A Week of Romance in Europe

I leave much of the daily scheduling up to you in this tour — nothing kills a romantic mood more than shuttling hurriedly from place to place. The mere mention of Paris conjures up romantic images, so it’s a great place to spend Days 1 through 3. See your fair share of Paris’s famed museums — the Musee d’Orsay has both French Romantic-era painters and scads of those lovable Impressionists, but take time to enjoy the finer points of Parisian life.

Linger at cafe tables for hours, spend an evening strolling Montemartre, have long meals at fine restaurants and cozy bistros, explore Paris’s gorgeous parks, take a dinner cruise along the Seine river, and ascend the Eiffel Tower one evening for a panorama of Paris that lives up to its nickname, City of Light.

To indulge in the romance of yesteryear, make a palatial daytrip to Versailles, the palace to end all palaces. On the evening of Day 3, board the overnight train or a late-evening flight on no-frills SmartWings (http://smartwings.net; about $102) to Prague.

Prague, your focus for Days 4 and 5, is a city of baroque palaces and mighty fortresses, church concerts and powerful beers, hidden gardens and classical street musicians who play a mean Dvorak. Pass an afternoon delving into Prague’s rich Jewish heritage at its synagogues and museums; take a sunset stroll across the statue-lined Charles Bridge.

Spend a day (or at least a morning) exploring Prague Castle, both for its soaring Gothic cathedral and to see how a fortress-city of the Middle Ages looked and worked. Whatever else you do, try to fit in as many of Prague’s delightful evening concerts as you can.

At the end of Day 5, hop an overnight train — or a Volareweb.com flight (http://buy.volareweb.com; about $45) — to Venice for Days 6 through 8. Venice — La Serenissima, “The Most Serene” city of canals, palaces, Byzantine mosaics, and delicate blown glass — has made a romantic out of everyone, from Shakespeare and Thomas Mann to Casanova and Woody Allen. Venice has always been a haven of secrets, so I leave you to your own devices in exploring.

Don’t pass up a spin in a traditional gondola (despite the outrageous prices). Make sure you have a couple of long, drawn-out Italian feasts by candlelight, a cruise down the majestic sweep of the Grand Canal, and some moonlit strolls through the narrow, winding alleys and over countless tiny canals.

I suggest one personal favorite among romantic Venetian experiences: Set aside one full day to explore the smaller fishing, glassblowing, and lace-making islands in the Venetian lagoon.

You’ll most likely have to fly home from (or at least connect through) Milan, so leave all of Day 9 free for the return trip. Remember in Venice, with its languid pace, to allow at least an hour from the time you leave the hotel until you get to the train station (either to take the train to Milan in 2 and 1/2 to 3 and 1/2 hours, or to catch the shuttle to the Venice airport in 20 minutes).