10 Best Cities to Visit in Europe

Barcelona, Spain

Thanks to Anton Gaudi, the Spanish Catalan architect, Barcelona has a built-in otherworldly vibe. Arguably his signature mark on the skyline, the still-under-construction Sagrada Familia will eventually have 18 towers. Other Gaudi must-sees include La Pedrera, Casa Batllo, and Park Guell, the latter offering views all the way to the Mediterranean Sea.

Beyond Gaudi, art aficionados can find Catalan art at the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya and visit Fundacio Joan Miro, featuring a collection of more than 300 paintings and sculptures by the surrealist artist. And for a little food art, do some tapas bar-hopping and feast on pintxos, or bite-sized snacks. Just be prepared to eat late: an 8:30 dinner is early for locals. Seafood is a safe bet, given the seaside location (also perfect for plopping down on a towel). Or create your own spread with ingredients purchased from the Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, referred to as simply La Boqueria, a public market that's hard to leave on an empty stomach.

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Copenhagen, Denmark

Lauded for its food-foraging revolution and hyperlocal cuisine, Copenhagen boasts more than a dozen Michelin-starred restaurants. But don't worry if you can't get a reservation at Noma, often named the world's best restaurant: several former Noma chefs have opened their own experimental, conceptual eateries. For a simpler take on Danish cuisine, try the open-faced sandwich known as smørrebrød, featuring cold meats, smoked fish, cheese, or pate served on rye bread.

Denmark is the third happiest place in the world according to the 2015 World Happiness Report. Whether it's from the food or not isn't clear. Perhaps the bike-friendly nature of Copenhagen has something to do with it. Rent one and find out. Most roads have designated cycling paths; just make sure you get a bike with a basket to fit any of the Danish-designed home fixtures and other souvenirs you're sure to come across.

London, England

For lovers of history, culture, art, and all things free, there's perhaps no better city to visit than London. It's got tons of free museums and attractions, including heavy-hitters such as the British Museum (with must-sees like the Rosetta Stone, Parthenon sculptures, and several mummies in its Ancient Egypt gallery). The National Gallery, Natural History Museum, Tate Modern, and the Changing the Guard ceremony outside Buckingham Palace are all also free. Also free are the city's parks, including Hyde Park (home to a lake and rose gardens), as well as the further-afield Richmond Park, the largest of the Royal Parks and home to protected-under-law panoramic views from King Henry's Mound.

Not free, but worth a visit, is the Tower of London, where you can see the Crown Jewels as well as graffiti from prisoners locked in the tower nearly 500 years ago. Across the River Thames, a replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theater puts on a variety of productions between April and October.

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Madrid, Spain

Staying up until dawn and riding the subway back to your hotel after a night on the town is like a rite of passage in Madrid. With Madrid's nightlife, there's something for everyone, including fancy cocktail joints (gin and tonics are no joke here), low-key pubs, and places made for dancing until dawn. (And there's nothing better than churros with chocolate for breakfast.) Start the night around 10:00 p.m. when the locals do dinner before wandering bar to bar, seeing where the night takes you.

When bars close, the club scene in Madrid is just firing up; some stay open until 6:00 a.m. The scene will vary depending what barrio, or neighborhood, you're in. Try Malasana, known for its mix of modern and time-tested bars, or Chueca, the city's center of gay culture.

But don't miss Madrid by day, either. Its art museums (Museo del Prado, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia) include works by Spanish masters such as Goya, Picasso, Dali, and Miro. And its plazas (Plaza Mayor, Plaza de Oriente Gardens); parks (El Retiro, Casa de Campo); and tablaos, or flamenco bars, are other iconic stops. And if you can stomach it, you can watch traditional bullfighting in Madrid, which has yet to ban it as Barcelona did.

Paris, France

With a rich history of writers and artists congregating in the City of Light, it's no surprise that Paris is so culturally rich—and full of museums bursting with some of the world's greatest works. The likes of Monet, Degas, Van Gogh, and Picasso have connections to Paris, and you'll find their works in renowned museums, such as the Musee de Orsay and Musee de l'Orangerie. For more contemporary works, including the maze of tubes and pipe-like features that make up the building itself, there's the Centre Pompidou; while the Louvre is one of the world's largest museums, showing tens of thousands of objects, including Egyptian antiquities and Renaissance works like the Mona Lisa.

Paris is also one of the world's fashion capitals, made iconic by designers such as Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, and Christian Dior. While the fashion houses remain, there are plenty of other unique-to-Paris places to shop. Le Bon Marche is a department store in the 7th arrondissement, or neighborhood, that feels more like a cluster of individual boutiques. Its attached La Grande Epicerie de Paris is the ideal spot to pick up ingredients for a picnic. For a true Parisian shopping experience, explore the covered passages and shopping arcades—locating them is half the fun. Galerie Vivienne has high-end shops and restaurants, while Passage du Caire, though more functional with its ateliers, is worth a visit for its glass roof. The Saint-Ouen flea market is the go-to spot for antique and vintage finds.

Venice, Italy

The narrow side streets, alleyways, and continuous maze of canals and bridges provide the ideal spots for daydreaming on the go in Venice—and we're not even talking about the Grand Canal or the Rialto Bridge. The city's romance can charm even the hardest hearts, particularly on a gondola ride or tour. While kissing under the Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs) is a tad cliche, no one will blame you for it. The bridge has several legends tied to it, including one saying lovers are granted eternal love and bliss if they kiss on a gondola at sunset under the bridge as the bells of the Basilica di San Marco toll.

Of course, that's a lot of things to get right at once, so it's just as easy to soak in the city sipping on an espresso or a spritz—the Venetian drink made with ice, Aperol, white wine, and seltzer—at a sidewalk cafe. For the famed Bellini, head to its birthplace at Harry's Bar.

If you tire of letting Venice take you where it will, head to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. The modern art benefactor's house is full of pieces from Picasso, Salvador Dali, and Jackson Pollock. The view from the home alone is worth a visit. Trips to the islands of Murano and Burano will allow you to see craftsmen still at work, blowing glass on the former and embroidering lace on the latter.

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Brussels, Belgium

You know a city takes its chocolate seriously when it has a Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate. It makes sense when the average Belgian consumes more than 15 pounds of chocolate each year, by some estimates. Chocolatier Jean Neuhaus invented the praline here, and his Neuhaus brand still sells top-notch morsels of cocoa. Brussels, called the World Capitol of Chocolate by some, has around 500 chocolatiers, including tried-and-true Corne Port-Royal and the sleek, jewelry-shop-style presentation of Pierre Marcolini. But for the treats supposedly favored by the Belgian royal family, head to Mary, where the small batches ensure the chocolates maintain flavor.

Brussels is also a city that takes its beer seriously, too. The Delirium Cafe serves more than 2,000 beers, including its namesake Delirium Tremens, Belgian Trappist and abbey ales, and (surprise) chocolate beer. You'll find the bar just outside Brussels' guild-house-lined main square, the Grand Place, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The area also boasts the Museum of the Belgian Brewers and plenty of eateries where you're sure to secure the perfect pint pairing: mussels.

Non-chocolate and beer fans (if they exist) can still find something to love in the Magritte Museum, displaying the work of the renowned Belgian surrealist artist; as well as the Belgian Comic Strip Center, featuring the city's favorite adventurer, Tin Tin, and his dog Snowy.

Lisbon, Portugal

Portugal's capital city of Lisbon is the second oldest in Europe after Athens. The one-time home to explorers like Vasco da Gama and Magellan continues to celebrate its seafaring history with the Maritime Museum, featuring 17,000 objects, including model ships from the Age of Discovery. The sizeable Padrao dos Descobrimentos monument commemorates that same age, integrating a statue of Henry the Navigator (alongside more than 30 other famed figures from the era) on its facade. And if that's not enough to prove Lisbon's essential role in exploration, UNESCO has recognized Torre de Belem as a World Heritage Site for its role during the discovery age. The tower was part of a defense system at the mouth of the Tagus River.

For a more modern take on the coastal city, head to Lisbon's aquarium, Oceanario de Lisboa. It celebrates the ocean while also promoting a message of conservation and sustainable fishing practices. Lisbon is also close to numerous beaches, including the secluded Adraga Beach. But you don't have to leave the city for beautiful scenery. Built in the hills, Lisbon is full of scenic panoramas—including views of the vast blue expanse. In fact, it's the only European capital with seaside sunsets. The streets are filled with stone architecture, and once your feet get tried of wandering the narrow streets, Lisbon's bright yellow vintage trams are ready to whisk you to the nearest patio (where you can recoup over a glass of wine).

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Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul, the only city divided between two continents, is truly where east meets west. The Bosphorus Bridge connects the city's European side to its Asian side. The #1 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Destination for Europe in 2015, Istanbul has served as the capital of four empires: Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman. Its 300,000-year-old history (yes, you read that number correctly) only serves to make it more culturally rich. The Hagia Sophia Museum perfectly embodies this mash-up. Before acting as a museum, the shining example of Byzantine architecture served as a Greek church and later a mosque. Istanbul's can't-miss mosque is the Sultan Ahmet Camii, or Blue Mosque.

You'll want to peruse the thousands of shops scattered across more than 50 streets within the aptly named Grand Bazaar, or head to the Spice Bazaar (its Turkish name translates to Egyptian Market) for spices and fruits. Prepare to strike a bargain in these centuries-old marketplaces—and get hungry. Eating in Istanbul should consist of kebabs, seafood, and many, many mezzes, or small dishes. It's also known for fantastic desserts like Baklava, best paired with Turkish coffee. For a cup of the authentic stuff, try Fazil Bey'in Turk Kahvesi.

Before leaving Istanbul, you must experience a hammam, or Turkish baths. There are two important things to consider: historical or hotel hammam (more like a modern spa treatment)? Self-service (bathe yourself) or traditional (an attendant will wash and massage you)? One of the oldest and most visited historic hammams is the Cemberlitas Hamam, built during the Ottoman Era.

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Berlin, Germany

Berlin, the German capital, is packed with reminders of the not-so-distant past, including the famous east-west border crossing at Checkpoint Charlie and buildings that still reveal the bullet-beating they took during the second World War. Sections of the Berlin Wall are still standing, a reminder of politically volatile times and a slate for the city's thriving street art scene. Local and international artists have turned facades across Berlin into outdoor museum pieces. A more sobering reminder of the past is experienced at the Holocaust Memorial.

But simply step into one of Berlin's 2,500 parks or gardens and you'll appreciate how far this city has come and how naturally beautiful it is. Grunewald, a highly forested area, is an ideal wandering and picnicking spot. Berlin also has several freshwater, made-for-swimming lakes, including Strandbad Wannsee, the continent's largest outdoor swimming area on an inland body of water. For panoramic city views, head to the Reichstag—the German Parliament's domed glass roof is free to visit. Berlin also has more than 100 museums, including the famed Museum Island that includes the Pergamonmuseum, an archaeological museum with objects like the Pergamon Altar.

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