shortperson1

I would like to plan a trip to Europe in the Spring, 2009. I would appreciate suggestions on where to stay, places of interest, and transportation since I have not been there since 1972. I am on a budget and I would take about 3 weeks.I would like to visit Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Venice, Florence, and Bosnia (Medejorgie).

cynthia_booker

First things first.
Do lots, lots, and lots more research on your own, then come back here with more specific questions and you will get all the help you could want.
A good guidebook or two will get your started, but the net is the most valuable source, in my opinion.
There are roughly a million places of interest, so narrow it down as to country and type (historic, art, etc.) and you will get lots of suggestions.

Michel_Paris

How much time in each city? This is geographically a lot of ground to cover.

What is the budget (hard to suggest accomodations not knowing what your definition is of budget)

Why did you pick these places? This would help in defining places of interest in each location

People here need a bit more help...if you hate museums, for example, that would change the Paris component.

I suggest a good browse through the Fodor's guide to the cities in order to at least start an itinerary.

shortperson1

I will start with the guide books and repost my question. Thank you.

cherrybomb

Four of your cities are quite expensive: Copenhagen, Stockholm, Venice, Florence. You will also have 3 different currencies to deal with--Sweden and Denmark are not on the EU, if that is a consideration/concern.

What countries are you most interested in and why--once you make that distinction it will be easier for you to develop a plan, get help and stay within whatever budget you may have.

cherrybomb

>>Four of your cities are quite expensive: Copenhagen, Stockholm, Venice, Florence. You will also have 3 different currencies to deal with--Sweden and Denmark are not on the EU, if that is a consideration/concern.<<


I meant EURO, not EU, my bad in being fast.

Cimbrone

Some will disagree with me, but I prefer to limit myself to one region. My philosophy is, why bypass fascinating places nearby just to get to other fascinating places further away? Then again, I tend to love the countryside and small towns. If capitals and major cities are your interest (make sure they really are), then your idea may make sense. Just something to consider.

janisj

when you start your research - start thinking which ones are less important. 3 weeks just isn't long enough to visit 5 countries/6 cities spread across half of Europe.

Ceidleh

Start at your local library. Check out DVDs of travel shows to the cities and countries you hope to visit. Watch them and many of your initial questions can be answered. Especially good for those on a tight budget are the Globe Trekker series DVDs - they have produced a lot of DVDs on countries overall (i.e., France) and more in-depth DVDs about cities (i.e., Paris).

Another option: if you have an iPod, download Podcasts on the cities/countries you want to travel to. You can get some good ideas by listening to Podcasts.

Go to your local bookstore and browse the travel section to look over the latest guidebook selections. I know many posters on this site can't stand him, but a decent book to understand the basics of European travel (including creating a budget, developing an itinerary, choosing your preferred mode of travel between countries, etc.) is Rick Steves "Europe Through the Back Door". Once you work out your budget and rough itinerary, you can really focus on specific country/city guidebooks and then get input from other travellers online by asking questions.

You haven't been to Europe in 36 years and naturally you want to see as much as you can, but if you try to move between that many countries in just 3 weeks, you will find you don't even begin to scratch the surface of any city and you remember very little when everything starts to blur together. I'd scale it back to 2 countries - 3 at the most.