Praza do Obradoiro, Santiago de Compostela, Spain ( at night and with the music from the Tuna in the background!)

My vote is for Piazza della Signoria in Florence, strongly tied with Red Square in Moscow, and separately, that corner of the Kremlin with the fountains.

I'm also quite fond of that plaza in Antwerp, I think it's Grote Markt, if one can get over all the cafe seatings in the square...

And another vote for Red Square, Moscow plus Palace Square in St Petersburg. I also like the medieval square in Old Tallinn and Brussels plus Bruges.

Maybe not the most beautiful, but I was very taken with Syntagma Square in Naplia, with its pink polished marble floor.

I can't believe that anyone who has seen Mark's Square in Venice could say that any other square is as beautiful. It's simply awe-inspiring, with amazing views whichever way one turns and an almost palpable sense of the history of such a unique era and place in world history.

Venice was our first stop when we visited Italy in 2002, and as soon as I stepped onto the Piazza San Marco, I knew that no matter what else I would see on the remainder of the trip, it would have been "worth it."

Mary Fran,

Re your comments about St. Marks, I
agree that from a physical point of view St. Marks is impressive. But I have always seen it so crowded with people that IMO it detracts from its beauty.

I love the Place de l'Hotel de ville in Aix-en-Provence on those days when the flower market transforms it into a blaze of color.

I agree with those who prefer the smaller, more obscure squares. The Place de la fountain in St. Paul de Vence. The Place de St. Vincent in Les Baux with its view over the Alpilles. The little hidden gems of Venice...

San Marco, shortly after sunrise.
San Marco, in the evening.

Market Square in Krakow,Poland (in the summer).

zwho, I think you're talking about Plaza Sant Jaume, one of the big buildings is Barcelona's town hall and just in front, Palau de la Generalitat, where Catalonia's president lives. Its beautiful, you're right :)

My favourites are Piazza Navona (when there's no scaffolding) in Rome and Plaza Mayor in Salamanca. There are a lot of beautiful ones , though :)

The Place St-Louis in Aigues Mortes always does me in.

I cast my vote for Old Town Square in Prague!!!!! Love that city.

Hola Cruise!

I almost voted for the Obradoiro in Santiago but my impression is so biased by personal emotion that it is not fair to compare other plazas with it...but then again - beauty is always personal and driven by emotion.

I shed tears of joy in Venice!

Is this not dependent on where YOU have been? If all one is familiar with where one has been, then how to make this judgement is very, actually very very, confusing to me.... ;)

Piazza Pantheon in Rome.

ComfyShoes - that's pretty much true of any opinion poll ever posed. Restaurants, movies, everything. Few have eaten everywhere, or seen every moving. Even if someone here HAD seen every square, we'd then have to all agree that person had taste we all agreed with. It's just a question posed for fun. People comparing notes on a common interest so that we don't run out of things to talk about.

I don't think I've seen the most beautiful yet. The most *interesting* I've seen and could imagine, would have to be the Piata Mica/Mare (they adjoin) in Sibiu. All the buildings have "eyes".

Clifton:

I have to agree with you on Sibiu and its Mica Mare..the whole town is an array of strange beauty.

Also, for exotic uniqueness...Djema al Fina in Marrakech...if for nothing else, the "goings on", espcecially after dark when all the dozens of food stalls open.

...and for mere size...Beijing's Tian'n men..especially when a visiting dignitary is in town. I saw the Foreign Minister of Sweden greeted as if he were Mao's son...a oarade of colorful Pomp and Circumstance, indeed...and this was in '84. Our traveling partner, an old friend, had one of the old bulky video caneras that was very hard to lug around..but everyone thought we were "Press" and gave way so we could be right up at the front of the totally Chinese gathering crowd. Two of the soldiers allowed us to kneel out on the square so we could get shots of the visitor.

Stu T.

Palenque:

Sorry old boy...Morocco and China do not belong on this thread....

Stu T.

Thanks everyone. I wouldn't quarrel with almost any recommendation on this thread and reading through it has furnished me with wonderful pictures and memories. I'm sort of amazed though that no one has mentioned the squares in Hvar or in Dubrovnik, especially with their marble gleaming in the moonlight. On the other hand, The Dubrovnik square may really be a walking street. Definition gets a bit fuzzy when towns were built so many years ago. Anyway. Thanks this has been a great day starter.