General

Motorways in Britain I will have you know!

Definitely recommend Brighton or for other places with good nightlife that are cheaper than London, try some of the Northern cities like Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool or Sheffield. Though I think the drinking culture in this country might shock you somewhat, we drink far more than many Americans, even college students!

Around London and the South East the public transport is excellent, far better than most American cities (other than perhaps New York) so you really don't need a car to explore. Definitely get weekly travelcards though for in and around London, they will save you lots of money and the ones specially for tourists usually come with loads of vouchers for many attractions. There is plenty of stuff to see and do in London that costs nothing though, and entry to many museums is free, though donations are the norm.

That being said I think it's nice to hire a car to get out into the countryside too. The South Downs, The New Forest, The Cotswolds, The Kent coast (Deal, Walmer, Sandwich (yes that's where the food name comes from) are all beautiful places I love to visit. Just practice your roundabouts, driving on the correct ( ) side of the road and remember that you can't turn on a red signal! Also most cars in the UK are manual (stick shift) especially at the cheaper end of the rental market), so make sure you can drive one.

Be sure to visit Florence, aesthetically the worlds prettiest city. Also, if you care for good food be sure to visit Naples.

As for Germany, Munich is a great city though there aren't many must see sites it just has a laid back vibe. Plus its an hour on the train from the alps, if that interests you at all.

UK, where I hail from, I would recommend London (of course) Edinburgh and the highlands.

Also, consider checking out the Czech Republic and Croatia. Croatia I cant recommend enough, its the hidden gem of Europe. Beautiful, sunny and cheap.

If you go from Germany to Italy, then you must stop in Slovenia. Look it up, it's worth to spend a few days here. It's a very beautiful country which despite that it's small, has everything from mountains (Trenta, Soca river), lakes (Bled lake), caves (Postojna, Skocijanske), seaside (Piran) and a beautiful capital (Ljubljana).

Edit: I forgot to mention the food. Cevapcici, burek, blejske kremsnite, krajnska klobasa. Awesome stuff.

I wish I went here too. It looks so beautiful!

Just a few words concerning Germany:

If you are travelling via Francfort Airport, allow me to recommend a visit to the Rhine valley between Mainz and Cologne. Due to the narrow villages i recommend to take a local Train allowing you to hop on and off at every City.

Another must-see in Germany is definitely Munich. Do not Forget to take also a trip to one of the surrounding castles e.g. Neuschwanstein or Linderhof.

Although not strictly in Germany, the Austrian City of Salzburg is definitely worth a trip.

How many years do you want to spend in Germany. As I know, that there is also a lot to see in the United Kingdom allow me to propose seperate trips.

Some General Information:
Language will not be an issue as Long as you stay in the western part of Germany. In eastern Germany not English but Russian was the language to learn at School during communism.

If you like driving fast cars: There is no General Speed restriction on German motorways. Unfortunately they are so overcrowded, that you may rarely take Advantage of it. Anyway on most Connections I would recommend to take a Train. They are fast and frequent (normally in hourly intervals). If you fly star alliance you can book your Train as part of your flight, further I recommend to check www.bahn.de, which is available in English as well.

Some words about the Food:
When doing the trip down the rhine, try "Sauerkraut" and "Rheinischer Sauerbraten", if you are in Munich, try "Schweinsbraten", "Leberkäs'" and the famous White sausage (only the filling is eaten!)
Salzburg is especially famous for ist pastries. They will also recommend you "Salzburger Nockerln", but I personally do not like them.

Always combine the Food with the beer of a local brewery (except the pastries of course;-)) German wines are generally very dry, which is not to everyones taste! One beer is O.K., even if you drive.