Paris to...

Have you looked at any guidebooks? They contain a wealth of information about local galleries, museums, etc., as well as lodging information. As for safety, there is no country that is safer than another on your list. Just follow the same precautions that you would anywhere for walking around a city alone. It is difficult to give you good answers because you aren't giving us enough information to go on. Budget? Interests? Three days is not a long time, and you can't hope to see much of a country - even a city - in that time, particularly if you have to get back to Paris to go home.

Since you will be spending so much time in a large city (my favorite!) you might consider going to Bruges. It is easy to get to from Paris and your short trip to another place won't be even shorter because of long travel times. You don't say when you will be there, but in addition to seeing Bruges you could (weather permitting) ride a bike into the countryside. Guide books will help you find places of interest to you in Paris.

All of those countries are "safe" in the sense that they are modern European countries - like the UK or France. They may be safer overall than our dear old US of A. If you go to tourist destinations and well-known cities/towns, you should be fine. If you go to off-the-beaten-path places you should be fine. Wherever you go, exercise normal precautions, just as you would at home. Don't get drunk and go wandering outside late at night. Don't let anyone slip you a roofie. Don't take candy from strangers. :-) Okay, I am being silly - but my point is - a woman traveling alone in ANY northern European country will be as safe as a woman traveling along in any U.S. city, pretty much. There are grotty suburbs in most cities - and Paris is no exception - but you can easily spend a month without leaving the safe, clean city center - and you will never have enough time to see the art in that city. OMG. Galleries and museums in Paris? Where do I start? There's this little place called the Louvre... and another out-of-the-way joint called the Musee d'Orsay... and the Musée Carnavalet (free!) and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, and the Musée du quai Branly (awesomely cool!), and the Musée des Arts et Métiers... girl - you are going to MUSEUM AND GALLERY HEAVEN. If you don't buy the RS guidebook and/or art guide book thingie, try this link for info on the museum pass: http://en.parismuseumpass.com/ And here is a link to the top ten museums in Paris: http://goparis.about.com/od/parismuseums/tp/Top-Ten-Paris-Museums.htm Finally, I recommend Germany as your last 3-day jaunt. Why? Well, I always get a homey feeling there... culturally, we share a lot with Germany. It might make a nice change after Gallic Paris. And Germany is crammed with art - that's the subject of another long diatribe!

Irene, why not consider taking the Eurostar to London, for 3 days, which has some of the world's finest art galleries & museums. If you are an art student, you don't need recommendations from us for art galleries, etc., in Paris. You surely already know about them and if not, ask you art instructor.

Amsterdam is only a few hours from Paris by train and has some fabulous museums. Since you only have 3 days, I wouldn't go too far from Paris. You don't want too much travel to eat into your sightseeing time. If there are any works of art you would love to see in person, you could let that dictate your trip in part. Are you a fan of Rembrandt? Go to the Rijksmuseum and Rembrandt's house in Amsterdam. Do you like ancient Greek and Roman art? Visit the British Museum in London.

Sarah asks an excellent question, Irene - what do you like best? If we had an idea of that, we could give targeted responses. And I also think the Eurostar to London is a wonderful idea. The Tate Modern alone makes it worth the trip! Actually - the Modern, and then the boat across the river to the Tate Britain. Two incredible museums with very different collections, separated by a quick and fun jaunt on the water!