Paris-Munich-Prague-Berlin

It's fast paced, but I think you're fine. My suggestion would be to see everything you can on Saturday after you get in to Paris, but save the Louvre for Sunday. Buy a museum pass on Sat early on, it'll get you in to multiple places at a discount. AND it'll get you into the short line at a side entrance to the Louvre. Get there 20 min or so ahead of opening Sunday morning and you'll be able to get to some of the 'must see' Louvre parts faster and easier than if you waited in the regular entry line or in the afternoon. I really like Strasbourg, and it doesn't take long on the the quick train, it's a good quick overnight stop that isn't out of your way.

Jewish Prague - cemetery, synagogues, museums are closed on Friday afternoons and Saturdays. Sundays are the most crowded, for obvious reasons. You'll have to switch your itinerary around or skip it. (also closed on Jewish holidays, which this year are late September through most of October). Your trip sounds less fast-paced than long on train rides.
Paris to Strasbourg is "only" about 2.5 hours ON THE TRAIN. Add at least an hour from your hotel to the train station, since you need to arrive in good time after packing and checking out. Then another hour from the train to your hotel room to drop your bags. All your other train rides are 5 hours or more. To give you an idea: How long is your flight to Paris? 7 hours? If you are lucky you'll get 4, maybe maybe 5 hours sleep. They don't turn the lights off until they've cleared away dinner and then turn them back on a couple of hours before landing. Then you are in Paris and jetlagged. Versailles is packed on Sunday, so you'll go on Monday. From the train station, you have to go to your hotel to get your bags and then head for the train station to Strasbourg. And so it goes. I'm all for seeing as much as possible on a trip, but not from a train window. I'd drop Prague altogether. FWIW with only 10 days for sightseeing, I'd probably drop Munich too. Paris and Berlin are wonderful. Take a little more time to enjoy them. You're 25, you lucky dogs have many years ahead of you to see the rest of Europe.

I think Chani makes excellent points. I too would drop Prague and buffer your other locations with more time. My husband's first trip was a student trip and it was one night here, two nights there, one night here and lots of time on a bus. He enjoyed it - but a few years later when we went to Europe together it was a different pace. By comparison - he would never ever do a fast trip like that again. He missed so many experiences because he just had to walk by them and check in and out of hotels. You will be jet lagged your first day and that makes everything hazy - I have a hard time mustering a smile even though I am happy to be there. For me, once I start planning a trip - I find that city or country that most interests me and then once I start reading about it and all the daytrips and the things to do - I can't imagine leaving after only a day or two. It's a constant game of sacrifices. Good luck.

i'm 29 and just got back from Munich, Prague, and berlin last month (going to Paris next year!). i wouldn't Prague. i loved it. if you decide to go to Neuschwanstein from Munich, look into the Mike's Bikes tour...it was pricey but really great (includes bus to the castle, guided bike ride, lunch, guided hike up to the castle with amazing views, and guided castle tour). and it s you off around 7pm right around the corner from the Hofbrauhaus, so i did the castle during the day and the Hofbrauhaus that night. a long day, but my favorite day in/around Munich by far. The Residenz was also interesting and has an impressive Treasury, so if you need to fill a few hours in Munich, check it out. The best thing to do in Prague is just wander...it's beautiful. and cheap, which is a nice change!

What time of year are you going? My boyfriend and I (we are 25) went to all those cities except Paris last October, and I found Munich to be very boring. I am sure it's much more lively and interesting in the summer, but it was cold, rainy, and didn't have much to do aside from museums and beer halls. The things you listed in your musts wouldn't take 3 days to see unless you go to Neuschwanstein. In the amount of time you have, I would either do Paris and a nearby area (Benelux perhaps), OR do Berlin/Prague or Berlin/Munich.

Thanks for all the advice! I realize we're trying to squeeze a lot into a small amount of time, but for various reasons, we're committed to going to all 4 cities. We don't feel that we need to see all that each city has to offer since we plan on returning to each in the future. We'd mostly like to get a feel for the different cities and different areas of Europe. Ideally, we'd like to tour the city centers of each and see a couple of the main attractions. Any suggestions for what should be on the can't miss list for each of these cities? Or should we just walk around the cities and not plan any activities since we'll only be there for a couple days?

i agree with Anna in that i also found Munich a bit boring (and i went in the summer). i was also there for 3 days. to stay busy, i'd do: day 1 (half day): walk through the English Garden and eat/drink at the big outdoor beer garden (pretzels were as big as my head, for real) day 2: Neuschwanstein/Hofbrauhaus for dinner (works great if you do the tour i suggested above) day 3: Dachau and/or Residenz, Marienplatz
If you're beer drinkers (and i imagine that you are, since Hofbrauhaus is on your must list) there is also a lovely outdoor beer garden in Laetna (sp?) park in Prague. it's a bit of an uphill hike to get to, but the view of the city is fantastic and the beer is cheap and good.