My husband and I are starting in Budapest and finishing in London, we've got two weeks and we will be in Europe in mid June. We are planning on doing Eurail for our travel and we want to hit Italy in the middle. We like points of interest, history, arts, local cuisine. But everything else is possible! We would love some suggestions as we've never done Europe together and won't be doing it again for a while.

Thanks!

Budapest and London and someplace in Italy in 2 weeks. I would choose a place in northern Italy since you don't have much time and you'll spend a lot of time on trains. My recommendation is Venice for it's beauty. It will be completely different from Budapest or London. I would not recommend any more than 3 places in 2 weeks, especially as your beginning and ending cities are far from each other.

Before you buy a rail pass compare the cost of the pass with inexpensive intra-European flights. Budapest to Venice - 13 to 15 hours on the train, Venice to Paris, about 11-12 hours, Paris to London about 3 hours.

I second the Venice suggestion.
Makes sense logistically and there is nowhere more beautiful.
I have been 3 times and treasure every memory.

Do you have 2 weeks total or 2 weeks between Budapest and London?

Assuming the former, yes, reconsider the Eurail pass. You don't have much time for such widely separated stops. Budget airline flights cover most of Europe these days. Good sites are www.whichbudget.com and www.harefares.com.

Also remember the Eurail pass doesn't cover trains in the UK.

More details needed:

• is the 2 weeks total including travel from home, OR actual days on the ground in Europe, OR the time between Budapest and London?

• Are you spending any time in Budapest and London? If so, how long in each city?

• Have you already bought the rail passes? (Hope not since there could be cheaper/better options)