Well Switzerland is fairly sure to be snowy and is one of the most expensive countries - so your budget won't work here.

France will be somewhat less expensive, but snow is certainly possible in most of the country - although less likely than Switz.

For the best weather - least chance of snow - head for southern Italy - as in Sicily.

But if it were me I would head for larger cities - where snow is less likely to interfere with what you want to do. In the very few days you have you should stay in at most two places. Either stay in Paris and do a few day trips from there by train - or pick a second center to stay in. You might consider the south of France - where you would need to rent a car - to see Nice and also some of the charming towns in the hills behind, as well as some of the fascinating museums.

In any case, you must have winter wardrobes - for both of you this is warm coat, hat,, scarf, gloves, sweaters, warm pants (wool or cords) and waterproof boot that have non-skid soles in case of snow, sleet or ice.

Also, I would look now att he average high and low temperatures for the places you are going to so you are prepared. Not sure exactly how hot it is where you live - but this will be MUCH colder (even though only the Swiss Alps are really likely to be very cold - below zero, farenheit, not centigrade - for any length of time.

(I understand the problem, A niece from FL visited us - and started putting on sweaters and jackets as soon as the temps went below 70 - when we were still walking around in short sleeves.)

Let me encourage you to avoid going to lots of places....you will see train stations instead of enjoying the trip. It's common to feel like you have to run all over Europe and cram every site in....but don't do it.

I would vote for Paris and you coukd certainly take a few day trips from there easily. Paris is loaded with plenty to see and do, but it's also wonderful for watching the world go by from a seat in a cafe.

Public transportation is easy and reasonably priced in Paris.

Switzerland is expensive, so skip it. Paris is beautiful, romantic and you can find ways to keep costs down.

Not sure what you enjoy....you can certainly visit Reims to see the awesome cathedral where French kings were crowned and visit a Champagne house or two.

Maybe a visit to Chantilly or Vaux le Vicomte, from Paris. There are tons of museums and beautiful churches to see in Paris. A cruise on the Seine at night to see the monuments illuminated. Maybe stay in one of the higher numbered arrondisements to getter better hotel rates and food will also be less expesive away from the city center. Just stay close to a Metro station to get into the central city areas quickly.

You will not be bored in Paris. Even if you never leave it but taking a few day trips is fun and will allow you to see a lot without schleppping bags all over Europe.

OK - I am not being rude but am honestly curious to learn more. Is February a big month for weddings in India? In the last 6 weeks we have had maybe ten different new members from the Indian subcontinent - all marrying in Feb and all asking about really hectic/complicated honeymoon itineraries.

And is Switzerland a BIG draw for Indians. Most, but not all, of these itineraries have wanted to include time in Switzerland.

Janisj I have been wanting to know the same thing!!

Is Feb a big wedding month in India?

Why have so many people from India that are getting married in Feb a) finding the forum now and b) wanting to do their honeymoon in the middle of winter in Europe???

I am genuinely curious!!

WIth 8 days, not including arrival and departure days, choose one location. I suggest Paris, too.

With 10 days, you might go to Italy and visit 2 cities - either Rome and Florence or Rome and Venice. If you do this, fly into your first city and home from your last to save backtracking.

February is probably the coldest month in Europe so you are best choosing cities where you have lots of indoor options.

Switzerland - surprisingly enough - is a popular oversees filming location for a lot of Bollywood movies and music videos. I guess Switzerland's frequent exposure on Indian TV and cinemas drives the interest in the country as a tourist destination.

As others have pointed out however, Switzerland in February doesn't seem like a good choice for someone who doesn't like skiing, wants to avoid heavy snowfalls and is on a tight budget!

Michael welcome to fodors. Cold France... Agree drop Switzerland. I like the cold and I'd not honeymoon in France in Feb (and aim to avoid snow), however there are three ways to look at this

1) stay in big cities (cities are always warmer) and there is more to indoors than outside. So big tick of Paris, Reims (day trip), Mulhouse, Strasbourg, (maybe cross the border to Bruges, Luxembourg (cliff city), then there is Le Mans, Orleans are all good for day trips. But some of these are too small for more than a day
2) stay in the south, Nice and Marseille are certainly possible with Avignon as a possible
3) stay close to sea level, see list in (1)

Trains are very easy to use and they all come together in Paris so use it as a hub.

Now just a word for snow.
I dislike down hill skiing (too cold, too much pain and a long learning curve) but there are two snow based sports that you might enjoy. Snow walking and cross country skiing. The kit is cheap to hire, the learning curve is short and fast (you can catch it all in a few hours) and there is little danger in both sports.

If any of this interests you then you can stay in small hotels in quiet villages, nice roaring fires and friendly locals may be a great memory in years to come.
for example
http://www.chamonix.com/cross-country-skiing,29,en.html

I've been astonished by all the Indian couples suddenly wanting to visit Europe in the dead of winter, too. Never seen that trend before.

Congratulations, Michael. Now for a dose of reality. First, I hope you don't intend to visit all four countries listed on your posting and are just asking about which one might be best (because it would be utterly impossible to do all four).

Yes, drop Switzerland. It's really cold, really snowy, and really, really expensive. You could blow $3,000 there in 3-4 days.

France won't be warm, either, even if you head to the southern-most parts of it. But if you're willing to put up with some cold and rain, Paris is always an incredibly romantic city. 8-10 days there would be just an introduction to that wonderful city, and weather permitting, you might get out of the city for any number of interesting day trips.

Italy would be another good choice. Venice is one of the most romantic places on earth, and Rome could keep you busy for months. But again, it will be cold, and even snow isn't out of the question. And Venice isn't cheap, either.

I understand wanting to see "as many places as possible," but you're traveling at a cold time of year when it gets dark around 4 pm, and who really wants to rush around like crazy on a honeymoon? You said yourself you want "time to connect," and I assume you didn't mean time to connect to a hundred trains rushing you all over the Continent. "Time to connect" means (to me) having afternoon tea at the Grand Continental in Paris, or wandering around the Campo dei Fiori marketplace in Rome, or having a fireside meal in a cosy bistro in Strasbourg. If my new husband herded me all around Europe in 8-10 days, I'd not be happy.

Plus, you really don't have an adequate budget for moving around much at all. Even very inexpensive hotels are going to run you about $1,200 for 8 days, leaving you with $1,800 for meals, sightseeing, museum and other entry fees, and everything else. You can't possibly add train or air fares to that and make it work. Ten days and the budget picture is even more bleak.

Michael,
Like others, I think 8 - 10 days in Paris would be a dream honeymoon. You can spend your days walking and window-shopping, stopping in cafes and getting to know each other.

You might consider an apartment. It will be less expensive than a hotel with a great deal more space.

Thanks for the nice suggestions. .

1. I'm a Christian (as you must have guessed by my name). But most of the Indians are Hindu and go according to some Horoscope matching and get their marriages settled. This matching of Horoscope gives out a wedding date, which in turn falls into the two marriage seasons, winter and summers .

2. As I get from the suggestion, it's either France(Paris) or Italy.
3. Not too much roaming around.
4. Get good warm clothes.

Thank for the information, Michael. Nice of you to reply.

And yes, you got the message.

>>2. As I get from the suggestion, it's either France(Paris) or Italy.
3. Not too much roaming around.
4. Get good warm clothes.<<

Perfect

Since it is snowing right now in Sicily and most of southern Italy as I type (and this is only December), I have no idea where this information to go to Italy to avoid snow in February is coming from. Last February, the Colosseum in Rome was closed because of snow. The canals froze in Venice. People in Siena and other places in Tuscany had to be dug out of several feet of snow.

Only a fraction of the people who go to Switzerland in winter are skiers. As bilboburgler pointed out, you can stay in small villages by a roaring fire and have a beautiful setting. If you'd rather be in the snow in Italy, fine. But the truth is that the northern countries cope with snow much better than Italy does. Transportation in Switzerland doesn't stop when it snows. It does in italy.

Maybe it helps to be a poet to appreciate Switzerland in the winter, but this is the truth:

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/skiing/the-nonskiers-guide-to-the-alps-783256.html