Have been planning next year's trip, was starting in Budapest, then 3 nts Salzburg, 4 nts Munich on to Fussen and up through Germany to Amsterdam to pick up Baltic cruise finishing in Stockholm. Stay a few nights then fly to Berlin, 5 nts then back to Australia. We are feeling now that we need to avoid Budapest/Hungary because of the unrest with the Syrian refugee crisis...can any one suggest another itinerary that maybe has us flying into Munich and then we will need to expand out planned trip to Amsterdam to take in another 7 days....thinking Brussels and Bruges may be worthwhile and we will omit Budapest and Salzburg...?

I'm not sure flying into Munich is a solution. Personally, I wouldn't go to Viktor Orban's country until he is gone, but with regard to other travel problems created by the mishandling of asylum claims and war refugees, you might want to wait a few weeks and follow the news to see how this is shaping up. Right now Europe is arguing about where they are going to build concentration camps, and I don't expect that conversation to produce any workable path forward, so until they sort that out, it is hard to make plans about where to go.

By the way, last year the center of Brussels, the nominal "capital" of the EU, saw two sets protests involving thousands of people that turned truly violent, so -- well, maybe Bruges? Nothing to fight over there as far as I know.

I just posted my impressions of Budapest on this threat (not my favorite city):
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...pectations.cfm

Just subjective impressions, but I felt that the burden of so much slaughter--WWII, the Holocaust, Communist tyranny, the 1956 Revolution--weighed heavily on the place.

http://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/col...on-its-history

Well on the basis of "so much slaughter" that would eliminate a good part of central and even western europe - since they were mostly subject to WWII, the Holocaust, Soviet tyranny and unrest related to it.

If that is your gauge for going anywhere you can trace it back to WWI, the French Revolution/Napoleonic Wars, and even the wars of religion/100 years wars. People have been fighting all over europe for a whole variety of reasons since before the roman empire expanded. Seems you are being esp harsh on Hungary for no particular reason.

They are not the cause of this mass immigration and the disruptions it is causing. We can all take credit for that.

Where are you stopping on your Baltic cruise? Will you have visits in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia? We've only visited Lithuania but found it delightful and easily filled a week (will return in the future for more of the country). If your cruise isn't including these place, you could do them.

You could do Prague, Czesky Krumlov, Krakow, the Tatra mountains, Gdansk, etc. And, we absolutely loved Romania (it is gorgeous).

Add in some smaller, less-well-known place to round out your itinerary.

Just some new and different ideas for you.

I love Budapest, have visited four times, and would be happy to go back. For once, I am in entire agreement with nyt, if a history of bloodshed upsets you, you may as well avoid the whole of Europe. Actually, much of the rest of the world as well.

And before anyone gets too upset with Hungary, please explain why they should welcome masses of uninvited economic migrants (NOT refugees), especially when those migrants are Muslim and Hungary has not forgotten the (Muslim) Ottoman invasions and rule from Istanbul. (Ever ask where all the women in the harem came from? Or the recruits for the Janissaries?)

However, I might consider flying to/from rather than taking the train, but who knows what the situation will be next year?

One has to think that the refugee crisis will be solved by next year - at this time I would not change where you really want to go and play it by ear - are you taking trains - I would with that mainly city itinerary - cars being rather useless in many cities - forlots of great info on European trains check www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

@nytraveler: got your point--Europe has plenty of slaughter to go around; I simply gave the OP my impressions of Budapest. If you've been there, share your view of the city, that would help along the discussion.