just be careful on your timing…ireland and greece are pretty much the farthest you can get while still being in europe. 4 counties that spread apart in 2 weeks might equal a few days in traveling. it also depends on your method of transportation…ferries from italy to greece can take up to 14 hours depending on where you port from/to. if you can utilize night trains and rest on them while you travel, you can kill two birds with one stone that way. good luck!!

For a two week trip, I would pick one of these countries. Two weeks is barely enough time for any of them. All have numerous and varied interesting places.

My order of preference
1. Italy
2. Greece, other than Athens
3. Spain
4. Ireland
5. Athens

You would enjoy any and all of these places. Athens probably would have been higher on my list if I hadn’t gone from there to Istanbul which I liked so much better. Ireland was great, but was disappointing after all the wonderful things I’d heard. We’d spent a lot of time in rural England and from everything I heard Ireland was supposed to be more quaint, prettier, greener, friendlier, etc. — 100% not true. It’s quaint, green, pretty and friendly, but so are other places on the planet.

Dublin is interesting for a day or two, but what you really want to see and do in Ireland isn’t in a city. Same for Athens — worth a day or two, but you really want to spend time on a few Greek Islands. Spain has different and interesting regions with great day trips from several very different cities. The same is true for Italy, all the the major cities are unique and there are great day trips from all of them.

oldlady what greek islands do you recommend the most? just out of curiosity =)

Just from personal experience… Spain would be a great 2 week trip. There is of course Barcelona (one of my favorite places in Europe), and Madrid. There are other small cities that would be great for few days… Granada, Valencia, Toledo, San Sebastian, Sevilla, and Cadiz. You’ve got the beach, museums, castles to see all over the country.

If you would like to go to another country, you could even do a few days over in Portugal.

It really depends on what you’re looking for. If you want to see historical sites I would say Greece or Italy. Ireland is absolutely amazing (I’m surprised you didn’t like it much OldLady!) and I would probably pick that or Italy and just spend the whole two weeks in one of those countries. You could also spend a week in each country but you’d almost have to fly and not take a train. Look into RyanAir (www.ryanair.com) to see how much it would be. RyanAir is a favorite among backpackers because it is incredibly cheap. You won’t go wrong with Ireland or Italy.

Well, Chadster, you can’t compare countries like that…we’re not talking about which is the best pizza place in town, or which TV should I buy? the Panasonic or the Sony? You just can’t compare countries like that…they’re countries. Each has its own diversity and regions and microregions [as oldlady pointed out], and each has its unique national culture and subnational/regional cultures as well…which one captivates your interest the most? And [of course] everyone’s going to recommend the country they’ve been to, and different people also have different preferences…there are those for whom “Europe” means northern Europe, there are those who are completely in love with southern Europe, and there are lots of people who swear by “less crowded” eastern Europe. There are people who like sun, there are people who don’t. There are people who identify more with the beer-drinking cultures, and there are those who identify more with the wine-drinking cultures. Asking people which country you should visit, is like me asking a bunch of people, what should I have for dinner? Beef or chicken? People are going to give me random answers for whatever reason God only knows (Joe prefers beef over chicken, and Jenny prefers chicken over beef, and Larry is a vegetarian because his cousin choked to death on a piece of chicken, and Bob will suggest I try crab legs instead). I understand that it’s your intention to seek people’s opinions, but such broad opinions on entire countries may not be helpful to you. Obviously you’re interested in all 4 of these countries…is there one or two that you’ve been leaning more towards? I think you already know which country of the 4 you want to visit.

I’m just trying to be helpful. I’ve been posting here for a long time, and one question that I always find frustrating is “which country should I visit?” Nothing personal. It’s just something that I don’t think others should be deciding for you. Now, once you’ve picked a country, I’d be more than happy to recommend where to go within that country and [if possible] which neighboring country you can also visit as a secondary country in your itinerary.

Budget-wise, you could get more for your money in the Czech Republic or Hungary.

Dublin and Rome are very expensive! I would put them low on my list.
As for Spain: August is Peak Tourist Season; so, if your trip can be completed before 16 July, your $2,000 Budgeted amount might be enough. Much depends on how the Dollar / Euro exchange rate is at the time.

You could fly AerLingus from SFO to Ireland, spend a day or two there, and then fly a Discount airline such as RyanAir to Spain.

Cities: Madrid & Barcelona will probably be expensive. I am a north of Spain person: I prefer places like Santander. The last time I was there, there were a few people on the steps of the Bus Terminal soliciting Travelers to use their Hostals. I took one up on their offer and had a very nice room for a reasonable rate.

I’m with you on that Old Lady

sorry if I didn’t convey my meaning clearly…my fault. but I want to pick one country for the whole 15 days. And luv the beach I get what you’re saying. I have been leaning a little more towards ireland than the rest, because most of my roots start there. spain and greece are tied for a close second, while italy brings up the rear. I like the sun and beaches but I also like rain and clouds. I definitely identify with a more beer-drinking people rather than wine because hey, I’m half irish and half scotish. I like muesems and castles and history a lot, but I also like pubs and clubs and parties a lot. I knew that the question would get biased results based on personal experiences but the reason I asked for peoples opinions and experiences is so I could see which ones I relate to the most and see which country provided experiences for people that I’d like to experience in my own way. but if I had to narrow it down I would choose ireland first with spain at a close second. so, if you could, luv the beach, I would appreciate your input on both those countries. oh and I’m planning my trip for between the middle of june to the middle of july: some where in that space.

Well Chadster, I’m very Irish (born in the States though) and Ireland was easily one of my favorite countries. Many go there to “find our roots” but there isn’t any shame in it whatsoever. It’s an amazing place to enjoy when you’re Irish. Going to the towns and sharing pints of Guinness, talking with locals and just walking the countryside. If you’re soul searching Ireland is a good place to find it.

I agree with Luv-the-beach. Each of the countries you mentioned is totally unique and totally worth visiting. Where you decide to go should be decided by your interests. Here’s my two cents in no partucular order

Spain: I love the bullfights, the running of the bulls in Pamplona, the great food (heavy on meat) and the tapas bars. Can be really hot in the summer, which means not doing much during the afternoon, but staying up late in the bars

Italy: Lots of great history (rome, the Coliseum), beautiful countryside and great food. People are super friendly.

Greece: great place if you just want to kick back, swim, drink and party.

Ireland: Rained everyday I was there in May. People were friendly, especially in the smaller towns. If you like rugged ocean scenery this is the place