Help! Planning a trip through Europe
 

Some friends and I are planning to take a trip to Europe following our graduation this May.
We plan to travel from the UK to France to Spain to Italy to Switzerland to Germany over the course of about 50 days. Any tips on what to do/see?

I have found the Rick Steves' travel books to be very helpful in prioritizing what to see within a city or region. The series won't necessarily help prioritize between countries, but it's useful for when you've already determined where you are going.

Ok
You mention whole countries, but not which cities and towns you plan to visit, and you don't mention what your interests are, and you don't mention if you want to drive or fly or take trains. It's nigh impossible to make useful recommendations. :)

Click at the top of this screen on Destinations, and find the helpful Fodors info on the cities you want to visit, once you figure out what those are. Then gather some ideas with your friends about organizing your time, then come back here and ask some more specific questions, for the best possible answers

good luck

I'm a little curious how you arrived at those 6 countries to visit, but then ask what there is to see or do. Why did you pick them? There must be reasons. Tell us why you want to visit those places and it will help us to help you. In other words, do you want to Visit Germany because you think Munich and the beer halls would be fun? Or do you look forward to the modern "architecture" of Berlin? Or are you picturing cruising down the Rhine River?

By the UK, do you mean London or are you also planning to do Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales?

Sounds like they just sort of picked the pick "name" countries for a grand tour type of thing. NOthing wrong with that, I think most people like to see countries they've heard about so much.

You sure have plenty of time, so it would be really hard to give specifics on what you should do and see, other than I expect you will want to see the main cities -- London, Paris, Barcelona and perhaps Madrid (although out of the general flow), then maybe Nice on the way to Italy, Rome, etc. My German friend generally pushes Berlin as a good place to visit in Germany, rather than the other main cities -- if you have to choose.

Excerpted from some previous posts on which I have expressed opinions to proposed trips like yours...

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I would urge you to consider cutting this trip down to 15-25 days, bank the money - - and see just how (incredibly) much you learn that will enable you to make another 15-25 day trip in the near future with the money you save away. You will know "how to do it" so much better after this year's trip (even if you have been before, and seems like you haven't).

I'd choose the two (or three) countries that seem most important to you (perhaps, ideally with some language commonality!?), regardless of the length of your trip.

Best wishes,

Rex

You will have a great time. Too bad it won't be longer. First, get yourself a travel guide to Europe -- I used to use Let's Go Europe, which gives you little snippets of the various countries, cheap places to stay and eat, places to go for young people, as well as gives you the rundown of the most well known and lesser know spots of interest. You know, the must sees and must be's.

Take advantage of your student card to get discounts, and take advantage of your age using the youth rail pass.

If you've never been to Europe, you'll probably land in London, and it's probably the best place to orient yourself because you speak the same language (with a few trip ups). Then to Paris, down to Barcelona and perhaps Madrid. Then over to Italy, maybe Rome, then up to Florence, then up to Munich and Berlin.