Hello everyone!!! I am hoping to get some insight on my 21 day trip to Europe. This will be my first solo trip outside of the US. Surprisingly I am not scared or feel intimated by exploring a whole different country alone. I am more concerned with being able to take in as much possible in those 21 days. My dates start in early June this coming year. As far as where I want to go LOL everywhere. So far I have been thinking of taking day and a half trips in Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, and Venice. Ideally I would love to spend my longer days in Ibiza and Rome. Call me crazy I am trying to sneak a weekend in Paris and maybe a day in Pompeii somewhere in there. I have looked into Eurorail and the time it will take to get from one place to another. I have also looked into local flights. I would highly appreciate if I can get help as far as what is worth seeing/going and what I should skip to have more time. And also is 21 days enough time to get a taste of everywhere I want to go. HELP!! Please.

I have looked into Eurorail and the time it will take to get from one place to another>

Eurail is simply a pass to use on trains - there is no Eurail trains but each country has their own system and it is a great way to go relatively short distances - like day trips from Madrid and Barcelona and between those two.

Or Milan to Venice but between Spain and Italy if you want to go straight thru it's best to fly though there is an long overnight ferry between the two that could be a treat.

For lots of great info on European trains check these IMO superb sites: www.budgeteuropetravel.com (check out their free online European Planning & Rail Guide for lots of itinerary suggestions by rail; www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com.

21 days is really a lot of time if just wanting to see those four cities - most folks would rather go to a Florence or Rome than Milan, a large city with some neat sights but one that pales in comparison to the other two or many Italian towns IMO.

You mean something like:
1.5 day Madrid
1.5 day Barcelona
1.5 day Milan
1.5 day Venice
3.0 days Ibiza
3.0 days Rome
2.0 days Paris
1.0 day Pompeii

ok that's 15 days, now you need to include at least 0.5 day x 8 locations (for moving from place to place) you're up to 19 days.

PalenQ thank you so much for the weblinks. Yes I meant id be taking the train systems that each country has. I actually saw that there is a train that goes from Barcelon to Paris and nother from Paris to Milan. Initially that is where I got my idea to stick Paris in my itinerary. I did leave out Florence in my post accidentally but yes definitely want to go to Florence as well.

Suze I was thinking of 5 days in Rome and also trying to add time for train travel. This will be my first time in Europe therefore I am not familiar with distance from train stations and where I would be staying etc. I foresee maybe spending half days or full days in just travel itself that is why I was concerned if 21 would be enough to get around and see all the places I would want to.

Paris - Barcelona on a high speed train is 6-1/2 hrs.
Paris - Milan TGV ~ 7 hrs.

So by 'sticking' Paris in you're adding pretty much another full day of sitting on a train. The Paris/Milan does have overnight sleepers available so that might save a little bit on your crowded schedule.

Adding Florence at 1.5 days, plus those two train rides, and you've hit your 21 day max.

eevie:

Having three weeks is a luxury, but it is still not enought to visit half of the places which are on your bucket list.

Europe is not just a bundle of attractions - Europe is a way of life which is significantly different from the U.S. way of life. To get a feeling of a place in Europe you must spend a couple of days at one place - and not just taking selfies in front of castle X and cathedral Y.

And please do not underestimate time and hassle of travelling. To travel from place A to place B, usually a day is lost. You have to pack your luggage, check out of the hotel, get to the train station or airport, wait, board your means of transportation, get transported, unboard, orient yourself, travel to your next hotel, check in, unpack your things - even if a flight does take only one hour or a train ride takes three or four hours you spend the better part of the day with travelling.

So, if you have 21 days, it is a bad idea to waste 20 or 30% of this precious time for travelling between place A and B.

Better focus on three or four destinations in Europe and explore them.

Here's my question for you: Why do you want to visit these places? I ask because it is really hard for me to understand what you would actually be able to see or experience -- other than a lot of trains or airports. And my experience is that the getting to / from is among the most stressful of time on the road. But to each his / her own!

You will see a lot, but you won't experience much with your plan as it stands.

The fun of discovering your favorite café in the neighborhood, learning more of the language and finding your way around all require several days at least. Getting from place to place is stressful: finding your way to the station in time, finding the correct ticket counter and platform, figuring out the public transport system once you arrive. I'd pare it down. Skip Milan and Madrid, maybe?

But I do understand your urge to see it all.

Sorry but you are making the classic mistake of trying to cover way too much territory. Besides the time just getting from one place to another you aren;t accounting for the fact that you are dealing with 3 different languages, 3 different cultures and multiple (each city) location of neighborhoods, means of transit and just finding your way around.

Trying to do 9 places in 21 days is at least 3 places too many. I would probably do 5 places rather than 6 - so you have a change to really see parts of each place - and at the end have more than a very long, tiring and expensive blur.

I really suggest you sit down with some of the Michelin green guides to see what you want to see/do in each place and how long it will take. Par of the joy of visiting europe is just sitting in a cafe with a drink and watching the very different go by. With your plan you will be racing so fast you don;t even have time to catch your breath - never mind sit down.

I imagine that you are young, so you should not look upon these 21 days as your "big trip." It is the first of many trips, so you can reduce the territory covered and get to the other places at another time.

I would add that EVEN if it is your only trip -- and I trust it will not be -- you might want to ask yourself how much time (and money) you want to spend in transit rather than on the ground and actually visiting places.

It can be VERY hard to decide what to see and what to skip, but ultimately, IME, it can be much more enjoyable to have time to actually see the places you select than to just rush through them on your way to the next check-the-box destination. And BTW, I say that as someone who travels at a FAR more rapid pace than most Fodorites!

But then, I'm an existentialist at heart -- I prefer to make tough choices and then commit to them, with full mindfulness of the opportunity costs, than to pretend that I can do it all. JMO.

I have an image of "Sheldon" who went travelling across the USA but only stayed on the train and in railway stations.

I know young people like to travel travel, but Europe is a big place with lots to do everywhere, so ease back on the accelerator and focus on what you really want to see.

Looking at your SoC start I see Ibeza and some southern cities.

Lets try for a bit of structure.

Fly into Madrid (4 days) to get over jet lag and let you adjust to a culture that has two sleeping periods in 24 hours rather than the US one of only one.

Fly to Ibiza for 3 days to soak up some sun and chill out back with more 24 hour people

Fly up to Barcelona for 4 days

Fly to Rome for 4 days

Train to Napoli to see a more gritty reality but with Capri and Herculaneum/Pompei to visit for 4 days

Fly home

Now the best deals on internal (as you call them) or cheepo flights is about 26 weeks out which is a real pain if you change your plans, have a look at skyscanner website to choose the main route (but then check on the ariport website to see if there are other flights as ss is not great at keeping up to date), note that some airports are not equal to others no matter what the airline says.

Paris, well, I'd wait for Paris with someone special

I agree with the idea to make a list of all the cities you have proposed, than make a list of what you want to see in each place. That will help show you how much time you need, or hopefully a few places you will skip for this trip.

If I were doing this myself I'd probably go with Paris, Venice, Florence, and Barcelona, allowing 5 days for each city.

If you are doing a thesis on European train stations, this works. If it's meant to be a vacation, it doesn't.

You don't need to be ignorant about how far apart places are from one another, or how far the train stations are from where you want to stay - that's what maps are for. Get yourself one or several and study up.

If you want to have a pleasant trip, cut in half the number of places you plan to visit. You're young - you'll be back.

Thanks everyone for your advice. My heart is definitely set on seeing as much possible of Italy therefore I am thinking of just doing Ibizia a few days and spend the rest of my time in Italy. I want to learn the culture, the language, see the ruins. I think I got a little too excited about going and trying to see everything. I wont be able to appreciate much of anywhere with me trying to get everywhere. I really appreciate all of your comments. Knocked some sense into my trip lol. Now I just have to get my Italian itinerary going so I can book hotels and flights ASAP.

<I won't be able to appreciate much of anywhere with me trying to get everywhere.>

Bingo! You are a good student, not everyone is willing to be open to hearing comments that their initial ideas aren't really quite feasible.

Very wise, eevie615! I think you will enjoy yourself MUCH more.

yeeeha, get out some books and look at the options for Italy.

Indeedy less can well be more!