<p>Paris is breathtaking outside also. The canals. The architecture. But if it rains, and it might, you’re in luck.</p>
<p>I’m somewhat biased about where I live (Edinburgh) because I love it here. I’d always suggest Edinburgh.</p>
<p>Otherwise, I’ve always loved visiting Amsterdam. Love the Van Gogh museum.</p>
<p>Paris—!!! And I would research exactly where I would eat for lunch and dinner each day in order to make reservations.</p>
<p>I’d say it depends on whether you just want to scratch the surface of a great city (i.e., London or Paris), or whether you’d like a smaller city that would allow you to do most of things you’d really want in three days (Prague, Budapest, Edinburgh). Perhaps a compromise might be Amsterdam or Berlin.</p>
<p>I’d fly direct to Shannon, Cork, Dublin and rent a car and head for the coast and just drive around an area of interest. Personally, I’d head for Portmagee and stay at the local hotel and have mussels for dinner, listen to the music, salmon for breakfast and take the boat out to the Skelligs for the day. That’s what I’d do.</p>
<p>my #2 European city is Barcelona. In addition to great architeture, you get Olympic sites & the beach and view of the sea. For my palate, I like the food better than Paris.</p>
<p>I have never been to Italy, but I have been to paris, and could go there over and over, its magical!!!</p>
<p>I love Paris, but I’d pick Rome, without question.</p>
<p>(Reposted from an earlier thread)</p>
<p>(I’m a Roman history buff, but this is written from memory from my two trips to Rome, so some of the historical dates may be off by a few years)</p>
<p>Gossipy Details Beyond the Guidebooks to Pay Attention to When in Rome:</p>
<p>In The Forum</p>
<p>The Arch of Titus
The Romans built arches to commemorate some great military triumph. The Arc D’ Triomphe in Paris is a modern imitation of a Roman arch that was built by Napoleon. At one end of the Forum is the Arch of Septimius Severus - an emperor who was born in Leptis Magna (modern day Tripoli, Libya) and ruled in the early 200s A.D. At the other end is the Arch of Constantine - the first Christian emperor who lived about a hundred years later than Septimius. But in the middle of the Forum is a smaller but rather neat little arch - the Arch of Titus.</p>
<p>Titus was an able general and was also the son of the emperor Vespasian - a general himself who became emperor in the turmoil that ensued after the assassination of Nero in about A.D. 67. The arch was built to honor Titus’ victory over the Jews from their revolt in AD 68 - 70. As you walk under the arch, notice the carvings on the underside showing soldiers carrying booty out of the temple in Jerusalem - the huge menorah and other Jewish stuff. It was possibly during this sack of the temple that the Ark of Covenant finally disappeared, without which we wouldn’t have had all those Raiders of the Lost Ark movies 2000 years later. The sale of the booty from Jerusalem and the temple helped to finance the construction of the Colosseum, which was started in the reign of Vespasian and completed 8 years later in the reign of Titus. To this day, Jews will not walk under the Arch of Titus since it celebrates the destruction of their temple, which has never been rebuilt. The Wailing Wall in Jerusalem is the last vestige of the temple that Titus’ troops destroyed.</p>
<p>Titus later succeeded his father and became emperor himself. Like his dad he was honest and upright and a good administrator, but he died under possibly mysterious circumstances after only three years in office - the main suspect being his evil younger brother Domitian who succeeded him. The destruction of Pompeii by the eruption of Vesuvius happened during the brief reign of Titus.</p>
<p>The Temple of Antoninus Pius and Faustina (also in the Forum)
Antoninus Pius was the fourth of the Five Good Emperors who ruled Rome from approximately AD 100 to AD 200 - forming the absolute golden age of ancient Rome. The stalwart Faustina was the emperor’s beloved wife and she actually died first. He built this temple in her honor. When he died some years later his name was added to the inscription as well. They are described as DIVAE and DIVI respectively - the feminine and masculine forms of the Latin for “divine” indicating that both were elevated to be gods after they died. Only psycho emperors like Caligula and Nero had themselves made gods during their own lifetimes. But it soon became routine to deify any halfway good emperor after his death.
Notice the Christian church which was later built right inside the ruins of the pagan temple. It was built in about the 6th century. And those huge bronze doors you see there are the originals, having stood there on their hinges for over 15 centuries</p>
<p>Inscriptions
Notice that many of the ancient inscriptions on arches in the forum and elsewhere contain the abbreviation SPQR. This stands for Senatus PopulusQue Romanum, meaning “(In the name of) The Senate and People of Rome.” It means it has the official stamp of the government. It is still used today - you see it in Rome on modern public works such as manhole covers and fire hydrants.</p>
<p>The Pantheon
Not to be confused with the Parthenon in Athens, the Pantheon is unique in that it is a temple dedicated to all the gods (pan = “all or every” + theos = “god”) instead of honoring the gods one at a time as was the usual custom. The temple you see was built by Hadrian (the third of the Five Good Emperors) to replace an earlier pantheon that burned down. The original was built ~130 or so years earlier by Marcus Agrippa, the emperor Augustus’s favorite general and side kick. The odd thing is that the inscription you see on the front of the building still credits Agrippa and not Hadrian, even though the structure that Agrippa built is long gone. It says: MAGRIPPA (other stuff) FECIT = “M(arcus) Agrippa made this.” (“Fecit” is pronounced “fekit”).</p>
<p>The wonderful thing about the Pantheon is that it is made almost entirely of concrete - very similar in composition to modern concrete. The Romans invented concrete and used it to great advantage. But like much of their advanced technology, the recipe for concrete was lost in the dark ages and was not reinvented for many centuries.
Many scholars believe that the current Pantheon was designed by Hadrian himself, since he was known to be a talented architect.</p>
<p>Hadrian was an interesting character - very talented, very literate. But he didn’t get along with his difficult wife Sabina. All agree that Sabina was a very disagreeable person, but the whole family situation was not helped by the fact that Hadrian seemed to prefer the company of good-looking young men. His favorite boy-toy was a Greek youth named Antinuous, who died under mysterious circumstances in Egypt during a trip down the Nile with Hadrian. Some suspect that one of Hadrian’s ministers or generals pushed the lad overboard. Some say it was suicide. It’s still a mystery to this day. Hadrian never really recovered from his grief over the loss. At Tivoli, the ruins of Hadrian’s villa outside of Rome, they have dug up a bunch of statues of Antinuous in various heroic guises: Antinuous as Pharaoh, Antinuous as Hercules, Antinuous as Apollo, etc.</p>
<p>The amazing thing about the Pantheon is the dome. Thanks to the use of concrete and some very clever design features, it was for centuries the largest unsupported (i.e. no interior columns holding it up) dome in the world from the time it was finished in the second century A.D. until 1965 when the Astro Dome was completed. Engineers in the middle ages were completely baffled as to how the Romans did it. How could that dome possibly stand up? In fact some medieval Church leaders proposed that, since the Pantheon was originally a pagan temple, demons must be holding the dome up. This despite the fact that the Pantheon was converted into a Catholic church in the middle ages. It was the only possible explanation.</p>
<p>The Spanish Steps
If you walk up the Spanish Steps and head to the right, you will pass by the building in which the poet Keats died. It has been made over into a museum to him and some of the other 18th and 19th century literary figures who lived in the Piazza Di Spagna area - Keats, Shelley, Byron, etc.</p>
<p>The Spanish Steps area is a popular hang-out for tourists, especially kids on backpacking tours. Panhandlers there can beg for your money in over a dozen different languages. I once got panhandled in Finnish because I was wearing a “Finland” t-shirt, but he immediately switched to English when he saw I didn’t understand.</p>
<p>Beware of pickpockets there too. In fact, beware of pickpockets all over Rome, especially gangs of little Gypsy kids. They will approach you waving things at you and making a lot of racket to distract you, while they surround you and one of them lifts your wallet. If you see a gang of Gypsy kids approaching, cross to the other side of the street. Do not let them get within 20 feet of you.</p>
<p>Food
You can get great Italian food pretty much anywhere in Rome. Be sure to try a pizza. They do the crust differently there. It’s very thin and crispy, almost like a cracker. Restaurants always give you a basket of great tasting bread called a rosetti - a loaf that is roughly flower-shaped. It is identical to the charred bread found still on the tables of Pompeii, served nearly 2000 years ago.</p>
<p>Also try the linguini in white clam sauce. It’s wonderful in Rome. I’ve searched in vain for years to find a US restaurant that makes it half so good as they make it in Rome. I’m not sure if it is still true, but when I was there it can be hard to find a restaurant open on Sundays. If your hotel doesn’t have food service, you could be pretty much staring at McDonalds. There is one in Piazza Di Spagna. They are probably all over the place by now. Order a “torta de melle calda” and you will get a McDonalds hot apple pie</p>
<p>I would love to see Rome! It’s funny how different people are, though. My mom hated it. “Too dirty and a bunch of old ruins everywhere!”</p>
<p>My decision would also depend on what time of year the visit was scheduled. Summer can be absolutely chaotic, hot and miserable in places like Venice, Florence and Rome. (three of my favorite cities, but not for three days and definitely not in the summer) However, fall or early spring are a different story. Ive been to Rome six times, the last trip was in July. YIKES…never again.</p>
<p>We were in Rome last summer for a week. We got a wonderful tour guide from someone on CC. She spoke English and knew Rome inside out. We really enjoyed the trip.</p>
<p>I think it would depend on where you have already been. I’ve never been further east than Detroit, and I would probably start in the Uk, London or Edinburgh. Although depends on time of year, wouldn’t go to London this summer. 
I’d also like to go to Prague, Paris & Athens.
H is not interested in Europe at all, he doesn’t even want to go to NYC, where neither of us have ever been. Considering that * I * am the one that hates flying, it is funny that I also am the one that gets us to go someplace different.</p>
<p>Spain is one of my favorite European countries. You wouldn’t go wrong visiting Madrid or Barcelona for three days. Lots to see and do–food is great. People are very friendly. The weather should be good.</p>
<p>No, do not go to London this year unless your kid is in the Olympics. They will have snipers on the rooftops. Go to southern Europe, NOW. Don’t wait until the summer heat. Go to northern Europe in the summer. 
Oh, it’s all wonderful. I am going to Ohio. That for me is exotic.</p>
<p>My vote is for Paris or Prague. Prague would be easier to see in the three days and less expensive. I also heard Edinburgh is beautiful.</p>
<p>I love the big three Paris, Rome and London. The big advantage of London is that if you only have three days you aren’t coping with a foreign language, but in a way that’s the disadvantage too. It’s not quite as foreign.</p>
<p>I think Rome has it all, fabulous art museums, great architecture, Roman ruins, beautiful gardens, stuff to see on the outskirts if you have time and energy. Great food and great ice cream.</p>
<p>Paris is similar. Fewer Roman ruins (but the ruins under Notre Dame are cool), great art, great food (just do your homework) and fabulous ice cream at Berthillons on the Isle Saint Louis. </p>
<p>I love Munich, but it’s museums are not of the same caliber as the other three cities. Loved the food (not heavy German like German-American food), love the gardens.</p>
<p>I’ve never understood the attraction of Prague - went there for a weekend and was underimpressed. </p>
<p>I like Vienna, but it doesn’t have the density of incredible experiences.</p>
<p>Weatherwise - spring in Italy is probably your best bet.</p>
<p>I suppose it depends what you like. But I think Paris, London, and Rome would be my top 3 suggestions, in that order, for a first-time visitor to Europe.</p>
<p>Given that you say spring, I might take London off the list, because of greater likelihood of rainy weather.</p>
<p>Istanbul.</p>
<p>Amazing mixture of European, Arab, mediterranean culture. Fabulous food, shopping and sightseeing. It’s like being in a bunch of places all at the same time.</p>
<p>Paris unless you have been there so many times that there really is nothing left for you to discover. Or maybe Amsterdam, because you can get a good sense of it in a few days and maybe squeeze in a day trip by train somewhere else in Holland too. And people in Holland seem to speak English embarrassingly well from an American standpoint so language is not a major barrier. Great museums, lovely buildings, and better food than you might think.</p>
<p>Paris. I’ve been there many times, but there’s always someplace new to me or a place that needs a bit more exploration. If all else fails, sit my rear on a chair, have a few glasses of wine, and watch the world go by.
I’d get in during the evening, have three full days there, and leave on a morning flight. Of course, that’s 6 days (2 days over, one day back), but whatever :)</p>
<p>I did one short 4-day business trip to the Munich area several years back. It was wonderful spring weather, the white asparagus was in season, plenty of places to sit & people watch and drink beer, and getting around in a car was surprisingly easy (and fun).</p>