Sure, air travel is a hassle. And no, the dollar doesn't go very far in Paris or London. But none of that is keeping Americans away from Europe. Nearly 13 million Americans visited Europe in 2006, a 4 percent increase from the previous year, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Commerce Department's Office of Travel & Tourism Industries. The European Travel Commission expects those numbers will increase another 2 or 3 percent this year.

Now that you need a passport just to visit the Caribbean, some Americans — especially those already on the East Coast — are opting to spend a few more hours in the air to take a long weekend in Western Europe, according to Conrad Van Tiggelen, chairman of the European Travel Commission, www.visiteurope.com: "Traditional destinations like Paris and London are really going through the roof for short breaks."

Another trend is "combining the known and the unknown" by visiting landmarks in a major city, then heading off to the countryside, said Van Tiggelen.

"Seeing the Eiffel Tower is still a great thrill, as is going to the Vatican. But there is a subset of more sophisticated travelers yearning to see a more authentic side of Europe," said Pauline Frommer, the travel writer and editor.

In Italy, travelers "stay in a farmhouse set up for tourism and take part in the daily life and the making of particular products like cheese and wine," according to Cosmo Frasca, spokesman for the Italian Government Tourist Board in New York. In Amsterdam, take a ferry across the Amstel River, rent a bike and "after 10 minutes, you're in 17th- and 18th-century villages," said Van Tiggelen.

Americans are also increasingly taking "experiential vacations," said Peter Frank, editor of Concierge.com. "They want to engage in an activity — windsurfing in Croatia, hiking the pilgrim's trail to Santiago de Compostela (in Spain) or taking a cookery class in Italy."

IT'S ALL ABOUT ITALIA

Britain and France each get more tourists from the U.S. than Italy does, according to Commerce Department statistics. Nonetheless, many travel experts say Italy is the country American travelers are most interested in learning about.

"Italy with a capital I, that's where the action is," said Mike Weingart, a Carlson Wagonlit travel agent in Houston.

AAA Travel booked more trips to Italy this year than any other destination in Western Europe, with a 9 percent growth over last year and a whopping 34 percent of all AAA bookings to the region.

"One of the top questions we have been getting is, 'Where in Italy do I go?' " said Pauline Frommer, a travel-book writer who hosts a radio show with her father, Arthur. "It seems to be very popular among first-time visitors."

Fodor's has just come out with a new guide called "Essential Italy: Rome, Florence, Venice & The Top Spots in Between." "The inspiration for the book came from just looking at our Web site and the reader comment boards," said "Essential Italy" editor Matthew Lombardi. "There were all these little headers saying, 'Rome, Florence, Venice, help me plan my itinerary.' "

Americans are "more savvy now about the pleasures of contemporary Italian culture," Lombardi added. "They can go and see the Pantheon, but they also realize that great Italian food is not spaghetti and meatballs." They want to sample regional identities, cuisine and villages in places like Tuscany and Umbria.

THE ART OF TRAVEL

"Europe is not only one big museum, it also has a contemporary side, and this is a big year for contemporary art in Europe," Conrad Van Tiggelen, chairman of the European Travel Commission, said. Documenta, a major contemporary art event held every five years, runs June 16-Sept. 23 in Kassel, Germany. The Venice Biennale, held every other year, runs June 10-Nov. 21. Art Basel in Switzerland is June 13-17, and London's Frieze Art Fair is Oct. 11-14.

Other noteworthy destinations include Valencia, Spain, where the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia (Queen Sophia Palace of the Arts), designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, opened last October; and Antwerp, Belgium, which is now a center of fashion.