We loved our trip to Italy and we're struggling to decide on where to visit next. HELP!

They all sound nice. Did I miss how long the trip would be? #1 is fun because they were all parts of the Austro-Hungarian empire so they share some common history. It is a nice mix of different sized cities #2 you would need a lot of time and its my understanding that its rather hard to connect Portugal with Andalusia unless by plane. If you havn't been to Spain, I would concentrate either or Andalusia (Sevilla, Granada, white hill towns and Cordoba, possibly a place on the coast like Jerez) Madrid would not be my highest priority for getting to know Spain. It is an elegant and lively city, but other places have more history. You also could concentrate a whole trip around Barcelona and the Catalan area. I love the Rick Steves tv shows. If you haven't seen them or need a review, they are on this website. They are a great way to get an idea of travel destinations which would be right for you.

If you've only been to Europe once, I think there's it's wise to head for the most traditional/mainstream destinations first (eg France, UK) before next moving on to places that are even just a bit less traditional (eastern Europe, etc.). Simply because once you've been to the more exotic places (Uzbekistan!) then going to London "might feel like a bit of a wet noodle" (a term Rick Steves once used to explain why he suggests that on a grand tour of Europe, most first-timers should start in the north - London - and work their way to the south - Rome - where things are slightly more "complicated" from both a cultural and logistical standpoint).

I would set aside your #1 itinerary for that reason, and would suggest #4 as a great Next Trip.

You have 2.5 weeks or 17-18 days.

Mixing large cities with smaller cities and towns is a good idea. Here are some tentative thoughts for creating your itinerary:
1) Large cities like Rome, Paris, London demand several days to explore well. When I say well, I mean from 4-6 days.
2) Smaller cites like Porto can be covered in two days, unless you use that city as a base to do day trip outside the city. Like from Porto, visiting Santiago de Compostela in Spain on a day trip will work well. Also, taking a cruise up the Douro River is a must. In fact, I recommend a 7 day cruise that included a day trip to Salamancia, Spain. You might not have time for the 7 day cruise, but could do a day cruise or take the train up the valley.
3) Large cities not in the same class as in #1, like Madrid, Barcelona, Prague or Nice demand a bit less than those in #1 and more than in #2. Madrid is worth 3 days and more if you do day trips to Toledo and Segovia.
4) I believe that you can do your Tour #1 starting with Prague in 2.5 weeks as well as Tour #4 as long as your some of France is not too extensive. You could do Normandy in about 3 days (don't miss the Bayeux Tapestry).
5) Tours #2 and #3 might be pushing it to do in 2.5 weeks. Tour #3 starting with Paris would demand a lot more time, Paris 6 days, Loire Valley 3 days, Bordeaux 3 days, South of France 4 days (include Nice, Monaco, Arles and Avignon) and French Alps 3 days. Since you would likely be traveling by train, your many travel days would eat up time for sight seeing.

All the places are great, plan on doing them all, just determine what you want first.

Don't forget to explore the British Isles. The countryside of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland are amazing. Places like York, Durham, Inverness, Edinburgh, the Lake District, Cotswolds, Bath, Winchester and more.

On the upside, you cant go wrong ;) Is there any of these that is tugging at you for no concrete reason? I seem to follow a gut feeling in my travels. The first big trip we did, I really wanted to visit certain places, so I crafted a route with those in it. After those, I had second tier places (not that they are second tier, but in terms of, if I only went on this trip), and so on. I think the suggestion to start north and head south because of cultural novelty is conservative (and I think RS' audience probably skews that way, as in, he's trying to introduce Europe to people for whom a European trip might seem really adventurous and maybe daunting, which is a good thing, but maybe not the approach of everyone who comes to the forum). France seems like a no brainer to me. Same with Great Britain (including all the places geovagriffith suggested). If it were me, I would do that France loop (#3), and then Great Britain on your next trip, and then onward. Although in my case, we did France and Italy in 5 weeks, then Greece, and this summer Spain, and will hopefully get to Great Britain or something like your #1 itinerary next summer, so Im not actually doing what I suggest ;p

If you enjoy museums, you must go to London to see the British Museum. York and Edinburgh also have some nice museums. Ireland has beautiful rural scenery, but driving on the narrow roads is tricky. I loved St. Fagan's Folk Museum near Cardiff, Wales, an easy train ride from London.

Nice problem! : ). And not unusual. I typically work on a couple of itineraries before one becomes the exciting choice for us.

1. Between Salzburg and Vienna, I would add a couple of days at a location, similar to your Montepulciano break from cities. We stayed at St. Wolfgang and both of us loved that beautiful area on the lake. Easy transportation from Salzburg, and we stayed at an adult boutique hotel with a small spa. I think to really enjoy enough days at each location, you would need to drop Budapest from that itinerary.

2. There’s plenty to see in Spain. We were there for three weeks and didn’t even go north of Madrid. Other towns to consider: Granada, Ronda, Córdoba and the Coast. And Toledo near Madrid.

3. That’s a lot of France to condense into one trip! Maybe Loire Valley, Paris and take the TGV
   train down to Nice & Coast. Paris is always a good idea! ; )

Italy was our first trip to Europe too, and just like you we loved it. Our current favourite spot is Portugal. I think your Porto all the way to Barcelona is more than I'd want to do. You could do the whole time in Portugal, or at least end in Madrid.
Another possible itinerary is Barcelona to Southern France, Dordogne, Sarlat, Loire and Paris. If you do that make sure to stop in Collioure for your break, it is a lovely little town.

Option 1. Excellent. Though you'd spend nearly all your time in cities, each is very different. 2.5 weeks is a comfortable amount of time. You might consider skipping Salzburg and finding a small town in Austria or Hungary for a break.

Option 2. Portugal and Spain do not combine well because (a) there are no good connections other than flying, (b) driving means long distances and a loop or prohibitive drop-off charges in the second country and (c) because there is so much in both countries that you'd be short-changing both and spending too much time in transit. Where to go in Spain depends very much on the time of your trip. I thought I wouldn't find a country I liked nearly as much as Italy, then I went to Spain and returned twice within 3 years.

Option 3. Too many places too far apart. Put it in perspective: France is nearly as big as Texas. Paris is my favorite city in the world. I would happily spend 2.5 weeks there alone, even after many long visits. Allow a week for Paris (with day trips), then spend 2 days in the Loire and at rest in Burgundy and Alsace with a car. Drop the car in Strasbourg for 2 nights, then take the train to Frankfurt for 2 days and fly home from there. Frankly, I'd skip the Loire and spend more time in Burgundy and Frankfurt.

Option 4. 2 major cities with tons to see and do, but not quaint or charming villages. You could fit in 2-3 days with a car seeing a bit of France. How long were you in Rome. You need more time in both London and Paris than in Rome.

My opinion is option 4. and add Normandy. Please report your decisions and results.

I like the idea of mixing large cities with small towns. My vote would be a modified option #3 - either take out the French Riviera/Nice French Alps or take out Sarlat - Loire Valley - Bordeaux Dordogne and ADD Provence

It took me three trips to spend 2.5 weeks in Italy and we stayed in the same locations you mentioned. France is the next obvious choice. You could easily include London or Amsterdam, both are one train ride from Paris. In France Paris to Provence is an easy train ride and then if you like wine and bicycling, head for Burgundy. If you are not into wine then the Dordogne is amazing although just slightly more travel to get back to Paris. Any of those locations would give you as good a trip as you had the first time. Did you rent a car in Tuscany? Provence and The Dordogne should be done with a car.

We prefer visiting one country on each trip to Europe. Since we have only been to England, Spain, France and Italy, I'm not sure if this preference would apply to other countries that are not as popular with tourists. Furthermore, our recent trips have included RS tours plus independent travel before and after the tours. Our first three trips to Europe were independent journeys to Italy.

An advantage to sticking with one country is to that you don't have to get used to multiple languages, customs, and perhaps currencies.

One can often use trains when visiting one country, which results in more sightseeing and the efficiency of traveling from city center to city center.

You could check out the RS tour page for sample itineraries. I suggest France for your next trip to Europe.

Does not look like there is a bad choice.

Option 3 , with 6 destinations looks a bit "busy"

Happy travels!

If you liked Italy, I'd pick Spain for that same Mediterranean feel and paseo-people enjoying themselves outdoors after dark.

You could do Madrid and environs for about a week-Toledo and Segovia are great day trips or overnight. Then travel to Andalusia-Cordoba, Granada and Seville. All can be done by public transport train. There is beautiful scenery in Spain, the cafe con leche is delicious and the food I'd say is on par with Italy IMHO. And don't get me started on the inexpensive wine.

Everyone who has traveled to Spain seems to enjoy it more than they think.

I've travelled quite a bit...you are off to a good start. Next on your list should be Paris. Plan to stay at least 5 days and then rent a car to leave the city and travel to the area that most appeals to you...do you like Champagne? Go to Rheems and stay in the wine country for a few days. Take a few tours, do some tastings and then head into Southern Belgium and (Dinant is a good place to start) and visit the breweries..enjoy the food and the chocolate...drive through the Ardennes on the way. Drive through Belgium to Brugge or Amsterdam.
You prefer Burgundies and Bordeauxs? No problem, head in a different direction when you leave the city....there are so many options.
But, you need to have the basic Paris visit under your belt. Knock off the big tourist spots and start to develop a feel for what you really enjoy. That will give you the basis to start planning for the next big trip.
The UK, sure, it's something really worth doing...but it's a bit too easy. Take on the language challenge early and get comfortable with travelling a bit outside of your comfort zone. Spain, Portugal...Morocco, these are great places with great food...get to them later....

If you loved Italy, you might try Puglia in the South. Lecce is the "Florence of the South." Easy to fly into Brindisi from Rome. Sicily is unbelievable. Just did a fabulous fall RS tour to Portugal. Check his itinerary for ideas.

You're all ears...great!

Do you have any pressing priorities for the next trip? If your interests are based primarily from lists 1-4, then I suggest #1 but drop CK and go to Brno or Plzen instead.

If you are considering other cities to visit and explore on this second trip, then I suggest a trip with these itinerary cities...Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Leipzig, Dresden, Hamburg, with day trips to Weimar, Meissen, Potsdam. Marburg, Schwerin, Luneburg.

Choose 3 cities from this list, and one or two day trip smaller places...all easily done logistically if you know what you're doing.