Ok, I'll throw in some input since I've been to 3/4 of the countries in Europe.
Personally I would try to cut down your schedule a little, do less cities and see more of each place. As for travel, flights will work but I personally hate Ryan Air so I would never suggest them. Easy Jet is 10 times better and although you might pay a little more, there'll be less hassles and headaches and you won't have to pay extra fees which can really add up with Ryan Air.
As for flights to Europe, check out canadianaffair.com for cheap flights. Prices have gone up in the last few months but you might still be able to get a good deal. I paid just over $225 canadian with taxes included each way through that site last year. If you're paying more than $800 taxes included(Round trip), you're paying too much IMO
One thing I'm noticing is that you have mentioned Hotels... Why are you spending money on hotels if you're on a tight budget? Hotels are boring and they cost an arm and a leg. You're best bet is to go onto hostelworld.com or one of the other hostel booking websites and check out some hostels for the places you plan on going. There are TONS of amazing hostels in all the cities that have been mentioned. Not only are they cheaper but the people you meet in them can leave you with friends and memories to last a lifetime.
Check out +PLUS hostels if you're going to Rome, Prague or Venice! Amazing hostel chain. I stayed at the +PLUS camping in rome and it was great and pretty cheap. There are quite a few really nice hostels in Rome though as well. For Paris I stayed in a B&B since I was with my GF and we wanted a break from hostels but we heard great things about St. Christophers Hostel there, I've stayed in a few of the St.Christophers in other parts of Europe and they were awesome. But like I said, when you find out what city you want to go to, look on a hostel booking website and find the hostel you want and book it. It's simple and will save you a load of time and hassle.
As for places I would suggest going to, I've listed a few.
If you're going to Poland, skip Warsaw and go to Krakow and Zakopane. Krakow has an outstanding nightlife and Flamingo Hostel was the cats ass. They bought us bottles of vodka every night and took us out partying every night, all for free! Zakopane is a nice mountain town with amazing hiking if you're into that sort of thing. That town itself is sort of like Banff and kind of touristy but if you stay at Good Bye Lenin Hostel which is just outside the town, you'll have the hiking trails right at your door step and won't have to deal with any tourists!
For London, the first time I went I didn't care for it, I was younger and it was my first stop on my Europe trip. This year however when I went back I fell in love with it. We stayed a week and it wasn't even close to enough time. There are sooo many things to do and you can save a lot of money on attractions if you know where to look. Like for starters make sure you go to the TKTS Booth inLeicester Square if you want cheap tickets to theatre shows. You can usually have deal for 2-1 on attractions like the Wax museum, Ripleys, London Eye, etc by filling out a form and giving them a train ticket into London. Check out their website for details. As for hostels, almost everything is expensive in London and hostels are no different but we stayed in Astor Hyde Park Hostel and loved it and it was quite a bit cheaper than some of the other hostels. Again check hostelworld.com for more details.
If you have never been to Berlin, I would highly suggest trying to fit it into your plan. It is honestly one of the greatest cities in all of Europe. So much to do and see, a ton of history and amazing nightlife. Seriously, this city is awesome. Didn't stay in a hostel here cus I was stayingwith a friend but I've heard Wombats is really good from a couple friends that have stayed there. Make sure you do the Flat Tire Bike Tour, it's a really good tour and also make sure you go on the New Europe Pub Crawl. We had a kick ass time on it and drank more Jager than we can remember. Also, 2009 was the 20 year anniversary of the Berlin wall coming down so there are lots of memorials up right now and might still have the exhibition on that was up this summer. I'm assuming it will be up until lat this summer, not sure.
If you're planning to catch Oktoberfest I would really start looking for a place to stay cus it's next to impossible to find accomodation as it gets closer and the pricing is astronomical. There are lots of great hostels including Wombats but be prepared to pay out the ass for any type of bed. I will not lie though, we had probably the most fun of our trip in the beer tents at Oktoberfest. There's nothing like going into a tent with 3000 people and dancing on tables while drinking Litre glasses of beer. It as an experience neither of us will ever forget. Also, one thing you absolutely have to do in Munich is go on Mike's Bike Tour. This tour blows any bike tour in Europe out of the water. Ask to have Frankie as your guide, you won't forget it!
As for other Western European countries, I highly suggest Portugal and Spain. Portgal is amazing and quite a bit cheaper than other parts of Western Europe. And in Spain, Granada is one of the most beautiful places you could see, just stunning.
I honestly would highly suggest getting to at least one Eastern European country. I really enjoyed Slovenia for it's natural beauty as some have mentioned and yes, Lake Bled is amazing. I would honestly say Slovenia is probably my favorite country in Eastern Europe.
I really enjoyed the Baltics but I would say Estonia and Latvia(Riga) were my favorites. I didn't really care for Austria or Hungary too much but I didn't get to spend much time eithe country and spent most of my time in Budapest which I didn't really care for as much although it does have a great nightlife. Romania was really good if you like to rough it a bit and realy experience a country. We rented a car there and drove around half the country and then hitchhiked the rest of the way, both were interesting experiences in their own way.
I would say hit up Croatia if you have the choice though, it's stunning and the beaches there are insane. As for all the other countries to choose from like Bosnia, Bulgaria, Albania, etc. I wouldn't suggest those for an inexperienced traveller unless you're really adventurous. Don't get me wrong, they're great countries but wouldn't be something I'd recommend for travel newbies.
Im sure I'm missing some things but it's late so just ask if you have any specific questions or anything. I'd be happy to answer anything you can throw at me.
All the best on your trip!
Jason
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