Going back to Europe, but where!??

If you are looking for pretty, quintessentially European cities then Bavaria in Germany is a nice option. Some of the most beautiful cities in Europe are in Belgium (Brugges, Ghent, and Antwerp). Luxembourg is also very beautiful. It sounds like you didn't particuarly like Rome and Florence, but you might like some of the smaller towns in Tuscany. They are really beautiful. Another great option is Prague, which is a big city, but is still very beautiful.

This month most Polish vacationeers are ensconsed in sites along their Baltic coast. Forget cities, visit the parks..

Think outside the box. Try Scandinavia, Iceland and Finland.

We loved Iceland! One of our top three places in the world. Glaciated volcanic landscape - who could ask for more. The most beautiful place. It really makes the Lakes District of England look like an "Ugly sister".

Finland for lakes and forests. Denmark for real Danish pastries plus castles and stone age graves. Norway Fiord cruise was great as well.

I've always wanted to go to Budapest, Prague and Romania.

Adding Amsterdam onto your next Paris trip would be easy planning with the ten days available. You'll get to return to the place you love, so you'll be further up the visit "learning curve" to enjoy it even more (around 20 return trips, we're still not tired of Paris), and Amsterdam is certainly another town that has a quite distinctive visual appeal (One keeps saying, "I'm in Amsterdam!"). For the "tween" between the two cities, you can easily add Bruges, Brussels, or Antwerp. Or not!

I really liked Switzerland because it is just so very SWISS. We flew into Geneva, spending a day or two in Lausanne so we could explore Montreux area. Then we headed north by train, stopping in Bern, a distinctive little city we really loved, for the day. By nightfall, we were in Interlaken so we could head up to Murren the next morning. We spent a few days hiking around Murren, moved onto Kleine Scheidegg, then onto Grindelwald, and finally took the train to Zurich. Stayed there for a day or two and flew out back to States.

As I indicated, we spent a lot of time hiking in Switzerland. The footpaths are very well maintained, so it was not days on end of "killer" trails. We also used our Swiss Pass daily--we could take trains, trams, funiculars, and fabulous boats with it.

I agree with Bavaria. It's difficult to be in a Bavarian town and not feel like you are in Bavaria. Check out Mittenwald, Oberammergau, or just Bavaria in general. The scenery is amazing. We love the Berchtesgaden area; one of our favorite locations in Europe.

Neighboring Austria is also beautiful. Salzburg is very charming and pretty with great architecture and a looming castle perched above. Surrounded by mountains, it's an excellent small city that has that distict "European" feel. You could easily combine parts of Bavaria with Salzburg and the Salzkammergut for an excellent vacation.

Croatia is stunning and walking through the old historical center of Dubrovnik is magical. With that being said, we were there in way off season (November) and I wouldn't want to visit in the height of travel season because the town is small and some of the charm would be lost in the hordes of people visiting.

I'm surprised you didn't feel like you were in Rome walking around because I had the opposite experience, but to each their own.

How about the Baltics--I find their architecture very distinctive.

Maybe instead of going more places, you need to learn more about your destinations. Study the language a little, research the sights to see (check out the Michelin green guides), watch movies about your proposed destinations, maybe sign up for a cooking class or a wine tour. If you know more about what you're looking at, the cities won't seem all the same. In fact the more you know the more interesting places like Rome become.

Or take a guided tour.

Since you liked Paris so much, maybe study a little French, rent a car and see more of France. There's really a lot to see there. Many cities, 2 seacoasts, 2 sets of mountains, differing languages, customs, cuisines....

At the rate you're going, you'll run out of places to see in Europe pretty soon, and have exhausted all the travel destinations in the world by the time you hit 40.

I love Switzerland, in the french-speaking part of the country. Flying in/out of Geneva and staying in the towns along Lac Leman like Lausanne, Vevey, or Montreux. Easy to get to by train. It's breathtakingly scenic there. And has the french influences I think you would enjoy (like the bakeries!).

I also enjoyed Amsterdam, but it does not have the overall charm factor of Paris to my point of view. But it's interesting and has some lovely parts like along the canals, Vondelpark, etc. A 'quaint' side to it even though it's a large urban area.

Fly into Amsterdam, spend 3 days there then head to Bavaria! So much to see and do. Have fun.

If you are looking for a city with the "feel" of Paris, then I suggest Vienna. It has much of the character that you enjoyed about Paris IMO and might provide the type of experience you prefer.

While I love Bavaria personally (and do not care for Paris) none of the larger cities really fit what you are describing IMO. Berlin is one of my very favorite cities in the world and I find it endlessly fascinating as well as a wonderful value for a world class city.

Perhaps combine Berlin, Vienna and Salzburg (a favorite of mine both for the city itself as well as the access to the stunning countryside surrounding it).

oooh i like that! now that is a trip i would do, nice plan kfusto (berlin, vienna, salzburg).

i think Amsterdam is a beautiful city and would be a very cool place to live for awhile, but as a tourist i don't think it has a lot of WOW factor.

Vienna -- great suggestion! It too has beautiful architecture and a great atmosphere. I don't know why I didn't think of it.

Yes, Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Graz, Bratislava. There are so many quaint cities and towns in that area. That will definitely give you the feeling of old Europe without it being too touristy.

Thank you all for your input! You have gotten us started on a great track to research!

It is not that we didn't like Rome and Florence, we just preferred Paris over the two! How could you not love Italy!?!?

In 12 days its: Salzburg - Budapest- Vienna -Prague - Dresden Berlin Cannot wait.

While back I did a driving tour of Austria, Flew into Vienna, toured, bit of Italina Likes, flew back from Switzerland.

Vienna was really nice, as well as the countryside. It seems a bit less visited than a lot of other places.

Salzburg, perfection. I remember us staying outside of Salzburg, at a hotel with a lake and Alps in the background. That Sunday we went and found a local church. Two strokes of luck...the church from Sound of Music, and it was the Sunday where the local women come dressed in their traditional costumes.

Turkey may also have something to offer.

...Italian lakes...Lugano...

Me typing, it is mucho bad

Also agree with Germany and the Bavaria area. We spent 2 weeks in Germany, starting in Munich, and enjoyed it very much. Berchtesgaden was one of the areas we stayed in and loved the area too, along with Mittenwald and Oberammergau as mentioned by icreath. We also went to Saltzburg for the day, very beautiful area but didn't have enough time there.

Paris was BY FAR our favorite because it was clean, quiet, polite and quintessentially Parisian>>

the other place that is most similar is IMHO Vienna[suggest 4 nights,]. fantastic imperial buildings, loads to see, great transport]

then you could do a lovely tour - pick up car, along the Danube to Melk then a couple of nights in the Salzkammergut [Mondsee, st. wolfgang, St Gilgen?], 2 nights in Salzburg, then 2 in Graz [very convenient for the airport which is to the south of Vienna].

Not on your list, but ...

Along with Paris, my favorite city is Barcelona :
wide avenues, elegant stores, great architecture , fantastic food .
Spain is a country of different regions and languages, big and small cities, beaches, rich history, and amazing sights.