15 days in europe, Rome as anchor what other cities should include for mix

If you have only been through Rome before I would definitely do more of the Italian cities. The rail system in Italy is designed to accommodate...all segments are less than 3 hours except the venice-paris segment which can be done on an overnight train (saving one night hotel).  Make sure to book second or first class tickets.

Rome->Florence->Venice->Paris

From Florence plan a day trip to Pisa ...and in Venice plan day trips to the outer islands of Murano Island, Burano and Torcello Island.  They are worth it, much different than Venice.

I've never been to Prague, and l intend to go someday. I have however, been to Budapest. If you can make it Istanbul-Budapest-Rome, l think you would be in for the time of your life. Istanbul is an amazing, gorgeous city. It would be impossible to not like it. I would suggest staying at the old Sultanahmet Square. There is a small hotel called Basileus Hotel which is family run, and costs like 55€ per night. It is a great little place, but there are plenty of hotels around there. It's great because it is walkable to Hagia Sophia, Sultan Ahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque), and the Cistern. You can also catch the Hop on, Hop off buses from there, which l highly recommend as the city is just too big to be trying to catch the trains. This will allow you to visit the Spice Bazaar etc. Budapest, l can't say enough about, wonderful,and prices food wise there and Istanbul are very reasonable, as is hotel. Stay on the Pest side as it is way closer to everything like the Opera House, Oktogon, Heroes' Square, House of Terror. All walkable if you stay in the 6th district area. Have fun!

Sounds like you'd probably really enjoy Berlin so I'd suggest your Berlin --> Prague --> Rome itinerary.  

I travel with students every summer on 17 day tours.  Some common combos with Rome would be :  London, Paris, Florence, Rome, or run it backwards. I've done Rome, Athens, Istanbuland Greek Island cruise.  Lucerne, Venice, Flroence, Rome, (Capriand Sorrento Region).

Try Palermo or Lecce in Italy for two very beautiful but cheap italian cities. Lecce is the second city in Italy for barocco architecture, after Rome.

Congratulations on making it to 40!  Based on your criteria,liking tourist attractions, taking lots of pictures, good reasonably priced food and nightlife, I would suggest using Rome and Barcelona as Hub Cities:

Rome, Italy (for the only hotel then day trips to Florence to Venice  and to Barcelona (as the second hotel) and then back to Rome.

1.  Rome does not need to be outrageously expensive, especially if you choose to sleep cheap but eat and party well..  For Example, Hotel Taormina located to Via Principe Eugenio 49-51, Rome, offers Bed and Breakfast at a very cheap price and is  is perfect for budget travelers looking for a clean and well-kept hotel. Just a short distance from the central rail Termini station, guests of this hotel can access Rome's top attractions in less than 30 minutes.  

To visit Vatican City, you can  skip the line access and uncover the history of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica for less than 50 Euros per person by signing up with a bus tour.

Visiting the Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill is easily done by walking.

You can Visit Pompeii and its Ruins as a day Trip from Rome

You can choose to visit Florence, Uffizi, David, etc as a day trip from Rome.

The high speed rail from Florence to Venice will take you less than 2 Hours. I'll leave it to you how much fun you choose to have in Venice for a day.

Euro Hotel Diagonal Port is the same hotel situation in Barcelona and Barcelona is an amazingly fun city that can meet your criteria, including:

Visiting La Pedrera, which is the reflection of Gaudí’s imagination, with an atypical terrace dominated by chimneys that remind of medieval knights.
The Montjuïc Cable Car takes the visitor to Parc de Montjuïc, Mirador and Castell de Montjuïc to enjoy the finest panoramic views of Barcelona.
Poble Espanyol de Montjuic is an open-air Spanish architectural museum with full-scale replicas of the characteristic buildings, squares and streets of the country.
The Barcelona Cathedral represents the beauty of the Gothic Catalan art and has a magnificent Cloister in which thirteen white geese are kept

Basílica de la Sagrada Famíliais a unique work for its high and decorated towers and its geometrical shape, a loved masterpiece by its visitors.

In Parc Güell nature breaths and design lives, a special place to go for a walk and look at the creative essence of this genius.

Casa Batlló stands out for its vivid colors, illumination and columns in the shape of bones that make it as a one of Passeig de Gràcia jewels.

Then, Back to Rome for more fun or go home.  Let me know what you think.

If this is your first time in Rome as well as Europe. It is important not to try to do to much all at once. In Italy the must sees are Rome, Naples, Venice, and the Italian Riviera and Islands of Elba, Stromboli, Capri and Sicily. Outside of Italy might I suggest Stuttgart, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Vienna Austria, Paris but is expensive and dirty. French wine country is better.

Hi!

I think nearly all European capital cities are worth to visit, but here are my favorites...

- Rome, Italy (as you already mentioned... 4 days)

- Vienna (3 full days) and/or Salzburg (2-3 days)

- Barcelona (there are cheap flights from nearly every bigger city in Europe;  4 days)

- Amsterdam (4d) or Copenhagen (3d) or Stockholm (4d) (these northern cities are really worth to visit - especially in summer; but a little bit more expensive than the southern ones)

- Prague (3d)

or... you add a few cities of Tuscany to your trip.. e.g. Siena, Florence... they are really lovely!

have a nice trip!

cheers Martin

If you've never been to Italy i would highly recommend visiting one of the neighbouring cities. if you have, and your looking for something relaxing, one of the greek Islands

Santorini->Rome, Italy->Prague

If your into good food i would recommend adding Barcelona to Rome and the other Italian cities, it doesn't get better than this.

I wouldn't spend too much time in Rome--no more than 2 days. Try little cities in Italy for a true taste of the culture like Perugia or the Cinque Terre.  I would mix in Budapest and Prague. When going to Budapest it's cheaper to stay on the Pesh side and travel to churches, open markets and caves on the Buda side. Good luck!

Ciao Ray,

I'm in Italy since november. Have to tell you that Siena is my best city in Italy. It's 1 hour away from Florence. Just keep that in mind. It's enough to spend whole day here.

If you want to visit another world in Italy, that would be San Marino. It is really good place to take unforgettable photos. You can visit there for 5-6 hours, and then head to Rimini. 

Hope you have a great time in Europe