Hi there. My husband and I wish to spend about 5 days on a romantic visit to Europe next February. I realize the weather is winterish in the north. We are OK with that, we come from NYC. We have been to London (loved it) and Italy. We haven't yet been to Paris (this forum tends to make non-fluent first timers anxious), Ireland or Scotland. Due to the short time, we want to stay put in one city and preferably reach it from one plane ride out of NY. Can anyone make any suggestions for us? Top criteria would be romantic hotel and easy navigated city. Thanks very much.

Stacey,<BR><BR>You have lots of choices!<BR><BR>Paris is an excellent idea --beautiful and romantic in any weather, as long as you are properly dressed for chilly and probably wet weather. No need to be fluent in French---just a good selection of polite phrases will go a long way in eliciting helpful responses from the Parisian population. Please don't be anxious.<BR><BR>Just as there are rude and haughty Americans ---the same applies all over the world. Parisians are refined,and most very polite and gracious. We have seen more "ugly" Americans in Paris--loud, boisterous and demanding than we have seen rude Parisians.<BR><BR>Another choice could be Lisbon and its surrounding suburbs of Sintra, Belem and Cascais or Estoril. The weather would certainly be warmer. There many wonderful sites ---palaces, castles, monasteries and monuments, ancient winding streets, great nightlife, and excellent shopping, Your dollar will also go "further" in the Iberian Peninsula.<BR><BR>My other recommendation would be for Prague---however; you would need to keep in mind that there could still be some residual flood damage (by February most everything should be back in top order and all the subway stops reopened.)<BR>Prague is truly a romantic city of spires and magnificent buildings, amazing choices of concerts (daily)at "giveaway" prices. Even more of a bargain than Lisbon ---but much colder weather with a probablility of snow.<BR><BR>All three offer you non-stops out of JFK and EWR--these would be my personal top picks.<BR><BR>Others to consider would be Vienna and Budapest----also nonstop flights (Austrian Air/ Malev). Vienna gives you culture, museums and music, Budapest gives you gypsy violins, great food and thermal baths. Both have good shopping.<BR><BR>When you are with someone you love, just sharing the experience of a new place will be romantic.

Georgine - Thanks you so much for your suggestions. I never thought of going to Lisbon. I will look into that one while also still considering a first foray into Paris. Stacey.

Stacey<BR><BR>Do think about Scotland. The weather won't be great, but either Edinburgh or Glasgow are great for city breaks. I'm not certain if you can fly into either, but I'm sure you can fly into one and it's a 40 minute train ride between the two.<BR><BR>A nice wee hotel with an open fire, a selection of malt whiskies, a decent show at a theatre, great shopping, a couple of nice "sights", and an exhibition or two and you're laughing

Hi Stacey, Go to Paris, you won't regret it. My husband surprised me for Valentine's Day 2000. The weather was beautiful, in the sixties during the day.I'm from NYC too,their weather is like us, can be a little chillier or warmer than the average temps. Just be prepared!

Thank you Kerry, Sheila, and Georgine. I am still printing out old posts of various places to help me decide which one to choose. You guys have given me a good start. I'll be here researching away for a while...Stacey

Can I add Amsterdam? A lovely city with great walking along calm canals; great museums and good food (Indonesian/Dutch)<BR>

I think all of the cities mentioned so far would be good, though for my taste the ones in central Europe (Budapest, Prague, Vienna) would be a little too cold, and I don't think of Glasgow as being romantic. One city that would be a warmer than others mentioned is Rome.<BR><BR>You also might consider some not so obvious choices. To me, big cities are not as romantic, as smaller palces. And in a short visit, you get to know a smaller city better than a large one, where you may feel overwhelmed. The downside of course is that there is more travel involved. I visited York, England for a long weekend and had a great time. There was an easy connection by train in London, and we were in York by 11 AM after an early landing in London. Some places to consider with this idea would be Brugge, Belgium (flying to Brussels), the aforementioned York, Salamanca, Spain (Madrid), Salzburg, Austria (Munich).