Europe: first time, 14 days, two adults late 30s.

Great that you're adding Europe to your list of places visited! And you'll find that the same questions when planning this trip apply: what are you interested in? Are there any cities/places on your "must see" list? What's your budget/taste?

If you can answer those questions to start with, then you'll get more applicable answers to your "where to go" predicament. There are so many choices that it's easy to get overwhelmed, or over-ambitious and try to fit in too much to one trip. 14 days can be spent so many different ways - in one country, in 2 large cities, in one villa/chalet...What you want to see/do will help choose the time of year to go from your notes above.

You can easily travel Europe on your own, but if you don't mind the fast-paces 1-night-per-city style of organised tours (esp. by coach/bus) then that's a good way to pack a lot in without organising too much. Also a good way to see things (quickly) and get an idea of where you want to go back to for longer periods of time. However, if you prefer to explore one or two places well, then best you do it yourself - public transport/flying/trains/ferries are easy to navigate once you set your itinerary.

So, if you can let us know your "wish list", preferences, etc, we can offer more specific suggestions.

First you just need to decide where you need to go (to figure out if plane, train, or bus is the way to get between them). For a two week trip I personally would pick no more than two countries, maybe two places each, so 4 stops total.

You biggest challenge will be narrowing down from the four countries you list, where it is you want to go.

You can do it either on your own (not hard) or with a tour company if you would be more comfortable in a group on a guided tour with a set itinerary (not what most people on this forum favor, we're here because we are self-planners!).

You could easily spend the entire two weeks in Italy alone, seeing Venice, Florence, Rome, with some time left for the countryside, traveling around by train. Just as one small example.

Get a good guidebook that covers all of Europe and start reading (I think Rick Steves Europe thru the Backdoor is good for starters).

Researching online and travel forums is a great resource, but personally I find it overwhelming in the very preliminary planning stages.

Thank you for your comments and great questions to answer. Our top budget is $3000.00 each including airfare from San Diego, CA. For us, the outdoors is more appealing but we keep reading that Europe is rich in history, building and museums that now we feel that we should explore that option. A wish we had a must-see list but we don't have one yet. We don't want to fit too much in one trip, two countries would be nice or one country with must-see cities. Self-exploration is preferable over guided tours, but we don't know if it would be more expensive the tour over independent travel. If we had to set a wish list, we feel Italy or Spain would our choice. But we read so much about Paris and this is where the conflict starts. We love food, meeting new people and wondering around. We appreciate very much your comments and we want to spend hard earned savings the best possible way. We wish we could see it all in 2 weeks, but 2 countries would make us happy.

You're young; you undoubtedly will return to Europe many times, so don't feel that you have to visit many places on this one trip.

I have traveled much in Europe, and I usually visit just ONE country per trip, and I plan so that I have a good mixture of city and country. I agree that a guidebook such as Europe through the Back Door is invaluable.

I never plan a trip without a guidebook or two. My trip in 2013 will be to Croatia and Slovenia, and I will use a Fodor's guide and a Rick Steves. The Fodor's guide is so full of information that it's kind of overwhelming, so I want a Rick Steves to narrow down places I'd like to see--then get more info about them from Fodor's.

Part of what I enjoy about traveling is the planning, so reading the guidebooks and making arrangements for hotels and transportation is all part of the fun.

If outdoors include hiking in high altitude destinations such as Alps, then Sep-Oct is hands down better choice than April-May. Why? April-May are end of the ski seasons and the hiking paths get muddy as well as gondolas stop running for inter season maintenance between the skiing and the hiking season.

I am not a fan of so many days so many countries method. Supposed one chooses two countries. Are the consequences the same? How about France and Italy vs. Belgium and Netherlands. These are two set of two countries with significantly different logistical challenges.

Even the distances are deceiving. Consider Nice to Genoa at 192km apart vs. Paris to Avignon at 680km. Is the former easier to connect than the latter because of less distance? If you look at a train schedule, Nice to Genoa trip might take 3hr 11min vs. 2hr 50min for Paris to Avignon due to availability of frequent TGV high speed train service.

The experienced posters here have a sense of which destinations connect easily as well as which inter-country trip is best done by air.

Some people are comfortable with bottoms up method by string up destinations using rules with details.

Another possible method is scenario based. You create many competing itineraries without being bogged down with details. After you come up with several itineraries, you decide pros and cons with each itinerary: how much does it cost in total, what are the risks, i.e. most catch the last train of the day etc., how hectic are the days, what can you do that are meaningful to you. Even if you don't find any one of them interesting, you should have a better grasp of destinations that connect well and which places cost more, so you can be more purposeful in trying out the next round of scenario comparisons.

Close your eyes and imagine yourself in Europe. Great, did yoou picture yourself on the castle ramparts or shopping on the Strand. That will help you figure out what you are looking for. London, Paris and Rome are the big three because they all have a lot to offer. On the other hand, depending on your interests you may prefer hiking in the alps or gondolaing through Venice. Don't miss out by trying to cram in too much. On the expense side you should start with airfare and then add hotels, food and fun. In the larger cities the hotels are more expensive than the villages. The planning and dreaming and researching is one of my favorite parts of the trip. Have fun.

Start with guidebooks and maps. It doesn't sound as though you have them. They are the absolute cornerstones of every trip.

Hey congrats on your trip!!!

Aisleseat's advise is really really good, i would say that too but i would also say say just go with one country...ok so it is not quite as exciting as thinking of a Europe trip but it is actually great to think of ...my two weeks in Italy, or my two weeks in France.., and you will save a lot of time from travel and get to see a bit more than just the tourists centers. Instead of spending 3/4 days travel time between countries you could spend these actually in places relaxing, sight-seeing- being with the locals etc et.

Now i m biased as i adore this place but my choice if you were willing to just go to one country would be Italy..

for me 2 weeks in and around amalfi coast in september would be a real treat....naples,ponpeii, amalfi coast/capri/istria, sorrento and maybe Rome at the end

but hey i'm just dreaming of a trip i loved

If you speak Espanol consider Madrid and Andalusia for a first trip.
Or, in contrast, fly into Zurich and see the Berner Oberland in the Alps and then train to Lake Como and Venice--all of those have a wow factor. Keep it to 4 destinations in adjacent countries.

OK. You have two weeks. You have a rather limited budget, considering airfares these days. If I were you, I would first look for package tours that combine, say two cities of interest to you: Paris and Amsterdam, or Vienna and Prague, or Madrid and Barcelona. These may be for shorter periods of time, but they give you an idea of what airfare and hotel costs will be. THEN you can try to put together the two cities for a longer period of time, looking for lodging that will allow you to stay within your budget. It can be done...the first nut you have to crack is your airfare there and back, then what it will cost to get between your first and second destination (which may change your selection of destinations) and then you know how long you can stay in each location you decide to visit, based upon the hotel/flat/guesthouse or whatever lodging situations you find. Don't forget, you are going to need to budget for food & entertainment in both locations.

I think Paris and Amsterdam are a wonderful choice for a first visit to Europe...and as far as costs go, they can be done on a budget. Spain is likely to be another good budget choice, and you might even be able to include a couple nights in Portugal.

Good luck with your planning. We usually travel in April-May or Sept-October. There is unlikely to be a difference in lodging costs during those months, so it could be that your trip will depend on when you can get the best price for airfares.

Thank you for taking the time to provide us with great travel advise. After reading all your great comments we have decided to visit one country. We speak fluent Spanish so Spain is an option but we want to experience a new culture. So Italy is a possibility simply because people keep mentioning it. If it is Italy, how many days in each city and what cities for the entire trip.The Alps sounds very appealing because we love hiking and trekking. But we don't want to spend 2 weeks hiking the Alps. If that was the case, we want to add a neighboring country with a great city to visit. If it is the Alps, what 2 countries and what cities for the entire trip. And would it be best to travel at the end of April or at the end of September. Thank you again for your help.

If you pick a city, look for an apartment. You will have more room than in a hotel, and while you may not get your sheets changed every morning you will be able to come back in the middle of the day and just relax in two separate rooms if needed. You will also have a kitchen to cook if you want to.

We were in Rome last year at the beginning of April, the weather was perfect and the crowds were not bad at all.

Your budget is a little tight. I would check the organized tours to see what you can get for that amount. Since you want to do some hiking, you will need a tour that has free time in the proper places. That can be a problem. Years ago I wanted a two week tour to Japan (and only Japan). It was difficult to find a tour that was so limited.

Of the countries you mentioned, you might include southern Germany and Salzburg Austria, then go to Venice and Florence Italy. Another possibility -Paris to Strasbourg in France and then the Black Forest in Germany.

If you do Spain, I would spend the 2 weeks there.

I think the budget issue is going to be airfare. I fly from the east coast and typically spend $1500. I am similar to you in that I like outdoor activities--and those are free! So, I think once in country you will be okay, but a good airfare is going to be key to making this happen.
Okay, so I just saw that you have $3000 EACH--much better! The more you travel you more you spend, so I'd consider one country because there is such variety within Spain and within Italy.

I could see a Rome-Florence-Venice combo as a nice possibility. Perhaps take apartment in Rome for week, then split rest of time between other two.

No need for car, use train to get between locations.

Fly into Rome, home from Venice.

I'd also add, based on my three visits to Spain and one visit to Italy, that Italy is MUCH more expensive. And being fluent would make a trip to Spain so special. I'd explore the hiking in Andalucia and in northern Spain, either of which could be easily combined with nearby cities.

"If it is Italy, how many days in each city and what cities for the entire trip." That is where a guidebook and your own research come in.

How would we travel from one city to the next, by bus, train, local airlines?>

Trains are at the backbone of Europe's transportation system and are the way many Europeans travel - anyway for lots of great info on the European rail system I always highlight these IMO superb sites - www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com; ww.budgeteuropetravel.com - download the latter's free and superb IMO online European Planning & Rail Guide for lots of rail itineraries in various countries. www.seat61.com has nice info on advance online discounted train tickets in various countries. If traveling enough consider some kind of railpass that in most countries just lets you hop on and off any train anytime.

Just my opinion, but we did a month in France in 2010 and a month inI Italy in 2011. France and Spain are more affordable, but if you limit your time in the big cities, you could afford Italy, by day tripping into the big cities if you stay near a train station. Check out Umbria rather than Tuscany.