I see that Brussels were on your original list. Although it is not the best in cold weather with the wind, sleet, and cold, it is a central destination for getting to Paris, Amsterdam, Bruge, Antwerp, and many other cities. This way you can see something new and something old (Paris).

"<i>with more daylight time (i.e., not as far north as England/Scotland)...Rome comes to mind.</i>"

Folks often post this sort of thing. In December that definitely is true. But the days lengthen rapidly. By the middle of Feb there is only about 30 minutes more daylight in Rome than in London.

(By the end of March there is actually longer daylight in London than in Rome . . .)

We spent 5 nights in Germany in February 2005 and had an excellent time, though we did commit to our future trips being at least 7 nights :). It's hard to believe now, but we scored airfare for around $300 total each. Crazy. We flew in and out of Frankfurt. We saw Wurzburg (easy train from FRA) and picked up the car there after a day. Then saw Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Dinklesbuhl, and ended our stay in Bamberg which is a real jewel. It was cold, of course, and we found the interior of the churches and castles even colder than being out of doors. We lived in Denver at the time though, so we knew how to dress for it. All in all, we had a lovely time and enjoyed seeing some very touristy places without all the tourist crowds. The downside, aside from the temperature, was significantly shorter hours at sights. Also, it gets dark quite early when you are so far north.
Have fun choosing!

janisj...

Ooops, your right...for some reason I was thinking January.

And you're, right...after the equinox the farther north you go, the longer the days get.

My bad.

SS

not a big bad :)