WHAT YOU WILL SEE:

Amsterdam, Netherlands
Easygoing, liberal Amsterdam has never entirely shed its reputation as a hippie haven, even with an economy that has moved far beyond this cliché. Prosperity has settled like a North Sea mist around the graceful cityscape of canals and 17th-century town houses. But Amsterdam is still "different." Its citizens, bubbling along happily in their multiracial melting pot, are not so easily poured into the restrictive molds of trade and industry. Not only do free thinking and anything goes still have their place; they are the watchwords by which Amsterdam lives its collective life. Still, all is far from lost: You can smoke hash all day if that's what you want. More important, you can enjoy Amsterdam, its culture, history, and beauty, without stretching the limits of your credit cards. Few skyscrapers mar the clarity of the sky and the populace mostly walks or bikes from place to place. The historic center recalls Amsterdam's Golden Age as the command post of a vast trading network and colonial empire, when wealthy merchants constructed gabled residences along neatly laid-out canals. A delicious irony is that the placid old structures also host brothels; smoke shops, and some extravagant nightlife. The city's inhabitants, proud of their pragmatic, live-and-let-live attitude, have decided to control what they cannot effectively outlaw. They permit licensed prostitution in the Red Light District--as much a tourist attraction as the Rijksmuseum or the Stedelijk Museum--and the sale of hashish and marijuana in designated "coffeeshops."

Brussels, Belgium
Brussels is sumptuous, historic and luxuriously cozy. With artistry richer than chocolate, architecture as graceful as its cuisine and diversity frothier than the beer, Brussels is an heirloom of northern culture at its best. What makes Brussels special? Great seafood in great restaurants, the smell of hot waffles on a cold winter's day, cafes and pubs that never close, the cosmopolitan but neighborly feel, forests practically on the doorstep, pheasant and truffles in autumn, comic strips, designer shops... The city's character largely mirrors that of Belgium: confident but modest, and rarely striving to impress. For visitors, it's full of delights - Grand Place, mussels with chips, pralines, under crowded museums, intimate hotels, Art Nouveau, Horta, Tintin and unbelievable beers. Over the centuries, Brussels has been ruled by everyone from the Romans to the Spanish to the Germans, a colonial history that well prepared the city for its current occupiers-diplomats, lobbyists, and Euro-politicians who flock to the NATO and European Union headquarters here. The "capital of Europe" has begun to act like Europe's Washington, D.C., a focus of economic and political power, where decisions are made that affect the lives of people around the world. Brussels both symbolizes the Continent's vision of unity and is a bastion of officialdom, a breeding ground for the regulations that govern and often exasperate the rest of Europe.

Bruges, Belgium
Over the years the medieval canal city of Bruges has gone by many names: City of Romance, Venice of the North, the City That Time Forgot, and Cultural Capital of Europe back in 2002. However, none of these monikers accurately capture the enchanting city of Bruges. Walking around the almost perfectly preserved city of Bruges is like taking a step back in time. From its 13th-century origins as a cloth-manufacturing town to its current incarnation as a tourism mecca, Bruges seems to have changed little. As in a fairy tale, swans glide down the winding canals and the stone houses look like they're made of gingerbread. With the city center closed off to cars, all the stunning beauty and culture of this unforgettable city can be easily explored on foot, by boat ride along quiet canals, or by horse-drawn carriage among cobblestone streets. Although Bruges is a small city it will take more than one day to explore all the architectural and artistic treasures, folklore, chocolate shops, lace boutiques, and ambient restaurants on offer. The historic center of Bruges is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Paris, France
Paris assaults the senses, demanding to be seen, heard, touched, tasted and smelled. Gaze rapturously at its breezy boulevards, impressive monuments, and great works of art and magic lights. Savor its gourmet pastiche of cheese, chocolate, wine and seafood. Paris is a city of vast, noble perspectives and intimate, ramshackle streets, of formal espaces verts (green open spaces) and of quiet squares. This combination of the pompous and the private is one of the secrets of its perennial pull. Another is its size. Paris is relatively small as capitals go, with distances between many of its major sights and museums invariably walkable. You'll still find classic sights like the Tour Eiffel, Notre-Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, Sacré-Coeur, and all those atmospheric cafes, as well as trendy new projects like the Grande Arche de La Défense, the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, the Cité de la Musique, and the Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand. And don't forget the parks, gardens, and squares; the Champs-Elysées and other grand boulevards; the river Seine and its quays. Paris's beauty is still overwhelming, especially at night, when it truly is the City of Light.