Europe summer suggestions

Just popping on to say that Norway is incredible and everyone should see it in their life. It is super pricy, but if you are fine not eating at restaurants and drinking alcohol then your bill won't be so high. And there are TONS of things to do that are free.

I'd suggest exploring cities in the NRW of Germany. Maybe a week in Dusseldorf and then Cologne. There's some great art museums and it's pretty easy to get out to nice outdoorsy areas. Or another option is grab a cheap flight to Prague. Excellent cafes, very cheap, easy to get around and good museums.

I second the Hurtigruten. But I would also suggest getting off at Tromsø for several days. It's an amazing city, right above the Arctic Circle, and if you're there in the summer, you'll see the midnight sun (perpetual light). You can even bike around along the coast of Tromsøya, which often squeezes between the ocean and the mountains, with idyllic little fishermen towns dotting the road (my favorite is Oldervik, which is about 40 km from Tromsø). There's also a lot of hiking to do in that area.

I could spend a week--easy--on the Danish island of http://bornholm.info/en: bike around, visit breweries, take the ferry out to the smaller island of Christiansø, see old buildings, eat smoked fish, check out art galleries. It's a vacation island, so tons of rental opportunities. The http://danhostel-gudhjem.dk/default.asp?langID=2 has, if I remember, private rooms that are basically the same as a hotel but much cheaper. You can rent bikes on-site, too. My husband is brown, and we had no problems in Bornholm. They love tourists of all sorts!

If you haven't been before, then definitely Berlin. If you get stuck for things to do or places to go, http://www.slowtravelberlin.com/ is a good starting point. There's everything there from cafes and restaurants, to day trips, to a list of upcoming events.

I remember Tallinn, Estonia being pretty nice and had tasty food relatively cheaply. I think they realize that nobody's really going to learn their language so most people speak English relatively well. It looks like you could even take the ferry over to Helsinki pretty cheaply. Both are in the eurozone, which is convenient. I'm not sure how it'd be for a whole week, as I was only there for a day, but that wasn't long enough.

Southern Sweden-- Helsingborg/Malmo/Lund might fit your bill. There are a number of things to see, but very low key, and the running and scenery is lovely. Not sure about AirBnB there, but there are affordable hotels. If you stay in the town centers, you can get around without cars, and there are good train connections between areas. I love Stockholm, myself, but you sound as though you are looking for more off-the-beaten-path type places. Belgium/Wallonia might also suit, but it is more difficult if you don't speak French. Gent, however, is a nice little city and should be used enough to tourists that English would not be a problem. Many cool castles and great food. (Try the Waterzooi, if you go). Bruges is also nice, but may be more expensive than Gent. You can also try Koln in Germany. I find it a lovely little city, although I am not sure it could occupy a week very well, and a lot of the things to see may require a car.

From Copenhagen to Prague or Berlin, from there to Paris or Brussels and from there to Amsterdam. In Paris and in Berlin, it can give a different perspective to go and live in one of the "royal" suburbs, Versailles or Potsdam. It's more value for money, but you also have an other experience of the landscape which created the city and it's better for a more relaxed visit. And easier acces to hiking. Both cities have great public transport and bike rentals. If you choose Brussels as your second stop, you can plan the trip back to Amsterdam as a train trip with a stopover in Antwerpen. Brussels is really underrated, even though it is not consistently pretty, it has great parks and museums and flea markets and restaurants. Antwerp is very beautiful. If you enjoy food, you should avoid rural Scandinavia like the pest. Except for above-mentioned Bornholm and a few destinations around Sweden. My dad saved up for the Hurtigruten trip his entire life, and he was so disappointed - not by the wonderful scenery, but by the atmosphere aboard the boat and the horrible food.

I think you'll love Berlin. It seems to tick all your boxes. Good food for reasonable prices, for sure. It's a very hip and happening city. All the museums and coffee shops you could want.