Everyone and their brothers have stated it already - cut it down to three cities. I chime in on that of course.

Now, as a Berliner … I beg you, don’t come here. Berlin is depressive as fuck in the winter. Any season has its charms, but not winter in Berlin. London, Paris and Prague are slighly better. BUT if it is during winter, I would stick to the southern half.

You could start at Barcelona. Three or four days. Then take the train to Florence. It’s something like a 16 hour trip, but you can get a very nice view along the coast.

Make Florence your headquarter for the rest of the trip. It is fairly central, and not as hectic as Rome.

Don’t take a hotel. Take an apartment with your own kitchen. And now, you have a lot of flexibility.

• Rome is 3 hours away with a rented car. Or only 90 minutes by high speed train. Hell, I need more time in Berlin getting from the western to the eastern outskirts.
• In case somehow Rome is not to your liking (strange thing, but could happen) … I got you covered. It’s about the same distance to Venice. Or Milan. Or Genoa. Just around the corner is Bologna.
• My personal secret tip … Trieste. Not much further, cozy and beautiful. Don’t tell anyone I told you.
• And if you want something completely different … take a plane to Vienna or Prague for two or three days to close it all. Yes I know what I said in the beginning, but perhaps after all this sun you would like something cold an non-Italian ^^.

That’s how I would do it *shrugs in German*.

7 destinations in 18 days. You’re losing at least 7 days on moving around. Then everything will be closed for 3 days for Christmas, and 2 days for New Year, leaving you less than one day per destination.

You have chosen the worst possible time of year, and you have chosen far too many destinations.

Fortunately, Florence can be a day trip from Rome by train. If you want to see as much as possible, I’d recommend you to ditch two or three of the remaining destinations, and to go at literally any other time of year. Everything will be closed at Christmas, and over New Year, and it’s cold and dark, making it sort of miserable to walk around on your own and looking at rain-soaked scenery.

I’ve done Rome in three days and I don’t recommend it, it’s far too hectic. I’ve been to London for a week and left having seen only half of the major sights despite a totally packed schedule. You could reasonably sample Florence in a day, and Prague or Berlin in three or four days. I have very limited personal experience of Paris and Barcelona but for major sights, they’re comparable to Rome and Prague, respectively.

Two days in Paris, train to Amsterdam. Three days in Amsterdam, fly to Vienna. Three days in Vienna, train to Prague. Three days in Prague, train to Berlin. Two days in Berlin.

I've never been to Prague or Berlin but I personally think I'd enjoy Prague more. When I was a kid we took an overnight train from Vienna to Paris. It was cool but if you're trying to hit that many cities in that amount of time, the eleven hour train ride from Amsterdam to Vienna might eat up too much of it (Vienna is a lot farther east than many people, especially Americans like me, realize). Thalys runs a service between Amsterdam and Paris. Pay the extra money for first class. The luxurious seats and free beer and wine are well worth it. Unfortunately when we did that we were going to Bruges so we had to trade the badass Thalys train for an ordinary commuter train in Antwerp.

I agree with Charles that you might want to think about cutting down the number of cities to two or three. Maybe do Paris and Amsterdam or Vienna, Prague, and Berlin. Also if you did just Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin you could fly in and out of the same cities and travel by train between all of them. We were originally planning to do Amsterdam, Bruges, Cologne, Frankfurt, and Strasbourg last January. We eventually cut it down to Amsterdam and Bruges and ended up having a wonderful trip.

Disclaimer: 10 days is too less to visit 2 European countries and Amsterdam.
In reality, it takes at least 3-4 days to experience a single city of Europe.
However, from an Indian tourist's POV, I realize that is all we can afford from our routine.
So, I have tried to pack in as many places as possible, but also made sure that it does not turn into a 'checking a checklist' kind of a trip.
There is ample amount of time allotted at each place so as to feel and appreciate that location.

Assuming that you guys will be having a Eurail pass with you for those 10 days, I would suggest the following itinerary:

Day 1: Spend the day in Amsterdam and take the Sandeman's walking tour during the afternoon. Visit the 'I Am Amsterdam' Park and roam around the waterfront edges of the city (rightly called 'The Venice of the North'). At night, take the train to Zurich (You might need to change trains to reach there).

Day 2: Upon reaching Zurich, go ahead to Lucerne, and take the river cruise from there. Alight at any of the intermediate stops during the cruise (Weggies or so) and spend the day exploring the countryside, before returning to Lucerne in the evening. As per your wish, spend the night in Lucerne or Zurich.

Day 3: The Eurail will allow you to board the 'Golden Pass Panoramic Railway'. Its a whole day journey aboard different types of trains, which takes you to different locales of Switzerland. One of the best ways to see the beauty of Switzerland. Get off at Meringien, if you are a Sherlock Holmes fan and explore the town where he died (the Riechenbach Falls should be frozen around November, so you won't get to see it, I am afraid.)

Day 4: Go to a small city called Neufhausen to witness the Rhine Falls. It is majestic and the widest falls in Europe. You can take the boat out to right underneath the falls.
Spend half a day there and then catch a train to Broc-Fabrique. The town, in addition to being scenic in every possible way, is home to the Nestle Chocolate Factory. Witness the remarkable process of chocolate making and at the end they let you indulge in every flavor of chocolate that you might you have thought about, for free!!
You will return by 6 in the evening, wherein you can roam about in Zurich and do some shopping, because the next day you will be leaving Switzerland.

Day 5: Go on to Engelberg, which is the base point for Mount Titlis. One of the most famous attractions of the country. You should have no trouble in planning your day atop this mountain.
In the evening, you can catch a train to Italy. Plan to arrive in Rome the next morning. Although, you will pass Pisa and Florence on the way, but those will be visited on the way back.

Day 6: Take the walking tours, visit the ruins, the Colosseum, the Triveni and the Gelato ice cream! This is one of the most beautiful city in the world. Take it all in.

Day 7: Visit The Vatican City, i.e the Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Indulge in some local cuisine and shopping.
In the afternoon, take a train to Pisa. Keep the luggage in the station lockers and go see the tower during the early evening. The city does not have much other attractions. So the best course would be to move to Florence in the evening (just an hour by train). Settle there. Take a walk along the riverside.

Day 8: The David, The Basilica, The Vecchio-Lots of places to experience here. Basically, chart out The Inferno (by Dan Brown) route in this city.
(Read the novel, if you haven't. You will enjoy Italy a lot more then).

In the evening, catch a train to Venice.

Day 9: Venice is the last destination before heading back to Amsterdam. So the day is yours. Visit St. Marks, the islands around Venice, the Murano Glass Factory. There will be a festival in Venice on 21st Nov:
Venice in November
Try to plan your travel dates in accordance, if possible.
Head for Amsterdam in the night or early next morning, whatever is feasible. The journey will take around 17 hours.

Day 10: Reach Amsterdam. If you caught the train the previous night, you won't have much time left in the city as it will be afternoon already.Visit the RLD, the flower shops, the hash brownie cafes.
Basically, enjoy the closing sights of the second most beautiful city in your trip.

Important: On the last day, take some time to finally settle down and take in the environment around you.
Spend the last hours of the evening (and the trip) in leisure, sitting in an outside cafe, on the cobbled streets of Amsterdam, in the cold November winds, having a glass of Hot Wine (yes, they serve it hot too!), witnessing the Christmas decorations coming alive all around, all the while reminiscing about the beauty and the experience of Europe that you guys felt over the last 10 days!

The journey thus draws to an end.

P.S: I am sorry for getting all episodic and zoned out in the ending sentences. You just can't help being overwhelmed by the continent, every time you think about it!!

P.P.S: I hope this helps. I will update it as and when I come across better options and travel plans.
Do make sure to read about the places before going there. It is highly necessary, so as to enjoy the most.

Thanks for the A2A.

Let me start by strongly encouraging to change your itinerary. You are going to be absolutely and utterly exhausted, if you go through with this, to the point where your trip won’t be enjoyable at all. You have waaaaay too much packed into one trip.

I backpacked for 2 years, and I met numerous people who did you what you did. And common for all of them, is that none had a good time. They were stressed, exhausted, and frankly just looking forward to going home.

Reduce to at most a third of what you’ve got (i.e. 5–6 cities), and make it possible for yourself to actually enjoy it, instead of thinking about tallying up a large number of countries and cities.

The budget depends on where you stay, and what you like to do. If you fly, book 4/5-star hotels and eat all meals in expensive restaurants, be prepared to spend at least 500 euros per day on average. If you travel with Flixbus, stay in cheap accommodation and cook yourself most of the days, you should be able to get by on a 100–200 euro per day budget.

Use budget airlines, stay at budget hotels, eat basic food only

2 days per city, 30 days

Flight 80$ x 15 = 1200

Holel 30 x 30$ = 900

Food & Drink 20$ x 30 = 600

Local transport 15$ x 30 = 450

Entrance fees for Attractions $10 x 30 = 300

Miscellaneous 500$

My estimate is 4000 USD or 2800 Euros without the cost of flying to the 1st city in Europe from your city.

List of budget airlines in Europe

EasyJet

Ryanair

Wizz Air

Vueling

Jet2

Eurowings

Norwegian

airBaltic

Pegasus Airlines

Transavia

Blue Air

Flybe

Aer Lingus

Iberia Express

Norwegian Air Shuttle

Condor

French Bee

Volotea

Aegean Airlines

Norse Atlantic

Play

Smartwings

Air One

Start by reducing the number of places to see. If you try to see everything, you see nothing.

I don't quite know your criteria for selection, but based on fairly typical tastes I'd say you could do the following.

1) London - For a taste of the UK and it's general amazingness and you probably land here.

2) Paris - For a beautiful French city.

Leave out Barcelona, it's a LONG way to go, and it's amazing, but worth a trip by itself to another time.

3) Rome - Amazing city with incredible heritage and beyond amazing history.

Leave out Florence, it's amazing, but Rome will give you the flavor you needed.

4) Venice- But don't spend long, it's incredible but it's easy to get the idea in one day, there is no depth to it.

5) Prague - Incredible city, but takes less time than the others.

Miss Budapest- Great city, but you have no time and Prague satisfies the continental on river city.

Maybe miss out Berlin, it's incredible but it takes longer to get to grips with, it's not the instant thrill of Venice or Rome.

When it comes to travel, I believe that less is more. The more time you can spend in a place, the more you can really get to know and appreciate it. In your case, if you have just 10 to 12 days and Paris and Prague are musts, then I would spend the whole time in or near Paris and Prague. Paris has more to see than Prague. I once spent 10 days just in Paris and wasn’t able to see or do as many things as I wanted. So I would suggest 6–8 days in Paris and 4 days in Prague. For a little variety, you could take a day trip to a nearby smaller city such as Chartres or Reims from Paris or Kutná Hora from Prague. If you try to squeeze in overnights in other cities, you will spend much of your precious time packing, unpacking, and traveling between cities, inside of enjoying and getting to know one of your priority cities.

I just got back yesterday from an 11 day trip to Germany and London and enjoyed the benefits of the strong US Dollar. Hotel rooms that have cost me $100 not are costing $20 less.

I would, by the way, see if you can add an overnight in Istanbul as it is a great city that deserves a week but can offer you an experience if only for a night.

Once you land a Rome, you can do a version of the Jason Bourne trip from Italy to Berlin. I would suggest three nights in Rome, two in Florence, two in Venice, two in the mountains of Austria, (Zell am See is my favorite), two in Munich or Nuremberg (a favorite), three in Prague, Three of four in Berlin with a side trip to Potsdam.

You could get a four country (Italy, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic) Eurail Select Pass for something like $400 for eight days of travel. I would then consider what level of lodging I am looking for. A single room in a three star hotel with buffet breakfast ended up costing me about $75/day. Noon meals are available on the entire itinerary for the 8-12 Euro range. If you are under 26, I would suggest youth hostels in many of the places -- much cheaper. Most of the cities in this itinerary have PLUS hostels, new and rather plush hostels with swimming pools and the like. You can stay in 6 person dorms for less than $20 and in private rooms for less than double that. PLUS Florence.

Nineteen days is ideal for the trip you propose. All of the best.

Top Three Things where you’ll save most for the time spent:

1. For flights into Europe: This will be a big chunk of your overall expense if you are not already in Europe.
1. Book tickets to Paris. There are considerably more flights to Paris than to Amsterdam or Berlin. This makes the pricing more competitive.
2. Avoid peak summers because cost of everything sky rockets. I use Google Flights to check what are the cheapest destinations and dates.
3. Also, check if there are cheaper fares neighbouring cities, like Brussels and Frankfurt.
2. For travel within Europe: Train is the most convenient.
1. Ticket costs go up as you get closer to departure. So make sure you book them well in advance.
2. Getting to the train stations is considerably cheaper than getting to the airports in these cities. Bus stops are also tricky to spot. Stick to trains.
3. Accommodation: Hostels.
1. It is cheap, safe and close to main attractions. Choose something close to a metro station, bus stop or tram stop.
2. You meet new people, usually have breakfast included, and can cook your own meal once in a while in their kitchen.

Can you? Absolutely. While I don’t have an awful lot of experience of Spain, the Netherlands and France, I know they’re all well-connected in transport terms, particularly by train, so you shouldn’t have a huge difficulty getting through all of those countries.

That said, I wouldn’t recommend such an ambitious itinerary (or “nucleus of an itinerary”, I suppose) at all. Just to take Italy as an example, the “obvious” locations to visit are Naples, Rome and Venice. Rome can easily take a week, and the same for Venice. Naples itself probably can too, although the big-ticket attraction is Pompeii. That’s before you look at what else to see in Italy, or anywhere else on your list.

Now, that’s not to say you can’t do it. If your idea of a good trip is to get up and march from attraction to attraction, it’s do-able. A lot of cities have discount cards which allow you to skip the queues to some of the major attractions (even if you’re spending an entire month in Rome, this is a life-saver for the Colosseum, trust me), so judicious use of those and a willingness to avoid interesting-looking side streets will come in handy. You’ll sleep well every night, I can pretty much promise you!

I’ve noticed on a comment to another answer that this will be your first time in Europe, which is obviously a very good thing. In that case, I’d say “play it sensibly”. Europe’s not going anywhere in a tearing hurry, and the attractions of all of these countries will still be there in a couple more years. Rather than exhausting yourself by going from museum-to-church-to-castle-to-museum every day, it’s probably better for a month to pick a couple of places reasonably close to each other and explore them in a bit more depth.

As a relative of mine used to remind us all, “You can never exhaust the wonders of Europe. You can, however, exhaust yourself.”

You have 12 days.

You want to visit four countries:

** The Netherlands

** Germany

** Italy

** France

You want to know how to do this.

Here is my answer:

Don't do it!

Don't try to do this!

It is a terrible plan!

What is wrong?

(1) You will waste a lot of time when you have to move from one place to the next.

(2) You will not have time to see and understand the places you visit.

(3) You will be able to say that you have been there, but what is the point if you do not really see anything anywhere?

You are simply rushing from one place to the next, never stopping to enjoy the place where you are.

What to do about this?

Here is my suggestion:

Slow down

Don't try to cover as much as possible in a few days.

Delete two countries from your list of four countries.

Save two countries for your next trip to Europe.

Two countries = 12 days = this is a good plan, because you will have six days in each country.

Which countries should you choose?

Which countries should you delete from your list?

This is up to you.

This depends on who you are and what you wish to see and do.

Some people want to enjoy nature.

Other people want to enjoy the big city.

Some people are interested in history and historical monuments.

Other people do not care about history.

They want something else.

I would choose France and Italy, because there is a lot of history.

But this is not about me.

This is about you.

Whatever you decide, I wish you good luck!

The only smart sequence, especially considering that you are coming in the middle of the holidays when everything is either overcrowded or closed, depending on the day, would be to drop all cities but 2 or 3, opt for self-catering accomodations (you will be hard pressed to find places to eat on December 24th, 25th, 26th, 31st, and January 1st and 6th, when restaurants are either closed for lack of clients, closed in preparation of the festive dinners, or reserved solid since a month or two in advance for the festive dinners) and do not expect to have any transfers on the days I listed above. Also, on those days do not expect to visit museums or other attractions.

Overall, I would consider moving the trip by a couple weeks forward or back, and trim down the destinations to 2 or 3 tops, in a manageable sequence that prevents from having to take planes (way too time consuming). A manageable itinerary would me a week in Rome (self-catering), train to Milan, 3–4 nights in Milan, train to Paris, where to spend a second week in a self-catering accomodation. An alternative itinerary could be a week in Barcelona (self catering), overnight ferry to Genova, three nights in Genova, train to Rome through Grosseto (the line is oh so slow, but also rather scenic).

As the others have said, you don’t need any USD as nobody will take them. You need Euros (€ or EUR) and Swiss Franks (CHF) in Switzerland. And a debit card to get these from cash machines (ATM’s) and a credit card. You need to tell your bank to authorise these for foreign use.

Tickets for planes and long distance trains need buying 2–3 months in advance to get cheap fares. You can look up prices on the web. Buy train tickets direct from the operator, not via an intermediary. Hotels also need booking 1–2 months in advance and will cost at least €100 per night, in Switzerland CHF 200.

Where are you going in Switzerland Italy or Greece, which city or location? You still have too many places, 4 places in 2 weeks is too rushed.

Assuming you have already booked transport and accomodation, you need about €100-€200 per day for food, entrance fees and local transport.

Do you have to start and finish in the same place?

If not, start with 2 days in Barcelona (one of which you'll probably spend battling jet-lag and accommodating yourself to European climate). Then fly to Rome for a day or two. Take a train to Venice, with a brief stop in Florence - that's a day - and then a sleeper train to Vienna (rather than Budapest). In general, use trains where possible. It's a lovely and cheap way to travel around Europe, and you'll see more than from a plane.
Since it's a sleeper train, you'll have a whole day to see Venice, and still be able to get to Vienna in the morning the next day. Another train to Prague - that's just a short hop - and a full day there.

We're half-way through your schedule, and it's only been the first week, so you'll probably want to rest a day at that point. I recommend to do it in Berlin. Berlin is a "walk-about" city, big and busy, and you'll want to spend at least two days there to fill up on what's in my opinion the best of modern "European city buzz". All the cities before were beautiful and historic, but Berlin is all that, but also very youthful and hip.

I'd advise one more day-stop between Berlin and Paris, otherwise you'll miss out on a huge swathe of Europe. Make it either Cologne or Brussels, both are definitely worth seeing, and easy to get around in a day.

You'll need at least two days on Paris, and three days on London, just to get the basics of either. London is the biggest city in Europe by far, three times bigger than any you'd have visited before - a country in its own right, really. So make sure you dedicate the most time for it. Again, use the train - the Eurostar from Paris to London is 2 comfortable hours from city centre to city centre.

The above gives us 16 days, so you'll have 2 days extra to add to any stop if you fancy staying longer - or if you want to see Cologne and Brussels on the same trip. Alternatively, you may want to start with a visit to Andalusia (Granada!) before going to Barcelona.

And wherever your trip will take you, remember - you'll be wanting to come back to all of those places again, for longer. This is nothing but a taster of the real thing.

A month is a long time, so yes, one can do it. Starting with the Netherlands you have to see and experience Amsterdam. A wonderful start to your trip.

Now you have to make a decision.

Either go to Paris (you have to see Paris) via a stop in Brussels (the Grand Place) and then further south to Lyon perhaps (more than just food) or Avignon and then on to Torino in Italy via the Alps;

OR to Berlin (with an excursion to Potsdam) and then south via Prague, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest (the last two by river ferry down the Danube) before heading for Venice in Italy.

All probably accessible by train (bookable in advance for best seats and prices). Spend 1–3 days in each place. It is essential to experience a city at night to get under its skin.

Italy is simply the best. Torino and Milan are wonderful cities to spend a day or two in but everyone has to experience Venice before they die (allow 3 days). The Lakes (Garda, Como, etc) are fabulous but need time (one week). If you are more adventurous head to Florence, birthplace of the Renaissence (3 days), and then on to the glory of Rome (Colossium, the Forum, Palatine Hill, etc, etc.) 3 days. All possible by train.

By now you will be exhausted. End your holiday by hiring a car and heading for the Amalfi coast (Positano, Sorrento or Amalfi) and relaxing for a week. Roads are first class but you have to be a brave driver for the last bit. Excursions to Capri, Pompeii and Herculaneum are all possible). Plus of course, Naples.

Oh dear, I forgot Spain. Not to mention Lisbon and Portugal. Also, Dubrovnik, Istanbul (my favourite), Athens, the Greek Islands, Sicily, ENGLAND, Scotland and all of the other wonderful places in Europe that I have not mentioned.

For a first timer in Europe I can understand your wish to see as much as possible. It obviously can be done but you run the risk of travel/cultural overload. If this is Tuesday it must be Belgium, etc. I would advise being less ambitious and spending more time experiencing one or two countries and really getting to know the countries and the people.

April is not a particularly warm month. Late May would be much better. If April stick to cities.

Hope this helps.

This is probably not at all the answer to your question but -

Are you dead set on covering so many places? When I hear "cheap" and seven countries over 3 weeks, I'll strongly advice otherwise.

Some of the reasons why -

• Each of the countries have so many things to offer (places, people, experiences) that 2 to 3 weeks for all just isn't enough. You will have checked off a bunch of European cities and definitely will have had fun while at it but you may not be able to end up appreciating or soaking in the individual cultures as the way of living is very different in each of the places.
• You will end up losing at least 96 hours and a few hundred Euros in cross country travel. I'll strongly urge you to pick a single country - or two neighbouring countries (The Netherlands - Belgium - North Germany, France - Germany, Germany - Italy, Spain - France) and select around 4-6 cities (2-3 weeks) near the mutual border to minimize on travel time\spending (note that these to 4 cities should be hubs - you can visit towns\villages as part of day trips. Eg - Haarlem near Amsterdam is a day trip)
• There's no good formulae to balance time and money when you want to - you want to save time, you need to fly - which is not necessarily cheap. There are a few cheap airlines (check out Easyjet.com\Ryanair.com) but you won't be lucky enough to line up cheap flights through out your itinerary across so many countries (unless you're travelling to country capitals). BlaBla car is cheap, but driving a. takes time, b. isn't so predictable and makes sticking to fixed itineraries hard. Eurail again isn't that cheap unless booked way in advance, and you will be spending too much time in trains.
• Managing to pick up multiple languages is hard. In the country capitals mostly folks will know English - but in the less popular cities (where you would want to go - as you want to spend less cash) it's not so straight forward.

Let me know if I haven't persuaded you otherwise - I'll get back with a possible best fit itinerary for your originally intended plan :)

Years ago my two pals and i spent six glorious weeks touring all over Europe ,in an old ambulance fitted out to sleep three, we lived off mainly pasta and vegetables and cheap plonk, we took fishing rods, we picked grapes for cash, try going to Europe when the grape season is ready, find this out and see if you can fit your schedule around it, if you are an American you might be suprised how close everywhere is ,you can hire a campervan for 33 days that can sleep six for around 5 thousand pounds, you return the vehicle back to the company, this amount split between a number of you could do the trick, their are so many campsites all over europe with wonderful views, their are hire firms on the internet under Europe road trips, good luck.

Thanks for the A2A!

Amsterdam is a wonderful city and a great way to start your holiday in Western Europe. Getting around is pretty easy as it has a good connectivity to surrounding cities via flights, trains and buses. You’ll need a min of 3 full days in Amsterdam to cover all the sights.

Your itinerary for the next 6 days completely depends on your interests and hobbies.

I can definitely recommend Paris and Brussels (a day trip to Brügges is a must). Buses are often very comfortable and inexpensive. Check Flixbus, Ouibus and Blabla car for getting around.

If you need additional information, just holler!

You say family but do not give the age of the children. Is it too much? Depends on how old the children are, how long each day you plan on sightseeing and the pace that you are planning on keeping. If you go at the pace of your youngest and plan on meal breaks at the appropriate times, this is very do-able. If you want to go at your pace and skip meals in order to see more, indeed this is too much. For children a good trip, is to go to the park, feed the ducks and play on the swings and slides. Seeing Buckingham Palace, West Minister Abbey, Hyde Park may interest you, but certainly not the little ones. Even if your children are teens, make certain that you include something that they want to see and are interested. You may even consider letting the “children” help plan your/their trip. I see you started with “I am planning a trip”. Rethink this into it be “we are planning”. Even though castle are interesting and plentiful in England, after five or six, you will get the same reaction that we did “Oh, No! Not ANOTHER Castle.”

If you are on 11 days of vacation in Europe, I would suggest you to cover maximum 4–5 countries.

Frankfurt is in Germany and if it's your base then it would be better to cover below places/counties :

1. Barcelona, Spain : A vibrant, buzzy and beautiful. This amazing city of Spain is one of the most popular in the Europe and there are lot of happening things to do. Worth a visit.
2. Paris, France : Paris needs no introduction. One of the world's most visited capitals, also known as ‘City of Lights'. From Iconic Eiffel Tower to amazing shopping street 'Champs Elysees', it has got all.
3. Jungfraujoch, Switzerland : Switzerland may be a very small country but number of tourists visit it every year is multitudinous. Huge Alpes dominates Swiss tourist attraction and taking a train ride to high altitude glacier would be thrilling.
4. Prague, Czec Republic : One of the most popular city's in the world. Prague is known for its historic architecture like Prague castle, it is definitely a favourite tourists destination.
5. Berlin, Germany : Capital of Germany and most popular city of the country. Berlin offers an eclectic mix of new and classic architecture, dynamic entertainment, shopping, and a wide variety of sports and cultural institutions. It's a major centre of politics, culture and science.

These are just suggestions based on your duration of vacation. There are multiple other city's and countries in Europe which are popular. However, I assure you no matter which city you travel, it is going to be an amazing experience.

A tip if you are travelling to Barcelona, Spain : Keep your belongings safe and very close to you. People getting robbed or losing their valuable stuff is pretty common. Be careful.

First of all, how do you want to travel between those cities? Do you want to fly, take the train or rent a car and drive? This will influence how much time you’ll have to spend in those cities. Also, are day 1 and day 10 the days you’ll arrive and leave from your home country, or will you arrive on day 0 and leave on day 11 (allowing you to spend 10 full days in Europe)?

I would travel from Amsterdam via Paris and Lucerne to Rome. Here are some travel times I could quickly find:

• Amsterdam - Paris: flight time is 1:15 (but of course you’ll need time for checking in and out and such). The Thalys (the fast train) takes about 3:15 to get to Paris. By car it’s around a 5:30 drive (not counting stops and traffic jams).
• Paris - Lucerne: flight time is 1:10. By train it’s around 6:30. And by car it’s also around 6:30.
• Lucerne - Rome: flight time is 1:20. By train it’s around 7:15. And by car it’s around 8:30.

Since you don’t have a lot of time, I would fly between all those cities if I were you. Unless you want to see quite a bit of the landscape of Europe too: in that case you might consider spending less time in the cities themselves, getting a car and drive from Amsterdam to Rome (this will be a much nicer route then flying, but giving you less time to spend in the cities: it just depends on what you really want).

Ok, let’s look at two completely different journeys: the citytrip, where you fly from one place to the other, and the roadtrip, where you ride from Amsterdam to Rome. I also assume that you arrive on day 1 in the morning, and leave back home on day 10 in the evening.

Citytrip (example)

1. On the first day you’ll arrive in the morning, get your luggage and get to your hotel in Amsterdam. I’ll guess you’ll be busy for the entire morning with that. In the afternoon you’ll just walk around in the city to see the canals.
2. Today you spend the entire day in Amsterdam. Visit some museums (Rijksmuseum with the Night Watch, the van Gogh museum, the Anne Frank house, whatever you fancy). In the evening you fly to Paris.
3. Today you’ve got an entire day in Paris to walk around and see the Eiffel tower and such.
4. Another full day in Paris. Perhaps visit Versaille.
5. A third day in Paris to visit museums and such.
6. In the morning you fly to Lucerne. In the afternoon you can walk around in the Alps, or ski.
7. A full day in Lucerne in order to ski. In the evening you fly to Rome
8. A full day in Rome to visit the Colosseum and whatnot.
9. Another full day in Rome to walk around and see lots of stuff, maybe visit some museums.
10. In the morning you spend some time in Rome, in the afternoon you go to the airport in order to check in and fly home in the evening.

I’m not going into detail on what to see in those cities. Maybe you want to spend more time in one and less in the other, but you’ll have to think of that in advance (due to flight schedules etc).

Roadtrip

1. On the first day you arrive in the morning in Amsterdam. You spend the afternoon and evening walking around watching the canals and such. Maybe a museum if it rains.
2. Get the rental car in the morning and drive during the day to Paris. You can make several stops on the way. For example to see a Dutch castle (Muiderslot near Amsterdam, Loevestein a bit more south), to see the Delta Works (a large set of dams in the south-western part of the Netherlands: quite impressive), to see a bit of Antwerp (nice inner city) or just enjoy a little bit of the forests of the Ardennes. There is plenty to see en route, so you’ll probably arrive in Paris in the evening.
3. Spend one full day in Paris. See the touristy highlights like the Eiffel Tower.
4. In the morning you start your journey towards Lucerne. You first go east in order to get to the river Rhine, after which you follow the river. It is famous for the enormous amount of castles laying around over there: you can hardly drive a few kilometers without seeing one. If I were you I’d spend one night somewhere on the route, so you have more time so look around.
5. This day you continue your journey south. Maybe even make a little detour to visit castle Neuschwanstein. Once you get to the Swiss border, you’ll see the Alps: it’s quite a sight, and pretty nice to drive through (although I personally haven’t done it in winter time). You’ll arrive in Lucerne in the evening.
6. Spend one full day in Lucerne in order to ski or see the town.
7. This day you start riding south. You’ll probably pass through Milan, which you can visit. Alternatively you can travel further east in order to see the Garda lake and Venice (you’ll have to look into it to see what you want and what fits your timetable).
8. Today you’ll finish your journey to Rome. Maybe visit Florence on the way. You’ll probably arrive in Rome in the evening: hand in the rental car.
9. Today you’ve got a full day in Rome. Walk around and see some touristy stuff like the colosseum.
10. In the morning you can see a little bit more of Rome. In the afternoon you go to the airport to catch your flight in the evening.

With this you’ll spend less time in the cities, but see more of the landscape on the route.

These are two extreme examples. Just think about what you want to see (the cities or the landscape or a mix in between) and how you want to travel. You should count on some rainy and maybe snowy days (if we’ll get a good winter for a change), so think of things to do inside (museums, visit buildings, etc). Good luck with planning, and have fun!

I don't think there is one. I travelled through Europe and the Middle East for five years and I think you will be spending too long looking out of train windows and finding new accommodation for your journey to be memorable. Try buying a Lonely Planet guide for the Netherlands, Belgium and maybe Germany or France. You would be able to reach Switzerland from the Netherlands if you decided not to visit Italy. Another choice would be to travel to Switzerland and onto Italy and totally avoid seeing what the Netherlands has to offer. Buy or borrow a guide book for Europe and study it. Better still borrow five and read all of them before you decide where you want to visit. . Libraries are probably your best option. You could probably borrow your Lonely Planet guide from there as well. I feel sure you will have a great time, but don't go home with memories of trying to visit so many places they all melt into a blur. Better to explore one country reasonably well than see almost nothing as you stare out of a window.

The cheapest way to travel is with an interrail/eurrail pass for 2 weeks. It's even cheaper to take night trians with a sleeping car to save on lodging those nights. Camping with a tent in the most economical but cold/heat and rain can be problematic. The lowest accommodations are in youth hostels but some B&Bs can be reasonable. You can buy food in supermarkets to save money for breakfast and lunch but have dinner in an inexpensive restaurant or pizzeria to taste local cuisine. The daily expenditure depends on your choices for travel, lodging, food & excursions so you make your choices, calculate your daily expenses and you have your 16-day European adventure budget! 😉 have a fantastic experience!

‘We’ here is it group of friends or couple or family with kids ? This makes a lot of difference in where to stay or type of hotel/hostel..etc.

In Amsterdam there are christain missionary hostels, one among them is present in middle of red light distrcit (quiet and worthy), you cannot drink or smoke inside the hostel. In Prague district 1 is good for commuting and it is the city center too.

Travel: choose cheap flights or take trains

Interrail from Amsterdam to Prague

8 days for 3 cities is fine if you are not an art freak, but, if i were in your shoes i would ditch brussels (there is not really much too explore the TINTIN city except for murals and beer (you will get belgian beers thorughout Europe))

Spend 3/4 days in each Prague and Amsterdam. Both place are fun and artistic !

Have fun !

Absolutely, I can help with that! A 20-day trip to Europe covering Greece, Croatia, Austria, and the Czech Republic sounds like an amazing adventure. Here’s a suggested itinerary along with estimated costs:

Day 1–4: Greece (Athens and Greek Islands)

• Day 1: Arrive in Athens, explore the city, visit the Acropolis and its museums.
• * Day 2–3: Take a ferry to one of the Greek Islands (like Santorini or Mykonos), enjoy beaches, sunsets, and local cuisine.
• * Day 4: Return to Athens, explore more if time allows.
• Estimated Cost for Greece:
• * Accommodation: $60-$150 per night (depends on the type of accommodation)
• * Food: $30-$50 per day
• * Transportation (including ferries and local transportation): $50-$100
• * Attractions and activities: $20-$50 per day
• * Total estimated cost for Greece: $2000-$3000
• Day 5–8: Croatia (Dubrovnik and Split)
• * Day 5: Fly to Dubrovnik, explore the old town, walk the city walls.
• * Day 6: Day trip to Lokrum Island or nearby attractions.
• * Day 7: Travel to Split, visit Diocletian’s Palace and explore the old town.
• * Day 8: Explore more of Split or take a day trip to nearby islands like Hvar or Brac.
• Estimated Cost for Croatia:
• * Accommodation: $50-$120 per night
• * Food: $25-$40 per day
• * Transportation (including flights, buses, and local transportation): $100-$200
• * Attractions and activities: $20-$50 per day
• * Total estimated cost for Croatia: $1500-$2500
• Day 9–14: Austria (Vienna and Salzburg)
• * Day 9: Travel to Vienna, explore the city’s imperial palaces, museums, and coffeehouses.
• * Day 10–11: Spend time in Vienna, visit Schönbrunn Palace, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and enjoy classical music.
• * Day 12: Travel to Salzburg, visit Mozart’s birthplace, Mirabell Palace, and explore the old town.
• * Day 13–14: Explore more of Salzburg, visit Hohensalzburg Fortress, take a Sound of Music tour if interested.
• Estimated Cost for Austria:
• * Accommodation: $70-$150 per night
• * Food: $30-$50 per day
• * Transportation (including trains and local transportation): $100-$200
• * Attractions and activities: $20-$50 per day
• * Total estimated cost for Austria: $2000-$3000
• Day 15–20: Czech Republic (Prague)
• * Day 15: Travel to Prague, explore the old town, Prague Castle, and Charles Bridge.
• * Day 16–18: Spend time in Prague, visit the Jewish Quarter, Prague Astronomical Clock, and enjoy Czech cuisine.
• * Day 19: Day trip to Kutná Hora or Český Krumlov.
• * Day 20: Depart from Prague.
• Estimated Cost for Czech Republic:
• * Accommodation: $50-$120 per night
• * Food: $25-$40 per day
• * Transportation (including trains and local transportation): $50-$100
• * Attractions and activities: $20-$50 per day
• * Total estimated cost for Czech Republic: $1500-$2500
• Total Estimated Cost for the Entire Trip:
• * Accommodation: $6000-$10000
• * Food: $300-$500
• * Transportation: $300-$600
• * Attractions and activities: $400-$1000
• Note: These are rough estimates and actual costs may vary based on your travel style, preferences, and the time of year you’re traveling. It’s always a good idea to budget a little extra for unexpected expenses.