Which are the Best Cities to Visit in Europe?

[Stavros]

Prospero do you know Bilbao? I thought of going a year or so ago, still thinking of it.

[Avenged01]

Krakow, Poland - For the history, for the food, for the Castle and the Cathedral, and not least the sexy women. Is a bit conservative and Poles are not a very welcoming people to outsiders although you being American might experience it differently as they tend to worship yanks.

Budapest, Hungary - For much the same reasons above except the city is far more vibrant. You can grab a cruise of the Danube from here which is supposed to be spectacular but which I didnt have time to do.

Have to agree about Budapest. It's a wonderful City. I recommend a visit to the public thermal baths and check out all the quirky ruin pubs in 7th District for friendly and fun nightlife.

[Prospero]

Bilbao. No... it is on what they call "my bucket list' but I'm not sure what there is there apart from the Guggenheim. I love Gehry but....

[SammiValentine]

If you want castles. North Wales is epic. bit cold though, and wet etc. I love castles to

[Prospero]

Sammi is right. I spent a blissful ten days in North Wales in the autumn some years back seeing wonderful castles. Special ones for me were Beaumaris and a wonderful set of craggy ruins on a mountain top called Dinas Bron. But other magical castles include Conway, Rhuddlan and Harlech.

[SammiValentine]

Sammi is right. I spent a blissful ten days in North Wales in the autumn some years back seeing wonderful castles. Special ones for me were Beaumaris and a wonderful set of craggy ruins on a mountain top called Dinas Bron. But other magical castles include Conway, Rhuddlan and Harlech.

+ caernarfon and the ruins at criccieth are tiny but kinda cool up on that mad hill.

[Prospero]

I thought Caernafon was too built up. And i had forgotten Criccieth. There are plenty more too - and while out there if you choose Wales you should also go to see Portmeiron. A weird fairytale little town (used to film The Prisoner).

[Abartig]

Ohhh wow, super nice!! I LOVE castles and one I am NOT going to miss is Neuschwanstein Castle in southern Germany. I heard that Budapest and Instanbul are very nice!!

Germany is a great base for castle hopping, in Germany itself and along the edge countries. A rail pass for Germany can work out great in seeing all that Germany has to offer and as I mentioned visiting the edge countries, just pay for the ticket from the border into the neighboring cities you want to visit. Just a few examples would be Prague (http://tinyurl.com/kpyvc8b) in the Czech Republic, Salzburg (http://tinyurl.com/mecq9ru) in Austria, Strasbourg (http://tinyurl.com/visit-strasbourg) in France. Just take a look along the German borders and you will see plenty to visit. Of course it has been a while since I priced out train passes but at the time I traveled a German rail pass (+ tickets to cities across the border) was still cheaper then a full European rail pass. If you can procure any documentation showing you are a student you can save even more.

For scenery overload river cruises can be awesome. Wurzburg (http://tinyurl.com/visit-wurzburg) in Germany is a very nice small city to visit for a day (or less) if you get in the neighborhood along the Main (pronounced "mine") river.

I took the train from Germany, through Prague, Budapest (http://tinyurl.com/k6pg8s5), Bucharest and Sofia and into Istanbul (http://tinyurl.com/visit-istanbul) and ended up living in Turkey for 2 years I loved it so much. Istanbul is a magnificent city to visit and if you are into ancient historical sights Turkey is a very interesting country to spend some time in.

Remember to check what festivals are happening in the countries you are visiting and research them to see if they interest you. There are great festivals throughout the year all over Europe.

[SammiValentine]

I thought Caernafon was too built up. And i had forgotten Criccieth. There are plenty more too - and while out there if you choose Wales you should also go to see Portmeiron. A weird fairytale little town (used to film The Prisoner).

Yea ive been pretty much every castle love north wales in general but kinda forced on me I guess with a grandad from round there and every holiday until I was 17 with my parents round there. Drummed into me....

[rbiller]

Don't limit yourself to just big cities. Get on a tour and visit the small towns as well.