What Are The Must See Cities in Europe?

Midpack

Midpack

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So DW has never been to Europe, and I want to take her. I don’t want to spend all our time in busses or planes, so moving from city to city/country every 1-2 days is out. I’m thinking picking 3-4 cities over 2 weeks but I’m open to suggestions. I went to high school in Germany and traveled to many cities and countries, but this may be her one and only trip to Europe. Paris is the only must see, I want her to see Mona Lisa in person, and her family is French-Canadian, she took three semesters of French. London was my favorite city. Hard to pick one favorite in Italy - Florence, Rome, Venice?

So if you only had one trip, which cities would you choose?
 
Of the Italian cities, I would pick Florence. One could go into shock seeing all the fantastic works of art packed into one small city. We spent a week there and never went more than a mile from our hotel. It was truly awe inspiring. And, of course, one must see the City of Light, where we also spent an entire week. So, I would recommend a week in each. Leave London for another trip.
 
For me, it would be London, Amsterdam, Paris and Rome. In that order...Been to all of them, multiple times.
 
If London and Paris are on the list, and you're looking for a third city destination, then why not Amsterdam, Geneva, or Munich (or even Lyon)? For logistical convenience, all are within a few hours of Paris, which will spare you from a full day of travel on a 2-week trip.

As far as which cities in Europe I would choose for a trip of my own, I'd go Budapest, Prague, and Krakow.
 
It really depends on your personal interests, but it seems like Paris & London will be 2 of the cities. Logistically, Amsterdam would be the easiest, with an open-jaw ticket to begin in Amsterdam, and a flight home from London, with Paris in the middle. You would arrive at a manageable airport in Amsterdam, then have an easy high-speed train trip to Paris, and a 2nd high-speed train to London. And you would visit 3 very different and enjoyable cities. It's less unpleasant departing from Heathrow than arriving at Heathrow. I would allot a bit more time to both Paris & London than to Amsterdam.

But if you wanted to go somewhere in Italy in addition to, or instead of Amsterdam, I'd say choose between Florence & Venice. 2 very different places. Both are relatively compact and easy to get around once you're there. All of these cities are packed with tourists. I'd recommend spring or fall, not summer, but they'll all still be crowded.
 
For the sake of ease, do London and Paris together simply because you can easily take the train. Start off with London because airfare's tend to be cheaper and then head to Paris afterwards.
 
I would choose Rome over other cities in Italy, just to experience the Vatican. It’s only 1.5 hours by train between Rome and Florence, so no reason you can’t see both. And I would be tempted to stop somewhere in Tuscany since you’re already there. I really enjoyed Montepulciano and Sienna is worth a visit.

Agree on Paris. Lots of other great cities in France, but the list can get long quickly.
 
I have been to both Florence and Paris in April, and found that to be the perfect time for both. The weather is pleasant and the real crowds have not yet arrived.
 
Ok, tough choice. Can you stretch a little? I think 4 cities, 4 days each is not too bad. London and Paris, yes, been to both. Now it gets harder. In Italy, Rome or Venice. Both spectacular, but different. List the sights in each and choose what you think you would like to see more. Now, last choice. I suggest Vienna or Prague. I've been to both of these too, but I had 1 1/2 days in Vienna and 3 days in Prague. I liked Prague more, but that might be because I had more time. List the sights again and choose.
 
London, Paris and Amsterdam. London (with a day trip to Oxford as a possibility), Paris (with a side trip to Reims, in the champagne region, about an hour from Paris), Amsterdam (with a day trip to the Keukenhof if traveling in the spring). Leidien, outside of Amsterdam, has a wonderful Saturday morning city market.
Or, keep it simple and just visit London and Paris. Give yourself a day or two in each city without an agenda. Look in the local papers to see what's happening that week and go with the flow. Go for a walk and see what you discover. Added benefit is you are only moving the suitcases once between cities. Minimizes travel time.
 
Why London?

My choices would be Paris, Munich or Salzburg or Vienna, and Madrid or Seville in Spain.

Salzburg is really spectacular. It’s smaller than the “major” cities, but outshines most.

Spain is wonderful.
 
If visiting London, look into perhaps a day trip over to Bath - the roman baths throughout make it rather unique.

In France, after Paris maybe go down to Nice and the surrounding Provence area - not for a big city but the opposite. Charming old little villages in a beautiful part of the country.
 
London, Amsterdam, Paris, Florence, Rome, Barcelona. I don't know. It might actually be more fun to try smaller cities. If you have some time in Italy and the water is not high and it isn't mobbed with tourists, I would definitely make a side trip to Venice. I have been three times. The place is other worldly. Even if it is a bit of a make-believe city these days, it is still something to see while it is still accessible..
 
Do some research on the best time to visit the Louvre. Apparently it's better in the evening hours. This was in 2013 but FWIW, we went in May during the day and it was a madhouse. You couldn't get near the Mona Lisa because it was mobbed with people holding up their phones/tablets and taking pictures. The D'Orsay was also jammed. I'm happy to say that I'd learned of an exhibit of Slovenian impressionist paintings at a smaller museum (Le Petit Palais) and we were just about the only people there, so that was a success.
 
I wouldn’t miss Rome. We spent 10 days just in Rome and couldn’t see everything. I’ve been to Europe 6 times and it’s my favorite city. My second favorite is krakow.
 
We did a 9 week tour of Europe to celebrate the beginning of retirement. We were travelling with pre/teens. We're slow travellers so most stays were a week, but we did split up some weeks.

Week 1: Riposto Sicily. Not one of the great european cities but happens to be where DH's many 2nd cousins live.
3 days: Bologna
4 days: Verona
3 days Prague Prague
4 days Berlin
Week 4: Amsterdam
Week 5: London
Week 6 Paris
Week 7 Nice
Week 8 Aix en Provence
Week 9 Barcelona

I loved Bologna - a smaller city, but *amazing* food scene. It's a university town so very vibrant and lively.
I love London and Paris. But they are pricey for lodging. But both have excellent public transit for getting around.
Amsterdam was fun - great museums, the canals, the bikes.

We did the whole trip by train - but did rent a car in Aix so that we could explore the countryside.

Rome is amazing, but can be overwhelming.
 
Gumby said:
I have been to both Florence and Paris in April, and found that to be the perfect time for both. The weather is pleasant and the real crowds have not yet arrived.
Click to expand...
That's what I was thinking, in Spring.

So now it's between London, Paris, Florence, Amsterdam - maybe Venice, Rome or Munich. I have very good memories of all of them. We lived in Germany and I would love to go back but DW is the "customer." I guess I'll let DW choose and not try to sway her. Paris is the only one I am sure she will choose.

I won't go below 3-4 day per city, excluding travel days between. But I am not sure we need a week in any city if we're somewhat organized? So we'd probably need 2 weeks for 3 cities, add 4 days for additional cities.

I wondered if Berlin would make anyone's list, evidently not. I haven't been to Berlin since the wall came down...I did a tour of then East Berlin.

Remember this may be her one and only trip to Europe, so I want her to see the essentials. Not the other cities experienced travelers are interested in.

Thanks for all the posts so far!
 
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There is a bit of jet lag for your flight. I would consider the first day to be somewhat slow. I would pick only 2 cities for 2 weeks. Paris is nice because there is plenty to do there. And then there are day trips like Chartre and Chantilly. You could just hang out in the Luxemborg gardens depending on the weather. There are so many art museums like the Louve and the Cluny. Depends on your interest in history too.

Rome in 2025 will be very crowded due to the Jubilee. And I imagine there will then be spill over to other Italian cities like Florence.

Maybe the Netherlands would be a good choice after Paris. We stayed in Haarlem (see Rick Steves book and his web site too). From there you can visit Amsterdam and Rotterdam and other nearby cities via an easy day trip on the train.
 
OP, the one thing I don't see in this thread is any mention of your and DW's interests. All of the mentioned cities have the usual old buildings and museums. Are those your interests? Plays, ballet, theater, etc. Are those your interests? Scenery, lakes, rivers, mountains? Sports? Foodies? Hands-on activities like cooking?

IMO you should consider your interests carefully before trying to zero in on destinations. The Sagrada Família is only available in Barcelona. The Parthenon is only available in Athens. The David statue is only available in Florence. Bologna is a good location base to see Parma ham and Parmigiano Reggiano being made. The Elgin marbles are in London. Ferrari museums are only in Modena and Maranello. ... You get the idea.
 
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