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Fun After Dark. Although nearly every West European city except respectable Rome has its striptease shows, the bawdiest are in Paris, Hamburg and Brussels. Among the popular places: Brussels' Chez Paul au Gaity; Paris' flashy Lido, and the broader diversions of the famed Crazy Horse. Hamburg's Reeperbahn nightclub strip is Germany's gaudiest and roughest.
In Rome, where strip shows are forbidden, natives find the best show is to sit at a sidewalk café on the elegant Via Veneto and sip espresso while Italian beauties sway by. There are other forms of culture too: Carmen, Bohème and Aida, with live camels, horses and elephants, will be given on an outdoor stage in the Baths of Caracalla (July 2-Sept. 4).
In London, a Leicester Square theater has been turned into a large restaurant. The Talk of the Town, with a floor show for the entire family and plenty of floor space for dancing (about $6.75 per person). There is little night life in Sweden and Norway, where strip shows are forbidden, but some restaurants stay open until 4 a.m. with bands for dancing. Best jazz is at Vienna's Fatty's Saloon and the Adebar, Rome's Bricktop's on the Via Veneto, and Paris' Caveau de la Huchette. To end the evening, Paris has the traditional onion soup at Les Halles, Paris' great produce market. There is also Le Drug Store on the Champs Elysées, where the spécialtiés de la maison are hamburgers.
Where & What to Buy. One of the finest shopping streets in Europe is Paris' Rue Faubourg St. Honoré, home of such couturiers as Lanvin and Cardin as well as Hermès—a combination of Mark Cross and Abercrombie & Fitch—where expensive leather goods are made on the premises (e.g., an $80 copy of a handbag for Princess Grace of Monaco).
In France, tourists can save up to 20% in local taxes by paying in traveler's checks. In England, the local tax can be saved by showing a U.S. passport and having the goods shipped to the airport or ship, or directly to the U.S. In Switzerland, the tourist can cut about 15% off the list price of watches by some haggling (a reliable 17-jewel watch costs about $25, a self-winding watch about $40). In Belgium, best buys are handmade lace in Bruges (at Durein) or Brussels (at Diane Dirgent), hunting rifles from Bury Donckier in Liege and cut diamonds in Antwerp, where they sell for 30% to 50% less than in New York. Holland has antique auctions in Amsterdam and at Delft (from Aug. 24 to Sept. 14), specializing in porcelain, silver and paintings. In the Scandinavian countries there are savings of up to 60% on stainless-steel flatware and silver (e.g., Georg Jensen silver costs about 1½ times more in New York). Impressive bargains are at shops of Shannon, a customs-free airport. An ounce of Jean Patou Joy perfume costs $20.50 v. $28.20 in Paris, $50 in New York.