travel to Budapest, salzburg and Cinque Terre in 10 days

Not doable at all. Why fly into Milan to spend only 1-2 nights in what is by all accounts a fantastic city? Instead you fly halfway across Europe? But even if that didn't sound crazy to begin with, from Budapest to Salzburg is nearly 6 hours of train ride. From Salzburg to Cinque Terre is at least 9 hours. That's nearly two full days eaten up by train and then you have to get back to Madrid. You'll be spending the bulk of your time in transit, and flying from Salzburg isn't much of an option for most people because the airport is small and as far as I can tell doesn't even offer service from Budapest, doubtful it's cost-effective to get you anywhere near Cinque Terre either.

I don't see how you can do this. IMO that is a lot of travel time for little reward. Two nights somewhere equals one full day. You would have one day in Budapest, one day in Salzburg and 2 days in CT. And you will spend 4 days in transit getting from Madrid to these far flung locations and then back to Madrid. Why bother? Why don't you just stay in Spain and plan to go to those other locations another time?

I agree. I was also thinking about flying into Milan from MAD and then going to Cinqe Terre, then travel to Provence France, then finally take a night train back to MAD. Any better? Thaks for the feedback!

That does sound better. The travel times are more reasonable.

Thanks. Have you been to these areas? Did you like it?

I have been to the Cinque Terre and to Provence. I enjoyed them both very much. There is more to 'do' in Provence. CT is nice for relaxing, checking out the towns and hiking. Provence is full of quaint hill towns and history. Traveling by train in Provence most people recommend staying in Avignon or Arles for easier train connections. I stayed in Arles and really liked it. I did have a car to travel around. Avignon is a larger city, and maybe a better choice if you are looking for nightlife. In CT the towns are all close together and easily accessible by train. I stayed in Vernazza, but at this point I would probably pick another town.

Thanks Andrea! One more question, do you think 2 nights in Cinque is enough? From what I hear, it seems like I should try to spend at least 3 nights in Provence.

Your original plan gave you 7 nights. If you want to spend 2 in CT and 3 in Provence, what happened to the other 2 nights?

Yes, I have actually 9 nights (10 days) and was planning on spending at least 2-3 nights in Milan once I arrive there. Then 2-3 nights CT and 2-3 nights Provence. Does this sound good?

What are you planning in Milan? I have only changed trains a there, but since I don't have the high end budget to shop there it didn't seem worth spending any time there. Some people want to see The Last Supper, but you could do that in a stop over. I would take at least one of your Milan days and add it to CT. If you took another Milan day away I would add it to Provence.

My first question is why did u book tickets to Madrid when u want to see is soooooo far away from Madrid?
Have u been to Madriid before? Spain? I am sure there is a Spanish riviera similar to cinque terre. There is great wine country in spain with cute/quaint towns like Provence. I mean u just might find what u r looking for in Italy and France in Spain........minus the substantial travel time. If u have more than 10 days of travel, I would say go for a few more countries. Get some Spain guide books and have a looks-see.

Thanks for the feedback. I booked air to MAD since it was cheapest for that time and figured we could catch a cheap flight to other places i havent been before ( been to Spain before ). Any places in Spain that you could rec. Kelly?
Andrea, i really only wanted to use Milan as a hub for a side trip to Como. Then move on to CT. I prefer towns instead of cities, so your suggestion is good! Thanks