YOUR best 1-month itinerary (not Rick's)

a week in switzerland with my swiss friends 5 days split between belgium/netherlands 3-4 days in paris 3-4 days in barca with my catalan friend a week in italy
2-3 days in prague

30 day Western European vacation: = (# of days)...also allow travel time. Amsterdam (3) - Brugge, Belgium - (2) - Paris (4) - Lauterburnnen, Switzerland (3) - Salzburg, Austria (3) - Munich, Germany (2) - Prague, Czech Republic (4) - Other cities of interest in Germany - Fly out of Frankfurt, Germany. There are many museums and places of interest in and around the cities listed. Another suggested 30 day trip: Portugal, Spain and Italy.

Three weeks in London Two weeks in Paris Two weeks in Tyrol A week in Sud Tirol A month in the Veneto Two months between Tuscany, Umbria and Rome 3 days in Naples A week in Sorrento A week on the Riviera 4 days in Vienna 5 days in Salzburg A week or 10 days in Bavaria Two weeks in the Netherlands
A night in Bacharach 2 days in Gent Ooops... I've run over. Sorry. Nevertheless true. Where would you like to go? Europe's a big place you know? EDIT: Forgot a month in Switzerland .. how could I do that?

I would put a little more emphasis on southern Europe than Rick does, adding Spain in favor of Switzerland. I'd start in Barcelona, spend about four days there including a side trip (Figueres or Taragona). Then I'd head to southern France -- visiting Carcassonne, Albi, Coulioure, Toulouse -- for about five days before heading to Paris. Spend four days sightseeing and walking around in Paris (maybe including Versailles), take a two day Trip to Amsterdam, and then head to the Rhine. Three days in the Rhine relaxing (don't miss Bacharach and a river cruise!), then take a train to Berlin for about three days of modern Germany. Fly to Rome, and divide about six days between Rome, Florence, and Siena.

I would like to spend a week in London, a week in Edinburgh during the Fringe, 4 days in Rome in the early spring, a few days in Hamburg, a day each in Quedlinburg, Lübeck, Aachen, Potsdam and Dresden. If time allows, I would make side trips to Salisbury and Canterbury, to see the cathedrals. If it was the right time of year, I would go up to the far north to see the Northern Lights. Iceland sounds interesting as does Finnland.

I think three weeks to a month is the perfect timing for any vacation. A month sounds like a long time until it's over, then you wish you had twice as long and that you hadn't spent so much of it getting from one place to the next. My one month itinerary would cover no more than a few countries (rather than trying to see all of Europe in a month). Potential itineraries would include France (by itself); Italy (by itself); Greece/Turkey; Benelux/Germany; British Isles; Spain/Portugal/Morrocco; Baltics/St. Petersburg; Eastern swing (or Central depending on your point of view: Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budhapest, and Croatia). I would travel in May or September (except for Baltics) because the weather is generally comfortable without being way too hot. The crowds are better in shoulder season and it's much easier to travel without reservations. If spring, I start South and work North. If fall, I'll go the opposite to give myself the best chance for good weather.

It would be tough for me not to spend at least three to four weeks in just one country, whether driving around the English/Welsh countryside (avoiding Bath, been there done that) ending with a week in London; or similar in Germany (Rhiine, Mosel, Black Forest, Bavaria, Munich) or France (concentrating on Dordogne and Provence). For someone who's never been before- a crazy week in each of the above plus Switzerland

Hi, I would have 2 itineraries... for a Central Europe, 31 day trip, covering Austria, Poland, Germany, either in July or August, and ...an itinerary for a Western Europe, 31 day trip, July/Ausgust, covering England, France, Germany, Austria. Travel is by train, day and a couple of night trains, and buses from city to city. as day trips, especially in Poland. The Central Europe tour includes in Germany: Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Potsdam, Ulm, Hamburg, Kiel, Cologne, Leipzig, Dresden, Rostock, Lübeck, Schwerin, Greifswald, Halle, Magdeburg, Jena, Koblenz. In Poland...Warsaw, Krakow, Torun (Thorn), Gdansk and Malbork (Danzig and Marienburg), Wroclaw (Breslau), Masuria area, lower Vistula area--Grudziadz (Graudenz), Kwidzyn (Marienwerder). In Austria Vienna, Salzburg, maybe Graz, depending on the time left.

Paris-4 days.....Western Ireland-5 days....Choice of either Cornwall-Devon-Wiltshire OR Yorkshire-Northumbria-6 days...Scottish Highlands-7 days....Norwegian fjords-4 days...London-5 days. This includes all of our favourite places in June. In winter, I would replace the Highlands with Swiss Alps and Salzburg. I am not being specific about travel times between sites. Since this is a fantasy trip, we shall travel by tesseract or tardus instead of more conventional transportation.

Great responses! I loved some of the itineraries... although I think some of you didn't get the idea very well... I wasn't asking where would YOU go if you had a month in Europe, my question is more about a recommendation based on your experience... such as Rick did... He made that three week itinerary with the cities he think one shouldn't miss, and also prepared a list of priorities depending on the amount of days staying in Europe... so I thought that maybe that's just his side of the story,and I wanted to hear from other experienced travellers. Then, I totally agree with you when you say that you'd stay the whole month in one country, I would if I could!, but the idea is to recommend places to those than are taking their first trip to Europe and want to make the most of it.... Lots of people look for recommendations like these to start planning. I already have an itinerary planned, but when I started I was very lost, and Rick's itinerary (and this helpline) really helped me to start searching and forming an idea of what I wanted.
Hope to keep getting replies! Thanks!

The whole idea though is to plan YOUR trip to see the things that YOU want to see. The things and cities that interest me, are not going to be the same for you or maybe anyone else here. If I planned your trip for you to see the things that I personally think you should see, you might hate me at the end of the month. What we like shouldn't really influence you. What Rick likes isn't really what I like either, so I would never plan a trip around only his suggestions as they reflect him personally. He does history light and I like history intense. He leaves whole swaths of Germany off his list and they are at the top of my list. So, what to do? Pick out what you want to see and then ask for some help in planning it. If you want to see the major sites which are in the big cities, then plan for those. I like going to cities, if I want to get away from the hustle and bustle, I go stroll through a neighborhood, away from the tourist destinations. I don't really feel the need to get away from the city as I enjoy being in them. A lot! I also like the underdog cities, Brussels, Milan, Cologne, and yes, Frankfurt, as they have a lot to offer if one digs just a tiny bit past the obvious tourist attractions.

wow, if only i could afford a month. this is the best i have done. amsterdam 2 brugge 2 zell 2 rothenburg 1 muncih 2 fussen 2 vienna 3 budapest 3 prague 3 haarlem 2 other trips were only two weeks. paris 2 villefrance 3 arles 3 orange' 2 paris 2 amsterdam 2 vernazza 3 florence 3 siena 2 rome 3
venice 3

Natalia, Using the cities you listed in another Thread, one Itinerary I'd recommend would be along these lines: > D1: Flight to London (1 day - in your case a VERY LONG day!) > D2: Arrive London - Recover from jet lag, touring > D3: London - touring > D4: London - touring > D5: London - touring > D6: Travel to Bath - National Express Coach > D7: Bath - day trip to Stonehenge or Cotswolds ( Mad Max Tours) > D8: Travel to LGW (National Express - D.08:25 - A.12:05 - Time 3H:40M - EasyJet to Amsterdam, 13:40 Departure?) > D9: Amsterdam > D10: Amsterdam > D11: Train to Paris - Time 3H:19M via Thalys > D12: Paris > D13: Paris > D14: Paris > D15: Train to Munich - Time 6H:09M, 1 change > D16: Munich (trips to Castles, Dachau, Walking Tour, Deutsches Museum, etc.) > D17: Munich > D18: Munich > D19: Train to Vienna - Direct train 4H:17M (dep. in afternoon and spend another half day in Munich?) > D20: Vienna > D21: Vienna > D22: Train to Prague - Direct train 4H:46M > D23: Prague > D24: Prague > D25: Prague > D26: Train to Berlin - Direct train 4H:43M > D27: Berlin > D28: Berlin > D29: Berlin > D30: Flight home from Berlin (I didn't check flights to Argentina - it may be necessary to dep. from Frankfurt?) Note: - I didn't list much specific sightseeing in each place, as your preferences will be different. - I tried to use larger rail stations in each city - Amsterdam Centraal, Gare du Nord. I'm not familiar with the rail stations in Prague, so just provided an estimate. I'm sure one of the others will have information on the best station. Happy travels!

Couldn't resist joining in the travel fantasies here (even though I know this isn't what you were asking!). This is what I want to do for my next trip: A few days in Iceland (anywhere between 3 and 7) Two weeks in the UK (London 6 days, Wales maybe 6, at least one night on the Isle of Man) Three days in Salzburg to visit a friend Three days in Hamburg to visit a friend Three days in Amsterdam