Venice is within reach and has the Lido for sun, sand and sea.

I don't think it would be worth going to Greece for 3 days, especially considering the flying time to get there. Why not consider somewhere in the south of France, which would be beautiful in spring? From Nice you could even take a day trip by train along the coast into Italy.

Nice is a good idea, and there are cheap flights on Easy Jet (see whichbudget.com and skyscanner.net for European flights, seat61.com for European trains). However it's hardly a hidden gem, but for a first visit there's more than enough to see without looking for such things.

It's your first trip to Europe. Everything will appear to you to be a "hidden gem." Even after 100 trips to Europe it's hard to find "hidden gems," so I'd toss that idea. Or, if you really truly want a "hidden gem," head to the lake in St-Férréol.

From Paris you can get on the TGV and be on the beach in the Riviera in a few hours. Or grab a flight to Venice if Italy beckons. But I'd personally stick to Paris and Barcelona for a first trip, with a daytrip or two in each place - maybe Versailles or Giverny from Paris, and a Costa Brava village or two from Barcelona.

I was thinking of a flight to Nice, then maybe hire a car to visit places in Provence like Grasse, for example. I still remember the scents from the perfumeries there.

St. Cirq has the right idea Paris for a couple of days then Ver.and/or Giverny or hopefully both but G. will not be in it blooming glory this early. Barcelona will keep you busy with all there is there.. I'd, personally, do the Paris hopon/hopoff to get an overview including the batobus. Walk, walk , walk in BCN..Don't try to do the whole Louvre..just what interests you the most..ie: winged victory, Mona, whatever and see what are special showings elsewhere.. You should take clothes to layer and scarves/pashima etc..It may still be cold, damp and you won't want to be uncomfortable in your wanderings.

April is too early for beaches, but from Nice it is also easy to visit Cannes and Monaco.

Thank you all for the great advice! I will definitely consider Nice... My husband likes the idea of Pisa/Tuscany since it seems to be a lot different than London & Paris. Any advice on that route?

Exactly how long is "just under 2 weeks"?

If you went to Tuscany, would you be willing to rent a car? A car isn't absolutely necessary, but it would make a difference in what you'd be able to see/do in a short amount of time. Which brings me back to wondering how much time you have. How many days will you be in London? Paris?

FWIW, in April, I would pick Tuscany over the Med coast of France. But I admit an Italy bias.

Actually, April is a great time for Nice. Good weather, but no crowds. Too early for swimming, of course.

@Jean We are looking at about 10 days. 3 nights in each city and then flying back to London to depart back to the States.

Rather than going back to London, look for an open jaw ticket. It will save time and probably not cost more than the RT to London and back plus the travel from the last European destination back to London.

I'm confused - I thought you already planned on London, Paris AND Barcelona. If so this is alrady one place too much for just 10 days. 3 nights is not enough time for London or Paris or Barcelona especially once you factor in jetlag and travel time to each destination. If these are your top cities you want to visit eliminate one and save for another trip.

@Michael Really? I will definitely have to check into that. I think I did consider it at one point and it turned out being a lot more. I am flying Delta and will try to see what I can arrange. Thanks

@CathyM We had Barcelona planned but were willing to replace Barcelona with a small village/beach area for a few days so we could get a good variety in. We are weighing all of our options and may just visit 2 cities if it appears to be too aggressive of an itinerary... But we do want to see a lot of Europe.. we're still young and can sleep when we get home

look at www.kayak.com unless you are using frequent flier miles with Delta.

@Michael we had a credit with Delta from a previous flight so we had to go with them, but I will call and see if we can switch to an open jaw ticket and go that route Thanks!

You can't see a LOT of Europe in the time you have. However, since you're young you have a lot of time to travel in the future.

Definately pick 2 cities between London, Paris and Barcelona and fly open jaw - Delta has options out of all these cities. I wouldn't skip Barcelona in favor of a small village/beach area for a few days. Instead why not do a daytrip to a smaller village or beach area. OR if you're really wanting to spend time in smaller places then choose ONE area (London, Paris or Barcelona) and then spend a few days outside of the cities based in a smaller village. I'm young still too - but no matter how young you are you can't see it all in one trip. I learned the hard way as my first 3 trips were a total blur - at the time I knew they were fast paced but now looking back they were really poorly planned. You're basically in a mode of checking off sites versus getting to visit a city or understand anything about it or the culture.

@CathyM thanks so much for your suggestion and advice. I will definitely take it into consideration and try to see what I can do... Realistically, this is kind of our last big trip before we have kids, so I don't know when will be the next time we'll make it over to Europe (not being dramatic, I know we will eventually. Especially after this trip I'm sure I'll be in love with Europe) so I do want to make it really worth it. London and Paris are 2 places I really want to see and I figured with how cheap the flights are, I'd like to fit another city in but one that doesn't have too much to do so we don't feel frustrated.

I have already swallowed the fact that we won't be able to see EVERYTHING in London and Paris and I have slimmed down the itinerary so we aren't completely exhausted and can really enjoy the things we are going to see and like you said, understand the culture and really take in the city, even if it's just a fraction of it.

Heck, I found flights to Venice on RyanAir for $134 for BOTH of us. At that price, I could fly over there, float down the canals and eat some pizza and be completely satisfied if that's all I did the whole time! haha

Be sure to factor in all the extra charges Ryanair adds to the basic fares.

That included the Levy fees and the administration costs. Are there any other fees they add on after that?

You can do a lot in Paris and London with 3 days each, but you have to hit the ground prepared. If you aren't good at planning (and walking!) perhaps stick to those 2 and if you have extra time do day trips.

Open jaws may be more expensive, but factor in time and cost to return to London.

And as someone wisely said above: Everything is a gem on your first trip. IMHO you'll have plenty to see without searching for the more obscure.

Get a Rick Steves book to help plan.

With only 10 days, I'd stick to London and Paris, especially if you have to return to London to fly home. There are several day-trips you could make out of each city in the unlikely event you'd run out of things to do/see.

If those Ryanair are for Paris-Venice, take note of the airports at both ends. I think Ryan uses Beauvais for Paris and Treviso for Venice. Both are much farther out of your destinations than the main airports. You'll have additional transport costs beyond the airfare, and you'll definitely lose some precious time traveling between city and airport at both ends.

Before choosing Ryanair consider easyJet. It flies out of Orly and goes to Marco Polo. The posted price is closer to the final price. If the $134 for two is from the web site, without going through the process of booking and reserving, you might find out that the price is much higher. Ryanair's luggage restriction are also much more severe. I use Ryanair when necessary, but not when I can avoid it.

It sounds like you already have plenty of good ideas, but with ten days, if you want to experience something other than the (wonderful) big cities of London and Paris, you could spend a couple of nights in the Loire Valley, just a couple of hours drive south of Paris. The chateaux are interesting, and there are lots of good places to stay and to eat, as it's just the right distance for Parisiens to go for a weekend break. It will give you a different experience without taking out a lot of travel time from the rest of your trip. (We did this combination when we took our 10yo DS on his first trip to Europe, and it worked out very well.)

@michael Thanks, will definitely research before purchasing..

@lexma90 sounds like a wonderful/charming alternative.. I'll look into it!

Danielle, I agree with Jean:

“With only 10 days, I'd stick to London and Paris, especially if you have to return to London to fly home. There are several day-trips you could make out of each city in the unlikely event you'd run out of things to do/see.”

My suggestions for local day trips would be to Giverny from Paris and to Windsor or Hampton Court from London. Remember – you will go back some day and have more time to visit other locales. Have a great time….

reality check.

10 days, minus 1 to get over jet lag, minus 1/2 getting to Paris, minus another 1/2 getting back to London, minus 1 for your departure day. Leaving 7 days actually free to see/do much. You really only have time for London and Paris . . . Really.

. . . flying open jaw will save you that 1/2 day to return to London - but that's all. Still really only time for 2 cities. Which 2 is up to you, but London/Paris would be my choice.

I agree with janisj, realistically you only have time for two places. Fly into one, home from the other.

That included the Levy fees and the administration costs. Are there any other fees they add on after that?

Ryanair is very creative in adding extra fees, so you have to look carefully. They will add extra charges for hold luggage, for snacks and drinks on board, for checking in at the terminal instead of online, for paying by credit card (who doesn't?) and I don't know what else. Michael O'Leary, the CEO, even proposed charging for using the toilet, but has never implemented that levy.

Here is a list of memorable quotes by Michael O'Leary:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/9522319/Michael-OLearys-most-memorable-quotes.html

He has also discussed the idea of fitting the aircraft with strap handles and charging extra if you want to use the few seats. Still it gets him free publicity and the world's largest airline.