Best route Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece

Polly, To begin with, which cities are you planning to tour in Italy? Also, what's the time frame of this trip, and what type of budget are you working with? One point to mention regarding Interrail / Eurail Pass is that these don't include the reservations fees that are compulsory on some trains. Especially in Italy, you'll need to be VERY careful, as those without reservations are fined on the spot, and it's not cheap (about €50 as I recall). One possibility would be to start your trip with a flight from Dublin to Rome. If you don't mind using RyanAir, they offer flights from DUB to CIA. I believe Aer Lingus and Norwegian also have flights, although they may be more expensive. If you're planning to go to Venice, you can travel from there to Villach via Bus (from Venezia Tronchetto) and then to Ljubljana via train. The next leg will presumably be down through Croatia ending in Dubrovnik. If you have the time to travel to Greece via Ferry, the best method would probably be to take a boat across to Bari or Brindisi and then one of the Ferries to Greece. If you don't have time, you might check Norwegian Air, as they appear to offer flights from Dubrovnik to Athens or Chania (Crete). Are you "definite" on visiting only Crete or Ios in Greece? If you want to research the various Greek Islands, you might find it helpful to have a look at This Website. In choosing which destination to visit last, be sure to consider how easy it will be to get from there back to Dublin. Good luck with your planning!

Firstly thanks so much for your reply Ken! The tip about reservation fees will be very useful no doubt! We are planning on going for at least a month and are willing to spend 1500-1700 euro. Do you think this is realistic? We are students so comfort is not a priority! We'd be happy to travel in any way. Even Ryan air!! We hope to visit Florence, Milan and Naples in Italy. Ljubljana and Lake Bled in Slovenia. Split and Dubrovnik in Croatia and then the Greek Islands. The link about the Greek Islands is very good thanks.. I didn't realise there were so many. We would be open minded to them all. We would love to visit a few of them ideally even the quieter ones. The only stipulation is that we must finish up on one of the more party orientated ones as another group of our friends will be meeting us there for a traditional student holiday!
Our main aim is to absorb as much culture as possible and to meet lots of different people. Do you think it is too unrealistic to try and visit any other cities in the south of europe eg Budapest, Sarajevo or Skopje? The ones I mentioned are our priorities but there are just so many amazing places in Europe that we would like to see!

Polly, A few additional comments..... Of the destinations you mentioned in Italy, Rome was conspicuous by it's absence. Are you not planning to stop in Rome? In planning which Greek Islands to visit, I believe it's important to consider "ease of transportation" when you choose which one(s) to visit. Getting to islands in the same "group" (ie: Cyclades) usually means shorter travel times by Ferry. Only some of the Islands have airports, so that's another thing to keep in mind. I'm a bit old for the "party scene", but from what I remember two of the main party islands are Corfu and Mykonos. There's a Hostel on Corfu called The Pink Palace and their Toga parties are somewhat "legendary". Another thing to keep in mind for summer travel is that the islands will likely be hot & crowded, so some pre-planning and pre-booking of accommodations might be a good idea. I'd suggest having a look at some Guidebooks to start working out the sightseeing details for each place you'll be visiting. Of course, the Rick Steves books are a favourite with many here, but you could also look at Lonely Planet, Let's Go, Rough Guides, etc. The best website for planning rail journeys throughout most of Europe is The German Rail site. You may also want to check an outstanding U.K.-based site, Man in Seat 61. Cheers!

May I ask why you plan to visit Milan and Naples? I wouldn't put either on my list unless they were stopping off points or necessary for some other reason. Yet Rome and Venice are missing. Bologna is supposed to be a fun city for college kids. As to the travel advice, look into ferries but you might have to backtrack some as I'm not sure there are any direct ferry or rail links from Croatia to Greece. Or catch a cheap flight.