itinerary and Planning HElp

Sounds like fun. Just start trimming down your list to places to about 20 so you will have at least 3 nights in each. Otherwise you will spend you whole time looking at Europe from a train window.

8 weeks sounds like a long time, but with your wish list is becomes a very short time. You need to look at a map and plan a working itinerary and realistically route it out. You could make a circle from Milan, through France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, back to Milan. This route is ten countries, add up the cities you want to see and try to divide it with your days on the ground, remembering to add travel time.
I know you are young, but that much moving around gets tiring. We have traveled for 6 weeks and have only done 4 countries with 2-3 cities each. Others on this forum have travelled much longer and can advise you about packing in too much.
Off the bat, I would eliminate Spain (too far), Switzerland (too expensive), Slovenia (out of the way and I haven't been there for at least 35 years so I can't comment on how it is now) and Croatia because it is also a bit out of the way - there isn't as much to see in Zagreb and Split/Hvar are more suited for the summer months. Also, getting around can be difficult without a car.
If you make it to The Netherlands, substitute Haarlem for Delft (unless you love the pottery) and go to the Corrie ten Boom museum (website is corrietenboom.com) for WWII history.

Flying in and out of Milan may be cheaper on front end, but backtracking can often get very expensive. Milan's hidden south of The Alps, and it's not the easiest place to get into or out of. I suggest you obtain flights into a major gateway European city, like Amsterdam, and work your way to the other end--like Rome--to fly out of.
What's not been mentioned is the weather to expect while you're there. You're picking the coldest months to go, and winter weather in Europe can be tough. I suggest you go onto Wikipedia for the cities on your itinerary and check the weather charts for average hi & lo temps and average rain/snowfall. I've been to Europe (Austria) to ski in February, and have froze my tail off in Venice. Winter weather breaks the end of March, and it's a much more preferred time to start travel.
Please be aware that such a whirlwind trip of Europe sounds great, in reality it's going to be one big blur. You really need to pair down your itinerary a great deal, as you cannot see everything in 8 weeks.
I've not seen anyone travel recently by the EurRail--much less the unlimited travel pass. With the advent of budget European airlines, you can most often get from point A to point B for less than $100. Have you considered buying point to point train tickets in a region and then flying to a completely different region--fast and efficient?
When I travel, I like to split my trips into segments of 2 weeks each. And I like to travel to cities that compliment each other and are in relatively close proximity to each other. Traveling south out of Amsterdam through Germany is efficient. We've visited Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna and Prague on one 2 week trip. And it's easy to spend 2 weeks in Rome/Florence/Venice. Another 2 week itinerary would be London/Paris/Barcelona--by fast trains. You could do one 2 week segment--and then fly to the other end of the continent--like to Faro, Portugal (Algarve) where winter weather's much better than a dismal Portugal.
You guys just need to go back to the drawing board on this odyssey.

That's gonna be a long, rainy, stormy journey. Really, think twice about going on such an extensive trip in the midwinter season. You will definetely want to have it more cozy after about 3 days. So either plan extremly well what to do indoors (which museums to go etc) and drop at least half of the places you want to visit from your list because museums take time, or move your mostly outdoors tour to spring.

Actually, the youth rail pass may work for you, but do the math by checking point-to-point fares for trains/planes. Be sure to add in reservation fees for the pass, and trips for which you cannot use it (pass reservations in France are hard to get, even if there are empty seats).

Milano is easy to get in and out of, with connections to smaller towns as well as other big cities.

When I used to travel to different countries, I divided up the money I needed for each. When the money for one country ran out, it was time to move on. Keep careful track of what you spend, so you aren't surprised mid-trip with not enough money to finish.

Limit yourself to Central Europe (northern Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Czechia, Poland and Germany). It will give you a more coherent trip, which can fully done by comfortable and relaxed train. And it will give you the opportunity to visit smaller places, which can be as attractive and interesting as the usual tourist hot spots.
Czechia, for example, is more than Prague and Cesky Krumlov. Brno, Olomouc and Hradec Kralove are all wonderful places. In southern Germany cities like Regensburg and Bamberg are not to be missed, and can easily be reached from Nürnberg. Leipzig is just one hour from Dresden and you might find it more attractive. One hour from Vienna you have the wonderful baroque monastery of Melk, and sleepy Eisenstadt with one of the palaces of the Esterhazy family. Just across the border the same family had a more magnificent palace in Fertöszentmiklos, easily visited from nearby Sopron.
On the practical side: make yourself familiar with the wonderful pan-European railway planner www.bahn.de/p_en/view/index.shtml. It might be wise to make advance ho(s)tel reservations for the holiday period around Christmas and New Year.

Great advice above about paring down the list of places. I would reinforce skipping Croatia, especially Split & Hvar, as they are more summer destinations and way off the course of travel.

Yes, it will be cold in many places, but lovely in a Christmasy way. Try to settle on a place where you can stay 4 or 5 nights in a row every two weeks, and especially over Christmas, at least from the 23rd-27th. It is awfully nice to get up for 4 or 5 mornings in the same place, be oriented, have time to do laundry, etc. Ideally, get a little apartment for these longer stays, so you can cut down on the cost of eating out. And if there is a washing machine, free laundry!

For budget tips, check out this page on Money Travel Tips from Mr. Steves.

FYI, I did such a trip with a friend at 19: 7 weeks (in the summer) in Europe. We hit London, Calais, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Gothenburg in Sweden, Munich, a small town in the Black Forest, Innsbruck, Garmisch Partinkerchen, Florence, Zermatt, Rome, and Paris. As you can see, we did far fewer stops than you have planned, and yet we never felt like we stayed anywhere too long. I think in 8 weeks 16 stops in perhaps half-a-dozen countries is enough. Your money will go further, too. And skip Switzerland if you are on a budget. The prices will make you cry.

A good bit (but certainly not all) of Europe has less than desirable weather during that time of the year. But if you don't mind some cold, wet, and dark times then go for it. Otherwise you might want to look to the parts of Europe that will have better weather. In addition, going from one place to another almost always eats up more time than anticipated. You want to have memories of good places, things, sights, and people; not just train stations and rail cars. Try to trim back so you spend at least three night in each of the stopping points that make your final list. Don't mean to rain on your picnic, but you want to enjoy the trip -- not just endure it.

Sounds like a great trip! As one person says if you work a circle from/to Milan that will be great. Contrary to others recommendations, I say Eastern Europe will be less expensive so I'm not sure why you would be told to not travel there. Keep in mind most of us on this forum are closer to retirement age than college age so we've gotten used to traveling in a more comfortable manner. Flying obviously would be less convenient and more expensive than your pass for the length of time of your trip. I had a friend in college who did exactly what you are doing in the winter and had a great time. I do suggest you seek out internet sources/forums that have a younger clientele than Rick Steves so you aren't discouraged. Would that be Thorn Tree? I would suggest you start by heading towards E. Europe as your list suggests. I wouldn't worry about reservations other than your Christmas stay, just in case. This way you can wing most of your trip, if your original plan is too much you can change it along the way.

To save money, you might just pick a location 9 hours from where you are at the time and take an overnight train to save on hostel money, periodically. This was common practice in my day... Don't forget to look at Couchsurfing.

As suggested, if you cut out the rail pass, look into student agency bus company. They are Czech based but have great prices and connections over most of Europe (check website they add/change routes). The buses are very comfy with wifi and bathroom. The one we used from Bratislava to Budapest cost 9€ and had a tv and stewardess on board, that was the summer of 2014. We booked ahead but the bus was half empty. By the way, a half day in Bratislava is sufficient, not much to see outside of the old town.

As a side note, my daughter's friends just came back from 4 weeks (early 20's) and they stayed in hostels in London, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague (their favorite city after all of Italy), Vienna (least favorite), Budapest (hostel very dirty, only one with complaint), and a few places in Italy. They were extremely tired and ended up in Italy down near Sorrento for a week just to recharge. Granted the heat wears you out quicker, but bad weather can slow you down. Take this all into consideration when you are figuring out your route. But, you will have the freedom to stay longer in a city you love and leave one you are so-so about quicker.

Take the experience of Barbara's daughter to heart. A whirlwind 2-week trip may work. It's very difficult if not impossible to keep up that pace for 2 months.

Don't rush to buy that rail pass. It may turn out to be the best plan (though I doubt it), but wait until you have a better idea of what territory you can actually cover in the time you have. If I'm interpreting the online info correctly, a continuous 2-month pass costs about $1000 US, right? That is an awful lot of 2nd-class rail tickets. And you may find that you want to go to some smaller destinations that require buses rather than just trains. Although you won't be able to save money by buying your rail tickets way in advance, there is often a choice of trains, the slower trains being much less expensive than the fast trains. And some countries (Germany being a good example) have special deals that can save a lot of money. Spend some time exploring the Man in Seat 61 web site and see what you think.

The more you concentrate your trip in central Europe (Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Czechia) and spend more time in fewer places, the less point-to-point tickets will cost. Italian trains in general are pretty reasonably priced. The more different countries you visit (i.e., if you end up just hopping from capital city to capital city), the more value you might find in the rail pass.

Hi,

Great that you intend to go for eight weeks with your friend. It is doable. I wish I could for eight straight weeks...no problem at all. It's a matter of planning and keeping the flexibility when doing a two month trip. I would have preferred the summer months, sometime from May to Sept. At your age get the Global Youth Pass. I would drop Holland.or Switzerland. In Germany the night train CNL will be discontinued by the end of December but that does not mean that night train service will not be available. It still is, just reserve a seat at the Reisezentrum, and then you can hop on with the Pass.

Staying in hostels is totally fine, (I still do that on a trip) , you'll fine lots of others your age group and older at hostels. The Greg and Tom hostel in Krakow (I have not been there yet) is one of the very best in Europe. Plus, you can get your clothes washed at hostels, they have the laundry facilities. The transportation options: day and night trains, the buses from city to city (day and night), (way cheaper), discounts on ferries offered by the Global Youth Pass...all these you can take advantage of.

Hi,

Part 2 here...In Austria I would suggest riding on Westbahn trains since you can buy the ticket on board, thus saving a Pass day for somewhere else or a night train. I used the Pass on this last trip in June for two night train rides. Plus, the added advantage to Westbahn trains is the tickets are cheaper than that of Austrian Nat. Rail. (ÕBB). Unlike in Denmark, France, Holland, the capitals/major cities in Central Europe and East central Europe, which are part of your itinerary, are hubs for night night trains, Budapest, Vienna, Munich, Berlin, Prague, Krakow). As suggested above, drop a place or two. The trip is very doable.

Which WW2 sites do you want to see, military sites, monuments? In which countries?

Thank you so much to everyone! we will travel trying to avoid supplements and reservations fees in most cases, because we really dont mind discovering small and rural towns that otherwise we will have never thought of!
Those cities were just the ones that we will most like to visit, we know we have to reduce them A LOT, because we want to enjoy our trip and really take in some places, but of course there are some places were we will only spend an afternoon and then move on to our next destination.

Also where do you think we could spend new years and christmas? we would ideally like a place with lots of activities and fun stuff to do! Not a place where everything will be closed.

We have done a one month trip and are currently planning a two month one. We love the global rail passes and find the flexibility they offer worth the cost. Your being able to get the youth pass will save some as well. We never had to make a reservation - even in France - I would just route using trains that did not require reservations (DB site is priceless for this) - it added a little time to the trip but so what?

What I do is sit with the map and plan an itinerary - then kind of shoot for it while traveling. The nice thing about the rail pass is the ability to stay longer in a place or leave early as desired. You can also easily reroute if the weather is particularly bad in an area. Also, while sleeper trains will be phased out some routes will still run at night - check for legs you can do that way and save a nights hostel rate.

I would definitely skip Switzerland this trip - expensive and Croatia - too far out

The French Riviera could be a skip too.

I would stick with two stops at most in The Netherlands

Hallstat can be a day trip from Salzburg

Do some research on what is happening in your places in the off season.

Dress appropriately - I highly recommend a 3/4 length coat and warm, comfortable walking shoes/boots. Also hats, gloves and scarf are a must. Layers under that - dressing like that even my husband was OK walking around in the winter.

While some folks here would never consider a trip like this some of us love to travel this way!

Some of your destinations are not at their best in winter so I would forget Croatia, Poland, Switzerland, Cinque Terre. Ideally 2 destinations per week, making 16 all up...

Milan (2)
Nice (3)
Paris (5)
Belgium (3)
Amsterdam (4)
Berlin (5)
Dresden (2)
Prague (3)
Budapest (4)
Vienna (3)
Salzburg (2)
Munich (4)
Venice (3)
Rome. (4)
Amalfi Coast (4)
Florence (4)
Milan (1)

Yes, plot out your trip on a map. Then put it in a calendar and see where you are "when." Then see if that works for the Christmas and New Year's holidays. You may find that you need to do the trip "backwards" (not a problem since you're looping), or just do some tweaking. The Christmas markets will be in full swing by the time you get to Europe. Paris should be especially lovely then, but so are all the German/Austrian towns and Alsace in France (German markets with a definite French slant). In some places the markets continue through New Year's but in many they close up Christmas eve.

For the 2 weeks of Christmas and New Year's holidays, you may have to book hostels in advance. Use a site like hostelworld.com to locate hostels and check them out (descriptions, reviews, etc).

In Spain consider Seville/Cordoba/Granada as well as Barcelona. The Spanish trains are easy and fast (maybe even to Granada, if they ever finish the upgrade) and Andalusia is the warmest, driest part of Europe. Last year I got a cheap flight from Bologna (great base for Italy, it's a train hub, so lots of day trips possible, not a big tourist destination, so lower prices for beds) to Seville.

Also where do you think we could spend new years and christmas? we would ideally like a place with lots of activities and fun stuff to do! Not a place where everything will be closed.

You will most always be able to find restaurants, but not much in the way of sights open (i.e., museums) on the 25th. At least in Rome, on the 26th many sights are open and the creche museum is even open the 25th. Basically a larger city for the 24th-26th will best meet your needs. Smaller towns = fewer options on holidays IMO.

Hi,

It has been suggested often to spend Christmas and New Years in Budapest, mainly for the breath of activities. Weather wise BP is better than Berlin in that it Berlin would most likely be colder, since Budapest is protected by the Carpathians and just may have weather a bit milder.