[jhc]

How long are you going for? By yourself or with family? It is kind of like a foreign visitor to the USA saying they want to visit Times Square, Disney World, Grand Canyon etc. When I was just out of college I did Ostend, Brugge, Belgium, Luxemborg, Trier, Mosel Valley, Heidelberg, Germany, drive through (not under) the Alps, Bergamo, Venice Italy Monte Carlo, Cannes, Aix, Paris France in several weeks with a buddy in a rental car.

Since then I have been back to Spain, France and Italy separately. Never in a group. If you go on your own you will see a lot more, have flexibility, and arrive and leave before the tour buses arrive. Make sure you have your accomodations lined up in the major tourist areas before you go or at least an idea of where you need to be.

You could easily spend a couple of weeks in Spain. Check out the paradors there, these are former castles, monasteries etc that have been converted to state run hotels. In Italy it is a lot cheaper to rent an apartment, even for short stays. Between Rome, Florence, and Venice there is another week or two, don't miss Siena. France is expensive no matter what. For a short stay just stay in Paris, plenty to do, with maybe a day trips to Versailles or Giverney.