Where would you go next week?

Agreed. I'd look for a cheap airfare on some no-frills regional carrier and go from there. It's still a bit chilly to the north and east. You might consider heading south: Turkey, Greece, Former Yugoslavia. Check the weather forecasts. A friend just came back from Morocco. She said it was warm, beautiful and cheap. I like short notice get-aways. Good luck & have fun.

April 30th is Valborgsmässoafton (Walpurgis Eve) in Sweden. There will be bonfires and singing in various places. Usually there are large gatherings at the various universities. I'd ask your friend for suggestions on where to go. If you are in Stockholm, there are always activities at Skansen; I've been to the festivities there twice and they always have various groups singing. Here is the schedule (could not find it in English): http://www.skansen.se/aktivitet/valborg-pa-skansen While I would not call this a "don't miss" celebration, if I happened to be in Sweden on the 30th, I would definitely go.

hmm, where would i go next week? well..... next week i am flying to brussels. then from there i will be in prague, bratislava, austria, budapest, zagreb/plitvice, ljubljana, bled, venice, florence and milan! i know you meant your question in a hypothetical context, looking for some suggestions. but i am so excited about my trip that i just had to take an opening to talk about it!

Stephen: Sweden is very expensive but if you have a hotel deal that may not matter to you. I was in Morocco last month and have fallen in love with the place. There are lots of cheap "get-aways" from London to Morocco, Marrakech would be my choice. Definitely not expensive. Google these riads for a place to stay. Riad Noor Charana, Riad Al Jana and Riad Sekket.

Are the non-hotel aspects of Sweden crazy expensive? Meals, etc.? I have a 4-star hotel for $150 a night which seems great there. Weather seems like it will be cool and dreary there. I just found a very affordable flight on British Airways to Dubrovnik.

Hmmm. My LA forecast is lows in the 60's, Highs in the 90's.
Not going anywhere.

As mentioned already Budapest fits your budgetary issues. It is a god time of year to visit; the food is great. The city has remarkable vistas overlooking the Danube. Really, quite spectacular for a short stay (2-3 days). If you select BP, write back and I am sure we can offer some neat day trips, restaurants, museums, etc.

Hello Stephen. In the last week of April, I would go to Portugal. The climate (weather) should be pleasant in Portugal.

Stephen, you could probably "do" Budapest for $150/day including a 3-star hotel. 2 years ago, I averaged about $160/day for 4 full days, including nice dinners, all entrance fees, concert, folklore evening with dinner cruise, etc. etc. I stayed at the Mercure Museum Hotel, great breakfast, excellent location. I don't have a record of how much I spent in Stockholm in a day and a half, but I do remember that everything was expensive compared to pretty much everywhere in Europe.

The Sevilla Feria de Abril ( April fair) starts on the 24 th and is a can't-miss festival.

I consider Stockholm to be comparable to London in terms of prices. It is one of the more expensive cities.