I'm co-owner of EuroBookings.com, which is a popular European travel planning company. You can get discounts on hotels (and flights and car rentals) and find things to do in Europe. You can also use the translation feature to translate the site into your native language.

Colour and carnival return to the Dutch capital this summer with the arrival of the city's annual Gay Pride weekend.

One of the biggest gay and lesbian festivals in the whole of Europe, it takes place from August 1st to 3rd for three days of non-stop partying.

The highlight takes place on Saturday afternoon with the world-famous Canal Parade comprising 75 spectacularly decorated boats sailing from 2pm until 6pm through the Prinsengracht and Amstel rivers.

Over 350,000 visitors turn up each year to feast their eyes on the procession and dance along to the banging tunes accompanying it.

Elsewhere in Amsterdam, Pride weekend is marked with a mixture of concerts, sports and plenty of revelry, including the popular White Party at the Melkweg on Saturday night.

Stockholm Pride is held over the same weekend in Sweden and this year hosts Europride too, making it one of the biggest festivals in Scandinavia.

Written by: Sasha Perl-Raver

Doesn't everyone have that fantasy about strutting along the Champs Elysee, weighted down with hat boxes and dozens of bags filled with couture? These are a few of the stores that can turn that fantasy into reality while offering a true taste of Paris.

La Bon Marche

Created by Aristide and Marguerite Boucicaut back to the late 19^th Century, La Bon Marche is arguably Paris's most well-known department store. A temple to commerce for over 100 years, it's a destination for fashion and style. If hunting for designer apparel works up your appetite, check out the adjacent French version of a "food court"; an impressive hall that carries gourmet groceries, wines, and tantalizing take-out fare. Not exactly Hot Dog on a Stick...and we like it.

22 rue de Sèvres, Paris, France, 75007

Galeries Lafayette

Look up when you enter and be awestruck by the turn-of-the-century stained-glass dome that crowns the Galeries Lafayette, an incredible shopper's paradise. You can get lost in the cosmetics department. If you want the world's best perfumes, you've come to the right place because they have them...ALL of them. They stage fashion shows occasionally at the center court which provides inspiration and direction as their selection for men, women and children is colossal, offering everything from designer wear to more mainstream options. Other awesome features include a toy department that rivals FAO Schwartz, a salon ready to chop, color, and style, and a beautiful, diverse jewelry selection.

40 bd Haussmann, Paris, France, 75009

Marché aux Puces de Clignancourt

While the prices may have risen at this world-renowned flea market, held in Saint-Ouen on the northern edge of Paris, it remains a great place to dig for buried (and affordable) treasure, browse, practice your French (they are far less inclined to speak to you in English here than at La Bon Marche) and uncover the kind of souvenirs that become family heirlooms. Thousands of stalls make up twelve distinct markets, lining the streets and offering everything from vintage clothing to china, cast-offs, and antique furniture. Remember, one Parisians trash is another person's treasure. One throwback remains, be wary of pickpockets, this is one of their classic and legendary stomping grounds. Some things never change, they just get more expensive.

av de la Porte de Clignancourt, Paris, France, 75018

Written by: Sasha Perl-Raver

Athens is a city that springs to life around 11pm when, suddenly, the cafes are thronged, music is pumping, and every table is filled with loud, tan, happy, gesticulating parties. There's a new party on every corner but here are a few locations that can be sought out for a supremely good time.

+Soda (Plus Soda)

If you love the sound of bumping, pumping, thumping techno, this is the venue for you. +Soda is known around town as The Place to see and be seen and the owners recently pulled a Michael Jackson and dubbed their venue "the most famous dance club in all of Athens."

161 Ermou St., Athens, Greece

Wild Rose

When pretty people, local and visiting alike, want to live it up on the dance floor, they flock to the subterranean nightclub, Wild Rose, where the action starts after midnight. They thrive on variety at Wild Rose with live music on Tuesday nights, kickin' 80's Wednesdays and "Girl Power" Thursday (how very Spice Girls). Like many Athenian restaurants and bars, Wild Rose closes during the high summer months when it's simply too hot to shake a tail feather.

10 Panepistimiou St., Athens, Greece

Stavlos

During the 19^th century, the royal stables where housed here. Now it's an entertainment complex with a little something for every taste including a rockin' bar, a relaxed conversation-convenient cafe, and what Athenians call "happenings"; art exhibits, independent movie screenings, and open-mic nights.

10 Iraklidon St., Athens, Greece

Red Lion Pub

In 1972, the first authentic English Pub was opened in Athens by host with the most, Peter Abanoudis. It is now a legend. For those who can't afford to visit both Greece and the UK, the Red Lion gives you the feeling of fish and chips in your belly and fog on the street while still walking distance to the Parthenon. Sidle up the bar and order from the extensive selection of imported and Greek beers, both in bottles and on tap. With dart tournaments, a DJ who plays Rock from the 60s, 70s and 80s, and a closing time of "Last Man Standing", it's no wonder the Red Lion is a legend.

16 Nidiron St., Athens, Greece