Fussgaenger

"...maybe there are some cities that are similar to Amsterdam that are near the mountains so that we could combine seeing an old, fun city with some hiking in the mountains."

Germany hiking everywhere you turn. (Nothing is quite like Amsterdam though.)

Bamberg is a university town and an "old city" with UNESCO World Heritage status.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamber...ite_bridge.jpg

Hiking: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamber...ite_bridge.jpg

Bamberg Pubs: http://www.europeanbeerguide.net/bambpubs.htm

Nuremberg, a larger university city not far from Bamberg with a castle complex and a nice old town zone, is close to Bamberg:

http://media.belocal.de/120712/1152x768_0,0c.jpg

Nuremberg pubs: http://www.europeanbeerguide.net/nurnpubs.htm

Fussgaenger

Freiburg (another uni town) is at the edge of the Black Forest (lots of hiking.)

http://www.heinzalbers.org/picture-frb0032.jpg

http://www.europeanbeerguide.net/freipubs.htm

Mainz (uni town) is a great place too with a good vibe.

Some bars and pubs in Mainz: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...alatinate.html

Johannisnacht is a huge party June 24-27.

Hiking in the nearby Rhine gorge: http://www.romantic-germany.info/Rhe...il.4134.0.html

tegan414

Are there any towns in the mountains that have plenty of hiking and lots of young people?

Fussgaenger

"Are there any towns in the mountains that have plenty of hiking and lots of young people?"

Mountain towns generally don't have tons of young people and a vibrant nightlife. Large cities do - try Zurich - maybe your dads aren't taking you there? You still aren't IN the mountains but a lot closer. And take lots of $ - you'll need it there.

Alternatively, spend some of your days in places you can mingle and party, like Amsterdam and Berlin, other days in mountain towns. Goslar and Wernigerode are in the Harz Mountains between Berlin and Amsterdam. Lots of hiking there.

Lois2

would discourage the young men from spending time in Zurich...really a staid and sort of boring town/city and not at all interesting to young people. Amsterdam/Berlin/Prague hold a lively scene for young people but at the same time include lots of culture and historical sites.

Fussgaenger

Zurich isn't the top hot spot but it's near the Alps and it's not that bad. Yes, it's very "establishment" generally speaking but the university population is substantial and there are a good number of pubs etc.

https://www.pubclub.com/destinations...ous-piano-bar/

Lois2

well I am far from old and I find Zurich boring...but something for the guys to consider. I really think they would enjoy Prague but not sure it really works with the rail pass.

Lois2

sorry in previous post I mean to say "far from young" ie I am much Older than these travelers.

tegan414

I spent time in Prague last summer and did not enjoy it as much as Innsbruck and Salzburg. I think we would be looking for towns more along those lines, where there is a lot of scenery, an old town, lots of hiking, and also things to do at night.

justineparis

I don't know your budget.. but keep in mind.. Switerland equals pricey.. which may be why many young folks don't flock there the same as some other destinations.
My dd is only 19 and she and her friends are doing their Europe for a few months backpacking holiday this April-June.. and my dd remembers how nice it was when she was 11 and I took her to Switzerland.. hiking,.. beautiful scenery etc.. but that was on my dime.. this trip they looked into visiting Switzerland again.. but had to eliminate it from their trip because of their "student" budgets.
However.. since your dads will be with you for part of trip.. may I suggest Switzerland would be an ideal part for them to be with you.. wink wink..

Now.. if budget is not a concern.. that's a different matter.. lol

sparkchaser

<i>We have no ideas where we want to go yet, but any suggestions would be nice. </i>

1. You are legal to drink.

2. Prostitution is legal.

Have fun.

PalenQ

2. Prostitution is legal.>

Well in some countries like Germany and Holland but not nearly all countries - just a few.

3. Marijuana/hashish sold over the counter legally in Holland at numerous coffeeshop - Dutch energy shops sell legally magic mushrooms.

tegan414

Ok, prostitution or drugs will have any effect on where we go. We are looking for cities/towns like Innsbruck that are located in northern Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Germany, or any places like these. We are also really interested in going to Scandinavia.

janisj

>>We are also really interested in going to Scandinavia.<<

Scandinavia is even more expensive than parts of Switzerland.

justineparis

Expensive and far away.. you are getting more scattered and less focused.

You are very young and will have time to go back to Europe eventually.

Try and focus on your main 2-3 places you really really want to see.. not on the dozens and dozens that are interesting to you.. you will go crazy if you do that.. I have had many trips under my belt and still have to focus my trips .. and sometimes leave places I STILL want to see to the "next trip".

This is your first one and you have ( barring unforeseen health issues) another 50-60 years ahead of you for travel.

tegan414

We were going over the plan today with the dads and I believe we are flying into Vienna now instead of Frankfurt. We are going to see Austria and northern Italy with the dads. After that we will go with them to Frankfurt and pick up our other friend while the dads leave. From there, we are basically in the center of everything, so we were thinking of going straight to Sweden. We can check out Sweden, seeing the mountains and things like that there, then make our way down to Copenhagen and Amsterdam after we go to Sweden. We would rather spend time hiking and doing other outdoor things than just staying in a city. We were thinking of seeing Copenhagen and Amsterdam for about two nights each and spending a week in Sweden.

kerouac

I suggest that you start a new thread with a Sweden tag to get suggestions about that.

Peter_S_Aus

Tegan, Europe is not small. It is easy to think of Europe being one place, but Europe extends from the south of Spain to the north of Norway, from Croatia to Great Britain.

Europe covers an area almost as big as the continental USA.

I would suggest that you get a paper map of Europe, and stick pins in it to get an idea of where you want to go. That will sharpen your thinking a bit.

Hang onto that map - because you will use it for the next visit, and the next, and the next ......

bilboburgler

"mountains" in Sweden, well you'll mainly find hills, rocks, trees and ponds.

What you might like to do is take a raft down a river, I'll let you google it but it looks great fun.

bilboburgler

You'll also find some good long distance bike paths. Similar in Denmark and Holland. Maybe hire some bikes.