Welcome to GFE,
newbackpacker.
Although you're not yet sure how long your leave will be, we can at least give you some advice on how long to spend in each of the places you've listed along with other information to get you started on your research.
Amsterdam - as you're starting here, I'd suggest 3-4 full days, this will allow for jetlag (I'm guessing you'll have some) as well as time to explore and aclimatise to travel. Food isn't super cheap in AMS, but you can find cheap lunches (and dinners) in small cafes and look for the Albert Hein supermarkets for their deli and fresh fruit sections.
As for accommmodation, I'm not sure of your budget, but you can look at
Budget Hotel Tourist Inn - Despite the dodgy name, it's actually quite nice and caters to single travellers as well as families. Really excellent location and nice property.
St Christopher's at the Winton - Keep hearing about this one as it's a mix of budget hotel and hostel in a really central location with themed rooms and good facilities. Can be a bit too close to the Red Light District for some.
Stayokay Hostel - 2 properties, one located near Vodelpark and also not too far from the Museum Quarter; another one (Stadsdoelen) is located near Waterlooplein, so quite central. They are both huge hostels but have good facilities. Vodelpark has less of a party atmosphere than the Stadsdoelen property.
There are plenty more, but they may suit you to start with. Otherwise have a look at the prices for the
Ibis Amsterdam Central Hotel, which is right near the Centraal Station and is your standard Ibis property but might have specials for the start of Summer.
Berlin - such a great city! Again 3-4 full days here depending on your interests, but you'll find plenty to see and do. Berlin is still fairly inexpensive (mercifully) and plenty of places offer budget meals, and the portions are huge.
Accommodation:
Wombat City Hostel is great, good location and nice staff/amenities. Other hostels to consider are
Baxpax,
Plus Berlin or
Inn-Berlin. The
Generator is also good, but might be a bit too far from the action for you (it's only a 15min tram ride from Alexanderplatz, so keep it in mind if you have trouble booking the others).
Paris - another superb city, so you're looking a 5 full days here, leaving 1 for a day trip (Versailles, Giverny) if you want. If you're looking to do more than one day trip, then add days accordingly. Cheap lunches such as filled baguettes or crepes (mmmmm, crepes) are everywhere, plus you can't beat a good Croque Monsieur, as well as mini-marts for a picnic in the park. Also keep an eye out for Set Menu (Prix Fixe) boards in cafes and restaurants which offer a 2 or 3 course lunch or dinner (sometimes with choices of mains) for Euro20 (esp around Montmartre).
Accommodation: so many places to choose from, but to start,
Plug Inn Hostel - “boutique” hostel in a great location in Montmartre on the hill, so near Sacre Couer but you'll have to either walk or take the funicular up and down to the metro stop Blanche but there is also another one nearby. Haven't stayed here, but have heard good things about it. They have private rooms, not just dorms.
www.plug-inn.frWoodstock Hostel – located in Montmartre, just near the Sacre Couer and Moulin Rouge and it always gets good reviews;
www.woodstock.fr/ Peace & Love Hostel – gets good reviews and is near Gare du Nord train station, but is on the other side of the action, at least there is a Metro stop just near it.
Also look at the
Timhotel chain of hotels as they are basic but many in good locations.
www.timhotel.frVienna - not sure how long you are spending with family (and assuming you're staying with them so haven't included accom recommendations) but 2-3 full days would be a good amount.
Venice - 3 full days will allow for a trip to Burano and even Torcello (islands a short ride from the main part of Venice) as well as time to wander the streets and alleyways, esp in the evening when the crush of visitors has left. Eating super cheap in Venice isn't easy, but can be done by going off the beaten path, staying away from major squares and sights and keeping an eye out for small
Trattorie (Italian bistros) with daily menus.
Accommodation: the area around the train station (Piazzale Roma) has a lot of budget accommodation, but you might find something better and a good price if you look around the San Marco, Accademia or Dosoduro areas. San Marco is the "centre" of Venice so to speak, but you'll walk everywhere (except for the odd Traghetto or Vaporetto trip) so it's a good base and sometimes a bargain can be found.
Hotel Flora - located in San Marco, tel: 041 5205844, great little boutique hotel with garden and courtyard.
www.hotelflora.it Pensione Accademia – Dosoduro area
www.pensioneaccademia.it/ Great location, just a block from the Accademia Bridge towards Peggy Guggenheim Museum
Hotel Bernardi -
www.hotelbernardi.com/en/ Good location (not far from Rialto Bridge) in the Cannareggio residential district, old style Venetian hotel, has a good internet room price.
Pensione Accademia Villa Maravege –
www.pensioneaccademia.it/ 5min walk from Accademia; rooms canal or courtyard side; standard Venetian pensione, but neat and clean and good location
Travelling between these locations (in that order) could look like this:
Amsterdam - train to Berlin (overnight or day) or budget flight with Transavia.
Berlin - fly to Paris (check Air Berlin, EasyJet)
Paris - fly to Vienna (check Air Berlin or Niki Air - part of Lauda Air)
Vienna - train to Venice (around 6 hours, but decent enough scenery and easier than getting to/from airports).
There are also a few other questions I have:
1. what are you and your sister interested in - history, food, museums, nightlife?
2. How are you planning to travel around? If you aren't sure yet, then don't buy any train passes/flights just yet as there will be better options depending on the final route you are able to take in the time you have.
3. When will you know how much time you have off? I ask this in relation to the above question/note as budget airlines are usually best booked at least a month ahead for the better prices.
4. Where are you flying in to Europe from? Look into open-jaw flights, that is fly into Amsterdam and out of your final destination, rather than a round trip into and out of AMS. This will save you time travelling back to your original starting point and give you time in other places.
5. It doesn't matter that you've never backpacked before, but do remember to pack light (regardless of whether you're taking a backpack or a suitcase) to a) make it easy to move around; and b) leave room for purchases of European shoes and goodies!
6. Accommodation - not sure of your budget, but don't just look at Hostels as sometimes B&Bs/Pensione and Budget Hotels might suit you better (for price and location). If you stay up to a week in some locations (eg Paris) then an apartment might be a better option as you can cook for yourselves and often find cute places in central locations. Start with Hostelworld.com and sit with a map of each city open to get an idea of locations and prices.
7. Budget - hard to give exact idea as not sure of your shopping, sightseeing and eating requirements, but US$100 a day per person is the standard comfortable but small amount. Of course some days you'll spend more, some less, but that's the rough guide. Once you've decided on a route and time in each place, we'll be able to give you more ideas on where and what to eat.
Happy planning and keep us posted on your progress.
