short time to cover alot in January

You're going to have to be a bit more specific, which cities did you want to cover in such a short period for four countries?

Berlin, London, Rome and Paris? Or were you thinking of doing more?

How many nights exactly? (Not days - nights)
With a minimum of 3 nights for each of 4 cities, you will be able to get 2 days of sightseeing in each. You will have to find cheap flights between each city, and your flights from home will have to be 'open-jaw' (arriving in one city, then returning from another).

I think that you'll need to do some hard thinking about what you can realistically do.

Short answer (and I don't mean this at all unkindly)? Not possible unless you want to see more of airports and train stations than doing anything else at all.

You can't even properly 'see' any of those countries singularly in two weeks although you can hit some of the high points. Keep in mind that the UK alone involves four countries: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. At the most, I'd pick a couple of cities (day trips from a base are possible) in one country or maybe a city each in two countries; three at the MOST. January will be a cold time of the year for all of them.

I'd suggest getting a guidebook and narrowing the options. How you intend to get around is also an important part of the picture.

Not only will it be cold, but the daylight hours will be very short. About 2 weeks is too vague. How many nights will you be in Europe? Don't count your travel days. Have you been to Europe? Where are you traveling from? Be more specific to get better help.

And weather that time of year can really put a dent in your travel schedule. This site works much better when you can lay out a specific plan and ask specific question about locations and schedules. You really didn't even ask a question. You need to do some more homework before we can provide any good assistance.

Hey, I saw Italy in one day. I was in Innsbruck and took the train up to Brennero. That was in Italy (by about ¼ mile. Then I took another train (about an hour) down to Fortezza and had lunch. Went back to Innsbruck. Italy, check.

If all you want to do is tell others you've been in those countries, no problem.

You have about enough time to visit one city in each of four countries. Fly into one and fly home from another, with short flights or train rides between the cities. Maybe fly to Frankfurt, fly to Rome, fly to Paris, then take the Eurostar train to London. Fly home from London. You would have 3-4 nights in each with (possibly) time for a day trip from each. Please consult one or two guidebooks for ideas, details, expenses, and all those other things you need to know to plan your itinerary.

If you return to this Helpline with more questions, we can probably help you.

Rome (3nts) >> Florence (3nts) >> Venice (2nts) >> (fly to) Paris (3nts) >> London (3nts)
or
Rome (3nts) >> Florence (3nts) >> (fly to) Paris (4nts) >> London (4nts)
(Leave cold Germany in January for a warmer time)

Hello garloo 12. Germany and France are cold in January. I recommend -- go to two countries :
Italy.
The U.K.
If you will fly from the U.S.A., I think the best plan is
Fly to Rome.
Fly from Rome to London.
Fly from London to the U.S.A..

I believe your airline ticket will cost more in airport fees if you fly home from London. 2 weeks is just a city hop if you are hoping to cram 4 countries into one short trip, and you won't even begin to scratch the surface of some of the main cities. But if you must, pick your 4 cities (ex. Paris, Rome, Berlin, London), accept that your daylight hours are limited, some sightseeing opportunities will close earlier because it's the middle of winter, and the weather is not going to be the greatest (even in Italy). Try to arrange for any trains or flights between your destinations late in the day whenever possible so you are not wasting those daylight hours in transit. Fly into London if you want, but fly open jaw and home from another destination if you want to minimize airline ticket fees.

That far north the sun will be setting around 4:30 in January, so unless you plan really well, you'll have a lot of down time in your hotel room. The suggestion to use evening hours for traveling was excellent.

What actually is the OP's question? I see only that there are some places named that they want to go to in January for two weeks. What do the sisters want to know? What advice are they seeking?

You are correct, Norma. No real question and, of course, no response back to all our question. Some seem to forget that this site works best when there is a dialogue. You ask a question, we answer - maybe ask for clarification. You ask another question. Maybe ask for clarification of an answer. General one answer after another will improve on all the answers. Without a discussion it goes nowhere.