Hey everyone, I'm starting to plan a trip through Europe in late August/ early September and this will be my first trip solo.(21M if that matters) I'm just trying to make sure I'm planning this out right and would love to hear your recommendations on what to do and where/how long to stay in each city. I'm planning on taking about 3 weeks, but possibly more if I find something that I really want to see that absolutely needs more time. And I'm hoping to keep costs under $3500 total. I'm definitely going to be staying in hostels and using the cheapest means of transport so I can indulge on other things. My plan as of now is 5 cities, with about 4-5 days in each, I feel that that should be a good balance between feeling rushed and getting bored. As far as activities go I'm pretty much happy with anything. I particularly love hiking, snow sports, and just being outdoors, especially in the mountains. I'm also really big on museums, street food, sightseeing, and nightlife. Anyway this is my tentative itinerary-

August 21-30: Fly from New Orleans to Budapest, stay for at least 5 days. Hoping to check out the baths, ruin bars, and whatever museums interest me. I'm kind of on the fence about staying at one of the party hostels. I definitely plan on going out, but not to the extent of some of the things I've heard. I'm looking for one that has a good balance of sleep/comfort and partying.

Then fly(or take the train/bus??) to Munich. I'm debating whether to take 6 days here because there's actually a lot of day trips I want to go on and I think I'll really like the area. I really want to go to a local Volkfest, but probably one of the smaller ones like the Augsburg Plarrer or Rosenheim Herbstfest. I thought about Oktoberfest but what I've read about the tourists/prices/lines really puts me off. I'm also thinking about taking day trips to Dachau and maybe Nuremburg. And definitely also down south to the Austrian Alps for some hiking/skiing. For these day trips I think I'll want to stay at the closest hostel to them instead of commuting back to Munich every day.

Then fly(or take the train/bus??) to Paris for 4-5 days. I've heard mixed things about Paris, but I feel like I would regret not going due to all of the history and culture and whatnot. I'm definitely planning on going to the Louvre and other museums, and hopefully also the catacombs and maybe Versailles or other surrounding towns.

Then fly to Lisbon and spend a day or two in Sintra. I'm not sure how much time I should budget for it. I was planning on spending at least a night in a nearby hostel. After that, I'll take the train to Porto, and spend 3-4 days there. I know Porto is a much smaller city then the previous ones, so I think it will be a good place to relax and chill for a few days. I don't really have much in mind for here other than going to the beach, and just walking around sightseeing. Also, let me know if it would make more sense to fly from Paris to Porto, then take the train to Sintra. I planned it like this so I could spend a night in Sintra and not have to take the train back and forth to Porto and try to squeeze it into a day. Not sure which is best.

Then fly to Edinburgh and spend 4-5 days there. I'll definitely be checking out Arthur's Seat and the castles, but don't really have anything else in mind. For pretty much all these places I'm planning on making a list of things to do, but not actually planning it out day by day.

And then from there fly back to New Orleans.

So here are some more specific questions I have about this itinerary- -Does it make sense to travel in that order? I planned it out going from East to West so the return flight would be shorter, but if it ends up costing more then I wouldn't mind switching it around.

-What kind of weather should I expect that time of year in those areas? Will pants and a light jacket(or possibly shorts and a t shirt?) be alright or should I be bringing a hoodie/coat?

-Is that time of year the high or low tourist season? And how far ahead of time should I be booking transport/hostels?

-Would it be better to take train or bus instead of flying for any of them?

-Is my budget realistic for a trip like this? I'm thinking each one of those day trips like skiing, catacombs, sintra, etc. are probably going to end up being at least $100 each, on top of probably $2000-2500 in airfare and hostel fees, plus food and incidentals its gonna cut it pretty close. Going over $3500 isn't a huge deal, but I just want to get a good range so I can save accordingly.

Thanks for taking the time I know that was a lot, I'll probably think of more questions soon.