Please just pick it for us. So stressed!!

I would definitely suggest spending some time in London (unless you are travelling during Olympics) London is a lot of fun, lots to see and do no language barrier also a good location for day trips when I was in my 20's I had a blast in London (and still do love London) Pubs, concerts, shopping.. London is also probably your best option for flights home
how about adding a week to Italy and then spending a week in London???

I too suggest you meet in Paris, because the person studying in Florence should have a chance to see and spend some time there, and the person studying in Paris may not have a chance to do a lot of sightseeing. After perhaps a week in Paris, I suggest London (not during the Olympics) or perhaps Amsterdam and then fly home from there. I love Florence and other cities in Italy, but Paris would be my first choice of city you both should see.

What a wonderful opportunity for two best friends. I won't make a choice for you though. You do need to do that. However, if you are ending you educational jaunt in Florence one possible scenario is to hop on a train for Milan and then onto Venice. OR head towards Rome from Florence. OR return to Paris, explore it more at a leisurely pace and then take the Chunnel to London for your last week and fly back to the states from there. There are soooooo many options for you to decide and flying into Amsterdam is certainly one.
Just remember December is a cold month in the northern part of Europe and the sun goes down around 4pm. I suggest London, because I love it AND because it is an easy town to walk about, loads of free things to see and do, wonderful theatre, pubs, and clubs. It is expensive but if you choose a place via a website like airbnb and are in contact with the owner you'll have a host to help you navigate the neighborhood and the City. On my recent trip there found a fabulous flat that fit my budget. The host was wonderful, made great filling breakfasts in the morning, charming, and was always ready to help answer questions. Have a wonderful two weeks where ever it you choose to go.

Do you want us to pick the hotel/hostel, or the entire itinerary? :D I travelled for several months in Europe, in college, with my best high school friend, and it was the BEST TRIP EVER. We did the "fly by wire" thing. We were in school in Tours, France, and we just picked up a Eurail Pass each, checked the map to see where we wanted to go, and hopped a train. When we got into town we would head for a hostel, check in, and head out into the city to explore. I understand your parents wanting to know where you want to fly in and out of... maybe it would be easiest to just decide that, and then plan where you'll go for the two weeks based on where you need to end up to fly home. Since you will be in Europe for your first time, you virtually cannot go wrong - everything will be great! Maybe plan to fly out from Paris, and check out London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Brussels. Or if you're flying out of Florence, check out Lucca, Pisa, Genoa, Padua and Venice. Or head to Rome! And Naples! Another idea - check out http://www.lonelyplanet.com/. Slightly younger vibe over there. A propos of nothing... pub recommendation in Paris: The Highlander, at 8 rue de Nevers (right off the Pont Neuf). Cocktails, ex-pats from England and Scotland behind the bar, DJ downstairs late... great place.

As I read it, one of you will be in Paris, the other in Florence? Why not meet in the middle and start there? Luzern would be just about right for that. Where you go from there depends in part on the time of year and your main interests. You could share exploring the parts of Italy and France you didn't get to see during your study term, or you could go hiking in Switzerland, or you could . . . Wee, lots of thins but "when" makes a difference.

what time of year are your travelling? Are you spending one week in Paris and then one week in Florence?
I did the whole backpack through Europe with a friend after college and it was a great experience. Paris and Florence are two great cities to start out with but there will be many more options.

If one is in Florence and the other in Paris, I'd suggest that you meet in Paris, then take the Eurostar to either Amsterdam or London. From there explore nearby areas. For example, if you go to London, you could - after several days in London- work your way by train through York, to Edinburgh and then see the Highlands of Scotland and, perhaps some of Wales. From Amsterdam you could explore the Benelux area or head over to Germany. I know you want to 'see it all', but you'll be back!!! I think you'll enjoy things more, if you focus on a smaller area.

caroline, It would help to have a bit more information. What time of year will you be in Europe? Also, what are you most interested in seeing? Are either of you "leaning" towards a particular country? The easiest solution would be to meet somewhere between Paris and Florence, so that you could both explore an area neither has seen before. Some possibilities are Switzerland (Berner Oberland), Cinque Terre, other parts of France (Provence, Alsace) or the southwestern part of Germany. With two weeks, you should be able to fit in about four different locations (depending on which places you choose). If you choose the latter options, Frankfurt is a good airport to find flights back to the U.S. As this is your first trip to Europe, I'd highly recommend reading the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door, as that provides lots of good information on "how" to travel in Europe. Use the country Guidebooks to get some idea on sightseeing in each place. Good luck with your planning!

I would visit Paris, Ghent / Brussles, Amsterdam and maybe Gronigen or another college town.

It would be a shame for each of you to not see the other city so here is what I would do.... The one in Florence fly's to Paris for 4 nights and is shown the town. Then you both go back to Florence for a few nights. Then train to Sienna and on to Rome (5 nights).

As you can see already, none of us can pick a place for you. But all have lots of ideas. The idea to meet in Paris is really good. Spend a week in Paris and then either go back to Florence and Rome, or to London. I'm surprised no one has mentioned Barcelona! Depending on time of year, you can't beat Barcelona when you're in college.

I'm with those who say do something new together and meet in the middle. Rick has some 12- and 14-day trips to Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. If you want someone else to handle the details, go with him - if the dates coincide and you have the $. If not, borrow one of his itineraries and start inquiring about places to stay: http://tours.ricksteves.com/tours/germany-austria-switzerland

Thanks! Our problem is that everything sounds great. I mistakenly said "our" when it is only my first time to Europe. She has already studied and visited in Rome and Florence. Also, she does not want to stay in Paris after spending 3 weeks there. We do worry we won't get back there so we do want to try and see/experience what we can. We were thinking about 2 nights each place but don't know if that is reasonable. We want to experience different places and want to see some museums etc., but don't feel the need to see all. Sitting in a park or cafe watching people is even fun to us. Some have suggested Prague-Munich-Berlin-Swiss Alps-Amsterdam-London but I don't see how to do that in 2 weeks! So, what to leave out and how to get there. We do think London will be fun for us. But, we've heard Barcelona is a great place and we could do Spain and southern France. But my friend isn't sure where she will spend her weekends from Paris. Thank you soo much for any help.

Caroline It is so hard to choose where to go! And it can be stressful. Just remember you will have a great time. My suggestion is to do the south of France and/or Provence and Barcelona. These places are so much different than what you will experience in Italy or Paris! If you can possibly rent a car (depending on your age), I would do that for Provence. Much of the South of France you can do by rail along the coast. I would ask your travel partner to take her Paris weekend trips to other closer destinations. If she is going to be in Paris only for 3 weeks, that is not many weekend trips anyway. To get to Barcelona, you can fly non-stop from Marseilles for about $100 in about 1 hour. Currently, AirFrance has $64 for 8 PM flight. Otherwise, check www.skyscanner.com. Train is a pain in the neck with at least one change and takes forever and might end up costing about the same. To get to Marseilles from Florence, you will need to fly from Milan. (No flights from Florence or Pisa that are NS or a decent price.) Non Stop 1 hour $56. Again train takes a long time and you have to change at least once, I think. And price is similar. For the discount airlines, remember that their packing weight and sizes are very strict and if you go over it costs an arm and a leg. So if you are bringing 2 26" suitcases for your 3 weeks, it will not be affordable. Also everything costs extra. So don't be taken in by the first price you see; go all the way to the end
of the booking to see the final price. Good luck! Bobbie