Which are the Best Cities to Visit in Europe?

[Schimmel]

What info?

A stranger merely naming a city without mentioning anything whatsoever as to why he finds it a "nice" city to visit. Worthless.

Haha, funny post.

I say.... Paris of course.

[TatianaSummer]

Haha, funny post.

I say.... Paris of course.

Been to Paris already and it was ok.

[envivision]

Just go to Quebec City.... All the charm of Europe w/o dealing with the Eurotrash.... And only couple of hours from the States.

[robertlouis]

You like castles, Tatiana?

Go to Scotland and see Edinburgh and Stirling Castles. I'll come up and be your guide to the beauties and glories of my homeland.

I'll even throw in a picture of Loch Lomond to whet your appetite even further. I grew up just ten minutes from that view.

And if you get cold, we can always drink some good single malt whisky.

[Tristan2005]

From personal experience, I really loved Rome due to the huge amount of culture, art, and architecture, not to mention the food!

However, if you're interested in seeing castles, you can do a lot worse than Scotland. In my week there I saw about 5 different ones. Also, the people were very friendly and who doesn't love a fun accent!

[magus13]

Barcelona and Amsterdam

[robertlouis]

I'd also have to add York, where I now live. Unofficial capital of the north of England, medieval walls intact, a glorious cathedral, charming architecture, great pubs and history in every cobblestone. It's also very compact and flat, so easily walkable. I love it.

[Stavros]

Tatiana you might want to think about cost and whether the larger cities are going to be your priority. The main cities in the western zone are expensive, although you can usually get a good deal on Hotels online depending on how much you need a good hotel (and what you intend to do in it!). Also, in a city like Prague, if you choose to eat in the central area you may be paying double what you would pay if you move just outside it. Similarly there are parts of central London like Covent Garden which are overcrowded with tourists and you pay more for a coffee there than if you walk a few streets away -the Piazza San Marco in Venice is notorious for its prices.

Of the smaller cities, Copenhagen has its attractions; it is expensive, but it has a charming provincial profile, very liberal social attitudes, and some outstanding restaurants. There is a small LGBT community there which means you would, if you wanted to, become quite well known. If you want a mixture of old world charm and modern amenities, Trier in the Rhineland is one of the nicest cities in Germany, it doesn't have the breadth of interest of Berlin or Munich, but it is a pleasant stay for a day or two and if you journey down the Rhine to Coblenz where the Rhine meets the Moselle at the Deutsches Eck (German Corner), you will see the famous gorges one of which inspired the Lorelei legend. I would not really recommend Cologne, Dusseldorf or Bonn unless you are seriously interested in Germany.
In Italy, I think Genoa is an undiscovered gem of a place, it looks -or used to look- a bit shabby, but the location on the Gulf of Genoa is fabulous, and the food like most in Italy is simple, but fresh, bursting with flavour, and can be had at a cheap price too. If you travel west from Genoa you could base yourself in Nice, which has its problems but is useful because it has enough spread of hotels to get a bargain, it has an airport which links all over Europe, and you can travel at short notice to Monte Carlo, St Tropez, Antibes, Cannes or inland to Grasse, which is the centre of the French perfume industry. Further north, Aix-en-Provence is one of the most seductive places in France, if not Europe.

[TatianaSummer]

Tatiana you might want to think about cost and whether the larger cities are going to be your priority. The main cities in the western zone are expensive, although you can usually get a good deal on Hotels online depending on how much you need a good hotel (and what you intend to do in it!). Also, in a city like Prague, if you choose to eat in the central area you may be paying double what you would pay if you move just outside it. Similarly there are parts of central London like Covent Garden which are overcrowded with tourists and you pay more for a coffee there than if you walk a few streets away -the Piazza San Marco in Venice is notorious for its prices.

Of the smaller cities, Copenhagen has its attractions; it is expensive, but it has a charming provincial profile, very liberal social attitudes, and some outstanding restaurants. There is a small LGBT community there which means you would, if you wanted to, become quite well known. If you want a mixture of old world charm and modern amenities, Trier in the Rhineland is one of the nicest cities in Germany, it doesn't have the breadth of interest of Berlin or Munich, but it is a pleasant stay for a day or two and if you journey down the Rhine to Coblenz where the Rhine meets the Moselle at the Deutsches Eck (German Corner), you will see the famous gorges one of which inspired the Lorelei legend. I would not really recommend Cologne, Dusseldorf or Bonn unless you are seriously interested in Germany.
In Italy, I think Genoa is an undiscovered gem of a place, it looks -or used to look- a bit shabby, but the location on the Gulf of Genoa is fabulous, and the food like most in Italy is simple, but fresh, bursting with flavour, and can be had at a cheap price too. If you travel west from Genoa you could base yourself in Nice, which has its problems but is useful because it has enough spread of hotels to get a bargain, it has an airport which links all over Europe, and you can travel at short notice to Monte Carlo, St Tropez, Antibes, Cannes or inland to Grasse, which is the centre of the French perfume industry. Further north, Aix-en-Provence is one of the most seductive places in France, if not Europe.

Excellent! I will definitely take a look at this and see what is the best options I can squeeze in with my budget for this trip. I will definitely try to go out of tourists areas as I want to flavor the places as if I was a local, or at least try.
Thanks again

[Prospero]

I'd vote for Barcelona and, in the summer, for Stockholm, a magical place thrown out over a huge number of islands.