Itinerary

What about Netherlands/Belgium? Wouldn't do too many one-nighters (or any) but your London, Bath, Paris, Venice, Rome look good vis-a-vis days spent at those stops (except 1 more in Paris?).

I decided to drop Brussels and Amsterdam. Maybe I'm being close-minded or something but there's nothing really I absolutely wanted to see and I needed to fit my schedule. Maybe I'll regret it but that's just another excuse to go back again soon.

Vanessa....
Unless you have already been there, you are missing Vienna and you will be nearby. You are planning an exciting trip. I would omit Milan and reduce Prague to three days, allowing two minimum for Vienna. Also, if this is a first visit, you might consider another day, or two, for Florence.

You mentioned you wanted to see museums and learn more about art history yet your itinerary only has one day in Florence--the birthplace of the Renaiisance and home to a plethora of great art and architecture. You might want to cut out a day in Rome and add it to Florence.

The reason I didn't put Vienna is that the prices are pretty high for that city and I don't think I can afford that also.

But I'll definitely add one more day to Florence. :)

Thank you!

Vienna is no more expensive than Rome, actually. So you should definitely consider adding it. I'm not sure Bath is worth 2 days--perhaps one at most, perhaps skipping it entirely. I wold drop Warsaw--it's a long way out of your way and not as charming architecturally as Krakow. Amsterdam is a really neat place--the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museums are must-see art museums, and the Anne Frank House is one of the most moving places you can visit. Also, strolling the streets and alongside the canals and admiring all the 17th century houses makes for some amazing pictures. You will certainly want at least two days in Florence--the Duomo,the Uffizi Art Gallery, the Accademia and David...all must sees.

What you need to do is to start making up a dummy itinerary, including transportation times. You are going to be covering a huge number of miles, and that it going to eat into your time. Consider some discount airlines as well as trains for some of the longer haul routes.

Travel will take up a lot of your vacation time. As you are planning, substract time on the train and some time for settling in/getting ready to leave from available time to experience a destination. There is so much to see that no itenerary will cover it all.

I agree about skipping Amsterdam, unless you wanted to get practical experience for Pharmacy School, there isn't much to see there. The museums pale in comparison to other places you will visit. The city and tourists seem primarily focused on drugs and prostitution.

Adding a day in Florence makes sense for the art and history. I was amazed to see the tombs of Galileo, Michealangelo and Machiaveli in the same church. The Uffizzi and Acedemia are both worth your time. The lodging is the worst and most expensive anywhere in Italy, however, so I would never make it a home base for exploring the area.

Hi Vanessa- Congrats on Pharmacy school. Anyway, you said that you did not think you could afford Vienna but you are going to spend 4 days in London. London is probably the most expensive city in Europe right now. It is just terrible. I would skip London/Uk and concentrate more on adding a few days in other places. That is just my 2 cents. Have a great trip. -Kim

I agree spending one more day in Florence if you really want to learn about art. Florence is just an astonishing place in terms of culture and architecture!

Florence is a must for the "David" alone!!

Hello Vanessa. Planning a 5-week itinerary in Europe is not easy to do : you were wise to ask a question about that. I counted your total number of days in Europe, including a day for travel between the cities that are far apart. It is a total of approximately 7 weeks. You said you have 5 weeks. I suggest : delete Milan and Warsaw, and shorten your visit in London to 3 days, delete Bath, add two days for Cezky Krumlov, shorten Prague to 2 days, be in Florence 2 days, add 1 or 2 days for visiting hill towns in Tuscany, shorten Rome to 2 days. Rick Steves recommends having one unscheduled day (to rest, or do laundry, or other business) every 7 days. If you travel from Venice to the Cinque Terre, I recommend ride in a EuroStar train from Venice to Milan, and ride in the Express train from Milan to Monterosso (in the Cinque Terre). No need to stay in Milan. The Cinque Terre is a good place for adding an extra day for resting.

...and try to add a visit to Salzburg in Austria, for a day, or at least a half day. You may like to read the small publication "101 TIPS FOR THE MATURE TRAVELER". It is from GRAND CIRCLE TRAVEL inc. It is for people of all ages. I think it is free. Telephone : 1-800-221-2610 (Voice Mail). Read the book "Rick Steves' BEST OF EUROPE, 2008".

Thanks everyone for the replies!

I decided to completely drop Paris since I've been there a lot before and taking the plane from London to Berlin saves me from long train rides. I absolutely want to go to London so there's no way I'll drop that even if it's a little unpractical.

Here's my updated itinerary:
4 days in London, 1 day-trip to Bath, plane to Berlin, 2/3 days in Berlin, 3 days in Krakow, 3 days in Prague, 1 day in Salzburg, 2 days in Munich, 3 days in Venice/Milan, 2 days in Cinque Terre, 2 days in Florence, 2 days in Tuscany, 4 days in Rome/Vatican.
I get a total of 29 days of sightseeing over 5 weeks. This is definitely not final and I'll probably change a couple more things.