Not sure whether to leave out the Baltic Countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania)

I like your idea of starting in Estonia and making your way down through Latvia and Lithuania--probably because that's on my list of trips to make, there's an excellent bus system that serves these countries. I have already been to Estonia, spent a week in Tallinn with a couple of day trips to outlying towns and Lahemaa National Park, and it's truly a lovely place, with a side order of Soviet era architecture to make it slightly more intriguing. Tallinn is a beautifully preserved medieval walled city and there's plenty of nightlife, art and culture to warrant at least 2-3 days. These 3 countries alone could do with about 10 days total.

But time-wise, with the other countries you list that are all closer in proximity to each other, you might do best with the starting in Poland itinerary. With so many places you'd have a lot of travel days, keep that in mind. I have not been to the Balkans or Munich but to the other cities you list and they are all worth at the minimum 3 days. Vienna is a bit low-key on nightlife but big on great museums, Prague can be terribly over-crowded (but spectacularly beautiful, so worth it), I was totally taken by Krakow, Warsaw and Gdansk and then there's Budapest--it's safe to say I am now obsessed with it and will be making my 3rd trip there in as many years this April. Friendly people, fabulous food, magnificent scenery and open spaces, plenty of nightlife in the ruin pubs.

Travel time tends to be slower in both the Baltics and Balkans due to fewer and older train lines and fewer departures running on them. Rick’s Train Travel Time & cost Map gives you an overview of faster train travel times in hours, and a couple of bus routes also shown. You'll need more buses in the Balkans, which we have not reflected.

The non-Baltic plan still contains 10 countries, giving you an average of one travel day and two sightseeing days for each. You can see several highlights of a big city in two days, though I've certainly enjoyed having more time in each of Prague, Munich, Vienna, and Budapest. Then for the Balkans, will you again just see the biggest city in each? Smaller towns may have better preserved historic architecture and beautiful scenery.

Penciling the plan onto an actual calendar can help you decide if you need to cut something. It's usually easiest to cut the furthest points. The price and availability of flights home from the last stop would also contribute to your decision.

As an adventurous traveler you have chosen some very suitable destinations, but you are smart to question your original plan. You wouldn't have seen much except scenery flashing by through a bus or train window. Unfortunately, I don't think you have enough time even if you omit the Baltic countries.

I spent two months of 2015 on the Balkan Peninsula, visiting Slovenia (2nd trip), Croatia (3rd trip, so limited to Istria, Zadar and Zagreb), Serbia (just a bit), Romania, Bulgaria and Montenegro. I did not have enough time even though I was re-visiting some of those countries.

My 2015 route was quite a bit different from what you're contemplating, but I think the experience is applicable. One key fact is that in most areas you should expect to cover only about 30 mph via bus or train, and that doesn't include time spent making connections. Every place you want to go is likely to be at least a 4-hour ride from where you are. I ended up with 3 or 4 all-day bus trips and one all-day train trip. Obviously, the fewer places you visit in each country, the farther apart your stops will be and the longer your transportation links. There are so many interesting cities and towns; it's a shame to hop from one capital city to the next.

With around 30 days I would not attempt anything other than the Balkan countries, assuming you want to include all of them this time. That's not a particularly easy (or cheap) area to get to, so I'd hope for a pretty comprehensive itinerary so I didn't feel I needed to return right away to see what I had to skip.

Alternatively, you might manage something like Poland, Prague, Munich, Vienna, Slovenia and part of Croatia.

Give yourself time to soak up the atmosphere in these countries, many of which are still not totally westernized. If you are rushing, you won't have time for many conversations with local residents or fellow travelers.

Hey guys,
Thanks so much for the replies. Yeah, it's a little overwhelming when you're trying to fit a lot in. To be more specific, the trip looks like it'll be 39 days in total (if that changes anything at all). I'm thinking of omitting Munich and Vienna, but I still need to plan everything out. Thanks again!

Look at it this way: You can add on the Baltics when you visit the Nordic countries on a later trip to Europe. Tallinn, Estonia is an easy two hour ferry ride from Helsinki.

Thirty-nine days is better than thirty, that's for sure. I'd definitely postpone Munich and Vienna till a later trip. You'll find them easy to visit on a later trip.

Get hold of a few guidebooks that cover the Balkans and skim the sightseeing information. Make a list of places you'd like to go in each country. It's not so easy getting across the borders down there, so try to avoid spending two days going to and returning from a country where you only have time to spend two for three days. I think you're going to find you still need to trim a bit. It's one thing to figure you can get by with just 3 days in a city by rushing. Countries are different. all the ones you're contemplating have multiple worthwhile cities/towns/national parks to see.

I would start in the Baltic states as there is a greater chance that they will become less accessible in the not to distant future.

I know you want the grungy romance of train travel, but I would sure look at discount air carriers to make the longer connections. Budapest to Titograd for $50 and 1 hour for instance.

Spooked by Russia, Tiny Estonia Trains a Nation of Insurgents (NY Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/01/world/europe/spooked-by-russia-tiny-estonia-trains-a-nation-of-insurgents.html?_r=0

I had also thought of the possibility of the Baltics becoming less accessible as James E. posted. But that's not why I'm writing. We've been to Estonia, Riga both by bus and plane, and to Lithuania three times. You should probably not even expect to use trains, but the buses are very good; I recommend bus travel. See www.eurolines.com for schedules and fares. For us it seemed like Lithuania itself was off the beaten path. Have a great trip.

Hi,

"I wanted to concentrate on Central/Eastern Europe and the Balkans." Where is Central Europe? Which towns/cities? As you are putting your itinerary together, keep in mind all the options available...day and night trains, the buses, the ferries and their routes, such as from Klaipeda to Kiel/Ger, if you're going there at all, You certainly can find the "off the beaten track" places in the Balkans, like wise in north and eastern Germany depending on how specialised your interests are. In the Balkans I would suggest Novi Sad in Serbia as one such place, if you want a prominent historical site.