I think we've thought so much about our vacation -- we're brain dead! My husband and I have 10 days to travel and we'd like to keep our total budget to $2,000. <BR> <BR>We would be flying out of Dulles airport in Washington, D.C. in September. <BR> <BR>We're not the sit-on-the-beach types and enjoy exploring cities, visiting museums and cultural sites. <BR> <BR>Luxury is not a necessity, but, we do like a comfortable room with its own bathroom. <BR> <BR>I love this site and know there is a sea of seasoned travellers out there just waiting to tell us where we can go! <BR> <BR>Thanks in advance for your thoughts. <BR> <BR>

My husband and I found a wonderful deal to France through www.francevacations.com. I am sure you can find a total package that is well within your budget -- we did! <BR> <BR>We are going to Paris for 5 nights, then to Nice for 3 nights.

Come to Amsterdam! Flight in September should be no more than US$ 350 each, a reasonable hotel can be had for US$ 50 / room / night, transport in town is cheap. <BR>Lots of museums: Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum (Rembrandts), Stedelijk Museum (modern art), Museum of the Tropics, Nautical Museum, Anne Frank House. Lots of other things to do: walk along the canals (very romantic on a cool bright night!), bike trips to the countryside, good (antique, clothing) shopping. Day-trips to other cities less than an hour away by train such as Delft, The Hague, Haarlem, Utrecht, which all have their own interesting museums and cityscapes. On a nice day, the beach at Zandvoort is only 30 minutes from Amsterdam. <BR> <BR>

Check out the website for gotoday.com -- I've not used them but they have some great deals that might give you some ideas. Have you traveled in Europe before? There are so many possibilities -- wherever you go will be a wonderful adventure!

I would go to Vienna. I was a student with a backpack and traipsed all over the city. I know people say that Vienaa is expensive but I found it no worse than any other city. There are deals to be found all over, you just need to sleuth to find them. You can find every type of accommodation but probably won't want to pay for hotels in teh first ring. Still, getting accommodations in the "outer" rings are not as far as they appear b/c the city id compact. The metro gets you everywhere and there are tons of things to see without paying. You can see the Lipinzaner horses during practices to keep prices down. And over the weekend go to Nachtmarket for the freshest fruits and vegies. Definately pay for entry into Schonbrun where Marie Antoinette grew up and Queen Victoria ruled. The gardens are breathtaking and the rooms are even more breathtaking. There is even a zoo.

How about Ireland. Try www.spectretours.com They have a 6 day deal to Ireland on Aer Lingus to Shannon, A rental car and 6 nights of B&B's for about $500 each. We have taken this trip and it is wonderful. Cliffs of Moher, Dingle, Conor Pass, Killarny, mmmmm time to go again.

SCOTLAND!! See previous postings- or e-mail for full details....

Your dilemma has SPAIN written all over! Just about one of the cheapest destinations in Europe, you can fly SpanAir directly to Madrid very reasonably priced. Beautiful country, outstanding sightseeing, great people, head out to Andalucia!

My first choice would be Paris. You can definitely do this within your price range if you find a decent package or particularly good airfare, which you might. There is enough to do there to fill ten days and then some, plus you can take day trips out of the city to the Loire Valley to see chateaux, to Versailles, etc. <BR> <BR>My second choice would be Italy -- probably Rome and Venice. Both are incredible and very different. Again, this would depend on finding a good package price or some kind of an airfare sale. I would do 6 days in Rome and 4 in Venice. Florence is wonderful too but there's probably not enough time to fit that in as Rome requires at least 5 days and Venice 3 (and Florence at least 3 as well).

The former Eastern Europe has the cities, museums, culture and is less expensive than the West. Ten days is not long but you could do 2-3 cities. Berlin (half of it was East) and the culture, museums, history is incredible. Berlin is the history of the 20th century both good and bad. Two hours south is Dresden (interesting because totally destroyed in WWII. <BR>Prague is 2 1/2 hours south of Dresden & was not damaged in war and the architecture is tremendous. The view from the Charles Bridge at night most romantic. Their symphony hall has been redone & is most reasonable. <BR>Budapest is 8 hours south of Prague & may be too far for this trip, but is most interesting and a nice contrast with Prague. <BR>Krakow is closer to Prague and has the grandeur of Prague. Good day trips to the concentration camp and Zarpane in the Tatras. <BR>I would do the Berlin-Dresden-Prague. You can spend 4 days easily in Berlin and day trips from there and at least 3 in Prague and day trips to Cesky Krumlov, Kutna Hora, Karlovy Vary, Pilsen (if you like beer). If you decide and I can be of assistance, email me.