Help Me Pick Where To Go Please

Nobody can do that for you. Nobody knows what your like or dislike, preference -- could be art freak or a nature freak. However, Switzerland can be very expensive. You are also missing Spain and Italy two of my favorite countries. Spain, especially southern Spain is a very interesting contract to the rest of Europe. Also did not indicate time of year - useful information.

Just taking your options at face value, I'd say hands down #3.

I hope you're young, single, and love staying in hostels.

If I had to choose between the 3 I would opt for option 1 for a first time trip. I love all of those countries and pretty much they all have good beer, except for Prague. Yes, I will say it, I did not like Czech beer as much as they brag about it. It just tasted like the cheep beer we get here in the states. Yes, you get plenty of beer, for cheep in the Czech Republic but to me its quality and not quantity.

Wouldn't options 1&3 put you over the 90-day Schengen zone limit?

I'm seconding (and thirding?) Steve and Frank - why do you want to visit these countries? You probably only need a week each in Belgium and the Netherlands - a few days in Brussels and Amsterdam and maybe a day trip to a nearby town.

So,, all together you will have no more then 90 days(this is a law) .

I personally think 2 weeks in the Netherlands is too long,, same with Bosnia( although to be fair I have not been there).

Germany is a great big and wonderful country,, but lets be realistic with time frame. Two months only leaves you one month for your other places.

Switzerland and Austria are both amazing.. but as pointed out,, very expensive. Visit for sure, but maybe two weeks only , and only if you can afford.

No France or Italy??

Oh well, have fun.

Ps.. Have you considered going to Greek Islands,, now that is a slice of heaven..

What do you want to do?? Art, museums, hiking, ??

If it were me- I'd go with option 2- but that is only because I have been to many other spots in Europe (and am currently planning my own Balkan trip).

With 90 days, you can really hit nearly all the major sights in Europe, and not feel rushed. I'd start in the north, maybe Britain or Iceland, to get your feet wet, then move on to the mainland. Maybe this:

Flight in: 1 day

Iceland: 5 days

Great Britain: 14 days

Paris: 5 days

South France: 8 days

Italy: 14 days

Switzerland: 7 days

Austria: 7 days

Hungary: 7 days

Slovakia (Bratislava) 1 day

Czech Republic: 7 days

Germany: 10 days

Netherlands: 3 days

Flight out: 1 day

Spain and Greece are isolated and time consuming to get to. Concentrate on central Europe and start in a major English speaking area, like Iceland or great Britain since this is your first trip abroad.

I like your options 1 and 3 but with a little amending. But option 1 with two full months in Germany...fantastic.
These places you should go either with a rail pass or p2p tickets either taking day trains or night trains: first and foremost, BERLIN, Potsdam, Weimar, Jena, Meissen, Dresden, Leipzig, Erfurt, Hamburg, Luebeck, Kiel,
Cologne, Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Marburg, Goettingen, Heidelberg,(since this is your time), Koblenz, Munich, Passau, Bamberg, Tuebingen, Ulm, Sigmaringen an der Donau.

What are your main interest areas: cultural, landscape/scenery, history (military, Prussian, monuments, social), architecture? Then you can narrow down the list of cities or even expand it to include small towns that have something in your interest area. What do plan on seeing in Poland, aside from, presumably, Warsaw? Poland is great, great food, lovely people, trains are a little slow but still punctual. Put Poland in option 1, take out Holland. If you're going from Berlin to Upper Silesia in Poland, count on a 9 hr. train ride, direct, during the day, I've done it. All in all, there are lots of ways to cut down on expenses and still spurge a little to treat yourself...no problems.
Happy Travels

I agree with Mike, with that much time you can see a lot of places without ever feeling rushed. Have a great trip!

I think perhaps Mike meant Ireland rather than Iceland, as iceland is not an English speaking country. That aside, his suggested itinerary seems pretty reasonable to me. To add some additional detail to his suggestions, spend 14 days in Britain as follows: 3 days in Edinburgh, 1 day in York, 1 day in Stratford upon Avon, 9 days in London with daytrips to Bath, Cambridge, and Oxford-Blenheim Palace or Brighton.
Having so much time makes a big difference. However, I noticed that you did not mention your budget for transportation, only $100-$140 per day for living expenses. Obviously the farther you go--such as Mike's itinerary--the more you will spend on transport. You'll need to plan carefully to get the most mileage for your money...sometimes using budget airlines and other times using point to point tickets or--perhaps, but not without some research into comparative costs first--on railpasses.

Roe- Actually, I did mean Iceland. Though the official language is Icelandic, from personal experience, everybody I met spoke excellent English. I guess that comes from so few people in the world speaking Icelandic, they have to learn a second language! Plus, with the Iceland stopover fares from Iceland Air, it is very reasonable to do.

And you are right, the farther that he travels the more he may spend, but if he is tight with his budget (hostels, using night trains and such) $140 a day is doable, but tight.

Option # 3 sounds great. I wish I could spend more than a few days in each city, but due to money & time, I normally can only go to Europe for 3 - 4 wks at a time.

I'm visiting Germany again, Czech Republic (for the first time), Austria (different cities this time), Paris, Bruges (first time), and Amsterdam again, and am very very excited!