You dont have to bring a backpack, depends on what you doing.
If your staying in hotels and your not taking much with you when you go out, than a suitcase would be fine.

Thanks for the reply!

You don’t need to purchase a backpack for any trip. But you may feel more comfortable with one. 3-star hotels in Europe aren’t the same as what you might be used to. Many will have stairs and suitcases can be a pain to carry up them. Also, you said you’re staying in hotels but you didn’t mention how you’re getting around from place to place. Suitcases are okay if you’re renting a car, but you’ll find a backpack much more conveient if you’re taking trains and public transit.

I’d say go with a backpack for the mobility factor alone. Try hauling a suitcase up a few sets of stairs at a busy subway staion (since some don’t have escalators), squeezing onto packed buses, or dragging it along uneven sidewalks or cobblestone roads. I guess if you have a car than a suitcase would be nice, but I found backpacks to be more convenient. Good Luck!

If you are taking taxis to and from the train station, a suitcase won’t be that bad, but if you are talking about taking more than one, it’s not going to be that easy, but it still can be done. Also, it depends on how much you are bringing with you, and how much you plan on bringing back. If you plan on traveling light, go with a backpack. If you plan on bringing a bunch of stuff there and back, I’d suggest a backpack and a suitcase.

Okay, I think I need to think about what I plan to bring. Yes, I will be taking the train to travel between cities. Thank you all for you helpful advice!

i just bought a big soft duffle bag on wheels…it opens round like a suitcase and the wheels are great..they really behave on corners

i will also have a daypack and my huge bumbag…i will distribute the weight equally and leave room for all the brochures and postcards i buy…they get soooooooooooooo heavy

back packs are ok but theyre a pain to get on and off and if ur going only a few stations u have to sit on the edge of the seat…

ziplock bags in a suitcase work well…id have my warm gear in one…swim stuff in an other…bags for dirty laundry

If you are using the train to travel majorly, consider this:
when you board the train with a backpack, you can just walk on. You can take it on and off easily.

With a suitcase, you have to lift, roll, heave up to a shelf or find somewhere to set it, perhaps even ask people to help you lift it.

Backpacks and suitcases are both obvious tourist alerts. But I find a backpack to be more convenient. Also, there are loads of pockets to organize. It is comfortable to wear a pack for long periods of time (think of people who hike the Appalachian Trail for 2 months straight, wearing heavy backpacks 12 hours a day! And happily surviving!) If you are style concious, or can afford luggage helpers and taxis, go with a suitcase.

If you have point-to-point destinations where you are staying in each city for 3-14 days, then a suitcase might not be that big of a deal. But if you are travelling through and using the train a lot, going from hotel to hotel, I would definitely recommend a backpack over a suitcase. How far do you have to walk with your luggage from the train station to the hotel? How often in your trip? Will you get annoyed if your luggage wheels get stuck somewhere, if youve got to fumble around for a moment to get it to roll in the right direction? Will it fit with you in a crammed elevator? Can you grab it and go?

Its really about what you are most comfortable with. Its about what you can afford. What’s easiest for your trip, convenient. How much time you have to spend with it. Will you be using it a lot? (I mean other than grabbing things out of it while it sits on your hotel floor).

Still need a better idea?

Pack tonight and try it out. IF you just read that and said, What!? No way, thats too much of a task! Then… You arent a light-packer like me, or even might be bringing way too much stuff. You might need a suitcase since you are bringing more than could squeeze into even a large backpack. (I use a 55+10 Liter for 1 months travel or a couple weeks tenting with food— but I travel normal to light) If you feel like you can take an hour to test your comfort (an hours preparation for weeks of comfort?), then go for it. Carry it, walk around your house with it, heave it into the back of your car & lift it back out, bring your luggage up and down steps (do your hostels all have elevators? Or can you pay someone to bring it up to your room for you?), you could even go to the extent to roll it around on cobbled stone streets or hike up a street on a steep hill (easier with a backpack!). Come on, dont be scared. Do it. Its better to know now than to grunt and moan and hate yourself later for making a mistake.

a heavy suitcase is the pits
i had one in london and even on those perfect streets u get really sore arms heaving a fully packed 20 kg suitcase
i was at the mercy of station workers ..there are so few escalators and lifts ..and piccadilly had 35 steps!i actually rang and checked b4 time…
so what i did was get off at victoria and caught a cab to the hostel…cos there was no way i was gonna haul myself..the suitcase and my day pack up all those stairs

im only taking tne kilos in my duffle bag on wheels this time..i have tried it out round our street its easy
ill get a backpack too
and distribute the weight…another tenkilos on my back if need be..

The most luggage anyone will need to carry in Europe in the summer is 10 Kilos or 22 pounds. IF YOU CARRY MUCH MORE, YOU HAVE PACKED TOO MUCH JUNK. Remember to pack for ONLY 7 – 10 days and do your laundry when needed. If you need an outfit, buy it in Europe.

There are now suitcases on wheels that convert to a backpack.
They usually are not that comfortable to carry on your back for a long time but they were only intended for short hauls (Train station to hostel/hotel). When your back gets tired, switch to a rolling suitcase. Many have a detachable daypack, which will be your carry-on and day bag while sightseeing.
PERFECT SIZE IS; 22" – 26" tall ( 26" is pushing it).
16" wide
7" – 9" deep.
Any larger than this,
makes it difficult to wheel down the train aisle,
difficult to lift on and off the trains,
difficult to lift in the overhead racks.( Many overhead racks don’t give you much room).
Make sure you get to the train on time and put your bag above your seat in the luggage racks. Do not put bag in racks at the end of the car where it will be out of your sight and easy for people to cut your bag.
Be sure to get a bag with the in-line rollerblade type wheels, not the cheap plastic wheels that will break on the many staircases that you will encounter.
If you have a backpack – Please be sure to take it off as you enter a crowded subway and place it between your legs when standing or sitting. Otherwise, you will be like a bull in a china shop and you will piss off the other subway riders. If you have a daypack, move it to your chest so that no thief can cut your bag and you won’t hit anyone while turning around.
Check out ebags.com and look up brands; High Sierra, Eagle Creek and Jansport for pictures and check their sizes.
PACK LIGHT AND YOU WILL HAVE MORE FUN!