JStrong12

Me and a friend of mine are going to go to Europe for 4-5 weeks this summer and we are having trouble deciding which cities would be best. This is the list we came up with

London
Berlin
Munich
Amsterdam
Amalfi Coast
Paris
Barcelona or Madrid (can't decide b/w the two)
Reykjavik

Also wanted to know if this list is logistical in the amount of time allotted.

sparkchaser

Where are you flying from?

Budget?

How were you planning on getting around from city to city and within the city?

Do you speak any relevant languages aside from English?

What do you want to see in each locale?

If you go for 4 weeks, you are looking to spend about 3 days in each locale before heading to the next. Doable but you'll miss a lot in some of the cities.

sandralist

Some of the destinations are much more expensive than others. Some are a lot of fun for young singles, others attract a lot of retirees and families. Some are great for outdoor sightseeing, others more for museums and churches and palaces. Some of them it is best to take planes to reach them, others are easy by train.

If the only place you are going in Italy is the Amalfi coast, it will take you hours to get there from the nearest airport (Rome or Naples) and hours to leave to go to your next destination. You will use up an entire day of travel both arrriving and departing. You might do better to fly to an island off Spain or Greece if you want a beautiful (and expensive) beach break.

pariswat

Jstrong

For a first trip, what you have to take into account and which is easily overlooked is :
- time on the ground :
you must deduct about half a day each time you move from one place to another : factor time to check out, put everything back into your suitcase, go to the airport or trainstation, then find your hotel from arrival point (inc taxis, metro, walking + deplaning + customs if any.
- arrival day and departure day are usually 'lost' : arrival because you may be very jetlagged.
- luggage :
for 4 weeks or more, you must either have a lot of luggage or wash it. That means some thought to be done on this.
The more luggage, the more you'll be encumbered and the more it will slow you down.
- money
I suppose you made an estimation of your budget
cheap travel options once on the ground are trains (reliable in Europe) or planes (airports are further away than trainstation and low cost companies exact a uge price for luggage - pay attention

Also you list mostly cities, do you want to stay in cities or will you take daytrips, do you intend on renting a car to see some life outside ...

Finally, the list of your cities must have been based on some research or personal choices, it would help regulars that you tell more about what you're after so that we can give better advice.

Enjoy your planning !

nytraveler

Agree that if we are to provide advice on with cities to visit we need to know a little bit about you. Assume you don't want a lot of active time since you have listed all cities except the AC. (And if you want beach time do check out google earth many beaches are not US standard - but are pebbles or even rocks instead, and some of the best beaches are private.

But what is driving you to these places - museums, churches, architecture, shopping, fine dining, nightlife, clog dancing, bellringing? (I met one couple in London who were touring only cathedrals to see the famous organs - since the guy was an organist.)

bilboburgler

Barcelona or Madrid

Ok Barcelona is on the coast, has an old Olympics site in town and Gaudi (whose works are everywhere) a beach and nearby beach towns, small ancient centre with modern (for europe) areas around, laid out 1880s. Loads of tourists and a certain level of Pickpocket crime in focused areas.

Madrid, Capital and right in the centre of a very hot country. My goodness does it get hot , you end up walking in the shade and near fountains, again a small ancient city centre, a bit less touristy and probably a bit harder to love than Barcelona. We find the Gay quarter is just about hip enough for us to enjoy

I'd probably choose Barcelona for a first visit just because it more accessible and there should be less heat, but the museums in Madrid are better.

pariswat

Madrid can be damn cold too...
I have a tendancy to end up in place very cold in winter time, but I was very surprised by Madrid.

bilboburgler

hi Paris, seasons greatings, yes Madrid is surprisingly high up and in the centre of a large piece of land, hence very cold in winter. The OP is going in summer though

PalenQ

Going via train I presume? If by car those cities are far-removed and trains are super fast and comfy - anyway for lots of great advice for planning a rail trip (my favorite mode of transport if going to big cities mainly where cars are a liability and public transit so so great) check these informative sites: www.ricksteves.com; www.seat61.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

If doing most of those by rail look into railpasses

Kathie

Let me just offer some general planning advice. It works best, generally, to fly into one city and out of another (this is called open-jaw or multi-city on the airline sites). This eliminates backtracking and will therefore saves you time and money.

Trains are usually very efficient ways to move from city to city. Train stations are typically in city centers, so less time and money in transport from your hotel/hostel to and from the stations. However, for long distances, budget airlines can be good options. Be aware that some budget airlines fly into/out of airports that are far from the city, adding transit time and expense.

At best, figure it will cost you half a day each time you change locations. Some places are father off the track, e.g., the Amalfi coast, and will involve much more transit time.

The typical first-timer error is to try to pack too many destinations into the trip. You want a balance of time in the places you want to visit and transit time. Remember that it takes three nights in a place to give you two full days, four nights to give you three full days.

These cities er not equal in size or numbers of attractions. London is by far the largest and has the most attractions of the cities. So you will likely want a bit more time there than in, say, Munich. But lay out a list of your must see places in each location to help you plan how much time in each place and which place(s) you may want to save for your next trip.

Happy planning!

kerouac

If I were visiting anywhere in Italy, I would most definitely make Rome a priority over any other location.

I presume that Reykjavik is on the list because you will be using Icelandair?