Advice, Recomendations and more please - trying to plan a two month trip

Well, the first thing you should absolutely do ASAP is go out and buy two guidebooks: RS Best of Europe 2011 and the 2011 Let's Go: Europe as soon as it comes out. Read the first part of Rick's book very carefully, as it deals with general trip planning, etc. For each of the following chapters he gives suggested hotels and attractions. The attractions are universal, but his hotel choices maymaybe slightly too high for you. That's why Let's Go will be helpful as it is written by students and focuses on very very cheap places. The "sweet spot" is probably in the zone where RS low-end and Let's Go splurges intersect.
No one here can give you all the info you asked for, that would take a guidebook length response. A few general comments, though. Some car rental companies will not rent to anyone under 25. Driving is an expensive way to go,especially for one person. Some of your journeys might best be done by discount airlines, especially rather than crawling around the Mediterranean from Barcelona to Rome. I would suggest Arles rather than Montpellier as a base for exploring Provence. I personally wouldn't give Milan 3 days. From Prague, it makes more sense to continue on to Berlin rather than veering west to Heidelberg. Fly "open jaw" into your starting European city and home out of the final destination. I'm sure you will get many other suggestions from other posters.

Katherine, Your proposed Itinerary looks reasonably well organized, although I'd probably make a few changes. I also have some comments and questions. Although you've listed the number of days in each location, you didn't mention travel times between locations. In some cases that will be short, but in other cases it will be much longer (Nice to Rome via train will be a longer trip). In reading your Itinerary, my first impression was "that's a LOT of stops, even for a two month trip"! A few comments on some of the places you listed: > Milan - three days seems a bit "long", unless you have specific reasons for visiting there. > Como - are you planning to stay in the town of Como, or another location on the lake? Most here prefer the small community of Varenna in the mid-lake region, and I definitely agree. > Interlaken - are you planning to stay in Interlaken? Most here prefer the Lauterbrunnen Valley (Gimmelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Murren). Interlaken tends to be a bit on the "pricey" side. > Berlin - you might want to add a day or two there. There's a lot happening there lately, and you might regret staying only two days. > Brussels - you might consider substituting Bruges for Brussels (or split your time between the two cities). The Guidebooks are your best source of information, not only for good ways to save money sightseeing but also for budget Hotels. For Hostels you might have a look at the HI Hostels website. I can recommend a good independent Hostel in Rome, if you're interested (four bed Dorm with ensuite was ~€35 when I was there a few months ago). Good luck with your planning!

First of all, if the emphasis is on saving money, that's a lot of moving around, which will significantly increase your costs. And skip Switzerland all together if you need to save money. I'll let others comment on some specifics and the inevitable recommendation to read Rick Steves' books, so I'll just jot down a few notes... On a long trip like this, don't bother driving the Romantic Road. It really isn't any more interesting than any other secondary road in Germany, other than the fact that it ends with a view of Neuschwanstein. Berlin is 5.5 to 6 hours from Heidelberg and Amsterdam is 6.5 hours from Berlin. Add about 2-3 hours each day for hotel check-out, getting to the Bahnhof, getting from the Bahnhof to your hotel, checking and settling in, etc. I would suggest that you stay longer in some of these places, or break up the distances between them. I would definitely recommend Hamburg between Berlin and Amsterdam.

Katherine, One additional comment.... Since this is your first trip to Europe, it would be a really good idea to pre-read Europe Through The Back Door as that will provide you with a LOT of good information on how to travel in Europe.

You will be sad that you only gave Berlin 2 days. The Romantic Road is not romantic. It is just a road that links up towns. There is also a Castle Road, a Fairy Tale Road, a Fachwerk Road, a Wine Road, and Apple wine Road, etc. all routes that lead from one town to the next.

Jo: A fachwerk road??!!! Is that a highway where you see a lot of timber-framed houses. ( I googled it). What part of Germany is that in?

As you can see, it stretches all the way through Germany. This is a website I would use to find interesting towns, that aren't packed with tourists, tour buses and souvenir stores. http://www.deutsche-fachwerkstrasse.de/uk/cont.php3

There's also the Mountain Road, Alpine Road, Industrial Road, Literary Road, Niebelungen Road, etc... The point of most of these themed routes isn't so much the drive along the road itself (the scenerary can range from fantastic to tedious), but the actual towns and sites that lie along the way. For example, the towns on the Bergstraße (Mountain Road) look fairly unremarkable as you drive along the road. But if you explore the town centers and the mountains overlooking the towns, the charm really opens up. Likewise, the few towns I've visited on the Fachwerkstraße look like any other German town or village from the main roads, but have wonderful pedestrian zones in the center. And if you're only driving the Weinstaße, you can barely even see some of the towns.

THANKS EVERYONE!!! This is all amazing advice! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. I am so excited to explore the Germany road website. It is interesting that multiple people have suggested to skip the Romantic Road - food for thought. I think I will take a day away from Milan and add one to Berlin. And I will check into the other town near lake Como and the other towns in Switzerland in order to save a little money. Please keep the advice coming it is all very helpful. THANKS!
Katherine

Recommendations for some places to stay: Madrid - Hostal Montecarlo, Gran Via, in the heart of the city. Safe, clean, good locatioin, reasonable. Montpellier- You might want to stay a few miles away at Caux - small, very small, village, Stone House B&B great location in the heart of the town. Be sure to go the 1/2 hour to the coast and see the oyster farms, and the beach as well. There is about a three hour AVE trip between Madrid and Barcelona. You can purchase the tickets on the Renfe site, 62 days before your travel and save a good bit of money.

Katherine, Count me in also for suggesting that you skip the Romantic Road, especially because of your tight schedule. (It never appealed to me). Heidelberg is definitely worth visiting but you could save some time by taking the night train Munich-Berlin (direct). You really ought to reserve 3-4 full days for Berlin. As for a place to stay, safe, good and cheap, etc., you'll find Berlin to be the best in those categories. The newest and biggest hostels are in the former eastern sector, ie., near to the sights. Numerous good hostels are in Mitte and the Prenzlauer Berg districts, (in the east), all accessible by the S and U Bahnen and buses too. But getting a private room instead of a dorm room could cost more than a private room at a Pension. ( A dorm room at one of these hostels includes the facilities. ) That's one reason I stay in a Pension in Berlin. The hostel/hotel nearest Berlin Hbf. (central station) is Meininger, just exit and turn right, a big white building I suggest those hostels in Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg because historical Berlin is basically eastern Berlin. Lastly, since you're on a "shoe string budget," I would suggest the night train Berlin-Amsterdam, almost direct with a transfer in Duisburg before crossing into Holland. Save on the expenses by sleeping upright in the Sitzwagen instead of paying extra to reserve a couchette or a sleeper, which are not covered in a rail Pass. When I take a night train France-Ger-Austria, I didn't reserve a sleeper/couchette.

I've done long trips like this. My comments are that it's a lot of moving even for a young person. You may find yourself dragging by the 6th week right when you are hopping towns a lot. Don't underestimate travel times. You can significantly cut into your short stays with travel and getting to/checking into your hotel/hostels. And if you take any overnight trains, factor in fatigue the next day slowing you down as you won't sleep much that night. Also, trying to drive by yourself can be challenging. I'd skip it for now and stay on trains/planes. I wouldn't reduce my time in Milan, I'd all-but-eliminate it. Milan can be seen in an afternoon compared to the other places you're going. I'd consider reducing time in Montpellier. Save enough time for your day trips and lay on the beach an extra day in Nice. I'd question including Heidelberg and Brussels too. Not trying to dis those cities, but you need more time in Berlin (4 days min), Venice, Munich, Amsterdam and Paris. There are a lot of day-trip options from Amsterdam. And ask yourself what you will do at Lake Como? It's a beautiful and romantic place. If you're going solo, is that the best location for you on this trip? Not on your list: Sevilla, Toledo (can be daytrip from Madrid), Siena (day trip from Florence). It may seem like I suggest cutting more than adding, but again factor in travel and fatigue. Assume you may have 1 or 2 days of either being too tired to do much or poor weather. Or things like train strikes... Lastly, ask yourself what you really want to see and do while you are there. Make your priorities and set your schedule around those. ie: Like laying on Med beaches - spend time in Barcelona and Nice. Like art, spend time in Madrid, Paris, Rome, Veinna and Berlin. Then set priorities for each city you visit.

Katherine: I agree with other comments suggesting you pare down the number of stops. With 18 check-ins, 18 check-outs, perhaps 5 legs of the trip via air meaning 5 trips to the airport and checkin-in, aother 5 getting from the airport to the hotel, and possibly driving the remaining 3,000+ km as the crow flies/i] which could equate to a minimum of 100 hoursnot stopping to get gasoline, eat, etc. Some quick math suggests you'd be devoting approximatley 170 hours about 17 days of daylight moving from place to place (plane, train, car, check in/out). This could be mitigated by doing all your moving about at night, however, unless you are a very sound sleeper by the second leg you might be revising your schedule to travel by day. My two cents: Start where ever you can get the best US-Europe air fare, then (beginning in Paris): Paris 5+ days; either Madrid or Barcelona (but not both) 4 days with a day trip to the destination of your choice; can't comment on Motpellier or Nice I've not visited either place; Rome 8 days +, with day trips to Florence (twice if you want), Siena, Pompeii; Milan 3 days with one of those a day trip to Lake Como; drop Switzerland (very pricey), Venice 2 days; can't comment on Vienna; Prague 3 days; Muncih 3 days with a day trip to Salsburg; omit the romantic road and Heidelberg; Berlin 3 days+, Amsterdam 3 days, Brugge in lieu of Brussels 2 days; and a leisurely train back to Paris. If my math doesn't add up to your total number of days, add a day in Paris, Rome or Berlin, or subtract a day at one of the longer-stay cities. Happy traveling.

This is somewhat off-topic, but for anyone who is interested, here is probably the most complete list of German theme roads (Feirenstraßen) that I have found, from the German language Wikipedia site. Unfortunately, there is no version of this page on the English site. Some of the links at the bottom of the page have English translations, but their lists are less extensive: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferienstra%C3%9Fe Over the last few weekends, I've stumbled by accident onto the Nibelungenstraße and the Siegfriedstraße, and quite frankly, the scenery on these beats the hell out of the more well known Romantischestraße. For any Wagner fans out there, these two roads should definately go on your wish list.