I think you are trying to do too much. You'll spend more time sitting around in trains and cards than actually seeing the sights. Don't cram all of Europe into one week. You could spend a week in each of those cities while barely scratching the surface.

Budapest was my favorite city in Europe. Thought Heidelburg sucked, the reconstruction of the city really struck me as fake and almost Disney-like.

Heidelberg was reconstructed? Do you mean Dresden?

Spending 8 hours on a train for one night in Paris probably isn't worth it. Paris has tons to do. Just save it for a trip when you can spend 5+ days there.

Also, it is very easy to book a Euro flight from Dulles with a layover in Paris. You can have the layover be multiple days long with no increase in the fare.

Im excited to see your trip report WVU.
I have always wanted to go to prague but I have never been to europe

the only relevant advice I can give is basically what louis cyphre was saying kindof.

When I was young my mom and dad would take us on trips(florida, maine, east coast tourist towns) where everything was scheduled in advance and planned so you spent a lot of time following the plan(shower at a certain time, eat quickly so you can catch your ticketed play on time, rushing from one thing to the other) and it was annoying. I know someone who has been all around the world but never has anything interesting to say about any of the places he has been. try to experience a few things well rather than everything.

I haven't been to that part of the world since 2001, so things may have changed a great deal. However, one of the things I did was got a rail pass before I left the US.

It was something like unlimited rides in three countries of my choosing for a week. (I'm sure there are lots of options if this is still available). I happened to get Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

I'd get up in the morning, head over to the station, and see what looked interesting that day. Had some general plans like seeing Neuschwanstein and Berlin, but a few days really were just, "I'll head that way."

You might also look at Rick Steves' website. He's a guy from Oregon who's made Europe-based travel shows. Some really good advice on things to see, places to stay, etc in his shows/books/etc.

Oh yes! And judging from the photos of Germany (gosh, that food looks so fresh! yum ), it looks like you ought to have a blast no matter what you do

Most important thing is that you have fun, right? If you have time before the trip, maybe you could always set up 2 itineraries, one with the longer/farther trips to the big cities like Paris/Milan, and one with shorter trips to just across the border to places like Strassbourg? Then you'll be all set for whatever you feel like, and can pick and choose your adventures at the start of each day

My favorite experience from my trip was dinner in a little village in France. I was traveling with my aunt and uncle and we went to visit a friend of my cousin who married and moved to France. She was one of the bridesmaids at his wedding and was the one I walked up with. She lived in a huge house with her in-laws.

My uncle's grandfather went missing during WWII near a small town in Alsace which wasn't too far from this friend's town. We found the town and stopped at a couple of other villages to sight see. Also had my first (of several) doner kebab for lunch. We drove back through a couple of other towns and waited for everyone to return from work. And to start drinking...

While we were waiting, we drank beer with an orange liqueur called Picon added and ate some salami and crackers. Once everyone was home we popped open a bottle of Alsatian sparkling wine which was very good. Dinner consisted of several types of sliced ham, a couple different cheeses and bread. Our host told us since Americans were coming for dinner, he picked up about a third more than he would have usually. They had a tabletop broiler with several small pans which we heated up the meat and cheese. So simple, but so delicious. And with dinner came a couple bottles of wine.



Desert consisted of homemade ice cream. Vanilla, chocolate, and some raspberry syrup, also homemade from the garden out back. And with desert came the homemade plum schnapps. Not the same as the schnapps here, in America we call it moonshine. The father-in-law also pulled out a couple of plums that were soaking in the schnapps for me to eat as well. And to demonstrate the potency of the schnapps he put some on his finger and lit it on fire. I had a pretty good buzz going by the end of the meal.



We basically talked about how their day went and get their takes on France and the US. I got to learn about the differences in our cultures and how their day to day life is. Instead of just looking at buildings or statues, I got to experience a little of everyday life over there.

I did a trip this summer through Czech, Austria, Slovenia, and Budapest. If you want to try places a little smaller in population and not party scenes, I thought Hallstatt and Cesky Krumlov (cheap buses go here from Prague) were both pretty fantastic.

Hallstatt:



Cesky Krumlov:

I'm going to +1 this. Pick one city to go to and spend your two free days there, otherwise you'll be just running around and won't have the time to soak in what the city of your choosing has to offer.

Other random thoughts: Amsterdam is a great city to see even if you don't do drugs (or hookers). However, if you want to stay sober and are weak to temptation it may be better to stay away from there. Don't just go to party in Prague, one of the best things about that city is that there is so much history in it, and that you're walking around buildings that have been there for over 700 years and that are still functional. You don't see much of that this side of the pond. And if you have the time do go to Cesky Krumlov, it's as beautiful as the pictures show.

Is Anna tagging along?

1 week is short. South of France and Italy trains are real slow. Too bad because the cote d azur is beautiful. Id prob go to Paris for 2 days then switzerland for a 2 days 1 night stay then Austria for 2 days then go up north with maybe a day or two in Dam then back home. Look into the euro train pass, its a one time pass and you can go anywhere you want all over europe.

I believe that is where My friend said we're going. He was telling me something about the women being amazing and the biggest party in Europe, or some such

Sounds like my life growing up. And i'll add "Get up and go help your grandpa milk the cows!" It was like 4:30am

Yea, I don't really party anymore.. Those pics are stunning and thanks for posting.

I gotta say that my fav part of living in Australia was probably just hanging out with locals in restaurants and pubs. I really got a feel of what life is like and I enjoy meeting other cultures, rather than just being some American tourist.

Concensus seems to be that I should cut out Milan or Paris. I'm going to cut Milan. I'd love to see Rome, Venice, or Florance, but Milan doesn't do much for me. Paris, meh, im not that excited about it, but I can say that i've been. I also have a few contacts I could get in touch with. But, looking back you all are right. I can't try to cram 5 months worth of things into 1 week.

So you're going to fly to Europe to see a city you're not excited about? There are plenty of options, not sure why you'd say, "Milan or Paris, not going to do Milan so Paris it is."

Not excited? I'm extremely excited. Mostly to my good friend (we used to build Treehouses as kids) I'm very excited. It looks like Mon, Tues, and Wednesday to myself so I am wondering what to do. I could just lay around his home and do nothing, but what a waste that would be. He knows I play cards and there is casino near. I'll probably check it out, but whether i win or lose, its probably only one night.

Thanks for that advice...I'll def check into the Euro Pass

Don't go to Venice since u don't have a lot of time. Choose Paris and/or Czech/Austria

Weren't you trying to stay off the booze? Oktoberfest and Prague are both just festivals of drinking with little else to do.

Prague is like look at a "castle", look at a bridge, and drink a ton. Been to Prague twice and there really isn't much else to do. Strip clubs (really brothels) but that involves drinking. The national museum is not worth going to. We tried to go to a hockey game, which I'm sure would have been fun, but the timing didn't work. Also, always negotiate the price of taxi rides up front when in Prague. They will try to rip you off and a lot of cabs have fake meters.

Oktoberfest is obv all about drinking.

Don't get a Euro pass. Its a huge waste of money unless you are doing a ton of traveling. Just purchasing each ticket individually will be much cheaper.

Also see if Student Agency Bus goes on any of your routes.

I'm jelly of you WVU. I can't really advise you what to see, but if you really want to have a memorable trip, fall in love while you are over there. That's what I do.

Duel citizenship is the ultimate goal

The pics that were posted look very inciting. And i've never been to a castle before.

That would be a good day trip. I'll post nudes of the maidens I seduce

You should definitely go see a castle if you've never seen one before. Some of the castles in those regions are really amazing.

You could also consider Hitler's Eagle's Nest. That place has such amazing views to all sides.