Why is that not optimal timing? Sure, people will advise you to "avoid" high season because it’s more expensive and crowded… but on the other hand, you’re getting nice weather, an entire backpacker sub-culture, and lots of people to meet and hang out with. Plus, September will be beautiful and less crowded than August, so it’ll be a great time to be in Europe. Besides, any time that allows you to go somewhere for 2 months is "optimal timing" as far as I’m concerned.

The "where should I go" question is the most frequently asked question on this board, and is also the most impossible to answer. Everyone has their own interest, preferences and personal experiences. I could tell you for example that I adored Paris, fell in love with the Cycladic islands in Greece, and wasn’t impressed by Munich. Someone else could come on and say the exact opposite. We’d both be right.

I know you want opinions from everyone, but my advice to you is to close your eyes and daydream for a little bit, and then make a list of all the places you feel you MUST see in Europe. (As in, "I couldn’t imagine going to Europe and not seeing X&quot.

Then, get a good map of Europe and make a little dot at all your "must-see" points.

Next, try to draw some sort of logical line connecting those dots. That’s your "skeleton" itinerary. Check it out to see if you have enough time to do justice to those places. See if there’s someplace that’s extremely out of the way that may be best saved for a future trip.

Then look for stops, towns and other places in between those stops. That would be an ideal time to come back to this board, post your "bare bones" itinerary, and ask for advice on daytrips or interesting stops on the way. Be sure to let us know what sort of things you’re interested in: museums, culture, history, partying and nightlife, beaches, hiking, adventure sports, big cities, small towns, whatever.

There’s no shortage of ideas out there. The trick is to narrow them down.

Finally, stay flexible as much as possible, so you can change your mind as you travel.

I’m jealous. Have a great trip!

Go to Barcelona. Or else.

For me, I like Prague & Sarajevo alot.

Also Vilnius, Rovinj, & Dubrovnik, & the Boka Kotorska in Montenegro

-A

Favorite cities::

Barcelona, Munchen, Berlin, London, Amsterdam, Florence, Prague,
Krakow, & Vienna…

Best Ski resorts:

Val Gardenia, Italy; Hintertux/Tyrol/Innsbruck, Austria;
Obertsdorf, Germany; Kitzbuehl, Austria…

Best Beaches:

Palma de Maj., Spain; Nice area (France)

My favourite city is Berlin. Other cities I like a lot include Warsaw, Belgrade and Venice.

My favourite place to go hiking is the High Tatra mountains on the Polish/Slovak border. For idyllic countryside I love Lower Silesia in Poland. Other small towns in Poland I like are Torunn and Kazimierz Dolny. The Ardennes in Belgium are cool too. Crete is heaven if you like archaeology (haven’t been to any other parts of Greece).

My favourite seaside resort is De Haan, Belgium.

My favourite country overall is Slovakia. Serbia and Poland come close.

And I like Antwerp, Belgium as well. It’s my home town so I guess I’m lucky.

Munich, Prague, and the south/west coast of Ireland. Not for the beaches, but for everything else they offer.

Favorite city all around for me: Barcelona

http://www.eurotrip.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=103113

Prague, Monte Carlo and Salzburg

Paris.

I’ve always liked to go to small towns after big cities because it’s more calm. Big Cities are nice for maybe a week or two, but there are usually too many tourists.
Favourite cities in order are…
-London
-Edinburgh
-Nice
-Barcelona
-hmm then Paris

Barcelona is a must. Also loved Amsterdam (4 days is enough), Prague, London (you could spend a month in this city and still be entertained), Berlin is packed with culture, night life and cool people and although I haven’t made it there yet, you must visit Italy and Greece in some form. Good luck!!

Elana

I really liked Vienna, Munich, Amsterdam, and Prague.

fav cities: Prague, Madrid, Barcelona, Brugge