ah.. I see now that he DID find this and answer last week. Glad to see that!

Florence
Paris
Amsterdam
London
Switzerland
a German base

Six bases - 2 weeks each - plan on doing day trips from each to nearby gems

And if traveling by rail for three months then do consider the 3-month Eurail Global Pass- even with its high cost it could be a good deal if moving around long distances and then using bases for day trips as well.

To get even more variety...Turkey

All of you have given me some great input. Thank you for taking the time to respond. I have found it very helpful. The time of year will certainly make a difference.

The time of year makes a huge difference in expenses IMO - October to March you can get hotels often much cheaper than in high season.

I recently had a nice enough hotel in Florence, right by the train station - not the nicest area of town but good for rail travelers like me- for 35 euros with huge unlimited buffet breakfst - en suite (shower, toilet in room) - but in summer the same room would have cost 85 euros.