Scarlett

Matthew,
When my son went to Europe for the first time, as a graduation from college present, he went to London and Scotland. It was summer and while in London he took a couple of days and explored Brighton, then back to London, then train to Edinburgh then a bus to Arran Island, then back to London. The next time he went it was cold and he went to London and Germany..
I like iras suggestion or mine would be...in order of my favorites ...
London and Paris with a side trip out of each ...London/ the countryside or north and Paris/Belgium.
Trains can take you everywhere, food is good and you will no doubt meet other travelers in your age group and you won't be lonely ..
You will have such a great time whatever you do!!
Good luck

hansikday

I thought all the real hedonists were in India?

suze

I is not Amsterdam a city I consider "hedonist". You incorrectly have an impression of a place of self-indulgence. Truly the philosophy is more of legalization and to each his own. It's about freedom. People are not romping around in the streets carrying on, generally speaking. You'd have to seek out the more unique "pleasures" available.

April

When my husband and I told people we were going to Amsterdam we got all sort of chuckles and guffaws in reference to the Red Light District and pot. But I agree with 'hopscotch' that Amsterdam is what you make of it. There is so much more - some great sights and museums and super-friendly people. We were a little surprised at how much we adored the place. I wouldn't skip it.

Kay2

Matthew--
Please share some of your interests and we may be able to even further guide you.

My interests in visiting Europe for the first time were very different from my niece's at about the same age some 20 years later. Neither of my nephews visited Europe at your age so I don't know the male point of view.

If you have a special interest in England, then be sure to include London and see the typical tourist stuff--Tower, Parliment, British Museum, as well as your particular interests such as funky shops. At that age I would have liked seeing Stonehenge. I wasn't into museums, but my niece hit every one in London along with shopping streets.

Again, because of all I had learned about it in school, I wanted to visit the Netherlands. Any city would have done for me to see the canals and travel outside the city to see windmills. But my niece wasn't interested except maybe the Anne Frank House. So, if architecture interests you, go to Amsterdam or another Dutch city thet fits your route.

Paris was a must for both of us, seeing the major tourist sites as well as soaking up neighborhood atmosphere. Once again, I saw the Louve and went to Versailles; she chose the museums and shopping streets.

Berlin is great if you are a history buff and want to see the before and after of WWII, but it does take you further away. We did take a train from Berlin to Amsterdam a few years ago--seems it took half a day, but we stopped in Cologne. I must admit I like it as a destination more than Munich. But my husband at your age would have enjoyed the beer.

I wanted to see castles so I did in several places, including Southern Germany--some of the best. And the Alps provide a great contrast to visiting cities. Visiting the mountains was a highlight of my trip back then.

My niece loved Venice and so did I. No need for a wife or girlfriend. I didn't see that it was particularly romantic, but very different and interesting with the canals and the neat little passageways. It was just great atmosphere.

I also thought the hill towns and coastal towns of Italy were great as a contrast as did my niece.

I just made my first trip to Rome but I would have enjoyed it immensely when your age because of the history. My niece loved it.

I have no trouble spending 2-4 days in a city. I like to see a lot and don't tend to settle in. That again is a personal preference that you have to decide what you enjoy--feeling more at home and hanging out or feeling on the road sampling as much as possible.

You really can keep food and lodging costs down without staying anywhere unsafe. As mentioned before 2-star hotels and bed and breakfasts along with better hostels are options. Lots of reviews of such places on tripadvisor.com
Shopping at markets, eating from food stalls, small cafes and in dept store cafeterias can help.

When comparing rail versus the cheap airlines be sure to check which airports the airlines use--some places it can take you an hour to get there from the city at both ends plus there is the advance check in time, so it has to be far enough to make it worth the hassle. And there are usually more frequent train than plane departures. They do have some great airfares as long as you keep your baggage light. Lots of people do the sleepers on trains, but I'm a light sleeper, so have never tried it.

You can get a lot of budget travel help on Eurotrip.com as well as Lonelyplanet.com

SusanP

I can understand matt's question about being able to check into a hotel at his age. A few years ago, my son drove from upstate NY to Minnesota to visit a friend, and a hotel on the way wouldn't let him check in because he was under 21. Before he left, this problem had never entered my mind! I guess it was because the hotel had a bar and he could theoretically order a drink to be delivered to his room, even though he was underage. Fortunately, a hotel down the road realized that if they didn't let him have a room, he would be sleeping in his car, and let him have a room. Anyway, this is not an unreasonable question.

WillTravel

For budget traveler for young people I'd try these sites too (and associated forums):

http://www.bugeurope.com
http://www.eurotrip.com/forum
http://www.guideforeurope.com
http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com

I'd definitely look at hostels. That will help stretch your budget a lot, and you'll meet other young people.

nytraveler

Patrick -

I'm with you - the idea of Florida being the hedonistic capital of anything is hysteical - LOL! The same for Amsterdam - a very weird image some people have of a basically serious and hardworking country!

Kate

Good point Susan, although as in Europe Matthew will be a fully legal adult at 18 (and can drink away to his heart's content - although not likely as he doesn't like 'hedonism', LOL), then booking into hotels won't be a problem. But he WILL need a credit card, as someone else stated.

And whoever said earlier that Matthew should avoid jeans and wear 'slacks' - he's 18, not 48!! If he wears slacks instead of jeans he'll get laughed off the continent!

ira

>...Amsterdam is renown for being the hedonistic capital of the world (either that, or Florida).<

I have not yet met anyone who mistook Amsterdam for Florida.

suze

I agree with the suggestion of checking out Lonely Planet's BB called The Thorn Tree, similar to this one. It is extremely active and has tons of posters, many your own age. You can get good advice from the kind folks here on Fodors, but it's like taking advice from your mother or grandmother instead of your friends (both are good ideas, don't get me wrong)! Although I recommend holding back on judgemental comments like the hedonism remarks. And know that some posters there travel REAL cheap so your budget is likely very high from the ordinary.

Scarlett

Ouch! suze

perhaps uncles and aunts? older brothers and sisters?

Kate

LOL, Scarlett, it always amzes me how old the younger generation think we are. Me and my colleague (same age as me) took a younger colleague out for a drink afetr work the other day, and she said "ooh, it's like going out with Mum and Dad" - let me at this point say that my young colleague is 23, but I'm only 34!!!!

suze

Sorry all, I only meant since our poster is just 18 years old, you wouldn't have to be too awfully very old to be his Mum!

ira

>...my young colleague is 23, but I'm only 34.<

Making you about 50% older.

You can remember Ronald Reagan.

Kay2

I asked my husband what he enjoyed when he was in England and Germany when 20. He said he had a great time for 3-4 days in London hitting the major sights, and a show and pub each evening (he was traveling with a friend). He thought Berlin was interesting then (as now) for the history and the active social life.
In Munich he liked the beer halls and the art museums. He also enjoyed hanging out around the universities in Gottingen and Heidelberg.