor, Kew, Greenwich.

From Amsterdam there are several really beautiful and interesting towns, all easily accessible by train in around an hour (or less) including Haarlem, Delft, Leiden and Gouda.

From Brugge you can get to Ghent, Antwerp and Brussels by train in under an hour.

In addition to the day trips that you and isabel mention, you might want to consider Potsdam and/or Dresden from Berlin. And yes, I think it would be best to focus on fewer places if you plan on day trips.

Cesky Krumlov from Prague.

It sounds like you have a lot of great advice and so many amazing cities on your Itinerary. Venice is very unique and really wouldn't take much time to see 1-3 days max. I love Italy and France but if you have never been to Bavaria I would say it is a must see. Munich (great for night life and meeting people) and Saltzburg are favorites of mine as well as some of the smaller towns in between such as Zell am See (quiet but amazingly beautiful) I much prefer Bavaria to the NW areas of Germany.

What Isabel said about side trips. Ghent is very different from Bruges and worth a trip. The Hague and Delft from Amsterdam.

I would second many of the others and drop Krakow. I looked into getting to Krakow before we visited Prague several years ago and eventually ruled it out because of the hassle and expense of getting there.

If you do cut Krakow, I would probably take more time in some of the cities--London, Berlin. If not, then do go to Venice--one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I notice you are leaving out Vienna, which is one of our favorite cities. But you can't go everywhere, even in four weeks.

FWIW: Krakow is IMHO truly lovely and well worth seeing. When I visited, I took an overnight train from Krakow to Budapest. I found it quite comfortable, but then I really like trains and have had great experiences with overnight trains. I don't know if there's an overnight train from Prague to Krakow; you might want to check.

If you do visit Krakow with overnight trains at either end of your stay there, I would recommend that you spend at least 2 or 3 nights in Krakow (and there's easily enough to keep you busy for that time): Much as I enjoy overnight trains, my experience is that one doesn't always get a full night's sleep (because the train doesn't last quite long enough for you to get that much sleep or because of noises or whatever), so I always feel the need for a bit of catch-up sleep the next night or two.

Just a thought....

Hi Isabel: On that trip, I went from Prague by train to Krakow. I didn't think the train ride was bad at all. I took a day train (first class). On the train, a young couple wanted me to visit their town..everyone was so friendly. After
Krakow, I went to Warsaw by train. Then, I took the night
train from Warsaw to Vilnius. I had a compartment to myself. It was cold and sparse but I arrived in Vilnius in the
morning and the Old Town isn't too far from the train station. Please travel lightly as there aren't any escalators or lifts and you have to go down one side and up the other. I usually take a sandwich and bottled water with
me on the train. One day, I hired a driver to take me to
Riga (in Estonia). It was a nice day trip. If you call Byron,
at BETS 800 4412387, he will give you all the times and
can probably help you with times & high speed trains & where to go. If you stay in the Eastern European cities, you can visit Budapest, Berlin & Dresden. I use BETS every year to get my rail pass as I love train travel. No matter which
cities or countries you choose, you will have a wonderful
time!

Here's my current idea for a route:
London -> Bruges -> Amsterdam -> Berlin -> Prague -> Krakow -> Budapest -> Ljubljana>

With this much train travel and being under 26 the One-Month Global Eurail Youthpass is a no-brainer - in all those countries it gives you the right to hop on virtually any train anytime - just show up at station - check out these fab sites IMO for lots of great info on European trains - www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.seat61.com and www.ricksteves.com.

I'd get rid of Bruges. You are 24. It's not exactly a happening spot - unless you are big into lace doilies.

I'm a bit confused with the Eurail pass. It seems really expensive - a flexible 10 days in two months is $612 for youth and a 1 month pass is $812 (according to http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/eurail.htm).

On top of this, I hear there are extra fees for seat reservations or if I'm on a night train (which I will likely do at least one, maybe two). I hear wildly different prices in my research about point-to-point train tickets, but it seems like a lot can be had for around 30-50$... it just seems like a lot more money to buy a pass. If anybody has some wisdom on this, that would be great because I feel like I keep reading different opinions everywhere.

. I hear wildly different prices in my research about point-to-point train tickets, but it seems like a lot can be had for around 30-50$.>

That is if you want to go into the individual web sites of national railways and weeks if not months in advance book a non-changeable non-refundable often ticket and then not at $30 ever for any of your trips but more like $50-80 and you may not be able to get a discounted ticket, sold in limited numbers and which often sell out weeks in advance.

So the pass gives you total freedom on all your train trips once you get to Lille (jumping off point on Chunnel trains if going to Bruges) - all of the others you can just hop on- in those countries there are no extra fees (like there are in Italy, Spain and France) - that most trains with railpasses charge hefty surcharges is simply a fallacy that folks who know little about trains in general might repeat without knowing it is a fallacy when talking about most trains in Europe.

10 days for $512 means 61 euros a day for unlimited fully flexible travel - a true bargain when compared with regular full fare tickets - you yes could go and book weeks early discounted tickets for maybe a bit less but not very much and what do you lose in flexibility not to speak of often hours trying to book online - not always a snap.

But the tickets you buy at stations in Europe will be way more than $612 if you do ten longish train trips - you only have six trips but I often do day trips from bases so it depends on how many train trips you actually will do - just six as you note then that would be $100 or so per trip with the pass - still a great deal on most journeys for fully flexible tickets but you may be able to book some much cheaper online. Play around with the various web sites and see what is up then you will be able to make a more educated decision.

I always use a railpass more than I imagine and even with a 10-day pass you could use the other days besides your six long days say doing day trips from cities - but a lot of trips cannot be done for anything less than about $50 IME even with the discounted routes - at stations if you do not book you will pay much more.

Well, it looks like this is really happening! I'm probably going to buy a plane ticket this week... can't even believe it.

After more pondering, I'm now thinking of doing London->Bruges->Amsterdam->Berlin->Prague->Vienna->Budapest. I'd be cutting Krakow and Ljubljana and adding Vienna.

However, I hear so many amazing things about Krakow, I'm still not sure... I could still do Krakow instead of Vienna. Or I could fo from Prague to Krakow, cut Vienna and Budapest, and throw in some other place along the way. I found basically identical flights whether I leave from Budapest or Krakow, so that's not a concern...

Granted, I'm going to keep my plans flexible and might add or subtract places on the fly, but I do need to decide whether I'm flying out of Budapest or Krakow... any last thoughts before I pull the trigger? Thanks to everyone so much for all the advice and wisdom so far!

> However, I hear so many amazing things about Krakow, I'm still not sure... I could still do Krakow instead of Vienna. Or I could fo from Prague to Krakow, cut Vienna and Budapest, and throw in some other place along the way.

The good news is that you will see wonderful things whichever choices you make. Krakow and Vienna are very different places, so maybe one has more of interest to you than the other? Or you might want to consider your likelihood of visiting these areas again, in which case keeping Krakow might make most sense because its the one that is most difficult to reach from locations that tend to be high on priority lists for European travel. (In other words, you are more likely to find it convenient to visit Vienna on a future trip than Krakow.)

I'm not sure why you are considering cutting both Vienna and Budapest or "throwing" in some other place - maybe just a bit overwhelmed at this point in your planning? If so, I can surely understand - I've had moments like that! And if that is it, just take some deep breaths and maybe take a day off from planning.

If you really can't decide, flip a coin. If you look at the coin and say, "OK," go with it. If you look at the coin and say "I'm going to flip for 2 out of 3," you'll know you made your decision.

Krakow IME was good for 2-3 days max - one day for this lovely lovely city - Poland's Royal City with much much more of an old-world look than a war-decimated Warsaw that was IMO tackily rebuilt after WW2 - and one day for the trip over to Auschwitz and a half-day for the UNESCO World-Heritage Site the Wieliczka Salt Mines, just south of Krakow.

If doing trains there are overnight trains between Krakow and Prague and Budapest.

Would I take Krakow over Vienna - no way but Krakow is a delighgt - Vienna would work much more easily into the OP's itinerary however.

Consider hopping hydrofoils between Vienna and Budapest.

I really liked Krakow, I liked it better than Vienna, actually. I've been there a couple times, but once in Vienna was enough. However, it doesn't really fit into your current itinerary that well as it is out of the way unless you leave from there. And there is a place you could visit between Prague and Krakow going south by train (I've done that, in fact, Olomouc), but I've been to the CR and Poland 2-3 times each and so didn't need to hit another major city as someone who has never been there before has. Olomouc isn't really a major highlight of a trip. However, you could stay in Dresden between the two (I've done that, also), the only issue is then you are backtracking if you come from Berlin to Prague. But you could do that. I've visited Wroclaw, also, in-between Dresden and Krakow, that is a really nice city.

I think Vienna and Budapest are a bit more logical for your plan, if you are really interested in them. As you said, you aren't really that interested in Poland and could better fit Krakow into some other trip.

Okay... did some more thinking... given 28 days, here's what I think I'm going to do. This is just a general idea - not pre-booking much so I can add or subtract days if I love or hate a place.

London - 4 days
Brugge - 2 days
Amsterdam - 3 days
Berlin - 4 days
Prague - 3 days
Vienna - 3 days
Budapest - 3 days
Krakow - 3 days
= 25 days

That leaves 3 days worth of travel between places. Budapest to Krakow I'd take an overnight train. I could get a Eurail pass for 5 countries/6 days, that would cover Belgium/Amsterdam, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary and allow a couple day trips. Would have to book a separate ticket London->Bruges and Budapest->Krakow anyway since it's not covered by a pass.

If for whatever reason I feel the need to cut out Vienna or Budapest due to time, I could do so and still end up at Krakow. I found flights that work great for me going into London and out of Krakow.

Does this seem doable?

It's doable, but you will be jetlagged your first day in London. I'd take at least one day from somewhere else and add it to London because there is just so much to do there. I'm prejudiced, though, because it is my favorite city anywhere.

Depending on your interests, this plan could be a bit on the rushed side, but it should be do-able and you'll some some amazing places.

Just one more observation: While I like that you are allowing yourself the flexibility of changing your plans as you go, IME trying to find a room once you reach a place can take several hours (standing in line at the tourist info office, working to identify a good option, getting there...) and there are no guarantees that what you will find will be either suitable or affordable. I was SO glad when I switched to booking ahead! You might want to check a site like booking.com and reserve places that allow you to cancel for free up to 24 hours in advance. (Be SURE that the bookings you select provide that option!) Then you'll be sure to have a place if your itinerary works as you plan, but still have a bit of flexibility.

Of the cities you list... Two are not my favorites... Prague (I always duck when I say that)... And Vienna. I lived (until last week) an hour from Vienna. My kids, who are your age, have no interest in Vienna... As my son so kindly put it, "Vienna is for old people like you, mom". For me, I would keep Krakow and fly home from Budapest... I live in Budapest now and love it. More important for you, so do my kids.

Sorry, I need to clarify. , I would not add Vienna (as was suggested)... And I do not love Prague, but I would keep it on. I agree to plan plenty of days in London and Berlin. I would also take off Bruges (just because of your age). I love Amsterdam. And Ljubljana is just a bit too far. Travel with the comfort and expectation that you will be back.

We took the day train from Prague to Krakow in 2003, and it wasn't a bad train ride at all. It was about 8 hours long, had lunch in the dining car. We changed trains in Katowice. On our return, we took the overnight train from Krakow to Prague, and that was fine, too. Didn't have any problems. I didn't think it was a big deal "training" from Prague to Krakow, and Krakow is worth it. It's a beautiful city, small & walkable. We also visited the salt mines & Auschwitz.

Prague is also one of my favorite cities. We've been there twice (my daughter studied there for a semester) & I highly recommend it.

After more pondering, I'm now thinking of doing London->Bruges->Amsterdam->Berlin->Prague->Vienna->Budapest. I'd be cutting Krakow and Ljubljana and adding Vienna.>

You may look into the Eurail Select Youthpass valid in 5 countries - Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg as one country for this purpose and Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and Hungary - a flexipass valid over a 2-month period - use it to do long trips between bases - using overnight trains perhaps to save more money.

I'm doing it! Got my plane tickets... it's pretty surreal. Due to flight considerations, I'm now leaving from Munich, which is a place I was interested in seeing anyway. So I'll be doing London, Belgium (I'm thinking of staying in Gent and visiting Bruges), Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Budapest, and Munich. Possibly stopping in Vienna between Prague and Budapest.

Thanks to everyone for the advice. My schedule is still pretty much flexible other than flying into London and leaving from Munich... if anyone has recommendations for other places along the way or day trips from the cities I mention, I would love to hear.

I'll likely do as PalenQ suggested and get the 5 country Eurail Select Youthpass. Would take night trains from Prague to Budapest and from Budapest to Munich. Not sure if night trains are available for any other legs.

Sounds like a fantastic trip! Enjoy!

Other night trains you could hop would be Amsterdam to Berlin, I believe, and Krakow from Prague and Krakow to Budapest.

I'd stay in Bruges and visit Ghent (having done the reverse). Ghent is not all that charming, whereas you'll want to be in Bruges at nite and in the morning without all the tourists.

And I'd visit Vienna (and Salzburg too) on the way back from Budapest if you have time, particularly if you have any interest in music.

Otherwise, looks like a great trip.

Ditto to staying in Bruges - which sparkles after dark with its wondrously illuminated old humpbacked bridges spanning its many old canals - the main square is also serenely illuminated - Bruges is most romantic yes after the tour bus hoardes who stop by during the day have long gone.

I would stop in Vienna, too. I liked it a lot. Salzburg is lovely as well. I have a really hard time with travel since I seem to like everything!