What an interesting question. I think Americans are about a dozen years behind Europeans in discovering the next new thing. Which is natural given the distance. While Croatia and Slovenia are realitively unvisited by Americans; Italians, Germans and Brits have been going there for years.

I think we will see North Americans venturing further east; Ljubljana (and Bled), Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Mostar and more people will go to Istanbul and other Turkish locales.

God knows Italy needs a break!

How about Dresden?

Dresden is a small rebuilt centre of Electoral Court buildings, then a swathe of Socialist architecture, pretty dull, and then fine nineteenth century villas in the suburbs. It does not build up into a wide city centre of fine old buildings, as other places listed here do.

Dubrovnik is fine within the walls, but that is a very small area. After that it is good nineteenth century seaside, with hotels and harbour.

Ben Haines, London

Guess this means I need to get to Prague before the Wal-Mart store does. Once Wal-Mart moves in, the city dies.

I would exclude from the list of contenders both Dubrovnik (which is an extraordinary town, but it is Brugges, not Prague) and Ljubjana (Which is a nice and pleasant city, but is a long shot from being Prague, either before or after it became Prague).

I would suspect that some city in the Baltic countries will become Prague, but since I never went there myself, I couldn't tell for sure, of course. Romania and Ukraine seems to stil be too "undiscovered" at the moment to become home of the next Prague in a near future, IMO. But they could hide a city which could be Prague before it became Prague, and perhaps i'm going to enquire about this issue next spring.

Bob1

Prague has a Wal-Mart now. Not a big one, but one thats got a fair supply of pork rinds and Mars bars. They lack enough xxx-large shorts, but that's just my own personal opinion. I'm trying to get a job there as a greeter next summer.

Repeat after me (3000 times): Dobre den

Hahahah good one :)

If Patrick = Uncle Sam and Uncle Sam = Degas then is it true that the real Degas became the original Patrick before Sam became an Uncle?

Your post reminds me of the book Prague by ARthur Philipps about a group of twentysomethings who move to Budapest but spend their time wishing they were in Prague!

This is one of the funnier threads I've read. Thanks for the laugh!

Seriously, I did see Prague before it was well known. That was back in the somewhat gloomier days of Soviet occupation and influence. The wonderful thing about Prague was that it hasn't changed a lot afterwards.

My vote for the next Prague is Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Its tourist business is just beginning to take off, and in a few years it will be as popular as Prague when it was "discovered." If you want to know more about Plovdiv, go to www.plovdivcityguide.com. Some volunteer workers also send out a monthly e-mail newsletter giving interesting current and historical information about the city and about other areas of Bulgaria.

A caution: English isn't a very broadly known language in Bulgaria. I get by with my Russian.

Tallin in Estonia - but don't tell everyone. :S-