I think it's a fabulous idea! I'm not able to recommend touring companies because we always go on our own (we lived there for a few years so there are few unknowns to us). I'd definitely include Germany, Austria and/or Switzerland. It's been a long time since I've been to Belgium but it's one of the few countries I remember not being overly impressed with. Croatia and Slovenia also get my vote as well as so many others. You really can hardy go wrong. I'm excited for you!

Everyone has their own take I'd guess.

Personally, I avoid tours like the plague. IMHO you run the risk of your vacation being dominated by the personalities and preferences of the tour guide and the other tour group members. I want the trip to be about the place I visit and the locals, not about a group of Americans and whatever the group dynamics or peccadilloes might be. I also abhor buses, and I tend to like boutique hotels that do not take in busloads. And, I want to follow my own schedule. Then again, I have travelled all over and so I am not the slightest bit concerned about logistics. And your iphone has made travel a ton easier. I can assure you not to worry about logistics either, but some people do find that part of it worrisome so it's personal.

The other thing I quite enjoy that I do not want to give to someone else is the planning. I like figuring out exactly what I want to see and do and why. Research shows that people get as much pleasure from planning as going!

PS If you did not want to do what most people do on their first trip (London and Paris), Id do Prague, Vienna and Budapest. The first two are my absolute faves. But it also depends on when you want to go and what things you like to do.

I think it depends on how much time you wish to spend - 10 to 12 days is not all that long, especially if you're trying to see several countries in one visit. Or you could just think of it as a introduction and then follow up with future trips that allow more depth. I agree that a tour company might be the easiest way to to start.

I just returned from 12 days in Ireland and Northern Ireland and we were on the go constantly. It's my second visit there in 4 years and there is still so much more that I'd like to see. Now I'm planning a small group trip for next fall - Italy.

And it is nice to let the pros worry about all the arrangements.

ETA - I suppose there is a middle ground. Are there still travel agents? You could have one set everything up for you and go on your own. Depending on your budget, it can be made totally seamless. You can pre-arrange for drivers to meet you when you exit the airport, just look for your name on a sign. They can whisk you to your hotels and the concierge can you help you with anything from there.

I have never been to Europe, and although I am not keen on tour groups it does interest me for my first trip to Europe. I would even seriously consider doing a Rick Steves trip because he likes to do at least some off thr beaten path stuff.

ETA: Traveling to Europe sounds frightening (I was nervous going to Canada LOL) because I'm afraid my passport would get stolen and the American consolate would not recognize me as an American or I would get mistakenly arrested and end up chained in a horrible prison somewhere. I tend to think the worst so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. ;)

I totally agree with Mtn for the reasons she listed....I'd never do a tour. I would also suggest not trying to visit too many places. You don't want to feel like your always on trains just going from one place to the next.

We've done 2 tour bus tours of Europe. The first by choice in our late 20's. It was a 3 week bus tour (Kon-Tiki) and was for young people. We had a blast.

The second was with the kids and it was a Capitals of Europe tour. That wasn't planned but something else fell through, plane tickets were booked and we had other plans made and it just fit. We were lucky in that we found a tour that was for families and the kids had so much fun. . Anyway, again our experience was positive.

In both cases the tour was only a part of our holiday in Europe rather than the whole thing.

I do research the heck out of tour companies. I analyze the itineraries, I google the hotels that they stay in, I look at the routes, etc. In both cases we went high end companies with itineraries that weren't jam packed. By that I mean we had free time everyday and not all meals were provided. We wanted the chance to explore on our own and sample local cuisine without it being touristy.

I second Rick Steve's books. I had my books earmarked (These days you'd probably have them earmarked on an Ipad) and I would read to the kids about what it was we were seeing. A couple of times all of a sudden I'd have this little group of tourists following me around while I was reading from my little Rick Steves book and they would also be listening to me.

I wish I could remember the tour company that we used the second time but can't and it was a lot of years ago anyway.

What I would suggest you do is to look at Eastern European tours and see if you can do it on your own by just using trains. Look at their itineraries, their hotels, the spots that they go to and use that as a starting point and develop your plans from there.

Oh Iowacommute, too funny! I have to fight off those same irrational fears, though mine includes air and train disasters. I'm the one who started the river cruise thread, and I'll be watching this with interest as well.

We have done both- gone ourselves and with tour groups - and mostly the tour groups were great but we did have one where the group dynamic really put a damper on the trip.. Obviously there are positives and negatives to everything but I do think that for a first time trip a tour makes great sense. They know all the scheduling, for example will factor in a Tuesday morning closing that you or I might not stumble on. Yes the downside is that the group dynamic plays a good part, and you do not have the flexibility you would on your own, but it's a very good way to get your toes wet. Don't be overwhelmed with what or how they do because it' true you can do it too, but probably not on the time frame they provide.

We used Gate 1 for a tour in Spain which was very good.- they are a moderate tour company (I think many on these forums are more affluent and more accustomed to a more upscale tour but we thought it was great). In general I think Gate 1 gets good reviews but as many have mentioned, t pays to research the tours and the groups.

We also used CIE for Budapest-Vienna-Prague - the destinations were wonderful but the tour company less so. It wasn't anything bad but the group dynamcis were not ideal the tour itself was not as well done as Gate 1. In each tour I think there are options where you can select the level of hotels. Gate 1 ,at least for the tour we took, had superior guides and seemed better planned.

We have toured London andI srael independently and would do that again. We have also both been to Israel numerous times so had also covered a lot of ground previously.

Another option to consider could be a cruise. This way the transportation and hotel (your cabin) are taken care of but you can explore the ports on your own if you choose. We did a 14 day mediterranean cruise and it was my first overseas experience. I loved not having to worry about train/plane schedules and not having to pack/unpack in all the different countries. It was a good first experience to decide those places you might like to return to for a more leisurely visit later.

I also happen to love tour guides, especially private guides, as they can impart so much history and take care of logistics for you. We had a private guide/driver in Rome and he zipped us around everywhere very efficiently so we could see the sights in the limited time we had, he was adorable and very informative. Just looking at a landmark is different than having a local explain the context and history.

I've done a medium amount of travelling on my own and with groups, and I will often join a tour even when I'm in a city on my own as I enjoy tour guides so much. E.g. in my last trip to LA I did a Sites n' Bites tour (to get the landmarks out of the way) and an architectural history tour of the Silver Lake area. The Sites n Bites tour might have had...four other participants and the architecture tour was private (just me and the guide). In another life maybe I will be a tour guide!

Another consideration might be whether you're more city people or country people. We touch on the main cities but prefer spending more time driving backroads, exploring small villages. If you've been on a tour before and enjoyed it, I think it could be a great European introduction with subsequent trips being on your own if that's to your liking. I've always heard good things about Tauck tours.

I haven't read all the responses, but when we did a trip to Paris, London and Venice last year we booked it through an online company called European Destinations. We didn't want a tour group, just wanted someone to book all the flights/hotels for us and we were very happy with them. You can choose from many different price points for your hotel and it's very user friendly -- you can see which travel dates are less or more expensive within your desired travel timeframe. I was very pleased and will use them again. They don't do tours, just book your travel. I think after I booked the trip I received a few emails telling us about different tours that were available in the areas we were traveling to, but we declined.

I second robo's suggestion of a med. cruise. That's how DH & I started our European travels about 20 years ago. It's an excellent way to get a taste of different European cities without packing & unpacking, as robo said. From these 'day' trips, you can then make the decision to return for a longer 'land' trip to the cities that you most enjoyed.

Many cruise itineraries offer Italian, Croatian, Greek, French and Spanish ports in 7 day to 14 day stretches. Do some research and see which cities offer the most interest for you. Research cruise lines, ships & ports on cruisecritic.com.

For military history, you can't beat the Roman Empire so include a few Italian ports(Rome included) although you can expect to see surviving elements of roman civilization throughout much of Europe.

We found our first Med. cruise was such an eye-opener and so inspirational, we returned to Europe every year since, on mostly independent trips-we have actually thrown in a few more Med. cruises into our travels as well.

Make use of cruise ship excursions with tour guides if you don't want to research tours on your own but they will usually cost more. There are typically savings to be had if you book tours/guides on your own. Many good recommendations on TripAdvisor and here, of course :)

A good tour guide can bring history to life. We're not ones to book many tours these days but prefer to research independently before visiting but tours we've been on were mostly memorable, some were fantastic.

I heartily agree that you want to use a local expert tour guide in many spots, ideally one on one though. But that is totally different than "taking a tour".

Iowacommute -- My DH and I both have images of our passports, credit card, health insurance info, etc for the whole family in a file on our phone. Of course if you are hauled off to some MidnightExpress jail they may confiscate your phone. : )

I will make the case for a tour, esp for the first time out if you are unfamiliar with int'l travel. For example, when we did Italy with Tauck, they took care of all of our logistics, got us on and off trains, luggage to and from really nice hotels in great locations, etc. When we arrived in a city, they gave us a tour around the city to give us the highlights, get us into e.g. the vatican and sistine chapel, and then left us on our own. So for us, it was the best of both...they took care of the boring logistics and we got to concentrate on the fun stuff.

I always swore I would never do a tour until I did one! It was great. What a pleasure to have everything taken care of for you, down to not having to lug your bags. I use OAT. And their Max size is 16. Did I love everyone on the tour? No. But honestly, I can get real tired of my closest friends when spending two weeks together. The tour companies also have pull to get you into places not open to the general public. They even find public restrooms for you. They give you plenty of time on your own to explore or whatever you feel,like doing.

I went to Scotland with two friends . We rented a car and just went wherever we wanted. We had a ball. It helped that the Scots speak English. However, we got lost a lot, spent too much time figuring out what to see and where to eat. Each way has its pros and cons. You just have to decide what is important to you.

europe is chock full of cathedrals, castles, Roman ruins and museums. If you come up with your own itinerary, be mindful of too much repetition. Trains were reliable some places and not at all in others.

I think too it depends on your personality. Are you very independent or like to go with the flow? On average do you kind of like and get along with most people you meet or do you really prefer to fly solo? This will impact your experience. For example when we cruise, I tend to not really enjoy most of the large cruise port tours. Shuffling around amongst 200 other people doesn't do it for me. But I enjoy smaller (10 person) groups.

Ah yes, in Europe, it's easy to suffer from ABC: Another Bloody Cathedral!

Annie, I agree about ABC : )

We went last summer with my SIL&BIL. I had lived there for a few years a while ago, so the prospect of driving around on our own didn't bother me. My BIL had been there when a young adult, but my SIL and DH had never been and were a little apprehensive. We ended up taking a week long river cruise on the continent, then spending a couple of days in Amsterdam and a week in the UK.

We came into Switzerland a day before the cruise, just in case there were problems. This gave us a day and a half to wander around the town, check out how the streetcars worked, take a short train hop, and generally get used to things. The cruise was great and my DH and SIL appreciated knowing they had familiar food waiting for them on the boat. They're not very adventurous as far as food goes.

The cruise tour guides were great, and were local to the city we were in. Overall, the experience was very nice, if a bit limited and structured if you only went with the offered excursions. You did have the option to get off the boat and go and do your own thing though.

We got more experience in Amsterdam with trains, streetcars, restaurants, attractions, and hotels. When we got to London, we were pretty comfortable figuring out the subway and trains. The last part of the trip was driving around in the countryside, and the GPS in the car made getting around fairly easy. The hard part was driving on the other side of the road. This was my favorite part of the trip.

As others have said, it depends on your personality and style. We had fun doing a lot of the research for where we wanted to go and how to get there, etc.

I hope you are able to go and have a great time.

In your situation I would opt for a multi-country river cruise that takes your right through the heart of Europe. In addition to port visits you'll enjoy the shore scenery from the ship decks. I loved the comfort of being able to sleep in the same room and not having to lug my luggage all the time. At the same time, there was a new city every day!

A Rhine cruise would let you visit the Netherlands, France, Germany and Switzerland. A Danube cruise could take you all the way from Germany to the Black Sea through Austria, Serbia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.

There are also Rhine-Danube river cruises. Many European rivers are connected by a network of canals. You could travel from Germany to Luxembourg and France via the Rhine and Rhone/Moselle rivers, for example.

I think tours are great for first timers. You just really need to do your research to find the tour that is right for you. As Ded mentioned, it is great to have everything taken care of for you, especially if you are taking domestic flights from place to place.

Lines were very long getting into various sights. When you are part of a tour, you waltzed right in.

If you want just adults on your tour, then plan your travels when school is in session. When we did our tour in Italy, our group had quite a few families. This meant less people for us to socialize with. When we went to Hawaii and did a tour there as well, it was all couples. A fun part of touring is meeting new people.

The suggestion of a cruise is a good one as well.

Thank you all so, so much for the replies! You've given me so much to think about. The Rick Steves 'your own way' tours are really intriguing - I didn't know about them. As Robo mentions, personality plays into it and I'm not much of a social people person. Small talk is not my thing. That is one hesitation I have re: a group tour. In really small groups (or huge groups where everyone is basically anonymous) I'm more comfortable, so if we were to go the tour route I would certainly check on group size. 10-12 days may be unrealistic, and of course I don't expect to see 'all' the countries in one trip. A perfect scenario for us might be a tour that ends in Paris, and then adding on a few days on our own to travel to the Normandy coast, visit the D-Day beaches, Vimy Ridge, etc. Something like that.

Friends have also just recently asked us to join them on a Med cruise in late 2017. We're sort of considering it.... but oddly enough Greece and Spain, and even Rome, are low on my list. I'd love to see Venice and Croatia, but I'm not sure the Med cruise is the right choice for right now. I've cruised before in the Caribbean, and I certainly do understand the convenience of having your hotel travel with you. That can definitely be a Plus for cruising - not packing and unpacking, packing and unpacking.... Maybe a river cruise is the right choice after all..... ;)

Thanks again. This information is much appreciated. I've lots to research!!