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If its your first trip to Europe then don't be too ambitious with what you try to see. I would do one week in Paris and one week in Rome and stick to really enjoying and getting to see those two cities. For Paris, I would add Versailles (palace) and Chartres (cathedral) to the agenda. Both are very easy to get to and well worth the visit.
As for the other cities you mention, I like Barcelona; my sister lives there and I will be going there in June. But it does not compare to Paris or Rome in terms of things to see. Same with Amsterdam. Nice city, great atmosphere but doesn't compare. I don't know Berlin so cannot comment.
Pack only 1 bag! Don't burden yourself with a lot of luggage. You can always find a laundry place if needed. Trains don't have a lot of room for your bags and you want to keep them where you can see them. Things aren't as easy/convenient as you are used to here so minimalism is a good thing.
Narrow down your choices. You will be exhausted if you are packing/unpacking every day to move on to the next city. Make sure you take the time to relax and just enjoy some down time in each city. I love going to the pedestrian areas and just sitting outside with a drink and people watching. If you are hauling yourself from one attraction to the next, you will be overwhelmed and have less fun than you think.
I did a similar trip with a couple coworkers a couple years ago. We went to, in order, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Barcelona. We took two and a half weeks and spent 3 or 4 days in each city, which I think is the perfect amount of time to see the highlights before you start repeating yourself.
We flew from JFK to Amsterdam, took the train to Berlin, train to Prague, bus to Budapest, flew to Barcelona, and finally flew back home to JFK from Barcelona. The biggest single cost was the airfare on Aer Lingus from JFK to Amsterdam, and then from Barcelona back to JFK, which was around $630 total, not a bad deal.
We had a great time in each city, but if I had to pick one to skip next time, it'd be Berlin. It felt the most like being in an American city - everything was quite spread out and a lot of bus/subway/cab trips were required. Barcelona is a great place to end the trip, because if you're tired and exhausted from everything else, you can just lounge out on the beach, drink a beer, and watch the hot topless Spanish chicks
We stayed in hostels and had a great time. If someone gave me a blank check today and told me to spend as much money as I wanted on my dream European vacation, I'd still stay in hostels. We met people every single day from all over the world and would go out with them at night and have a blast.
The airfare, train tickets, and hostels all total were around $1,200. I figure we spent maybe $800 on food, (mostly) drinks, a couple day trips, and other misc. expenses, so somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,000 for everything. Not bad.
My only experience has been more relaxed. Take time to soak up the culture. Try to get a hotel in the heart of the city...you will pay more but you can walk and enjoy the street-level approach to the places you visit. You will also be close to a train station and can take day trips....trains are cheap and run often...if you miss one there will be another one in 45 minutes. Do what the locals do.
Don't try to do a check-list vacation trip. If you go slow and take in the culture I think three cities would be all that I'd want to see in two weeks. I was in Italy last June for ten days and spent a day in Milan, two days in Venice and three in Perugia and still went to a wedding in a "village" up near Torino for a few days. (Milan needs more time than one day...so I'll have to go back)
I would drop Amsterdam and Berlin and add Venice, Tuscany, Provence, or Lake Como instead.
I agree Venice is worth seeing (but oh so overflowing with tourists in 'the season'!), but I would not drop Amsterdam ... so beautiful ... home of Rembrandt and Anne Frank and the Van Gogh Museum ...
Personally I think Vienna is a more beautiful city than Berlin; remember Berlin was heavily bombed in the war and it strikes me as a very modern city with a little less charm or character than say Prague or Copenhagen or Florence or Stockholm or Budapest.
About seeing the countryside in places like Provence or Tuscany - having been to those places ... I stopped counting how many times I've been to Europe after the 15th trip, and my European vacations started when I was a teenager over 35 years ago ... I think you are right to take in the magnificent capital cities first. Visiting the countryside can wait for your second trip. Remember, while you are in Paris you can spend half a day in nearby Versailles and you'll not only see the grand palace but a bit of the countryside as well.
Personally I think Vienna is a more beautiful city than Berlin; remember Berlin was heavily bombed in the war and it strikes me as a very modern city with a little less charm or character than say Prague or Copenhagen or Florence or Stockholm or Budapest.
It depends what you're looking for in a city.
Of course architecture lends itself to a city's personality, and charm does appeal, but that is just one aspect.
I found Berlin warm, welcoming, and alive.
Berlin is a very vibrant, progressive, happenin' city right now, with an incredible nightlife. I enjoyed the youthful bohemian Friedrichshain district. Multi-culti Kreuzberg, with its Little Istanbul, was another fascinating area; I was very impressed with Berlin's Jewish Museum, built by Daniel Liebeskind. We enjoyed some lovely afternoons and evenings walking the tree-lined streets, and there is some very fine 19th century architecture in that district.
Outisde Paris, there is some especially beautiful countryside on the 40 minute train ride to Fontainebleau. There is hiking in the forest as well. I still have not seen nearby Vaux de Vicomte but hope to some day.
It would also be worthwhile to see Monet's Giverny.
If you get there early you can avoid the crowds.
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