Questions About Itinerary and Best Way to Travel?

... I do not know anyone personally who has ever traveled like this. Unfortunately that means no one I know can answer the questions I have!
Given that you are looking at this forum: https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/europe-through-the-back-door

Itinerary planning FAQ answers: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/trip-planning
In my thinking, itinerary comes down to personal interest and preferences.

Transportation FAQ answers: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation

Your budget is realistic assuming you're getting a good deal on the flight to Dublin and you don't mind staying in hostels or using airbnb.

Your itinerary is quite spread out over Europe so I wouldn't recommend taking trains because you'll waste so much time traveling, especially considering you only have 2 weeks. If you set a strict itinerary you can buy your plane tickets months in advance and save a lot of money.

I think you should choose to visit either Greece or Capri. Both will require flights which will take up time and take chunks out of your budget. You can go to beaches in both destinations so it's really more of a personal preference.

Your best bet is ...
Dublin - 2 nights
London - 3 nights
Paris - 3 nights
Rome - 3 nights
Dublin - 1 night

Flying in to London and home from Rome would have worked better for you. Not enough time for Barcelona or Athens, unless you drop something.

In order to help you the most we will need more information. The more details you give us the better answers we can give to you. You will be receiving many helpful hints from many people about things that are of great help to first time travelers like yourself.

Help us to help you with this information.

Is there a reason to fly round trip in and out of Ireland? If not others will explain open jaw travel flying into one city and home from another to cut out back tracking.

Also it may be helpful to think in nights rather than in days.

What city are you starting your travels from?

Are your two weeks off regular 9-5 Monday - Friday workdays? If so could you leave on a Friday evening and then return home on a Sunday then that is 17 nights with one being on the plane ride to europe. (BTW not a good idea to return home on a Sunday and have to go back to work Monday morning.)
These are a few basic questions that we usually ask when we help first time travelers. Other will probably have more.

You say you have researched. Is one of those sources Rick Steves "Europe through the Backdoor"?

Robert, I will be traveling from Atlanta to Dublin. I wanted to start my trip in Dublin because I have a friend there . The only reason I chose Dublin as my ending city is because rates that I looked up generally seemed to be cheaper from Ireland. Even with the added price of getting back to Ireland from whatever city I'm in before! I work on Saturdays so I was planning on leaving out on Saturday night and returning the Saturday two weeks after. That way I would have a day before I had to return to work. That gives me twelve days, not including the two days traveling to and from Europe. It's not ideal. I really wish I had four or five weeks but it's all I have for now!

Also, djp_syd, thank you so much for your thoughts! I actually ended up nixing London from my itinerary for a few reasons. I don't know.. I just feel like there are more beautiful places to see than London. So I would probably take those three days and split them between Paris and Rome... or should I try another place out as well? Also, the research I've done on flight prices seems like it's a cheaper option to fly in to Dublin rather than London. The price difference I found is a few hundred dollars... What really is the difference in flying round-trip and flying in and out of Europe through two different cities? Isn't that MORE expensive?

Flying into one city snd out of another is called open-jaw or multi-city.

If you fly roundtrip instead, remember you will spend time and money to get back for your departing flight.

HI

I just played around on the Delta site. (I do this a lot for my own trips looking for the best price.)
I picked a couple of dates two weeks apart in early May of this year to get an idea what tickets might be other than the last minute (so I did not use March 26 to April 29th this year).
I found a non stop flight into Dublin from Atlanta and a return non stop from Rome to Atlanta to be just a $117 more than a RT from Dublin. And that is not counting the cost of a ticket from Rome to Dublin, the hassle of another airplane flight or the value of another full day in Rome (what is the catch phrase) ...priceless.
Spend some time on the Delta site and use the multi city tab to check out and get a feel for possilbe open jaw ticket prices. (Or at least a range in the difference.)

I like your Dublin, Paris and Rome plan since you have such limited time. Flying between cities is way faster than trains as your cities are so far apart. For Paris to Rome consider EasyJet as they use the major airports in those two cities. Ryanair not so much.

Thank you so much Robert!
I will definitely look into the Delta site now! I've been trying to map out a rough itinerary today and I'm realizing how much of a pain it is going BACK to Dublin. If it's this frustrating on paper, I'd hate to realize I messed up when I'm actually there!
You all have been so helpful. Thank you!

Three cities would be more desirable so you can absorb as much as possible.

levnicole. When you compare costs of air vs rail, you should note that you need to include the costs of getting to and from airports and the time it takes pre-boarding, etc. Ryanair doesn't always fly to the most convenient airports either. Either way, you spend an awful lot of your time in transit with your far flung destinations. Kind of like flying in to New York to visit Los Angeles. How about going to one of your continental destinations first, and routing your return flight through Dublin, so you can stop on the way back.

If it were me on my first trip, I would concentrate on one country (Italy) or maybe two cities (Paris / Rome). The stress of trying to fit in everything on your list would ruin my experience.

Since you have twelve days "on the ground" (not including the two days traveling to and from Europe) your plan of two days in Dublin, three in Paris, and four in Rome looks very well thought out. That gives you two full days for moving around travel in Europe (Dublin to Paris and Paris to Rome). It appears you have one extra day -- but maybe you plan to use it to get back to Dublin (?). One suggestion is that you stay with your plan of only three major stops. You want to return with good memories of people, places and sights -- not just memories of airports and train stations.

lev,

Given the very short time frame of your trip I'd suggest reducing the number of destinations, which will not only provide for a more relaxing trip but also allow time for travel days. More time in each place will also allow time for day trips. If you're on a budget, keep in mind that each change of location will have a cost in both time and money. Again due to the very short time, I'd highly recommend using open-jaw flights, even if they do cost a few bucks more.

Forget Greece on this trip. With only two days it's not worth the effort, as it will take the better part of a day each way to get there and back (about six hours, when all is considered). I assume Dublin is a "must" as you want to visit a friend there. I'd suggest travelling more into April if possible, as the weather will probably be better.

As an earlier reply suggested, I would also recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip as that provides a lot of good information on how to travel well in Europe. You could also have a look at guidebooks (preferably RS guidebooks) for the countries you'll be visiting as that's the best way to plan efficient touring. The books also have good information on hotels and sightseeing (ie: some attractions are closed one day a week, so it's important to know which day that is). You should be able to find copies at your local Library. If you want to pack along some books, the Pocket Paris and Pocket Rome are small and easy to fit into a carry-on.

If I read your post correctly, you have a total of 16 days, including the flight days. Would something like this work......

• D1 - depart Atlanta
• D2/N1 - Arrive Dublin, go to friend's house (you may be affected by jet lag, so don't plan much on this day).
• D3/N2 - Dublin (be sure to visit Temple Bar area)
• D4/N3 - Dublin
• D5/N1 - Flight to Paris (you could have a look a Aer Lingus, Air France or others that have direct flights - Do NOT use RyanAir as they land in Beauvais, which is nowhere near Paris).
• D6/N2 - Paris (you might consider a Paris Museum Pass, depending on what touring you have planned)
• D7/N3 - Paris (day trip to Versailles?)
• D8/N4 - Paris
• D9/N1 - Flight to Naples (I'd recommend using easyJet from Paris / CDG to Naples - use the Curreri Viaggi Bus to Sorrento, about €10 PP). Be sure to read the easyJet Terms & Conditions, especially related to luggage.
• D10/N2 - Sorrento, day trip to Capri (this will take the better part of the day).
• D11/N3 - Sorrento, perhaps trip to Pompeii
• D12/N1 - Trains to Rome (the easiest way is to take the "colourful" Circumvesuviana to Napoli Centrale, where you'll connect with the high speed train to Rome - if you'd rather not have a "colourful" travel experience, there are other options but they will be more expensive). If you arrive in Rome in mid-afternoon, this will allow about half a day for touring.
• D13/N2 - Rome (plan touring carefully, as there's lots to see and limited time).
• D14/N3 - Rome
• D15 - Flight home (take the Leonardo Express to Rome / FCO for your flight connection (€14 PP, 32 minutes).
• D16 - Recovery day before you have to go back to work. You may be affected by jet lag (I always find that worse on the way home). If you don't need the recovery day, spend another night in Rome.

There are many possibilities and this is only one suggestion.

There are some potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of when using trains and other public transit in Italy. If you need more information, post another note and I'll forward a PM with my usual "boilerplate" on the subject.

Regarding your budget, if you spend $800 on airfare, that will allow $2700 / €2400 so you'll have to plan that part carefully (or take a credit card for a portion of the expenses, which you can pay off later).