My wife and I are trying to plan a trip this fall. We were originally planning on going to munich and prague this late august with my brother (who is a college student) since airfare and exchange rates(we are american) have been so bad we decided to take that trip next year(my brother can't go anywhere in the shoulder seasons beacuse school).

So we are trying to decide where to go int the fall - Prague is out beacause I want to take my brother there. we will have 10 days in October.our choices so far are
Switzerland, bernese oberland - and beyond
Spain - Andulica and barcelona
italy - Amalfi coast(7 days) venice(3days)
Somewhere in eastern europe, poland, hungary ????
OR Japan?? - I have always wanted to go and the airfare and exchange rates this fall to europe still don't look that great.

as far as tastes go - I different cultures, I love to Eat and Drink , and I would like to do something active (a little hiking)
I also like archelogical sites and older architecure.

I would like this trip to be split between city and country

What do you guys think ?? any other sugesstions?

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..suggestion why not Croatia, Serbia or Slovania? ..certainly would be interesting..just becoming popular again with tourists..good hiking and prices much lower than Western Europe.

I second Travelbunny's suggestion. Great value, great scenery, great history and architecture. Get there before everyone else figures it out.

Eat, drink, hike, experience a unique culture, see archelogical sites and older architecture? I'll bet Sicily is beautiful in October.

I suggest Andalucia and Barcelona. All of your choices sound great but Andalucia is hot from May through September so, if you want to go there, October is a good time to go. Many of your other choices are best in the summer. A close second would be Amalfi Coast and Venice.

Poland and Czech Republic and wonferful countries to visit and you can get a lot for your money, great food, great people

I second Sicily. Masses of archeological ruins (Greek and Roman); architecture from a vast range of cultures and periods (Byzantine, Arab, Norman, Swabian, Angevin, Aragonese, Spanish Bourbon -- and Sicily's unique take on Baroque: you have not seen Baroque until you've seen the Sicilian version!); excellent food and drink; hiking possibilities in a number of inland areas of Sicily (or so I have read, since I do not hike myself); a choice of cities in which to stay (of which Palermo and Siracusa are my personal favourites; Palermo is glorified chaos and offers a wide range of architectural styles; Siracusa (or the part of it on the island of Ortigia) is the quiet charm of an almost entirely Baroque city that is just a little frayed around the edges); interesting day trips can be organized from both.

I never thought of Croatia or slovenia? what airports can you fly into there?

sicily sounds like an good idea also.

I am going to check some airfares

Why not couple some beautiful Greek islands with a short stay in Athens, a fabulous city, and all the better for its upgrade for the Olympics.

NW PT and Galicia, SP were wonderful in mid July. Still, the Euro is at a near all time high.
The Osten may be better for your budgets, but YEA - Sicily would be my 1st choice too!
M

To save on airfares to Sicily, go to www.whichbudget.com and click on a Sicilian airport -- Catania, Palermo and, I think, Trapani (although I would see no reason to go to Trapani) -- as your destination and check the discount airlines that fly from major European hubs to Sicily. If you are flying from within Italy, go to www.flyairone.it, which, for some reason, is not on the whichbudget Web site. Internet fares are the cheapest, but be aware that they cannot be changed or refunded, so if you are connecting anywhere, give yourself ample time to make the connection.

I second the Greek Islands, they should be just right in the Fall.