What are the best cities in Europe to visit ?

lots of lovely places mentioned, so won't repeat them [mostly]. I'd maybe add Utrecht and Aachen, happy memories of both, and Aachen is not far from cities like Cologne and Bonn although I've not been to Bonn, if you're going on on the train, once you get to Cologne you can get to places like Berlin which is well worth visiting, or almost anywhere else in Germany.
As anyone mentioned Brussels, places like Ghent and Bruges are not far away, from Lille, where the Eurostar stops you can get to Douai which is a little gem, or it was the last time I was there.

Definitely Florence; Venice out of peak season; Krakow, Prague and Tallinn.

However, agree with NotSpaghetti about the advantages of being able to explore less well known places when visiting people's homes. We are lucky to have very hospitable German friends who have introduced us to Munster, Minden and Bremen. Wonderful museums/art/cafes/bierkellers/parks etc. and very welcoming people.

I loved Rome, Prague and Krakow, Berlin was interesting. I personally don't like Venice (can see why Daphne Du Maurier set a creepy story there). One of my favourite places was the Old Town in Bergamo but sadly it was badly hit at the beginning of the Pandemic so it might be a long time till tourists go back.

I was disappointed in Madrid, but 'nearby' Toledo was a real treat. A big yes to Barcelona and Amsterdam - and book online for Sagrada Familia and the Van Gogh museum because the queues are indescribable.

A definite yes to visiting the Sagrada Familia, it is really beautiful inside, quite a contrast to the outside.

I agree kate1949 re Dublin
If you want a taste of authentic Ireland go to Galway not Dublin.

Dublin is very cosmopolitan, expensive and IMO ruined by Stag/Hen parties. Galway is so much more authentic, cheaper and has the Wild Atlantic coastline. The Irish hospitality is at it's very best here.

Venice is beautiful, especially during the winter festival when the Venetians dress up in traditional costume and walk about.

Paris is my favourite European city and the Eiffel Tower at night is breathtaking

Rome is a free outdoor museum with pizza and gelato. Hmmm my kind of food

Im hoping our next city break will be to Lisbon if my knees can cope

May7 I love County Kerry, especially the south west

Berlin, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Olso, Bergen, Rekjavik, Salzburg, Vienna, Assisi, Grenoble....

Helsinki
Copenhagen
Valencia
Malaga
Santander
Warsaw
Krakow

From my limited experience, I nominate Seville. It has a wonderful atmosphere - surprises round every corner, Moorish architecture, the scent of orange trees, pleasant bars, a massive cathedral, and we saw a fantastic flamenco show at the museum of flamenco, never to be forgotten. Best out of season. It is one of the hottest cities in Europe. Another I loved is Salzburg. It's a small city and easy to navigate. The castle on the hill reminds me of Edinburgh. I would really love to see a Mozart opera there.

Wow, you are such a well travelled lot.

Some amazing ideas there, thank you.. And great tip re checking if any planned visit clashes with the arrival of a cruise ship - I'm not big on crowds.

On the whole, I think I prefer the idea of visiting smaller cities that are easy to get around. It's going to be a lot of fun planning these trips.

Thanks so much again.

I enjoyed Prague and Bruges

Like others, I absolutely love Vienna - last time we were there we were sort of Harry Lime-themed, visited the Prater and rode on the Big Wheel, and also did the Sewer Tour which was something different! It's such a formal city and yet so incredibly laid back, and the trams are brilliant.

Another favourite for us is Ghent, which is particularly nice around the time of the Christmas markets.

Salzburg is next on my bucket list. Lots of history and Sound of Music scenery.

Ypres is also lovely - completely rebuilt after the destruction from the First World War, but sympathetically rebuilt. Well worth a visit, I feel, if only to experience The Menin Gate.

JackyB

Within 50 km of where I live there are enough interesting and wondrous places to keep you busy for at least a year: Heidelberg, Mannheim, Schwetzingen, Karlsruhe, Speyer, and not much farther out Baden Baden, Cologne, Bonn, Ludwigsburg, Strasbourg, Selestat, Colmar, Darmstadt.... And that's only the cities. The Black Forest and the other woods and mountains along either side of the Rhine valley are not overrun and most welcoming.

I too love Germany, have family there, love sitting by the river in Düsseldorf, and visiting the old town, Cologne with its amazing Cathedral, Moers, Moselle valley, have missed visiting for the last two years. Others that I loved and were beautiful, Prague, Venice, Barcelona, Dubrovnik, Fira on Santorini, and Athens. All have their own special beauty.

Lots of votes for Amsterdam but there is also Delft and Haarlem.

Bruges, Budapest, Nice, Cannes, Portofino, Strasburg, Lisbon and so many others.

Someone mentioned Wells so Bath must get a mention too as well as Chester and York.

Four of our favourites that I don’t think have been mentioned yet are Hamburg, Vilnius, Riga and Gdańsk. All amazing cities with lots of history, tradition and culture. And in the case of the last three, public transport, nights out at the opera, plates of hearty food and pints of great beer in friendly bars cost next to nothing.

The major cities have become more crowded since the Japanese and Chinese started coming to Europe in large numbers. We went to Florence about 31/2 years ago, having been 40 years earlier and it was crowded (a lot of mask wearers, even though it was before covid. The museums and galleries were very expensive, if you didn't buy a museum pass. After that trip I decided that we'd go to what some people would describe as second tier cities because they do not have so many visitors but there are still plenty of treasures to see.

We are very lucky in England that we don't have to pay to go into many of the galleries and museums. When we were in NYC a few years ago (exchange rate at its lowest) we were in the queue waiting for the Neue Gallery to open (cost $24 - pretty much at par with sterling) and chatting to a lady from Canada whose was singing the praises of the London museums and how they were free. Very few museums and galleries re free in Europe. Something to be considered when planning a trip.

I love Venice too. Go in winter when there are far less tourists. People are far friendlier and its easier to get to places. Go near Christmas- the Italians are wonderful at decorating their shops, Its an art form. A magical city which Ive visited about 10 times.

Paris - I love the shops and fleamarkets. I love the bookshops. Unfortunately the Parisians are the rudest set of people it has ever been my displeasure to meet. Even the French people from the surrounding places hate them.

Prague - a wonderful, historic and scenic old city. As with Venice best visited out of season.