Review my 2 month itinerary please :)!

Please reconsider and stay in Venice. It's magical there. Here's a few places at that same price, with links to their Tripadvisor reviews. You're not going to get luxury at your budget and the true budget finds were booked long ago for September, but these should work. Treat yourself to a stay in Venice - Mestre is just not the same.
$87 - https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187870-d529165-Reviews-Hotel_Alex-Venice_Veneto.html
$95 - https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187870-d239481-Reviews-Hotel_Guerrini-Venice_Veneto.html

Also - I like your pacing and I'm jealous - it looks like a great trip, with a good mix of cities. You'll really have time to see your cities.

Please reconsider and stay in Venice. It's magical there. Here's a few places at that same price, with links to their Tripadvisor reviews. You're not going to get luxury at your budget and the true budget finds were booked long ago for September, but these should work. Treat yourself to a stay in Venice - Mestre is just not the same.
$87 - https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187870-d529165-Reviews-Hotel_Alex-Venice_Veneto.html
$95 - https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187870-d239481-Reviews-Hotel_Guerrini-Venice_Veneto.html

Hi Valerie,
The booking I have is basically $20 USD a night, those ones are 4-5 times the budget! I put in my reservation on that one about 4 months ago, but it's free of charge to cancel up until about 2 weeks prior. Is it really that magical to justify paying that much more? I can understand the appeal of seeing attractions before the bustle starts, but after seeing Kyoto in full cherry blossom bloom, i'm not overly worried about a bit of a crowd but do have a bit of a tighter budget than ideal.

Ohhhhh... I thought you were paying $80 per night, not $80 for all 4 nights. I get it. Well.....you're young and I'm guessing you're on a pretty tight budget since your trip is long. Venice is, indeed, spectacular but if you're staying in Mestre for $20 per night, I can see why you're choosing it. Is it an Airbnb-type thing? Can you find anything at all in Venice proper? I think I might shell out $40 per night if you could find something in the city itself....and the hostel you have seen is $140 total? 60 more? I think I might go for that...where's it located?

It's a bed and breakfast located about 800 metres from Mestre station. Not highly rated, but acceptable quality, and definitely good value. If I want to stay on Venice proper, i'd be looking at more than double. It would be at the Generator hostel, located on Giudecca and going for about $60 USD more, in a 16 bed dorm, versus private room and ensuite.

What would food costs look like on Venice compared to Mestre if eating out at budget type places vs. self catering?

How do you plan to self-cater with no kitchen facilities?

That's funny - when I looked around a little I saw that Generator Hostel and I was going to draw your attention to it but then I noticed it was on Giudecca, which require a ride on a water taxi to get to the "Venice" you're thinking of, so I'm not sure it's worth the extra money. It's surely nice on Giudecca, and, in my opinion, it's nicer than Mestre. Pull up Giudecca on Google maps and you'll see it sits right across the water from Venice proper.

I never thought I'd hear myself say this....but maybe you're in the best lodging for your particular circumstance. You're going on an absolutely awesome trip.

As to food, I'm at the low end of spenders on food, I think. I don't eat in restaurants too often...but more than you will. You're budgeting about 190 Euros per week for food and entertainment, correct? That's under 30 Euros per day. That will be tight. Have you traveled on a budget like that before? I think I could do food at that rate....no beer, no soda, drinking mostly water from the grocery store. I'm assuming you don't have cooking facilities in many spots and when you say self-cater you mean like take-away from a grocery store? Yeah - I could do it. I am not sure how much you'll have left over for entrance fees for places. Is there any chance you meant you have 1500 for food and another 1500 for entertainment/entry fees?

Hi Nancy,

Breakfast is covered if I stay at the B&B in Mestre. I will likely be eating out for lunch most days and the room has a microwave and kettle, so although not perfect, I could likely live off noodles, fresh fruit, sandwiches, microwaveable meals etc if available. I tend to eat small dinners as it is.

Valerie,
That's 1500 euros for food, and 1500 for entertainment/fun. 3000 total, with a further 1500 backup fund for any big ticket splurges, or just under budgeting I might do. Sorry if that wasn't clear! How I see it is, I may need to budget more for food whilst in Switzerland and Italy, but i'll spend far less when i'm in Czech Republic, Hungary and Eastern Europe, so hopefully it evens out a bit.

And thanks, i'm really excited - just under 2 months to go now!

Well, that's a relief! I'll leave you with this: my favorite meal in Venice is a huge piece of pizza and a can of coke for 5 Euros or under. I take it to a quiet spot along the Grand Canal and sit down and watch gondolas and other boats go by. It's awesome.

I've done the Mestre thing myself, for the same reason. Just get up and out early and/or stay in Venice late so you get to experience it when it's not overwhelmed.

Last year I bounced around the Balkans for a month and a half. I like the overall pace of your trip and the flexibility. There are many wonderful side-trip possibilities you'll be able to take advantage of, adjusting the length of stay in cities as necessary. I do have a few thoughts:

• At some point, probably in October, the weather is going to change from summer to cool-and-rainy. Be prepared.

• I like Ljubljana a lot, and Bled is very pretty, but by comparison to Zagreb, I think you have too much time allotted to Slovenia. Zagreb is a very lively city with an active cafe culture and youthful vibe. And museums. More and larger art museums than in Ljubljana, including a really good, but small, museum of naive art. Not many of those around. Since you're hitting Slovenia first, you'll need to make the decision before you see Zagreb, but I think one day is not nearly enough for Zagreb. With one day allotted to Plitvice, I think you'll want at least 4 nights in Zagreb.

• September will probably be better than July when I was there, but Plitvice is (justifiably) totally overrun by 10 AM or so, which is when you'll arrive by bus from Zagreb. It's worth the time to look hard for an affordable accommodation near the park for the night before your visit so you can beat the crowds. This is worth a splurge. If there are no such possibilities, schedule Plitvice for mid-week. That might help a bit. It's a lovely place, but it loses some of the impact when it's mobbed. Also try to confirm bus availability in advance for the time you'll be there (perhaps the Croatian or Zagreb tourist offices could help). I think you'll be fine in September, but buses to touristy places don't run as frequently outside of peak season.

• I last visited Sarajevo before the war, so my info is not current. I think you may have more time there than you need unless you plan some side-trips (and there may be some good ones). I know from last year's trip that there are lots of side-trip possibilities in Montenegro, so I'd be inclined to shift a day or two from Sarajevo to Montenegro. I liked all of the places I day-tripped to: Ulcinj (sort of Turkish vibe), Cetinje, Herceg-Novi and Budva. But they were beginning to roll up the sidewalks in Budva when I visited at the beginning of October, so I suspect not much would be open by mid-month. Podgorica, the capital, is skippable unless you need it for transportation purposes.

• Kotor gets some monster cruise ships, though possibly not as late in the year as you'll be there. Check port schedules online so you'll know whether you need to plan a trip out of town on a specific day.

• Novi Sad makes a nice day-trip from Belgrade.

• You're planning some border-crossing buses. Those tend to be infrequent, so it's not a bad idea to pick up a ticket locally once you know when you want to leave. I found it not so easy to get reliable schedule information before I got to the city of departure. I asked for info once at a local tourist office (I found those very helpful throughout the Balkans), and the rep actually called the bus station in my planned departure city to ask about the timetable. If she didn't trust online info completely, I figured I shouldn't. That said, I found I could rely on the schedule once I had it.

If you can survive Switzerland and Venice, I think your budget will hold up, but you will likely be spending a fair amount on day-trips by (public) bus. Don't forget that part of the budget.

Great planning.

I must agree with those that recommended staying in Venice. We have done both, staying in Mestre and staying in Venice. It is worth the extra cost to stay in Venice. You can find an inexpensive hotel near the Saint Lucia train station.

Some grocery stores have prepared foods, some ready to microwave. Try to have at least one nice, sit-down local-style meal in each city - most people remember what they ate as part of the cultural experience, too.

Hi Nick ... fellow Brisbanite !!
I would consider spending your first 3 nights lakeside in Lausanne, with day trips to Geneva and Montreux. Reduce your time in Lauterbrunnen, perhaps an expensive place for an extended stay.
My impression (not experience) is that 5 nights in Sarajevo and 4 nights in Belgrade may be excessive. Have you considered adding Sofia, Bulgaria in to the mix?
With only a few 2 night stays, you will travel at an enjoyable pace, avoiding fatigue. Great trip. Have a fantastic time.