Help - Where Should I Go?

It's through Expedia and the airline is Delta. If the airfare increases (which it obviously will) I can shift balance from the lodging portion. I talked to an Expedia rep and confirmed it doesn't matter if airfare goes up, as long as I stay within the total package cost (about $3k), plus a $150 fee for rescheduling the flight.

Anyone have any favorite 5 day Euro trips as suggestions?

Personally, I'd go to London. Great day trips, wonderful city to explore and the Charoltte US Air flight is timed perfectly. If the weather cooperates, you could do a day trip down to Brighton Beach- it's only about and hour from London by train.

Ditto on London. With only a week, you might prefer to minimize your travel time and there are direct flights from Charlotte to London-Gatwick. There's no beach but you will never run out of things to do in the London area.

And in London they speak English. It's not American but easier than French.

Austria :-))

Language differences will not be a problem in any city or tourist area in Western Europe, so don't let that deter you. Personally, if it is a choice of cities in late May, I would pick Paris or Amsterdam, but, if you are trying to stay within a certain price range, why don't you try entering various destinations on the Delta or Expedia Web site and see which ones fall within that range: Paris, London, Madrid, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Rome, Florence, Munich, Vienna, Prague, etc. You couldn't go wrong with any of them.

Fly into Rome, arriving on the 22nd. Take the train to the Amalfi coast and base in Sorrento or Ravello (Punta Civita). Visit Capri, Pompeii, relax a beach in Positano, relax, eat, drink, relax. On the 26th head back to Rome. Tour, eat see Rome. On the 29th fly home.

Or.... Fly into Rome, go to Tuscany instead of Amalfi coast.

Thank You all for the input. I have been plugging trips in to Expedia constantly - it's a little overwhelming knowing I can pick most anywhere...that's the problem.

Paris looms large for multiple reasons:

-While neither of us are what I would consider art connoisseurs, I am much more interested in history and can only imagine the profound sense of history all throughout the region.

-The wife will be in tow so I can actually come off as romantic for once in my life.

-Potential of making a day trip to the Normandy WWII memorial.

-That is also the week of the French Open - I was surprised to see 3rd level tickets for the 2nd round are going for over $300 a piece. I wonder what the atmosphere is like around Roland Garros during the tournament? Anyone with specific knowledge on whether or not it's worth attending, and how easy it is to get tickets for the earlier rounds?

Italy also is high on the list but I wonder if it's not better left for another trip when I have a bit more time to take it all in.

I'm not terribly put off by the language barrier - I understand that most of western Europe has become mostly bilingual and that the general stereotype that everyone hates Americans is (mostly) a myth, as long as you are congenial.

Thanks again everyone and keep them coming - I plan on deciding sometime this week.

Tony....from personal experience (our 25th anniversary), point #2 you make looms so large as to overwhelm the others!! ;)
Remember, too, that the Louvre is much more than an art museum. There are some magnificent archaeological displays there as well. Les Invalides and the adjacent military museum are impressive, as is the National Museum of Archaeology, in St. Germaine en Laye, about a 25 minute ride on the RER A line....the museum is very close to the RER station.

Paris - you have just enough time to really enjoy it.

If you love history you will LOVE the UK- London particularly. Everthing from the acient Picts, the Celts to Vikings, then the Romans, and it was (in my mind at least) at the center of many major "modern" events of historic significance. Elizabeth I and Sir Walter Raleigh (the first time we toured the Tower I had been teahcing a unit about the explorers the week before- when we walked into the rooms where Raleigh was imprisioned, a sketch book was lying open on a reading desk- to the very illustration that was in the social studies textbook my students had been reading from the day before I left!!!)the Revolution and red coats, WWI and WWII!!!!! A day trip by train to Dover will give you a taste of Elizabethian times as well as lots of WWII . We have been to London more than 40 times- feel free to private message me.

If I had 5 days to spend in Europe I would choose Paris. A day trip to Normandy would be a VERY long day and is not usually recommended. If you really want to go to Normandy you should do an overnight there. You will have no problem finding things to do for 5 days in Paris. You could do a day trip to Versailles or Giverny easily.

Where ever you choose I hope you have a fantastic time!

London...there is so much to see and do. Fantastic city!!!

Paris, with your amount of time you could do a two day visit to Normandy /D Day beaches. Or a easy cheap daytrip to Versailles, or Monets house and Gardens in Giverny. ( Either of those daytrips are super fun to do a bike tours,, check out Fat Tire Bike Tours) .

Paris for food and wine. No contest there.

Paris just becuase you can do nothing and still be amazed at how beautiful the city is,, sit down on a park bench, eat a crepe from a street vendor,, and just people watch.

Paris, because there are over 200 other museums to see,, you can't see them all, but you can die trying. LOL

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and I agree with the popular sentiment. Paris it is.

Very intrigued with the French Open if anyone has any information on that.

Any specific areas to avoid?

The bike trip sounds awesome - thanks. Any other hidden gems would be appreciated. Don't want to kill the board with redundancy and repeat topics, so if it's already somewhere else, I will hunt.

Thanks again all...

You will love Paris!

A great way to get around is on the Batobus. It is a boat bus with stops on both sides of the river at the places you will most likely go. There are few places you can't walk to from a batobus stop, except Montmartre which is up on a hill. A one day pass on the batobus is 13 euro. For 20 euro you can get a 5 day pass. What a deal!

Definitely buy Rick's Paris book. You will find good information that will make your trip all it can be.

And finally, do learn a little French if you don't already know some. At least the standard pleasantries. A little understanding of their culture will help too.

Have a fantastic time in my favorite city!!!

Best use for such a short time for both length of travel and sightseeing would be London....you could even take day or overnight trip to Paris or Edinburgh. No beaches but depends how important that is.....

When I recommended London, forgot to add that I could spend a week in the free British Museum alone....so much in London is free.

I would recommend going to Hungary; primarily Budapest, for a start. We've been there 4 times and have always enjoyed our stay, the food, and the people. I even planned my last birthday in Budapest; even though we have no ties there whatsoever. There's much history and plenty to keep you busy!

Thanks Again Everyone - I booked my first trip to Paris - the wife is very excited.

We are staying at the Lyon Bastille. Spent about 3 days on tripadvisor.com combing through reviews trying to find the perfect match of price, location and quality. It's in the NW of the 12th, a block or so away from the Gare de Lyon Metro/Train station.

I know someone suggested that Normandy is tough to do as a day trip, but that is probably our only choice at this point. I have already found a few chartered tours that take you to the beaches leaving around 7 AM and arriving back that evening. Does anyone have any experience, suggestions for something of that nature?

Also, still attempting to get my hands on some French Open tickets for that week. Any info on that would be great.

Thanks for all the advice everyone.

Why waste time and energy worrying about it? Just get to the continent and play it by ear. If you really need to boil it down, my first pick is Budapest. I've been there 4 times and have never run out of things to do and see. Both the people and food are great!

I want to know why the wedding was cancelled.

You can't go wrong with a London/Wales/Scotland driving trip.