Whats the most beautiful European City you've been to

Slattsy

Its a special occasion and i'd like to threat my gf to a weekend away.

Now, I may be asking alot of you on a Monday morning to say why you really loved the particular city you choose, but if you could add a line or two stating why that would be super

Tia.

PS - It cant be Paris

Duckjob

Venice. Very mellow place, and a different experience due to being based on water.

bbam

Bordeaux
Beautiful place, good weather, uni city too so it's young an vibrant in places too.

johnayo

Cork.
No words required.:pac:

Tombo2001

If you are asking which is the most beautiful European city, then why cant the answer be the right answer. It is Paris.

After that, for me, no question. Vienna.

And I would also say: Everyone knows how beautiful Paris is. So its no surprise how nice is.

But it was a big surprise to me just how nice Vienna is. You dont hear people rave about it the way they do about some other places.

I would also give special mention to Seville.

Julez

Duckjob wrote: »

Venice. Very mellow place, and a different experience due to being based on water.

+1 for Venice! Lovely, lovely place!! Me and my girlfriend loved it!

Spook_ie

I love all the cities that the other posters have said and would recommend them, however, for something different I would highly recommend Bruges - beautiful canals, cobblelocked paths, fantastic architecture and yet some lovely nightlife...oh and yes......fantastic chocolate shops !!!

Duggys Housemate

Paris is the one city which can't disappoint in terms of beauty. It's remarkable.

If you are literally just talking about physical beauty you'd usually be better of in somewhere that isn't a capital city, but ignoring that advice some worth thinking about: Krakow, Prague (long long time since I was there so don't know what it's like now, but it used to be stunning), Copenhagen, Stockholm, Edinburgh would be a few that stand out for me in terms of what they actually look like or feel like walking around.

Venice is amazing but it is very touristy (of course) and expensive. Unless you are willing to really push the boat out I would think twice. If I was taking my girlfriend away I wouldn't want to feel like a cheapskate when I was there.

Slattsy

Thanks for the replies.

Paris is too cliche for me (read between the lines)

ITDept

Stockholm - really beautiful, great nightlife / restaurants, bit different?

hyperborean

Slattsy wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.

Paris is too cliche for me (read between the lines)

Venice is the city for you, good luck

notdarkyet

Vienna for me too if peace and tranquillity are your thing. Venice, Rome, Barcelona if not.

rossie1977

i thought budapest was nicer than paris personally, the view from the castle of the parliament building rivals anything in the french capital

florence is also really nice

Boskowski

Venice is pretty but terribly overrun. Lisbon is awesome. Vienna is a beauty.

Paris or Vienna

mitosis

Sienna, wonderful hilltop walled city.

mikom

Slattsy wrote: »

Its a special occasion and i'd like to threat my gf to a weekend away.

Are you threatening me............... my name is cornholio.......... I need TP for my bunghole.........

NIMAN

Between Paris and Rome.

Paris probably sneaks it in terms of beauty, but Rome just stinks of history.

avud

Rome.
Absolutely amazing.

Challo

Lisbon is absolutely beautiful. Most unexpected best city break ever

steveLFC24

I'll add Florence to the list, my personal favourite. I've been there 3 times and would go back again in a heartbeat. Absolutely beautiful city.

professore

Vienna for me too. Never really got Paris TBH, horribly unfriendly people - how that's romantic is beyond me. Not the French in general mind you - I find French from other cities and rural French fine. Am writing this from Lyon - very nice people but is a bit industral.

Venice IS nice, as is Barcelona, but Vienna blew me away.

EDIT: Never been to Rome, but haven't been ANYWHERE in Italy yet I didn't like.

Tabnabs

Amsterdam, very historic, cultural and friendly. Not the stereotype you'd expect unless you seek that out.

I found Paris very overrated and the locals were true to form in their demeanor.

Madrid would also be worth a visit. Try Venice in the winter for a quieter experience.

Lapin

Barcelona.

The views from Montjuic over the city and Mediterranian are stunning. Take the cable car down to the docks and sit outside one of the many cafes and bars there for a drink before walking back towards the old city, stopping off for Tapas along the narrow streets and laneways leading to Las Ramblas.

Pure bliss on a summer's evening !

Stella Virgo

paris

mickgotsick

Dubrovnik, like something out of a Walt Disney film.

whiskeyman

As its for a special occasion for your GF and Paris isn't an option, I have to say Rome.
Lots of romantic things to do and see.
Bruges may be worth a look also if you want something smaller scale.
Dubrovnik may also be worth a look? I've never been but heard many friends and family rave about it.
I guess it depends on what ye both like. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Tobyglen

Valencia. A gem of a city

rebelchick2

Def Budapest! So beautiful, organise a visit to one of the Turkish baths, lovely cheap massages, spa like facilities. Then take a cruise down the river, the night cruise is fantastic with dinner and entertainment. e boheme hotel is an amazing boutique hotel. Budapest is really cheap so good/drink etc makes it the perfect destination for a city break

ButtersSuki

Prague or Dubrovnik for me.

Was first in Prague in 1995, and while it definitely had become more westernised and touristy, it's still magical if you know where to look (any good guide book will guide you).

Dubrovnik is pretty cool too.

Vienna is undoubtedly beautiful and the architecture/ buildings (churches etc) are stunning and the main museum has just re-opened but for me it was just a soul-less place with very little energy. May have just been me, but was the for a week twice and it was the same both times.

dharn

rebelchick2 wrote: »

Def Budapest! So beautiful, organise a visit to one of the Turkish baths, lovely cheap massages, spa like facilities. Then take a cruise down the river, the night cruise is fantastic with dinner and entertainment. e boheme hotel is an amazing boutique hotel. Budapest is really cheap so good/drink etc makes it the perfect destination for a city break

Imo venice is overated, .. budapest, barcelona , paris is also beautiful but hard to enjoy

hfallada

dere is nuthin like santa ponsa with de girlos.....

I think Florence is pretty nice

padma

Salzburg is a very nice city too. All the mozart stuff, cobblestone side streets, castles and palaces etc.

oconnoao

I'm just back from Rome and was very impressed with how romantic it was and so much to do.

Our hotel had a rooftop terrace and you could hear the music from the square below while sipping on a glass of wine...I'm sure you can find that lots of places mind you but it was fab!

Berberis

Paris, followed by Berlin followed by Tallin

Happypot

Barcelona is just so beautiful and so relaxed. It is also has the advantage of being near a beach. It hasn't been beaten yet for me and I've been to quite a few cities in Europe. Although I've never been to Rome and someone told me recently that it trumps Barcelona (in their opinion anyways).

dingding

+1 for Barcelona

Tombo2001

Tobyglen wrote: »

Valencia. A gem of a city

interesting....

Tombo2001

i will add on to my earlier list (I voted for Paris and Vienna, with Seville as a slightly lesser option)

Cities that I think are over-rated.....not bad places, but they were so hyped up that I was a bit disappointed when I got there
Rome
Copenhagen
Prague
Florence

Cities that are cool places to visit, but not what I would describe as 'beautiful'
Barcelona
Budapest
Amsterdam

Cities that are beautiful, but may not warrant a full weekend as they are too small.....
Bruges
Salamanca
Krakow
Delft
Toledo
Siena
Bath

And finally.....

Cities that I think might be beautiful, but I havent been so I cant say....but one day I will visit.....
Lisbon
Stockholm
Dubrovnik
Venice
Edinburgh

Fagashlil

Venice, followed by Verona, followed by Dubrovnik, loved all three for different reasons!

Slattsy

OP here.. Really appreciate all the replies. Good on yas.

Salzburg is a place that was on my mind.
It was mentioned once. But there's no direct flight which is a bummer.

Of the rest Barcelona is an option as is Vienna.
Rome is certainly in the running, fabulously city. Florence is an interesting one. Never crossed my mind.
They're the stand outs right now.

I've been to Venice before and wasn't overly impressed. We've done Edinburgh and Prague, Copenhagen and Berlin in the last year so they're out. I didn't mention this in the OP as I simply wanted everyone to name their favourite regardless.
And as I said Paris is too cliché and just too obvious! :-)

tfitzgerald

My wife's favourite city is Barcelona and I like it. But I think it's getting a bit rough. I was in Rome last year and I loved it. But I am into history and the place is full of it

efb

Vienna, who wants to live forever....

wadefuq

London bruv innit :-p
Loved my visit there... But if your thinking outside the box why not look into Sarajevo, was there for a couple days last yr and has some beautiful scenery and friendly people

token101

wadefuq wrote: »

London bruv innit :-p
Loved my visit there... But if your thinking outside the box why not look into Sarajevo, was there for a couple days last yr and has some beautiful scenery and friendly people

I'm dying to go to Sarajevo. Probably going to fit it in this summer. What's the nightlife like?

jjbrien

Lets see hmm hard one as theres many great places in Europe so ill group my favorites by region:

Southern Europe:

1. Rome
2. Florence
3. Pisa

Central Europe:

1. Prague
2 Zurich
3 Basel ((its like 3 countries well realy is 3 countries in one))
Freiberg Germany

Northern Europe

1. Oslo
2. Berlin
3 Amsterdam
4. Trondheim
5 Cologne

UK

1 Liverpool
2 London
3. Birmingham

DeadMan1

of the smaller cities, Dubrovnik stands out on its own. Beautiful wall town, amazing setting, usually sunny.

Also on the small side but... Sienna, Granada, Tallinn, Carcassonne and Biarritz are all really nice too. I certainly wasn't expecting much of Tallinn but was pleasantly surprised.
You should be able to fly directly into Dubrovnik, Tallinn, Carcassonne and Biarritz from Dublin

TheUsual

Riga (Latvia).
Small but was full of history and shops and markets and hotels. Cheap enough last time I went.

Lisbon.
Cheap seafood and lots to see on foot for a weekend walking. Lots of trams to get around too.
Hotels might be pricy though, and can be rough late at night.

Tigger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSrhiFJA39U

if you havent you should
if you have you will again

Reamer Fanny

Barcelona is pretty good