At that time of year Prague could be a good bet. It's reasonable to eat out there. Not sure what kind of shopping you'd want but I can't say I noticed any designer type places like you'd get in Rome or Paris when we were there (but having said that I wasn't there to shop!)

Have a read on the Prague thread - there's loads of info on prices and recommendations for places to eat and drink etc.

Rather than deciding on a destination first you might be better having a look at what flights are still available within your budget first. Almost anything that is still available for those dates - assuming that it is this month and not December 2007 - is going to be fairly expensive at this short notice. For example, the cheapest EasyJet fares from a London airport on those dates are coming up as £165 per person return from Stanstead. Not bad for that time of year but not exactly cheap either.

SM

Hi I have to reccomend Bruges in Belgium, great city to visit and stay in, flight time from Manchester to Brussels is just over an hour then about 40 minutes by train in to Bruges.

Sliema2

Perhaps not the most obvious answer, but why not try La Rochelle on the western coast of France. You can visit the stunning aquarium Les Minimes and walk through a passage with sharks swimming all around you, there is the Weather Ship to explore, the museum of automated figurines, the old port, a beach, and of course loads of seafood and good chips!