This is doable, but I think you’ll have a better time if you cut one stop. 8 places is OK for 22 days, but your 8 places make it pretty tight. You’ll want 3 days, not counting travel time in London, Paris and Rome — and I prefer 4 to have an extra day for a day trip. Gimmelwald and Cinque Terre are places where either kicking back or getting out of town is the best way to get the experience and a couple of nights, with travel time impeding, doesn’t do these places justice, either.

Does your 22 days include transAtlantic flights? If so, that’s 20 1/2 days on the ground and the 1/2 day can easily be lost to sleep deprivation, jet-lag and culture shock.

$5,000 will be a tight budget. Intercity travel will be about $150 each per week, so nearly $1,000. That leaves less than $100 per person, per day. Doable, but you’ve picked expensive places. If you really want to do it on this budget, you’ll have a better time in Eastern Europe.

I’d cut Amsterdam and add a day each to Paris and Rome- that makes this trip a bit more doable, IMO.

I got by just fine on about $85US per day last summer, not including transportation. I think your budget is OK as long as you aren’t planning on many restaurant meals- get food from supermarkets, food stands/markets, etc with some cheap sit-down meals thrown in; also, if you are planning a lot of partying or drinking, you’ll need more. Meals are more expensive in London, Paris (especially so in Paris), and Venice. Florence, Cinque Terre and Rome it’s easier to get cheap and delicious pizza, pasta, or sandwiches. (Of course, you can get expensive food here too; wander away from the touristy areas and you’ll find lots of local, family run restaurants with excellent value for your dollar).

Train costs in Italy are less expensive than elsewhere, especially if you use regional trains. For other areas, if you’re sure of your dates of travel and willing to lock into definite dates and times of travel, you can get web deals in advance that can lead to good savings.

Thank you for your suggestions. I revised my plan a little. Does it seem more doable now? I want to spend some times at the beach, just hanging out and relax. Which place has a nice sandy beach?

Thanks again!

Blue

That does look better. I don’t see any beach time in your trip except Cinque Terre. Monterosso has the biggest and best beach of the 5 towns and I highly recommend basing yourself there. It’s not a “sandy” beach like you are probably used to, but it wasn’t a big rock beach either- think some sand, with little pebbles. There is a free section you can use, but get there early to get a spot- it gets crowded. Otherwise, you can rent a beach chair and umbrella- not sure of the exact cost, but I’d guess about 10-12 euros for the day. Monterosso is beautiful; it can be difficult to find a decently priced place to stay- look for a B&B or private room rental because the hotels are very expensive.

Also highly, highly recommend doing the hike between the 5 towns.

Europe would not be my choice for a nice sandy beach to hang out and relax and October is generally not really beach weather. The lido in Venice is an option for a day and you could do a day trip or overnight from Rome to the coast, but like Cinque Terre, much of it is rugged and scenic beach as opposed to sugar sand and palm trees for basking in the sun.

Thank you for your suggestions! Now the next questions are, am i giving myself enough days to see the cities? For example, is four days in London too much? too little? Should I cut a day at one city and add to another?

London, United Kingdom for 4 days
Amsterdam, Netherlands for 2 days
Paris, France for 4 days
Venice, Italy for 3 days
Cinque Terre, Italy for 3 days
Rome, Italy for 4 days

Thanks!

Blue

4 days in London is about right for a first visit, IMO — especially if in includes arrival day from North America. You can always take a trip to Stonehenge/Salisbury or Oxford or Bath, or if you’re a real whirlwind traveler, do Stonehenge and Bath if you get bored. If you want to cut a day, I would cut one in Venice (and I love the place) — unless you happen to hit “beach weather” for a day at the lido, which I think is unlikely. I would plan on at least one day trip from each of the cities where you have 4 days.