Best bit of advice I can offer you: no matter where you decide to go, try hard to make your trip longer - two full weeks at a minimum (and that's two full weeks on the ground, not including your arrival or departure days).

Europe is a long way to go. No matter how you slice it, it's expensive to fly there for all of us. It may seem counter-intuitive at first, but you get much more for the investment in your flights if you stay longer. If you go for only a week, (and that sounds like it's your plan - apologies if I misread your post) the cost for your airfare - when figured per day you are there - is way more expensive. Conversely, if you can find a way to stay longer, each extra day you stay, the cost to get you there (and back) drops steeply. It's not difficult to stretch your budget by making smart choices for your day to day living expenses. But buying another ticket to go back to Europe for another week is expensive. If you go to Europe for just a week, as you head home you will be wishing you could stay longer.

If you have the luxury of being able to afford flying to Europe often, then sure, go for a long weekend or just a week. But if the cost of a ticket to Europe and back is a major expense for you, then remember that you get more for your money by staying at least a couple of weeks. Personally, I find 3-4 weeks is the ideal length of a trip to Europe. For a first trip, 2 weeks is a good starting point. I would reconsider staying any less that that.

Hope that helps.

It sounds like you only have a week to work with. If so, I’d suggest you spend all your nights in one city, and perhaps do one or two day trips to places nearby, by train or bus.

Option 1 seems a bit odd to me. First European trip and you choose Düsseldorf and Maastricht? Is there a reason for these choices? Most people choose Munich or Berlin for their first Germany and Amsterdam for their first Netherlands. I actually wouldn't recommend Düsseldorf.

Option 2 is the most expensive, but probably the one with the most English. Why only one day trip to Sweden?

Option 3 I would probably say Prague--not because I didn't love Budapest, because I absolutely did, but because I think it's a little less intimidating for a first timer.

You didn't say what type of travel you prefer (museums? nature? history? local cultural events?), what your must-see or desired experiences are, or what your biggest concerns are. Are there special interests or hobbies that you may wish to connect with? Will you be solo, and if so, are you wanting to just soak it all in or do you prefer to meet other travelers or locals along the way?

The more we know about what you, what you like, what concerns we can allay, etc. the better we can give recommendations.

If you only have a week and want to travel, go for it! If you can leave on a Friday evening and return home late the following Sunday, you can squeeze out 8 days. If you can work in a holiday, maybe Memorial Day or Labor Day, you will have 9 days on the ground. If it were me, I would choose splitting the time between Denmark and Sweden. Yes, Scandinavia is expensive, but wonderful, and traveling between the two countries is easy. But go where your heart leads you and enjoy!

Thanks for the replies, so far. I seemed to find airfares to Munich more expensive, but I would love to pop over to innsbruck or Salzburg if I chose Munich.
So far, I Iike the idea of Denmark with a 4 day side-trip to Sweden. What Swedish town/city is an easy train ride from Copenhagen (is Stockholm my only choice?).

Some things I want to experience:
Tour a castle and/or palace.
* Art museum (s)
* Boat ride on a local lake/river.
* Try new foods and interact with locals.
* I don't drink beer anymore, but I'd like to sample some local varieties.

I thought Dusseldorf would be neat since it's on the Rhine River and has a castle or 2but I'll probably skip that.

I thought of Maastricht since it's home to Andre Rieu, famous Dutch violinist and conductor. He often does local, outdoor concerts. But it's complicated and costly to fly there. So I'm willing to give up that idea, I think.

Welcome to the forum & how exciting to be planning your first trip!

You can maximize your short time by flying into one city and flying out of another. It’s not two 1-way tickets; look for the “multicity” option for airlines. For instance, my daughter is flying into Venice & back home from Milan.

”Some things I want to experience:
Tour a castle and/or palace.
* Art museum (s)
* Boat ride on a local lake/river.
* Try new foods and interact with locals.
* I don't drink beer anymore, but I'd like sample some local varieties.”

As you do more exploring on YouTube videos or reading guidebooks or on-line info, you will find that many locations in Europe can provide your wish list which is very nice!

From Copenhagen, Malmo is the easiest Swedish city to visit. It's just a short train ride across the Oresund Bridge (which is an amazing bridge, one of the longest in the world- the train ride is an experience in itself). Copenhagen has some beautiful castles (Rosenborg Slot is a good one) and just outside is Kronborg Slot in Helsingor, which was Hamlet's castle in Hamlet. For art museums you have the Glyptotek and just outside Copenhagen the Louisiana for more modern art. Lots of great boat opportunities around the harbour.

I wouldn't go with option 1 but I think you'd have a great time in Copenhagen, Prague, or Budapest. Good luck deciding.

You are pricing flights for a trip in 18 months? Dont even do that. Check routes, sure, but until you have excat dates and its more like 6 months prior you are wasting time. First come up with lets say three trips. Price them out, hotels and all, and draw up your iteniary and then sit back and choose based on value for the money. You might choose 8 days in the place of your dreams instead of 12 days in a place that is just a trip to Europe. You might move the date a few months to make prices work. Whey you find that place you want to be, then you make it work.

Fly to Prague or Budapest (not both). Which is better considering
helpful locals, affordable eating, ease of navigation around city
etc.?

Okay Greg, I will pick on you a bit; try and laugh with me. The answer is go where you are most interested. Your questions are some sort of strange insecurity maybe imparted on you by people who travel too much and think they have crossed some experience line in the sand that makes things possible for them that are not possible for you. Its nonsense. Can you read a map? Do you need to stay in a town district that is smaller than DisneyLand (and as full of tourists as Disneyland) to feel safe (Prague)?. If anyone tells you that you aren’t smart enough to navigate both cities, or even a giant mess of place like Berlin or Rome, take the insult and move on. Helpful locals? What for? Are you going to daycare or on an adventure? The people in both will see you for what you are, a tourist, and welcome you and your money accordingly. Fine people and real A-holes can be found in both locations and in equal percentages. Affordable eating? Both work. Up to you what you eat.

This isn’t science, again, this is about you going someplace that interests you. Doesn’t matter where you go. Research the heck out of it and go have fun. What is the worst that can happen is …. ooops, maybe you should watch the movie Midnight Express (the 1978 movie, not the 1924 one).

My first trip to Europe was Rome. It was an excellent idea and an excellent place to start. Still my recommendation to everyone else. But London, Paris, Rome, Budapest, Vienna, are the greats of the Western world …. or if you want adventure there is Istanbul, Baku, Kyiv, Cairo or any of the “…stans”.

In 1.5 years huh? Why? Do you have a spare $1500? That will buy you a RT ticket and five nights in at least one location in Europe. Go play if you can do it. If not Europe look at Quebec City or Mexico City. Not Europe but good travels.

Mr E, I appreciate everything and I'm glad for your candid thoughts.

When I checked airfares, I was checking for October 2025 to get a general idea. * Dusseldorf/Maastricht are off the table.
I even considered flying to Berlin with a side-trip to Poland, since I collect Polish pottery. But, I think Berlin is more expensive to fly to.
I haven't much fear of traveling solo except take-offs on the plane, except when we reach cruising altitude. Then, I relax and talk to my neighbors, but they probably wish I wouldn't, haha. I have flown domestically a few times, including trips to Puerto Rico. I have ridden Amtrak and Greyhound numerous times, by myself with no problems.

But in Europe, you have languages from all different places, etc. My cousin and her boyfriend rode the train from Amsterdam to Switzerland, when the conductor started shouting at them in German. They didn't know what the problem was until another traveler helped them and scolded the conductor not to yell at these American visitors, haha.

Is it true that many European students etc. often take the train to other places around Europe? I love meeting people from other cultures. I'm liking the idea of Denmark/Sweden, but I'm still open to other ideas. Sorry to throw in this monkey-wrench, but any thoughts about Barcelona - good option for a first-timer?

If you haven't done this yet, go to local bookstore or better yet, check with your library, and get some recent guidebooks (2023 and later) for the places you're interested in.

Rick Steves, Eyewitness, Lonely Planet are just some of the books you'll come across.

Some will have awesome pictures that will make you say "I've got to go there", some will give you an overview of how to get from here to there efficiently without spending a gazillion dollars, most will give you a better idea of where to go in a limited amount of time to give you a wonderful trip. Don't worry right now about the sections of the books that talk about sleeping and eating. You have time to look into those things later.

When you've narrowed things down a bit, come back and ask your questions. The posters here will help you make your first European trip even better.

jeanm speaks wisely

When I checked airfares, I was checking for October 2025 ...

Okay, fair for a general idea to begin to understand the amount of money you will need. But early for determining decisions. Between now and then a million things could happen that could affect the airfare.

.... But, I think Berlin is more expensive to fly to.

Doesn’t matter, stay in a cheaper hotel. You haven’t discussed hotels yet? What are you going to be comfortable with? Hostel or 4 star? That could add up to more than the airfare and accommodation rates can vary more widely place to place than the airfare to get there.

I haven't much fear of traveling solo except take-offs on the plane,
...

Flying scares the crap out of me. Always has. So, a few years back I paid to go up in an ultralight over the Black Sea and handle the controls for a few minutes. Right now I am working on setting up a flight in a 1940’s vintage soviet biplane. Face what you don’t like.

.... the conductor started shouting at them in German. They didn't
know what the problem was until another traveler helped them ...

See people helped. No problem at all. The most commonly understood language in Europe is English by the way.

Is it true that many European students etc. often take the train to
other places around Europe?

Dirty secret, many, very many, take a plane. London to Budapest for the weekend can be $75 each way. The flights out of Spain to Budapest are so cheap right now that half of our tourists are Spanish.

I love meeting people from other cultures. I'm liking the idea of
Denmark/Sweden, but I'm still open to other ideas. Sorry to throw in
this monkey-wrench, but any thoughts about Barcelona - good option for
a first-timer?

They are all good for a first timer if that’s where you will most enjoy. If anyone tells you otherwise ... naaaaaa

The hostel thing would be fun if I was younger, but now that I'm past the 50 mark, probably not. If I found a private room at a hostel that could change my mind.
Are you from Budapest? Just curious.
I like the pictures of Fisherman's Bastion, and the way the river divides Buda and Pest.
Once, I stayed at a guesthouse at a New Jersey beach town, and it was filled with about 12-15 Irish youths. They were a fun and lively bunch, lol.

Sorry if I talk too much, haha.

Talking is fine. There are hostels with private rooms. The expert here is Fred. I will send him to you.

I live in Budapest right now, but I am from Texas. Yes, its a lovely city. You worry too much about flight costs. You should be looking at that buy beyond that too, but you mention Sweden and Denmark both substantially more expensive to visit than Hungary or Romania or most any place in the old soviet bloc countries which could quickly eat up flight cost savings.

It's probably a good thing that you cancelled Düsseldorf, it's where I'd recommend you to go as a first time visitor to Germany. But I can give you a couple of comments about option 2.

So far, I Iike the idea of Denmark with a 4 day side-trip to Sweden.
What Swedish town/city is an easy train ride from Copenhagen (is
Stockholm my only choice?).

Stockholm is not your only choice, there are many other great options. Malmö is as mentioned the city closest to Copenhagen, but not my recommendation. There are many smaller towns that are better options for a tourist in my opinion, like Lund, Helsingborg, Ystad or Simrishamn. Or if you go a bit further, Kalmar, Varberg, Gothenburg and many more. But what I would recommend is a visit where you combine Copenhagen and Stockholm. Fly to Copenhagen, after a few days you take the train to Stockholm and then fly home from Stockholm. Or vice versa. From Newark (I had to look that up, it's helpful for those of us who don't know airport codes if you use the name/city instead) there are direct flights to both Copenhagen and Stockholm so you can do it without having to change plane somewhere. That can be a nice trip for a week, but even better if you can extend it by a day or two.

• Tour a castle and/or palace.
• Art museum (s)
• Boat ride on a local lake/river.
• Try new foods and interact with locals.
• I don't drink beer anymore, but I'd like to sample some local varieties.

You have plenty of opportunities for all of them in both Copenhagen and Stockholm. And if it doesn't have to be a lake or river, the Stockholm archipelago is a great place for a boat ride. You can take a short 30 minute trip to a nearby island just to have lunch, or a full day out in the archipelago, or anything inbetween. For castles and palaces, there are many to choose from. A personal favourite is Skokloster Palace, not that far from Stockholm, it's well worth a visit. You also got some great recommendations for Copenhagen from Cat VH. And if you want to interact with locals, Scandinavia has an advantage when it comes to language skills.

But in Europe, you have languages from all different places, etc.

Yes, and those of us that live here know that there are many languages spoken on the continent. So if you don't understand, ask if the person speaks another language. That being said, you should learn a bit of the language spoken in the area you plan to visit. You don't have to study with the aim to become fluent, but a few basic greetings and how to say thank you goes a long way.

Is it true that many European students etc. often take the train to
other places around Europe?

People of all ages do, and many also travel by other means of transport.

If I found a private room at a hostel that could change my mind.

Private rooms at hostels are common in Sweden.

You seem to have alot on your mind regarding where to go and what to do. As others have suggested, you need to do some research. My input is that you find an anchor for you trip. Specifically, what is the one thing that is most compels you to travel to Europe. For me it is a blend of outstanding beer, Impressionist art, thermes and Roman history. I try to experience at least one of these in every city I visit. And in some cases, build an entire week or more around one of them.

Another research suggest is to watch some Rick Steves TV episodes on PBS. If you don't have that channel you may be able to get DVDs from the library. I'm a visual person so I like to see a place to figure out whether I might like it. Like others have said, don't go just by airfares. Hotels and food can be much more expensive in Scandinavia than in places like Spain or Budapest.

Ill just throw out Ireland and Scotland as other options. Lots to see and the locals are very friendly. I did a tour with Rabbie's from Inverness to Orkney and it was breathtaking!

Great idea to watch some episodes of Rick Steves' tv show to see what interests you- you can find them all on this very website! https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show

But do check out the dates on those shows

Mr E, I have been doing more searching about both Sweden and Budapest. And. Budapest definitely has my attention! I would love to do a half-day tour on the beautiful Danube. Please tell me a little about Szentendre - is it a good day-trip?
Would it be a good idea, in your opinion to spend maybe 5 days in Budapest, and end my trip from Bratislava?