I am planning a trip to Europe in September 2012.
It will be my boyfriends and I first trip to Europe and we are in our late 20's.
Given the expense and distance of travelling to Europe from Australia I don't see us going back for a long time after this trip. I have a couple of sample itineraries that I have put together, we were thinking of getting a Europe Rail Pass, however I think a few flights may also be needed.
We enjoy walking and the outdoors, amazing architecture, the coastline and exploring the city and culture. Not to much time to be spent in museums.
My boyfriends father was born in Portugal so that is a must. I would also love to go to Spain, I have had a few friends go to Barcelona and say it was amazing.

These are the two Itineraries I have put together. We have a family friend in Salzburg that can show us around and I thought since we live on the coast and there aren't many mountains in Australia that Austria would be something different for us to see.

Unless Stated Transport will be by train.
Itinerary 1:
Fly into Munich - 3 nights
Salzburg - 3 nights
Venice - 3 nights
Rome - 3 nights
Sorrento - 3 nights
Rome - 1 night - fly to Barcelona
Barcelona - 4 nights
Madrid - 4 nights
Lisbon - 4 nights ---Is it better to get the night train or fly from Mardrid to Lisbon?
Porto - 3 nights - fly to Paris
Paris - 4 night
London - 3 nights - home

Itinerary 2 - For this itinerary I wanted to see Cinque Terre and walk the villages with the above itinerary going to Salzburg it was a bit out of the way and I was thinking if i see Sorrento is there that much difference between that and Cinque Terre. From the photos the landscape seems similar. Also there is alot of longer 5 hour travel days which, I am not sure if there is another way to avoid them.
Fly into Rome - 4 nights
Sorrento - 3 nights
Cinque Terre - 3 nights
Nice - 3 nights
Montpellier - 2 nights - this is just a stopover to Barcelona.
Barcelona - 4 nights
Madrid - 4 nights
Lisbon - 4 nights
Porto - 3 nights - fly to paris
Paris - 4 nights
London - 3 nights

If you could let me know what you think and if there are any other places you would suggest going to, or if you have done an itinerary similar that would be great. I am open for suggestions. I know it would be ideal to spend 4 weeks exploring 1 country however it just isn't practical at this point in my life maybe when I retire : ).

There is a huge difference between Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre. However just this past fall, two of the jewels (Monterossa and Vernazza) of Cinque Terre were inundated with mudslides....I'm talking 12 ft or more of mud, not just ankle depth! They will likely be cleaned up and recovered, but as to how long that will take....I don't know.

Having 3 extra nights would be good as you can easily use them to make your trip more enjoyable by having more time in Paris and London. And do yourselves a favor and spend 3 nights in Montpellier, France. It is lovely...and France is less expensive than Italy, for sure. (We spent a month in the region around Montpellier last Fall, and a month in Italy this year!)

Hi newy84, I'm from Sydney and I understand you wanting to see as much as possible when you have travelled such a long way to get to Europe. However, I think you are cramming in a little too much. As others will probably also say, don't forget that you will lose at least half a day each time you move from one city to another.

I prefer the second plan as there are more 4 night stays which let you slow the trip down a little. At some point you need to allow for some down time to wash clothes etc which the second plan caters for.

Also for what it's worth, we visited both the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre and in hindsight, we were a bit sorry that we included two coastal destinations in our trip. Although they are both beautiful, one would have done.

Less is often more. Each time you change locations by train or plane you'll lose 1/2 to a full day in transit. You will become very well acquainted with the airports and train stations of Europe. I think you really need to trim things down. A lot.

Split your time between Italy and Spain (how could you spend just one day in Rome?) since you seem to have more destinations in those 2 countries than elsewhere.

Or Paris and elsehwere in France & Spain. Or France & England. But I think trying to do England, France, Spain, Italy and Germany in 6 weeks is way too much.

... and I missed mentioning Austria and Portugal! 7 countries in 6 weeks is way over ambitious.

I would go with your first itinerary. Yes, it is fast paced, but you are young and will probably thrive on the pace. You have 6 weeks, 42 days, to see 11 cities, totally doable. The fact that you do not want to see museums frees up lots of time to see the other highlights of each place. Enjoy.

Hello Everyone thank you very much for your feedback I really appreciate it. I am thinking of perhaps giving London a miss and flying home from Paris instead and spreading those 3 days across the other destinations. Most of my friends have done Europe via Contiki tour which offers the max 2 nights in a place so even though I understand it will be fast paced it is nothing compare to a European Contiki tour. I will let you know how I go and what I end up booking.

I think that's a great idea to drop London. Good luck with the rest of the planning. Come back to us with other questions.