My wife and I have a chance to take an 8-10 day trip in late December and early January. We went to Paris at the same time last year. Can anyone recommend any other European destinations that are not either shut down or miserable cold that time of year. Thanks

Ward,<BR>I'm not sure what your definition of "miserably cold" is, but Rome is really nice that time of year. (And most places do stay open.)<BR><BR>Happy Travels,<BR>BC

Ward, in December 2001 we spent two weeks in Sicily. Sometimes I wore my fleece jacket and my husband awoo; sweater. Wildflowers were blooming, sky was blue most of thetime and there were no crowds. In one place we were only visitors. Once we had some light rain. It was a fantastic trip. I would love to go back one day but there are so many places to visit. <BR>In Taormina we wore short sleeves. All hotels and sites were open for business. Only on Christmas Eve we found ourselves without a place for dinner. So we had some nuts and all junk food that we never eat but only things that were available. It was a perfect time to visit Sicily, IMHO, as we do not care much for crowds.

hi<BR><BR>If you are looking for nice weather go to Barbados or Cancun.<BR><BR>Global weather stats are here -<BR><BR>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/weather/historical/historical.htm<BR><BR>or<BR><BR>http://climate.usu.edu/free/default2.htm<BR><BR>You need to be South and East to get better weather, or visit the Euro's winter hangouts in Canaries or Madeira.<BR><BR>I live on the Med and we had -8C ( 17F) on Dec 24th last year.<BR><BR>Read more about weather and South of France on -<BR><BR>http://tlp.netfirms.com/<BR><BR>The other possibilities are Red Sea, or Eilat, but they are not too acceptable these days ?<BR><BR>Otherwise most attractions are open, particularly in the Southern capitals.<BR><BR>Peter<BR>

Hello Ward,<BR>I've been to both Spain and Portugal during the month of December and found them enjoyable destinations at that time of year.<BR>I spent 2 months in Barcelona, Dec. through January. We were told it was an exceptionally cold winter that year, and indeed there were a few flakes of snow after a very cold hailstorm once. Otherwise, it was 50's most days, 40's at night. I wore jeans, a sweater with a long-sleeve tee under, and a light jacket for top layer most of the time. Christmas, New Year and Three Kings Day (January 6) were all very festive in this part of the world.<BR>I spent 2 weeks in Portugal the following year during early December. It was raining the first two days I was in Lisbon, then it cleared up with brilliant sunny crisp days and chilly nights. I thought the weather in Lisbon that time of year was comparable to San Francisco, CA in the same season.<BR>I'd go again to either destination during December - I happen to like low season travel for all its advantages and don't consider the lack of warm weather a disadvantage. Except for the obvious holiday closings, everything I wanted to see (museums,etc.) was open and no problem with restaurants and markets. Found that the neighborhood cafes often stayed open during holidays even when larger places did not. <BR>It was also a pleasure to absorb the Christmas spirit far away from the U.S. mall type thing. I'd say go for it.

Go to Southern Spain. It's still lovely and not touristy during the winter.

I suspect you're looking at southern Europe if you want to avoid the cold completely - southern Spain, the Algarve in Portugal, southern Italy/Sicily and Greece all spring to mind.<BR><BR>If you just want to avoid "miserable cold" - ie wet, windy and cold like in the UK - then you could try the Alps. There are alternatives to skiing, and you could choose to go to somewhere like Salzburg, Vienna or Geneva instead. They're also pretty unlikely to be closed at that time of year too. (before anyone says, yes I know it's cold but it's not that depressing kind of cold you get here in the UK!)<BR>