I am planning a Europe trip. As it says in the title, I don't really know where to start! I've spent extensive time in London, and will be going back there soon again, so please don't suggest that I go to London. My budget is roughly 15k, and we hope to go for three weeks, but nothing is official. I've heard many horror stories of travelers overexerting themselves, and would prefer to avoid that. I tried planning the trip for Paris-Venice-Rome-Vienna-Prague-Rome but I think that is far too much to see in such a short amount of time.
Here's what I'm thinking now:
A week in Paris
A week in Prague
6 days in Rome
1 day in Venice- just to get the experience. Venice seems absolutely beautiful

OR
A week in Paris
3 days in Prague, 3 days in Budapest, 4 days in Vienna
5 days in Rome

OR
A week in Paris
A week in Rome
2 days in Venice
5 days in Prague

OR (I realize this is a lot of or's)
A week in Paris
3 days in Prague
4 days in Florence
A week in Rome

I also wouldn't mind visiting Luxembourg.

I think you are wise to limit your locations.

If I'm understanding, you definitely want a week in Paris (well worth it IMO!); are debating how much time to spend in Prague and Rome; and are trying to decide whether to visit Venice, Budapest, Vienna, Florence, and/or maybe Luxembourg.

If that's correct, then here are some things to consider:

- Remember that you'll lose about 1/2 day each time you change locations, so (for example) with option 2, you'd really only have about 2.5 days in Prague, 2.5 days in Budapest, 3.5 days in Vienna, and 4.5 days in Rome. It sounds to me like you quite rightfully want a pace that gives you a bit more time to appreciate the many things that each of these cities offers, so you might want to wait for some of these cities until you can give them more time.

- Is art a priority for you? If so, you might want to have at least 5 days in Florence, and more if you want to visit anything else in Tuscany.

- Have you a specific interest in Prague? I think many of us would love to have a week there, but I also think many of us would suggest that 4 or 5 days is a very nice amount of time to explore that wonderfully Bohemian city.

- Venice is absolutely beautiful. Do you want to spend the time and money to get there, losing the time and money that you could spend elsewhere, just for a day or two? Or could you add a day or two there (bringing the total to, say, 3 or even 4 days) if you trim your time elsewhere?

- From what I've read, flights out of Venice to the US (is that where you are starting?) are often painfully early in the morning, so people end up either staying by the airport the last night or paying a chunk of change to get to it in time for an early a.m. departure. (Thank goodness I visited it years ago when I could take a late morning flight!) I don't know for sure, but if so, it is (I think) worth considering as you plan. And of course, that could simply mean putting Venice somewhere other than last on your trip, as you do in your option #3.

I think you are going to have an absolutely wonderful trip no matter what you choose! I hope this helps.

I think you could fit in a night in Venice without any great additional layout of money or time if you make it a stopover on your way to Rome from Prague or wherever you'll be coming from. You could fly from Prague or Vienna to Venice, stay one night, and then take the train to Rome the next day, for instance. You won't have time to see much, but it sounds as though you'll have other chances to visit Europe.

Prague is a beautiful city, but it does get rather crowded with tourists in high season. We were there off season, and I remember thinking that I wouldn't want to be there in summer. For a while it was one of the trendiest places in Europe, but maybe it's calmed down a bit now.

Try counting the number of nights you'll spend in a city, rather than the number of days. The number of full days is one less than the number of nights, and you will usually also have half a day, or at least a few hours, on your arrival day.

I just had a look on www.skyscanner.net and see that Airone has cheap direct flights from Prague to Venice. Be sure to check the baggage limits.

I would go with Paris, Prague, Venice Rome - but add a day or two to Venice from Rome.

I think 4 destinations in 3 weeks is good - some nice variety but also enough time to really see something of each place. I would love all of those places - but maybe you want to consider other options on the same pattern.

And do get open jaws flights - in this case into Paris and return from Rome. And be sure to allow a full day to travel from one city to the next - it will probably not take that long - but with potential delays you may well need most of the day.

Usually I am the one who warns of too many destinations. However, in your case, I would encourage you to do a little more.

You are right: Venice is absolutely unique and I would strongly recommend spending at least two full days in Venice.

Secondly, Tuscany is a fascinating destination, too. Since you will spend most of your time in big cities, I would recommend to include a few days in Tuscany. Florence, Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra and the scenery between are attractive destinations.

The best thing is that you can easily combine Rome, Tuscany and Venice: The train from Rome to Florence takes just 1:20, and from Florence to Venice 2:00. In Florence, think about renting a car for one or two days in order to explore the surroundings.

So, your itinerary could look like this:

6 days Paris
4 days Prague
3 days Venice
4 days Tuscany
4 days Rome

Thank you so much to everyone! We will be traveling in the summer (I wish we could push it back to September, but we can't due to work/school). Since we have to go between June-August, which of these months is the least busy in the summertime? Will going during the summer completely ruin our vacation?

Also, we plan to travel by train everywhere (first class-works out cheap). It's something I've always wanted to do. For anyone who's done something like this, what's it like?

Here's what I'm thinking now (exactly what Traveler1959 said):
Start in London- we have to visit family in England anyhow, so we might as well start there
6/7 days in Paris (if we get an overnight train, and arrive in the morning that would give us more time to explore the city)
4 days in Prague
3 days in Venice
4 days in Tuscany
4 days in Rome

Is Venice/Tuscany more worth seeing than Budapest/Vienna?

June would be best., August the least desirable due to heat and crowds.

Thank you- will try plan for early June!

>>>Is Venice/Tuscany more worth seeing than Budapest/Vienna?<<<

A clear yes. Venice is absolutely unique. It is by far the largest historical city in Europe, and the works of art are outstanding.

To be sure, I love Vienna, but I am honest: It is no match to Venice. Same with Budapest.

Tuscany has been the cradle for European economy and culture (Dante Alighieri!) and there you will find a high density of architecture and art. And, again, you will have the opportunity to see a bit of countryside on your trip.

Thank you Traveller1959! I did some more research, and it appears most people agree that Venice/Tuscany is the way to go.