[size=7]I'm a newbie and I must say this is the best forum traveling forum I've been to.

I was wondering if my itinerary is reasonable for the time and money I plan to spend. I am planning to budget between $4,000 to $4,500 USD, which included flights, Eurail pass, food, hostels, and attractions.

London (4 nights) At a hostel or living with a friend in Tadworth (anyone been there?) and going into London every day.
Madrid (2 nights) Flying using easyjet
Barcelona (2 nights)
Bern/Zurich or Lucerne (2 nights) Flying using easyjet
Milan (1 night)
Florence (3 nights)
Rome (3 nights)
Venice (2 nights)
Munich (1 night)
Salzburg (1 night)
Vienna (2 nights)
Prague (2 nights)
Berlin (2 nights)
Amsterdam (2 nights)
Paris (6 nights) Staying at a friend's place an hour away.

Should I take out Switzerland and Munich/Salzburg (taking Eurail from Venice to Vienna)? This is my first trip to Europe so I want to know which cities and places are a MUST see. Also, the travel agent told me that if necessary, Munich, Salzburg, and Madrid (???) can be done in a day. If I do go to Switzerland, which city should I definitely visit? Also, I'm considering not flying from Barcelona to Bern, but taking the Eurail to Nice for a day, then up to Switzerland (Zermatt? Interlaken?) and back down to Italy.

I am playing to go really cheap on my meals, and I rarely drink, so I don't think I will be going out to clubs very often since I've traveling alone. However, I do expect to see a number of sights and I know those can add up.

Any help would be great! I know that my list is a bit ambitious, so any suggestions on trimming my list down for places that I don't have to see would be great. I'm staying longer in London/Paris because of free housing. Lastly, since this is my first time traveling alone and backpacking, do you guys think I should settle for one of those bus tours (Contiki, Intrepid, Cosmos)? THANKS!

Christine

You definately have enough money for the trip. As for the amount of time at each place, you are going to end up very tired by just spending one day in a lot of towns. I would not disagree that Salzburg and Munich can be seen in a day, and that is all I spent in Salzburg, but Munich will be more enjoyable if you spent more than a day there.

It would probably be wise to knock off three places, just because you are going to be spending an awful lot of time on trains and planes with that itinerary and only 4-5 weeks in Europe. I circled around Europe in 6 weeks last year and was very tired from it. I think many others here would agree that picking out one region would be the best way to go.

Ditto, skidrage. Leave the whirlwinding to people who don't have time or never want to come back again - try to focus more on a particular region and give yourself an extra day or two in each city. It'll be more relaxing, you'll get to know the places better, and you won't spend half your cash and time on transport.

Id say go to Lucern or Interlaken over Zurich, skip Milan and lessa days in Florence and spend more time in Munich. And yeah go to Nice from Barcelona and see MOnaco and the beautiful coastline around there. Might be a little ambitious, I did pretty much the same cities but it took me two and a half months.

For your first time backpacking, I want to congratulate you because you obviously did a lot of thinking about your itinerary. :thumbup: However you're forgetting the time spent travelling from one city/country to another. Your whole program includes 35 nights exactly, leaving out the days or nights you'll be changing places. Like Skidrage said, it will take a looooooot of your time, you'll see.

Count one day for changing places, so you should stay minimum two nights everywhere, or you'll end up just a few hours free to visit. Ex : you leave Venice in the morning, arrive in Munich late afternoon, spend the night, visit Munich the next day, spend the night, and leave for Salzburg.

Overnight transport can help you save time, but it's exhausting. Good once in a while.

And if a you especially enjoy a country, why not take time to visit the countryside as well ? You'll see a whole different side of the culture. Worth it ! :)