Planning for a trip to europe

Too many places you only have 14 days really, and travel between each place will eat minimally 1/2 a day , perhaps more. So you will be touring airports and train stations 4 countries in 14 days . I would elimanate one country myself. As for visa best to contact the embassies of each country you wish to visit . No one can really help you with that here.

Gautam, your own embassy may be able to give you advice on visa requirements for the countries you want to visit. In two weeks I would limit the trip to two countries, unless you want to stay in one city in each country and fly between some of them. But, if you want to do a whirlwind tour, check the itineraries for some of the Rick Steve tours on this site and make up your itinerary accordingly, keeping in mind that you'll need extra time to arrange all of your own accommodations and travel.

Gautam: I too agree that you're trying to take on a little too much, too fast. Most people wanting to go to France are really just wanting to see Paris. If that's the case, I would suggest flying into Paris (3 nights) and then flying down to Rome (4 nights). Then take a train up to Florence (2 nights). Venice is about 150 miles NE of Florence, which is a quick train ride (2 nights.) You can easily catch a train from Venice thru the Austrian Alps staying a night in Innsbruck (1 night). (It's also in the Alps.)
The most scenic part of Germany is the southern half, with Munich being the dominant city. Catch a train to Munich (100 mi.) for the balance of your time. Then, fly home from Munich.

Your passport is what determines visa requirements, not your current residence. You must find out for each country what the requirements are for the country that issued your passport. This is a public forum on which volunteers chime in with their opinions and experiences. If you want to consult with the RS professional staff, you should contact them directly at their offices.

All the countries you are visiting are within the Schengen zone. You don't need multiple visas.
If you intend to visit several Schengen countries, you must apply for a visa at the Embassy or Consulate of the country which is your first country of visit or the country where you plan to stay the maximum duration of the trip.

Gautam, this is an informal forum for travelers, by travelers, kindly given space by Rick Steves. You will need either need professional advice or have to do some visa/destination research yourself. This page, http://www.ricksteves.com/about/travelcenter.htm shows the following information: "Plan Your Trip with Our Expert Consultants If you need expert help planning your trip, we offer travel consulting in person at our Travel Center in Edmonds, WA, or by phone. The cost is $50 per half hour, which is enough time for most in-person consultations. Because of extra pre-session work, we charge $75 for phone consultations since they usually take 45 minutes of staff time. To set up an appointment, phone us at 425/771-8303, ext. 298. For more information, visit our Consulting page."
http://www.ricksteves.com/about/consulting.htm I hope this helps you with your planning.

Gautam, It might help the group here to offer more specific advice if you could indicate which Passport you're travelling with? Could you also provide a bit of further information on which cities you'd like to visit in the four countries you listed. Sixteen days is not a long time, so you'll need to plan carefully. Keep in mind that you'll lose the first and last days of your trip in flight times, and you'll arrive in Europe the day after you departed. It would be more efficient to use open-jaw flights, especially with such a short time frame. Given your location, you might find it helpful to take a trip to Edmonds one day, and speak with Rick's travel experts at ETBD (130 - 4th Avenue North). They may be able to provide some information. While there you could also use the Guidebook Library to start on an Itinerary and expense planning. Good luck with your planning!