I'm a 22 yr old male, planning my first trip to Europe, a solo 3-week excursion from May 25th-June 15th. Here is my current plan, and I'd appreciate input on the Italy portion, as it's not all planned out. <BR> <BR>Paris (4 days) <BR>- Staying at Aloha Hostel (May 26th-29th) <BR>- Leave on 30th by train to Interlaken (anyone know how long of a ride it is?) <BR> <BR>Interlaken (7 days) <BR>- Staying at Backpackers Villa (May 30th-June 5th) <BR>- This is the biggest part of my trip where I just want to relax, have fun, and see the sites in the Swiss Alps! <BR>- June 5th, leave by train to Italy <BR> <BR>This is where I need help. My flight leaves Milan on the Morning of June 15th. I have 10 days to see parts of Italy. My main mode of transportation is by Eurorail. I'd like to see Venice, Florence, and Cinque Terre. But would this be too much? Should I not visit one of them and spend the time somewhere else. Suggestions are very welcome as I'm still planning this part out. Thanks in advance!

10 days is plenty. You should also visit San Giminano (I think that's how it's spelled) It's about an hour south of Florence by train.

Bill, You are going to have such a great time! I think 10 days is more than enough and I think you are hitting the best spots. A couple of days in Venice should be fine, Florence has alot of young Americans there studying so you should meet lots of fun people there. Cinque Terre is great but just a caution if you are going to end up there on a weekend, I talked to 3 or 4 different groups of young people there that could not find a place to stay. The people I met up with tried all the surrounding towns including La Spezia and ended up on night train to Rome because there was no place to go. Either don't be there for a weekend, or reserve a place ahead of time. The trains and the hostels are great places to meet people so I am sure you will have a good time going on your own. <BR> <BR>Let me know if you have other questions.

Check out Rick Steves guide books on Europe. My son used them for Europe, staying in hostels/B&Bs on a budget. I use them for hotels/restaurants/etc. I think you'll enjoy his books and advice.

This is a great itinerary. I would divide up those last 10 days as 3-4 Venice, 3-4 Florence, 3 Cinque Terre. I predict you'll wish you'd had more time in Paris, but that's true almost no matter how long one stays there.