isabel

I did the Iceland stopover last summer on my way to Europe. They do have good prices and let you stop over in Iceland for as long as you wish for no extra charge. It sounds like that is why you are doing it. Plus it is a really different atmosphere from the rest of Europe. I just did 2 nights/days and spent one in Reykjavik and on the second did the Golden Circle Tour. There certainly seemed to be plenty to do if you wanted to spend four days. You say you plan to stay in hostels or couch surf. Check out the possibilities of that in Iceland though, because hotels (and food) are considerably more expensive than in most of the rest of Europe.

Your Iceland, UK, Paris, Amsterdam plans all look fine. You could add a few days to Paris certainly and if you feel you want to see a little of someplace other than the cities themselves both Paris and A'dam have plenty of day trip options you can decide on once you get there.

The time you have allotted for this portion of your trip is only a little more than half your six weeks. And Prague/Budapest a little more than one more week. If you tacked on a full day in each of them that still leaves you with well over a week extra. You don't sound set on Germany/Austria, and they are somewhat 'similar' to Prague/Budapest - at least in the sense that they, and your entire trip, is Northern Europe. I think to get a nice 'overview' and to make a stab at curing your wanderlust, you should take that extra time and do someplace in southern Europe. With easyjet and other intra European flights cheaper than long train trips you could easily add in Italy or Spain for no extra money. And Italy and Spain are both cheaper to BE in than any of the places you are going. Well, Budapest is pretty cheap (and I can recommend this B&B which was really cheap four years ago when I was there, I think the prices have gone up, it was 25€ then - http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...-Budapest.html)

Here's my trip report from Iceland if you are interested (with link to photos - http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...pover-trip.cfm

ChocolateDelights

Hi there,

Germany has a lot more to offer than Bavaria, thus definitely keep Berlin on your list. You should not miss out on Germany's capital city. From there you can easily travel to Dresden by train. You can book the tickets on www.bahn.com. There journey is only 2 hrs.
Dresden has a rich history and many historical sites thus there is plenty to see in 3 or 4 days, such as the famous Frauenkirche, Old Masters Gallery, Opera House or the Green Vault. If you are interested in visiting the Green Vault I suggest you book your tickets online since it is quite difficult to get them. Here is a link: http://www.skd.museum/en/museums-ins...lbe/index.html

You could also explore the scenic areas near Dresden such as Saxon Switzerland. It is a beautiful national park with interesting sandstone formations. It is a very popular spot for hiking and rock climbing. It is close to Dresden and you could either take the famous steam boat or train. Here is another link: http://www.saechsische-schweiz.de/st...ystem?navid=65.

After your visit to Dresden you could carry on to Prague, again it is a short journey by train.

I hope that helps.

Dukey1

Don't know if you've categorized your specific interests in terms of once you actually GET to places but my thoughts are:

you could obviously use Icelandic and stopover for however long in Iceland

Berlin v s. Munich: BOTH IMO have plenty to see and do and a lot depends on what your interests are; whereas Munich has some great museums and even a big schloss, Berlin has even more of that.

If you wanted you could as suggested stop off in Dresden on the way to Prague but some might say that Dresden would be mainly for art work; Prague (the older part of the city) looks positively medieval when you take away the cars and trams.

Personally, I would cram as much as possible in; a lot of people will say you need to see things "in depth" and I agree that is a consideration but your "depth" may not be the same as others and after all, people go to Europe just to see a bunch of Christmas markets...that is not depth but to each their own and enjoy your trip.

Weegie

Agreed with others who've said don't drop Berlin. If you want to hostel Berlin has a huge range of high quality affordable hostels, great attractions, great nightlife,low prices for a Western capital and a laid back atmosphere that is a joy to be in. If you're a fan of metropolises then Berlin is a good choice. All in all I think your plan works. I wouldn't change it other than to use your extra 5 days to allow you to stay longer in places you're enjoying.

bigtyke

Add time on after Vienna for Salzburg and Munich

Mimar

Looking at your planned itinerary -- and given your preference for cities, I'd add more time to places you are already going. Particularly London, which though expensive, has much to see. And most museums there are free.

And with extra time, you can do daytrips from your city bases. For example, from Glasgow, daytrip to Edinburgh. From London, take the bus (Oxford Tube or X90) to the city of Oxford. Practically all of the Netherlands is easily reachable from Amsterdam.

You really need to do more research (guidebooks, Internet) to get a better idea of what you want to see, both which cities and which sights in those cities.

quokka

I would cut out those places you are not interested in and know nothing about. From your description this applies to Berlin first of all. There is no such thing as "must" and "need". Europe has at least a hundred thousand worthwhile destinations, no one can visit them all, let alone in one trip. Pick those you yourself "want" to see.

annhig

just one thing to say - don't drop Iceland. it fits well into your itinerary and you'll love it!