With so many fascinating European cities how do you pick just ten? We've selected the ones that best trace the history and culture of the continent that so influenced all corners of the globe. It's in these ten cities that you begin to understand the different periods in European (and world) history, through stories of empires and conquests, and some of the greatest art and monuments ever created. Europe remains the world leader in art, architecture, food, fashion, design, and urban scenery, and here are the cities where you'll see some of the best of it all.
Top 10
MUST-SEE CITIES IN EUROPE
1 | PARIS
Paris,
France
Paris is
quintessential Europe, an opulent city often imitated around the continent and
the world, but impossible to replicate. It captures the imagination for having
mastered the art of sophisticated living, and never disappoints. Yes, there's
the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame, the Champs-Élysées, and the biggest
concentration of the world's greatest art at the Louvre, Orsay, Pompidou, and
dozens of other museums, but the real Parisian experience is still sitting at a
café or bistro, shopping down grand boulevards and squares, and strolling along
the Seine. All the Parisien clichés are confirmed and enjoyed everywhere from
Montmartre to Marais, and it's not difficult to see why this is the most
inspiring of all cities.
2 | ROME
Rome, Italy
A city so
great, a country fits inside it. Visiting Rome is also visiting the Vatican
with its extraordinary works
of art, but the city mesmerizes mostly as the
capital of an ancient empire. It ruled Europe and beyond, and icons like the
Colosseum and the Pantheon still stand as testaments to centuries of splendor,
as do the artistic marvels at the Borghese Gallery or the Capitoline Museums.
But Rome is also about living "la dolce vita" down cobbled alleyways
and squares, taking some time for long lunches, or simply for an espresso or
gelato.
And the
photogenic Italian capital is not all about the past and crumbling antiquity,
having a major contemporary attraction, the MAXXI Museum designed by Zaha
Hadid.
3 | LONDON
London,
England
If Europe
has a capital, it is London. It's the continent's largest and richest city, but
that's not what makes it an unmissable destination. It's its diversity and
cultural influence, and the fact that there is always something new to see and
experience. There is always Big Ben and other landmarks like the Tower of
London, the living history in Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey, and the
major year-round exhibitions in Tate Modern, British Museum, and National
Gallery, but also new icons like the Gherkin skyscraper and the tallest building
in the continent, The Shard. At the top of the to-do list is also some of the
best shopping in the world, but wherever you choose to go, you always find a
thriving city constantly being revived, and a world leader in art and
creativity.
4 | VENICE
Venice,
Italy
Standing in
St. Mark's Square you'll be at the center of what was once the world's richest
city and capital of trade, and you'll fall in love at first sight. It's home to
the grandest private residences ever built, magnificent palazzos admired on a
gondola trip down a romantic series of canals that make it the world's most
beautiful city. Great wealth was also able to pay for great art, and you can
see a lot of it at the Academia Gallery. But the biggest work of art turns out
to be Venice itself, the one city in the world that can truly be described as
unique, exuding a fairytale atmosphere.
After
admiring the magical mixture of Renaissance, Byzantine, Gothic, and Baroque art
and architecture, take some time for contemporary creativity inside the Peggy
Guggenheim Museum.
5 | FLORENCE
Florence,
Italy
Nowhere else
can you best experience one of the greatest periods of European and world
history (the Renaissance) than in Florence. This artistic city is an open-air
museum and you get a history lesson even if you don't step inside any of its
several museums. But no one should leave without entering the Uffizi, with its
masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, and all the other
great names in the history of art. This is a romantic city of beautiful piazzas
showcasing magnificent architecture and sculpture, and all of that remarkable
heritage can be admired from the top of the extraordinary Duomo.
6 | AMSTERDAM
Amsterdam,
Netherlands
The Dutch
Golden Age was also a European golden age, now remembered through the art in
Amsterdam's museums. The Rijksmuseum has masterpieces by Rembrandt, while
across the street there's an entire museum dedicated to Van Gogh, one of the
most fascinating artists of all time.
The Anne
Frank House then reminds you of the darkest period in human history, and it's
the most emotive memorial of all of the Holocaust memorials and museums around
the world.
And there
are the canals lined by beautifully-maintained buildings, making the Dutch
capital one of the most beautiful and welcoming cities in the world.
7 | ATHENS
Athens,
Greece
Some
travelers express disappointment in Athens as a whole, expecting an entirely
ancient city but finding a mostly unremarkable 20th century metropolis. But by
the ancient Plaka neighborhood and the Acropolis you're taken back to the
birthplace of democracy, and can get up close to some of the most marvelous
ancient wonders. There's the Parthenon and the treasures found around it inside
the Acropolis Museum (a beautiful contemporary home for a stunning ancient
collection), and the National Archaeological Museum housing the most important
artifacts from ancient Greece. Just for that the mythical Greek capital should
be on anyone's European travel itinerary.
8 | BARCELONA
Barcelona,
Spain
Innovative
Barcelona embodies contemporary Europe, an urban gem that values the past but
embraces the future with vigor. It came up with some of the most original
architecture of the 20th century (the Sagrada Familia is still a
work-in-progress and you may witness a timeless monument in the making), and is
now reinventing 21st-century food. It's a city with an independent spirit,
playing by its own rules, and more than any monument or museum, the main
attraction is the city itself.
Entering
Gaudi's second masterpiece after the Sagrada Familia, Parc Güell, is like
entering a fantasy land, and walking down Passeig de Gracia is seeing some of
the most unique architecture in the world. But although this creative city is most
famous for Gaudi, it was also home to Picasso and there's a museum dedicated to
his earliest works. Other outstanding collections include those of the Miró
Foundation and the medieval art in the Palau Nacional, while contemporary
landmarks include the Agbar Tower and Frank Gehry's fish sculpture.
9 | LISBON
Lisbon,
Portugal
This
mostly-sunny Atlantic capital really makes you feel like you're on the edge of
the continent, and that's what made it wonder about other lands. The European
golden age of maritime exploration spearheaded by Prince Henry the Navigator
(seen leading other notable figures like Vasco da Gama on the colossal
waterfront Discoveries Monument) led to globalization as we know it, and Lisbon
became the first global capital, the gateway to Europe from the East. That
story is now told through the collections of the Ancient Art, Orient, and
Maritime museums, and reflected on sculpted Age of Discovery marvels like the
Tower of Belem and Jeronimos Monastery. Lisbon is also the best place in the
world to admire the art of tile painting, at the one-of-a-kind Tile Museum and
at several monuments around the city, but perhaps the biggest attraction of all
are the inspiring views of what is Europe's most scenic capital, from hilltop
terraces serving as lookout points.
Contemporary
attractions include the world-class Berardo and Design and Fashion museums, as
well as the Santiago Calatrava-designed Oriente Station and the oddly empty
Portugal Pavilion by Siza Vieira.
10 | MADRID
Madrid,
Spain
For art
lovers Madrid is an unmissable destination. In addition to the outstanding
collection of the Prado
(filled with Goyas and Velazquez), there are more
masters from the Spanish Golden Age and beyond to be seen in other world-class
museums, the Reina Sofia and the Thyssen-Bornemisza. The first one is the best
place to see masterpieces by Salvador Dali, Picasso and Miró, and the second
covers all the major periods of European art, showing works by names like
Rubens, Dürer, and Monet.
But Madrid
is mostly about life, lived on the streets of Chueca, down the monumental Gran
Via, and on plazas like Plaza Mayor. Stop at a tapas restaurant, lounge at an
outdoor café on a plaza, and enjoy the best nightlife in Europe, the joyful
Madrid "movida."
About PRABISH BISHUNGKHE
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