Trackster, first of all I just want to say that I’m extremely jealous of your trip! You’re going to have such an amazing time. You’ve done your homework and haven’t really rushed through anything which is a MAJOR plus. Okay, now for my opinions… Galway is awsome. Definitely do a trip to Connemara and the Cliffs of Moher. I’d recommend finding a couple of days somewhere to add a town called Doolin (about an hour away from Galway) to your itinerary. It is an amazing little town and the Cliffs of Moher are infinitely closer to Doolin than Galway. They have the best music in Ireland too. I’d take out Naples altogether and add a day to Rome & London. Rome has the sites and London has my favorite museums in all of Europe. You have the perfect amount of time for Florence and may only need 2 days in Cinque Terre. For southern France I stayed in Nice and I’m glad I did. It had central location to Eze, Antibes & Monaco and my hostel was absolutely unbelievable. A lot of people like Barcelona, but for some reason I didn’t care for it all that much. I was there 2 days and felt like I saw everything that I wanted to see. Someone else may tell you 4 days is a good amount of time. Thats up to you. When I was in Paris, two of the people that I met there went to Bordeaux (I didn’t go) and I later met up with one of them in Nice. He said Bordeaux was not interesting or fun at all. Again, I didn’t go so I don’t know for sure, but he was usually right on with opinions. Thats a great amount of time for Berlin and Munich. Make sure though in Munich that you don’t spend all of your time drinking at the Oktoberfest but also enjoy what Munich has to offer. It is a truly amazing city. Five days is an awful lot of time to spend in Prague. Maybe 3? I didn’t go to Salzburg either but I had 3 different people tell me it was one of their favorite cities, so if you go there for two days you won’t lose anything. I forgot to mention adding a day to Paris as well. The big cities require more time. Hope this helps and have fun!

Thanks for the response. I’ll definately check out Doolin. Should I spend 2 nights in Doolin and maybe 2 in Galway, or should I keep 3 nights in Galway and try to find extra time to go to Doolin? I think I will be able to add the couple of days if I do not want to take away from Galway. The reason I have Naples in my itinerary because I was interested in seeing Pompeii, but thats about it, so I might think that one over again and use the days for Rome and London. I’ve heard mixed things about Barcelona, but I thought I would mark time down for it in case I like it, and if not, I’ll just move on. To be honest, I don’t really know why I have Bordeaux down, except for maybe trying some wine, but it might make more sense to just move through it and spend the extra time in Paris. As for Munich, I can’t afford to spend to many days under the beer tents anyways, so I’ll have time to see the sights. Thanks again.

Bayeux: the hostel is a great meeting place but the owner is a mean old lady
i suggest you take a tour of the battlefields , you likely won’t see much on your own. pricey but worth it. i went with battle bus.  also suggest watching Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers before your trip.

Southern France……….i had a nice relaxing 2 day stay near Carcarsonne at Sidmum’s – sort of like a hostel but with cottages………not exactly southern France………………Avignon: i didn’t think much of this place……i think i’d stay in Arles instead. or Aix. but i’ve never been to those places.

please don’t go to Brussels. If you don’t you’ll regret wasting your time
spend your time in Brugge

Amsterdam: rent a bike – it’s the fastest way to get around and the most fun and at less than 10 bucks a day
consider a day trip to non-Amsterdam Netherlands: like a folk village or the flower market

 
I’m living in the Rhine Valley area right now (for four months), and it is a beautiful area.  Are there any specific villages / castles you plan on visiting?  I would suggest a cruise down the the Rhine.  It’s the perfect way to enjoy the scenery and castle ruins.

I’d say spend 2 nights in Doolin and 3 in Galway so try to find some extra time. Galway is a really neat little town and there is a cool restaurant in Eyre Square called The Skeff Restaurant which is run by Australians who are really friendly and they tend to travel a bit too so will have advice. When I was in Doolin I stayed at a place called The Rainbow Hostel (www.rainbowhostel.com) which was run by Mattie & Carmel. There are TONS of places to stay in Doolin though. The hostel was good because it was close to 2 of the pubs, they light the fireplace every night and Mattie gives a free tour of The Burren (which I HIGHLY recommend you do if you stay there). I’d still say skip Naples, but you could either stay a day in Pompeii or you could take a day trip there from Rome. Its 2.5 hours each way from Rome, but if you spend 6 hours in Pompeii it isn’t that big of a deal. Train travel goes by really quickly. Your idea about checking out Barcelona sounds great. If you don’t like it, just move on. Things will come up on the trip that will change your schedule a bit. I’d say skip bordeaux just because you’re going to try wines from the Bordeaux region when you’re in Paris. My friend that went there was a big wine guy and still didn’t like the place.

Pompeii is pretty interesting, I’ve been there 3 times and not regretted it, and the thing is, much of its historical artifacts are housed in Naples’ archeological museum. But it is not impossible to visit Pompeii on a day trip from Rome, I’ve done it, you won’t see it all, but you’ll see a good bit of it.
FWIW, we heard wonderful live music in Galway, and I enjoyed its bay, and the Burren is indeed kinda cool.
I’ve not been to either Bordeaux or nearby St. Emilion, but have heard that St. Emilion is the preferred destination. (Good wine, too.)
I liked Avignon okay, but also enjoyed Aix and Arles. Don’t miss the Pont du Gard. Further south there is Collioure.
Barcelona is worth it for the Gaudi architecture, especially La Sagrada Familia.
Will you be in Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival? It’s great fun, well worth it, but lodging might be tight.
Fringe Festival
What a fine trip you’ll have.  Enjoy.