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I’m just on the way home from Paris right now, and as magnificent a city as it is, I think that Aachen is my favourite so far. Not really comparable on scale, I know, but it has everything I love.
So, what’s you favourite city in Europe (UK included) and why? In fact, enliven the thread, and show us a pic of something you like about it as well!
Amsterdam. But I’m not sure a picture of the best bit would be appreciated…
I really like Bilbao, great bars, food, post-industrial renovation and near enough to the coast and some great beaches.
Verona. But I might be biased as I got engaged there. ❤️
If not for the Europe restriction I would have gone with San Francisco.
In Europe I enjoyed visiting Rome and Budapest but not sure if I would classify either of them as my favourite tbh.
I really liked Barcelona. One day I was sat by thr beach, the next day riding a funicular up into the hills. I enjoyed the variety.
Valencia, Rome, just after Cork.
Berlin. Or maybe Stockholm.
I am seriously undertravelled. Did enjoy Turin, much nicer than Milan.
I lived in Prague for a while, got to know it very well, and will always have a soft spot for it. Great city, but long winters!
And I've not spent that much time there, but I've really really liked Lisbon when I've been there.
Edit to add a photo. Wasn't sure what to add of Prague, because a lot of the sights are very well known. But there are a lot of tucked away corners to explore and enjoy. So here's a lesser known sculpture by David Cerny, hanging up outside the Lucerna cinema. It's about a 1 minute walk from Wenceslas Square, but you wouldn't see it unless you were looking for it. Or, like me, you went to the cinema there!
MoreCashThanDash
Full Member
I am seriously undertravelled. Did enjoy Turin, much nicer than Milan.
Tell me more. Heading to Turin in July.
Favourite European city to date: I'd like to go back to Budapest.
Wiesbaden, near Frankfurt.
Followed by Rome.
Followed by Edinburgh.
Followed by Manchester.
…
Then every other city in the known universe
…
Finally Aylesbury.
Rome, lisbon, paris
Helsinki. There is plenty of green space, culture and water, it is really easy to around and Finns seem to have life pretty much sorted. I do love Berlin too though.
Berlin but there is a butcher/burger shop in Prague that is part of my ultimate day out so it's a close run thing. Used to be Glasgow but I've grown up a bit and the city has changed, still up there though.
Sheffield: trees, parks, hills, beer, Peaks, diversity, Labour and Greens, gigs, pisspoor shopping (yipee!) students.
Tell me more. Heading to Turin in July.
Favourite European city to date: I’d like to go back to Budapest.
Blimey, was 20 odd years ago now, an old school friend of the now MrsMC was working there and we had 3-4 days with her. Just remember lots of lovely architecture, cafes, restaurants, really relaxing place to wander round, weird flashbacks to the Italian Job.
Milan was grim. Too many tourists, beggars and child pickpockets.
Milan was grim. Too many tourists, beggars and child pickpockets.
Isn't that Brighton?
@MoreCash sounds great, thanks.
Aarhus. In festuge season.
Ghirona. While the Ryanair flight passengers pile onto coaches to Barcelona. I couple of euro gets you to girona. My goodness food, coffee, wine and food. Fantastic city. Not bad doors either.
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I really enjoyed Riga for a winter weekend away. Beautiful architecture without feeling as touristy as Tallinn. Hearty food and drink with more variety than German.
Utrecht, Holland. My brother lives there, it's a lovely, compact city with fantastic restaurants and a chilled vibe but without the seedyness of Amsterdam.
there is a butcher/burger shop in Prague that is part of my ultimate day out
Ha nice, whereabouts is that?
Avignon is great if you're there at the right time - think Edinburgh Fringe but warm and dry.
Paris is the best city in Europe apart from London.
Not a city person at all, despite living in one and looking to move to a bigger one soon! Haven't done much travelling either but the one city that made a lasting impression was Seville. A brilliant mix of space, culture and amenities.
Can I add London? When a person is tired of London, and all that... Loved Berlin and been awhile, but loved Barcelona too. 🙂
You can add London 😀
My second favourite city, where I did most of my growing up.
Edinburgh will always win,I love it more(and London)for not living there any more.
New York probably scrapes in to third,I was never that fussed about going, as there was a list of places I wanted to go first,but once I got there....wow.
😀
After that, Chelmsford. Obviously
@Flaperon - aylesbury does have some plus points. I miss the 12 supermarkets within a 10 mins drive.
Mine would be Paris, though I do have a soft spot for Munich.
Would like to visit some of the less common places in Europe!
Paris? Really? Even the French hate Paris.
I've not visited any other cities for a long time. I loved Bologna, even if only for the food. Berlin was fantastic immediately after the wall came down with the two cultures intermingling. Marbella for the weather. Brussels was much nicer than I'd expected though everyone tells me Bruges is better.
Locally, Inverness is acceptable though it has lost its rather wild-west feel since achieving city status.
I enjoyed most cities I spent time in the far east, but not sure I'd want live in any of them. Can't think of any European ones that I've been to that beat Cambridge. It's got some issues, coat of living vs wages, road planning and housing developments but overall its pretty good apart from being in the worst part of the country for outdoor stuff.
I'm with reluctantjumper, not a city person but I liked Seville, also liked Lisbon. In
the UK Edinburgh, but I've got a soft spot for Bristol
I've never understood why its trendy to say Paris isn't a nice city. For me any flaws would be mirrored in any mega city like London or Berlin and it has a lot to offer.
I suggested Riga earlier but Copenhagen is also amazing and not as expensive as people think (I'd rather pay £7 for a pint in Copenhagen than £6 in Manchester).
A city I haven’t yet been to, but looks absolutely amazing, is Gdańsk. I tend to be very interested in former Hanseatic cities, and Gdańsk looks a notch above the rest.
London - bored of London, bored of life, etc. So much to see, most people have never been through the little door into the Temple Inns, or walked up the city's narrowest street (and it's a useful shortcut). Look up odd tours on t'internet, go down the rabbit hole from there, and a whole new world opens beyond Leicester Sq and the Tower of London type places.
Durham. It's only small and clearly won't 'compete' with Paris, or New York on that basis. But it was my University home for three years, so has many memories, and is worth anyone's time for a weekend break despite its size. Just don't lose too much of that break experiencing the delights of the Dun Cow, Shakespeare, and above all, the Vic.
Overseas. I love Prague, so much to do and the people so friendly, in a grumpy sort of way.
I've been to Madrid twice - once with work - and would love to go back.
And before covid, was supposed to be going to Budapest but that got scrapped. Still would like to see the city but a bit mixed feelings, they have after all voted Orban in and he has a vocal anti LGBT stance and I don't particularly want to fund their economy on that basis.
Paris is great, meets all the clichés
Venice, went in a beautiful March week, not busy and walkable. Going back in June and dreading the crushing reality!
By far the best small city is Galway, full of culture, cosmopolitan, great food and pubs. Beaches and countryside close by. It was identified as the escape when the bbc reported Priti Patel’s leadership vision!
Helsinki is just great.
Copenhagen is fun as well.
Biased having lived there for a while but Gothenburg is a nice size, great atmosphere all summer, strong but expensive beer culture, whole range of great views, friendly Swedish culture, excellent MTB 15 minutes out from the centre, ferries all the way out to the archipelago covered by the (excellent) local public transport card. Converse to a previous poster I think Sheffield is nice but it's got way too much of a car problem to top any city lists.
Napoli! Again, all the cliches are true! It is so unlike the northern Italian towns; more a south east asian town just dumped there and left to get by the best they can...
Also where I had my heart broken and found the love of my life in a couple of weeks...
Venice, probably the most beautiful city in the world!
Bologna, The food, the market, more food....
Siena, Dragging itself into the 16th century...
Seville, The orange blossom, Flamenco...
Bruges, The warm embrace of the waterside pubs on a weekend where the temp never rose above -5...
Coventry
Love Paris, love Barcelona, love Amsertdam (even if you take away the naughty stuff). Went to Rotterdam recently and thought it was a great place.
Only ever been to Germany once and stopped off in a place called Karlsruhe, was really nice.
I've not traveled much at all but I did get a couple of trips to Zurich with work and really liked it there. Maybe helped that the weather was nice.
A city I haven’t yet been to, but looks absolutely amazing, is Gdańsk. I tend to be very interested in former Hanseatic cities, and Gdańsk looks a notch above the rest.
I love Lubeck "Queen of the Hansa" (well the old city anyway), but I'm biased as it was my Mum's home town and I've spent time there having a great time with the German side of the family.
Also, I retain a soft spot for Sheffield where I spent my hedonistic student years.
I’ve enjoyed visiting
Firenze
Praha
Sienna
Grimsby (not really)
St David’s
Mulhouse
Annecy
But I’ve never been to Scandinavia and I reckon I’d like it.
Outside Europe I love Hobart.
I lived in Helsinki and whilst I loved my time there there's not actually that much in the city. Finland itself was more my thing, I spent all my time getting out into the countryside. As a tourist I enjoyed Tallinn more.
I'm not a city person but I'd have to nominate London.
Innsbruck. Beautiful, small city and the mountains on the doorstep.
Grenoble. Again, door step to the mountains and a lovely chilled place with great food.
Rome. Amazing place to stroll around, though can be a bit busy in the peak season.
Birmingham. Yeah, laugh as you wish, but there’s no place like home and the changes in the last 10 years have made it a wonderful place.
Edinburgh will always win
Its not even the best city in Scotland!
Barcelona for me , for towns I love Nerja east of Malaga as well.
Innsbruck for me I think. Lovely city centre with great shops and bars, mountain backdrop and you can get the funicular from middle of town and be skiing within half an hour. Or mountainbiking, depending on time of year!
Also love Cologne - happy to see EasyJet offering it from LGW once again 👍
Cordoba & Granada are beautiful small cities. Good mix of history and relaxed nightlife.
And as said before Seville is nice, maybe not so in July/August though.
St. Asaph, tiny city but not far from some wonderful outdoor places to visit.
London's got a lot going for it but Girona and Malaga have too. I guess the place I've been to most though in the last few years is Tarifa. Touristy, but in the right way - surrounded by people with a common purpose. Wind, sea and bikes. Oh, and bluefin tuna (one of the only places in the world where it's officially sustainable).
Tarifa is a great little town especially in the old town. Great little maze of streets, bars and shops and all within a short walk of the beaches.
Paris for me too. I get that the French hate Paris etc, but I lived and worked there in my late 20s when I had money and no commitments, so I had a ball. I like the variety in Paris. You can change lifestyle easily from one day to the next, whether it’s going clubbing, sitting in a cafe watching the world go by or reading a book in the park. Plus you can walk all day and it’s never boring. I worked in the Latin quarter and had friends from all over the world. I do think that your circumstances at the time (e.g. visiting vs working) have a big influence on how you view somewhere though.
Edit: plus my nearest bakery sold ‘flan’. 😛
My top 3
Vegas - but I can't tell you why
Rome - but go off season
Liverpool - do a walking history tour
If we're choosing on where you'd like to live then: Vancouver.
But like like many of these, i suspect you'd need a bunch of cash to make it bearable.
European: Bruges, or two in France; Dijon, or Montpellier I'd have to say are the ones I'd be happily visit again
And do try to get to Hanoi before the 20th century catches up with it.
In no particular order; Utrecht, Stuttgart, Dublin, Gent, Innsbruck, Edinburgh.
Europe Granada or Bergen.
Further afield Melbourne or Christchurch.
UK none of them.
If we’re choosing on where you’d like to live then: Vancouver.
But like like many of these, i suspect you’d need a bunch of cash to make it bearable.
Yep. Been here (well, just over the inlet in North Vancouver) 15 years now and property prices are eye-watering and salaries don't really compensate.
Obviously, it's an "outdoor mecca" but if it's architecture, culture or history you're after, look elsewhere...
Oh yeah, Bergen is awesome. Also, to live, I'd love Sundsvall in Sweden.
+1 for Tarifa. Followed by Bodrum. And if we're stuck with Europe then I have a soft spot for Oxford and Cardiff.
Salford
To live would be clermont ferrand. Not sure about visiting.