Travel tips for first European adventure- Starting in Copenhagen

These are two many locations for just two weeks. Focus on Denmark (and Sweden, Malmö and Göteborg are just nearby!) for a few days and then take a flight to Innsbruck, Tyrol, from there visit Meran and South Tyrol. Fly back. That should be enough of Europe for this trip.

Note: Oktoberfest is a Munich thing only. Large beer-fests happen in Germany all over the year.

Forget "safety concerns," unless you're planning to go mountain climbing alone. They're the same everywhere, and really minimal. See tips for traveling solo at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/trip-planning and tips for deterring pickpockets at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/theft-scams.

I also recommend spending several days in and around Copenhagen. Flying the next long hop makes sense, whether it's to Amsterdam or Austria or Switzerland; www.skyscanner.com. Any of these destinations will be great, so choose one now, plan to spend a few days there, and then fill in the next block of time. The puzzle comes together when you just start making decisions. Are there any times already agreed in Merano (or anywhere)?

Near Merano, other than hiking or scenic drives, the obvious sight is Bolzano's excellent Archeology Museum of Sud Tirol. If you were to take a train as far as Verona, it's 2.5-3 hours each way, with a connection in Bolzano. Your hosts should be able to advise you about local buses from their town; here is one link: http://bus.meran.eu/.

Since you only have two weeks and are not looking to rush through a bunch of destinations, I would narrow your itinerary to maybe 2-3 cities/areas. Copenhagen is several hours from any of your destinations by train, so I recommend flying with a budget airline like easyJet or one of their many counterparts. Then, I would limit your itinerary to adjacent areas like Italy/Austria/Germany or Italy/Austria/Switzerland or Germany/Austria/Switzerland. The Netherlands, again, is several hours away from these places by train and you would probably be better off flying there :)

Hope you have a fantastic time wherever you end up going!

You have some good advice already, I will try to add some more.

I have been to all the places that you mentioned. Two weeks is not enough to go and enjoy all those places.

Copenhagen is worth some time, but so are all the other places. However, since you will be flying in there and departing from there, I suggest 2-3 nights there.

Merano, Italy is in far Northern Italy in what they call the Sud-Tyrol region that once was a part of Austria. There are still many Austrian people there. There are likely hiking opportunities for you there. You are not terribly far from Innsbruck, Austria where the Winter Olympics was held in, I think 1976. Just across the border is Garmisch, Germany and Oberamergou, where the Passion Play is performed every 10 years. There are lots of castles to see in this area. You could move on to Munich. I would skip Baden Baden, since it is in the far SW corner of Germany near France.

While in Italy, you might consider taking a side trip to Venice or Milan Italy, if you have time. Time is the issue.

Go on TripAdvisor and type in things to do at the city where you are staying, it will show a long list of suggestions that are usually good. Also, consider buying Rick Steves tour books on the country where you are traveling. Switzerland is wonderful, but very expensive. Suggest staying in Italy, Austria and Germany for the Alpine hiking.

If you go to Garmisch, Germany, just across the border from Innsbruck, you may be able to find a hiking tour for two days that takes you up to the top of the Zugspitze Mountain, the highest mountain in Germany. I did this hike twice back when I was closer to your age. I did the hikes in July, and we still had sleet one day on the mountain, so check the weather. It is a wonderful hike if you can do it. You spend the night in a Hutte where you have a clean but spartan place to stay.

For Copenhagen, I suggest the free walking tour that you can find every day, starting from close to Tivoli and the main square. Also, you can take a canal boat tour of the city. Go see the changing of the guard at the Royal palace and a couple of castles in the area as well as the little mermaid.

Vienna is a great city, but you probably don't have time for it.

Here is a suggestion
Day 1-3 Copenhagen
Day 4 travel to Italy, you can fly to Milan. Budget airfares are cheap in Europe, check it out on Kayak website. If you take the train, consider a second class sleeper to save money. There is probably a sleeper to Munich.
Day 5-7 Italy

Day 8 travel to Innsbruck, then Garmisch (stay in Garmisch) try to catch the hike spend day 9-10 in the area
Day 11 go to Munich, spend a couple of days there then move on back to Copenhagen.

I didn't catch Amsterdam, but if you really want to see it you would need to cancel something else. Save it and Vienna for another trip.

In Iceland, I would want to go ride the Icelandic Horses for a unique experience and to see the scenery.

In Germany, many of the best castles are along the Rhine and in northern Germany.

If you don't go to Munich, you will never know that Oktoberfest is happening. It is truly just a Munich event. Lots of wine festivals though, especially along the Rhine.

There are many spas in Germany, so you don't need to go out of your way to Baden-Baden. If you are near the Rhine, you could go to the thermal spa in Wiesbaden or in Bad Homburg. These are 2 of the original baths in Germany.

Your list is way too large for just 2 weeks. You will need to add in travel times for each of these many places.

Why are we recommending Munich during Oktoberfest when the OP said specifically that she wanted to avoid it?

Let me re-emphasize what Jo wrote... you can find castles and spas everywhere in Germany, you don't need to traipse all zero in on one out-of-the-way destination like Baden-Baden to experience them.

Let's start with basics. You have two weeks, and must subtract time spent in Iceland. You have listed six countries in addition to Iceland that you think you will visit in those two weeks. No wonder you're feeling overwhelmed - this is an overwhelming itinerary.

So, scrap it. Start with your fixed points - arrival in Copenhagen, must visit Merano to stay with your friend, must get back to Copenhagen, and will spend two nights in Iceland on the way home. Pick a few places in between, and actually enjoy them, instead of jumping from country to country seeking "beauty spots." Sort of like going to Europe to "meet the people," who are everywhere, there's "outdoors" and "nature" all over the place.

Merano is in the Dolomites, and you could spend many days exploring the area. Ortisei is one of many mountain villages, and then there are the "lowland" towns of Bressanone and Bolzano. Since you are going here anyway, I'd focus on this area. No need to leave this area to hike - do your hiking right here. Afterwards, you could easily go south to Venice or north to Austria and Germany if you want.

Make a list of each night and where you will spend it. This will make the planning easier. To learn about options for getting between places and how long it will take, a good start is Rome2Rio: https://www.rome2rio.com/. Note that it is just a start; you need to check directly with the train operator, bus line, airline, etc for schedules and prices (Rome2Rio often doesn't reflect available discounts).

Remember that two nights in a place is only one full day, so one night is less than a full day. Also remember that it takes a half day to change locations even if they're close together; for further flung destinations (say, Copenhagen to Merano), it's more like a full day door to door.

For flights within Europe, the price only goes up the longer you wait. Book as soon as you know your plans. Because you are trying to connect Italy and Copenhagen in a short time, you will probably need at least one flight (say, from Venice back to Copenhagen). To find flights, use Skyscanner: http://www.skyscanner.com/

Thank you one and all! I took all of your advice and decided to focus on copenhagen, amsterdam, rhine area, and merano. I couldn't have done it without all of you! This is a great "community" to be a part of.