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Wow - I am overwhelmed with choices - gotta love that. We probably will not seriously starting planning this vacation until after the holidays, but you all have given us exactly what I was hoping for - a place to start and different cities and resources to check out....it does seem a bit overwhelming, but I know we will have lots of fun planning this trip. Thank you all!!
Being that I am from Serbia ( Europe ), and I've seen many European countries, I would go this way ( if I am coming from America ): Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece...
If you would like to do some walking and decide to come in Spring, I would suggest the West coast of Scotland. The scenery is beautiful and there are a lot of different things to do concentrated in a relatively small area. My favourite parts would be the train line from Fort William to Mallaig (a steam train in summer, and a ferry goes over to Skye from Mallaig), the Isle of Skye itself, Applecross and Plockton. Other places in Europe I love are Stockholm (beatiful old town), Florence, London, Vienna, Ljubljana....
If you like hiking you need to try Slovakia-absolutely stunning in the fall and the hiking is out of this world! Personally I'd see these countries-France, Switzerland, Italy, Czech, Slovenia, Austria, Romania, Slovakia, Poland & Croatia. We visited most of them during our around the world trip and they were all gorgeous in the fall. Your money will go so much further in Eastern Europe and you will see a region which is on the cusp of mass tourism before it starts. I'd suggest traveling by train which is the best mode of transportation in my opinion-you can see the landscape without the hassles of driving. BTW-with $20k you can most definitely travel longer than 3 weeks if so inclined. We spent $30k during a years worth of travel and 6 months of it was in Europe. Just depends on your spending habits and what is important to you. Good luck and happy planning!!
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I can agree with Budapest. I've been there for about eight times. Great architecture and incredible delicious food. Also Amsterdam is very beautiful with its flower markets. For travelling in Europe I can recommend Easyjet (very cheap and good service) and Air Berlin (also cheap and good for short trips). Lufthansa might be a bit expensive, though.
There are also beautiful places at the baltic sea in Germany. If you go for Italy, don't miss Venice!!!
That's a good choice too. But it's great to be able to say "I've seen the Eiffelt Tower" or "I already visited Vatican City". Might impress somebody.
But you're right, when going to Hungary we stay in a suburb of Budapest with a charming family and have private tours throughout the country on our own. It's always good to have somebody from there to show you around.
The Western Highlands and Islands of Scotland are indeed some of the most beautiful places in the world!
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