Hmm..  16 days is not enough time to see the even half of the cities you mention.  Making an itinerary is like packing:  choose where you want to go then cut your list by half.  You’ll thank us all for it later.

That being said, what city are you and your mother most interested in seeing, and why?

I’m seriously interested in seeing all of Europe and plan to one day, so it is really up to my mom, and after talking to her about it more she said that she would most like to visit Southern and Western Europe… Italy, Greece, France, England, Scotland…. she said, ‘stuff with a lot of history’, and I’m game for anything really…  She also said the best timeframe for her is 10-14 days. I know regular eurotrippers are always saying that you shouldn’t cram, but really… I want to see the most of Europe I can, because I don’t know when I’ll be back and it is questionable whether or not she willl EVER go back. []

Thanks in advance!

The thing is, the more you see, the less you remember. And really, which is more important?

Logistically I don’t even know how possible that is in 10 – 14 days even if you fly between cities.  While IMHO it will be too crammed, you could feasably do England, France, and Scotland or Greece and Italy, but not both.

Don’t forget that most of us have jet lag when we arrive in Europe after a long overnight flight from the US, and most arrivals are in the morning, and your hotel room will often not be ready. I usually count on seeing/doing nothing on my arrival day.
You’d need a minimum of 3 days each for Paris and Rome, and don’t forget about travel time between the two cities; even if you fly, a day will be used getting to an airport, checking, in waiting, flying, getting luggage and going from the airport into town, getting to your hotel…
Look for an “open-jaws” trans-Atlantic flight, which would mean (for example), arriving in Paris and returning from Rome, because that’ll save time that you’d otherwise spend backtracking to your arrival airport.
So, one option would be to limit yourselves to two big cities with a flight between them. Another option (which I’d recommend) would be to take the train, and spend a few days going between Paris and Rome, with stops in smaller towns along the way. There so many interesting and walkable small towns more or less along the route. Here’s just one example: Beaune. Imagine a walled city, cobblestone streets, a former hospital (now museum) dating from approx. 1483, nice little resataurants. Or Arles, in southern France, which was built by the Romans, and contains an arena second only to the Colosseum in Rome.
Your idea of seeing Paris, Rome, England and Scotland within a 10-14 day period is just not workable.

[=“times new roman”]On you limited time focus on north of the Alps or south, but don’t try both.  I’m speaking from experience.  [/]
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[=“times new roman”]Look at doing a Eurail pass and start or end in London.  Use the Chunnel rail to get to London/Paris (depending on your direction).   [/]
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A perfect little trip to start would be London, Paris, Amsterdam.  They are all pretty close by train and can easily fill up 2 weeks time.  Also, they all give great day trips and will be fairly cheap (europe standards) to fly in/out of.  Then, on the next trip you can try Italy (Rome, Tuscany, Venice) and Greece (Isles and maybe Athens).  For two week long trips I would say max it out at 2 countries and/or 3 cities.  You have to remember the train rides between major cities that are so close on a map still take 8 hours and can waste an entire day.  Plus, none of the cities you have stated are doable in any less than 3 or 4 days

srslysarahcee,

Your questions merit complicated responses.  What do I mean?  Well, you ask what the climate is like in Europe.  Well, Poland is like Illinois, Belgium is like Maryland, Greece is like California…it varies in Europe, just as it varies in North America.  What cities are not to miss?  Well, you’re picking only big cities, and you’re leaving out countless worthy areas such as Tuscany, or the South of France, or Greece’s Islands.  What city is cheapest to fly into?  Well, it certainly isn’t Athens, as ATH has high landing fees.  If you’re coming from North America, usually London and Paris are cheapest span>usually, not always, as airfares fluctuate but if you plan on visiting Greece, then you have no choice but to pass through ATH eventually.  Most time and cost efficient way to travel between these cities?  Don’t skip over everything between the big cities, is my answer.  Like between Paris and Rome, you’re skipping over so much.

My advice is: go to your local library and/or a local bookstore, browse through travel books on Europe and on the specific countries that interest you, and browse the internet as well.  Also, use the search function here at Eurotrip, see how past questions were answered, and suggested itineraries that were given.  Lurk around, ask specific questions, and have fun learning about Europe and planning your trip. 

When exactly is this trip?

[]

If it were me,,, and I have already been to most of the following cities, I would go to: 
 
(Assuming no budget restraints, and “free” travelling w/out itineraries, etc.)
 
 A.  Prague
 
 B.  Munchen
 
 C.  Berlin
 
 D.  Amsterdam or Krakow (toss-up)
 
 E.  Vienna
 
 F.  Edinburgh
 
 G.  Galway
 
This trip would be with all direct flights, no time for trains…  Two days in A thru F, with a day allowed for travel & connections, plus another half day in Berlin… Then I would spend the last 3 nights (one in city centre, final two in a castle) in lovely Galway, IRE… 

Cheapest to fly-in to: 

Frankfurt (FRA), Paris(CDG), or London (LHR & LGW)…  However, if you are on a budget, flying-in to Paris or London might not be a good idea.  Hotels & meals are very high in those two cities. 

A.  Athens might be a bit far, and not feasible money-wise…  Unless you find a good fare in & out of Rome, then getting to Greece by train is easier, and less time-consuming.  If Rome and Athens are important to you, then I would say skip the U.K. and perhaps Amsterdam this time around, and see:  Rome (4 days), Athens & Greek Isles (4 or 5 days), Barcelona (3 days), Venice (3 days), then take train back to Roma…

B.  If you place a higher priority on seeing London & Amsterdam, fly-in to LHR or LGW, then use London as you entry & departure pt.  You could do Amsterdam & Ghent in Holland (5 days), a few days in London, and also see Prague & Czesky Krumlov in Czech Rep.
 
What cities can you depart from in the U.S. ??  If you can find a good fare on Northwest (www.nwa.com)  -  you might use Asterdam (AMS) as you arrival pt.

 
…and Frankfurt isn’t much fun to be in, so take your pick []
 
I couldn’t imagine wandering around that place all groggy after a long plane ride! Maybe it’s just me, but it feels a bit too much like New York or Chicago for my tastes… I always felt pretty good in Berlin even though a lot of it is fairly “modern”, but I dunno… something about Frankfurt just bugs the crap outta me….

Though I can’t speak from the same experience, it does seem tough to hit so many cities (or regions, really) in 2 weeks.  As far as transportation, pick up a guidebook and check out some of the train connection costs.  If they look pretty high, and the distances are pretty long, a Eurail pass might be cost-effective.  If you decide to go with some of the above advice and stick to a region (Italy/Greece, Paris/Amsterdam/London, etc.), I’m fairly certain a pass would not be the best price.  If you got a 3-country Select pass for 350-some Euro, and the total actual price for your train transpo. was 200…pretty big waste.  After you decide where to visit, do a little looking into it and it’ll be an easy decision.