Hi everyone. I want to take a quick, two week trip hostelling around Europe this summer and I'm having trouble deciding where to go, I'm hoping you guys can voice your opinions... I’ve narrowed it down to:

Option 1: Benelux-Germany

Cities on the general route:

Brussels, Hanover, Berlin, Frankfurt, and Luxembourg

Option 2: Iceland-Sweden-Demark

Cities on the general route:

Reykjavik, Stockholm, Malmo, Gothenburg, & Copenhagen

Option 3: Ireland

Cities on the general route:

Basically any area of Ireland, it's pretty small.

The price for rail, airfare, and lodging is going to be about $1300 for Ireland, $1500 for Benelux-Germany, and $1600 for Scandinavia. Obviously, saving $300 is always nice, but that isn't a large enough difference to be a deal breaker for me. So consider the playing field pretty even as far as cost is concerned.

What do you think would be the best choice for a two week backpacking trip?

Thanks,

John

May I ask why these cities? Hanover and Frankfurt are not particularly attractive cities for a tourist, and the jury is still out for Brussels and Luxembourg. Berlin: YES!, but why not combine it with more attractive cities such as Antwerpen, Amsterdam and Munich?

for the BeneluxGermany / Scandinavia / Ireland advice it would help if you give us a bit more info about things you like, where have you been before that you liked, which languages do you speak, etc., etc.

Well, Brussels is considerably cheaper to fly into for me than cities in Germany/Netherlands. The reason Munich isn't on the list is because that is considerably out of the way from the cheap airports.

As far as the cities go, assuming I have two weeks to spend, what cities would you chose? Places than I can fly into cheaply include:

Dublin

Stockholm (which includes a free stopover in Iceland if I want to spend a few days there)

Brussels

Copenhagen

I'm completely open to whatever ideas you have. I speak Spanish and Russian pretty decently, but I'm not interested in visiting those places. I always like to be moving when I'm traveling, I'm not the kind of guy you'd find sunbathing around the pool. Other places I've been that I liked, Paris really stands outs. Visiting the Catacombs was one of my best travel moments of my life. I also tend to like historic sites. For instance, if I went to Belgium or Germany, you'd probably find me visiting WWII battle sites.

Are you traveling on your own or with friends?

Personally, if I was on my own, I wouldn't do Ireland. I've been to Ireland several times before, and I think one of the best ways to get around is renting a car. It allows for maximum flexibility in stopping in little towns and exploring the countryside. Renting a car on your own is a hassle and isn't much fun. You can certainly travel through Ireland by public transportation, but it isn't nearly as flexible.

In terms of Benelux or Scandinavia....both are good options. I'd probably pick Scandinavia, both because Iceland is a fun spot for a stopover, and because summer is an ideal time to take advantage of the extended daylight up north.