Need to decide a summer vacation destination... Help is appreciated!

For July an August I would prefer your first two options. It can be quite hot in Czech R. and especially in Hungary and Slovenia. Not too much air-conditioning. Poland or Baltic region? Logistically easier would be Poland. Good connections by train. If it is hot I would spend more time around Gdansk (Sopot, Hel etc.) - natural air-conditioning of the Baltic Sea. Olsztyn - in the area of Mazurskie Lakes, Zakopane in the high elevation of the High Tatras mountains. I would save Prague, K.V., Budapest for the spring or fall season.

Hi,

My choice is option two and in July. My trips in Poland have been in July, one of them seeing Gdansk at that time, didn't go all the way to Olsztyn, the terminus. That was a mistake, got off the train at Torun instead. If you intend to get a rental car, ie for max effect, you can also see the small towns/villages in the lower Vistula River area. Some escaped destruction in the war. But it's still doable by train and also by bus, which is a transportation option in Poland not to be rejected.

Hello KayDubai. One month at Europe, in Central or Eastern Europe. I recommend : travel to Poland. (option 2). From Krakow, go to the Tatras mountains.

Hi,

With option 2 after Krakow you can choose either to go Vienna or Budapest. Both are direct from Krakow by night train, both are great choices.

KayDubai, Though I can't predict it with certainty, the weather in the Baltics should not be too hot. That comes from experience--three times in LT for a month (July) each and traveling in the region. Evidently there are not direct flights to either Vilnius or Tallinn from Dubai, but there are several one-stop flights (via CDG, FRA, AMS, and others). I've been to several, but not all of the cities listed in choice 2. I've also been to Helsinki (if you choose to go that route) and the three Baltic capitals and will recommend number 1. Other than the Helsinki to Tallinn ferry, the best connections between the three capitals is by bus. If you choose number 1, let me know and I can pass along further info. Have a great trip.

I would definitely prioritize new destinations over re-visiting. The "issues" you've called out seem to have almost no impact beyond just having them on your radar. The ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn is easy. A bus from Venice to Slovenia is also easy, but with limited schedules (http://www.drd.si/en/default.aspx?ID=199 or https://www.goopti.com/), but easy to plan around their schedule if you stay a couple of days in Venice. To me, six cities in Poland is not too much for a whole month visit, whereas a whole month in the smaller country of Slovenia sounds like a lot.

Scandinavia is best in July/August - really the only time to go for reliable weather - with the possible exception of June 21st because of all the summer solstice celebrations. Elsewhere in Europe I prefer shoulder season because it's less expensive and less crowded.

We spent three weeks that included three days in Copenhagen, a twelve night Baltic cruise (Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg (2 nights), Tallinn, Gdansk, Oslo and back to Copenhagen, followed by another three days in Copenhagen.

Most of the Baltic capitals face the sea. Cruise ships and ferries offer a great transportation option. The cities are relatively small so a day or two is plenty to get a feel for them. If I had added time, it would have been in Stockholm. With a month, I might add four or five nights in Berlin.