A little word of advice here. Don't try to go see too many cities at once. First, the sights begin to loose their significance once you have packed them all in. And secondly, the best way to appreciate being in a foriegn country is to soak up the local life. The best way to do this, I think, is relaxing and taking it easy (NOT in the hotel room, though!). You have to calm down to really appreciate the atmosphere. I spent two days in Rome. There is WAY too much to see in Rome. My friends and I jokingly called it the "trail of tears" because it we all felt like Roman slaves on our tourist route. We never had any time to relax and appreciate the atmosphere, which is really important. Also, again if you see so many sights really close together they loose their significance. What I did think was cool is how they still have SPQR written all over everything which dates back to the Roman empire. It means Senatus Populusque Romano, I think, the Senate and the Roman Republic. It is written on the Arches of the Foro Romano down to the Manhole covers on the streets! Well, my advice is to stay longer or cut out Italy. If you are like me, the most memorable parts of your trip won't be seeing Notre Dame, but the day that you relaxed in a sidewalk cafe and saw the peculiar sights (like thousands of people rollerblading in the middle of the street)