European travel?

Some of the answer will depend on the time you have available; say if you have 2 months versus 2 weeks. Especially if you have the shorter time, but also important with longer times; do not be tempted to 'see everything'. In my experience, people either love the travel experience and will definately be back, or hate it and could care less whether they missed anything. A common complaint I've seen is that people spend so much time on the train they don't feel like they 'got' anyplace. This is not to say don't use the long train rides, just plan to stay in a few places longer rather than a lot of places for a day or two.

My favorite country is definately Germany, so that is what I know best. There is a town called Freiburg in the south western corner near Switzerland and France. It is on the edge of the black forest. It is a neat university town with a lot of things to do in the area including the forest.

As for Italy, my favorite trip there took me to Cinque Terre (5 towns); which is the Italian Riviera. It is very pictaresque and has hiking and beaches all around. There were tourists, but it didn't seem to matter once you actually had a place to stay.

Salzberg is great. I started my backpacking trip there about 10 years ago and went from there to Veinna which is a beautiful city and then to Budapest which is cheep and friendly. It is also very unique interms of European cities because of the Ottoman influence. From Veinna you can also take the train to Praque which is a beautiful and cheep city. There is a train to Venice from Veinna as well but I find Venice something to see in a day trip as it is a bit frustrating to stay in. After that I went to Florance and Rome which are both incredible. And then I went to Nice. In that first European trip anyway. Germany is also very beautiful but I really recommend smaller town particularly around the Bodensee (Lake Constance). Right now I am living in Copenhagen which is a very pretty interesting city with the worlds oldest amusement park, Tivoli.

For none tourist the best I can say is try places like Lindau, Germany and some small towns in Austria are also very charming. Budapest is a Tourist destination but I think most people go to Prague and miss out on how amazing Budapest is.

If you are planning on traveling all over Europe, my top two countries would be Norway and Ireland.

I was born and raised in Ireland, and I live in Norway now.

Ireland is known for it's beautiful coast lines, vibrant green hills, friendly people, and rich culture. It, in my opinion, is the most welcoming, beautiful, and exciting countries in the world.

If you were to take a trip there, I would recommend visiting County Galway. It is full of beautiful fishing towns and beautiful people. Everyone is friendly there. It's the place I was born.

Norway is my second choice. I love it here. The towns here a gorgeous. They are very picturesque. It's like stepping back in time. The fishing villages along the coast are a peacful stay. Oslo and Bergen are great cities to visit. Almost everyone there speaks english, so there is no language barrier. The country side is beautiful. Very mountainous. There is fantastic culture in Norway. I recommend reading up on the vikings before your trip, if you chose to go. The people are great, and the music scene is out of this world.

Those are just two of my suggestions.

Have a great time.

Germany is a less common destination, but definitely worth the stop. I simply loved Berlin. Hamburg is worth seeing too. I was in Frankfurt as well, but that one's kind of expensive.

I actually lived in Poland for a while. Not as well known. Quite underrated. The old town and cathedral in Warsaw are well worth seeing. Krakow is absolutely beautiful.

Actually, Eastern Europe is way underrated. It's a lot cheaper to travel and there's a lot to see. Well worth considering.

Of course, there's always, France, Italy, Spain, Great Britain. These are wonderful places too, but they're already well known, so I don't feel the need to expand here.

Rab. Pronounced Rarb. Adriatic sea, Croatia. Also try Vienna to Budapest along the Danube, or Rijeka to Dubrovnik by the ferry. Cross to Croatia from Venice or perhaps Bari, If you make Dubrovnik,don't miss Hvar. And no I'm not Croatian I'm Australian.

Prague, Czech Republic is quite gorgeous. You can try that, and/or Bratislava, Republic of Slovakia. Prague has one of the best metro systems in Europe.