What are the most surprising little cities of Europe?
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
What are the most surprising little cities of Europe?
I was wondering if anyone has visited a small city in Europe and found it to be much better than expected? <BR> <BR>I was just in Munich for a few days and although this is a popular destination, I don't know why more people don't come here. The city was spotlessly clean and safe. The food was EXCELLENT and the people the friendliest I have ever met in Europe. I was there for three days and didn't have time to see all the sights. The best two things about this place was those Bavarian Pretzels with beer and the shopping! OH! The shopping!
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
Along the east coast stopped in the Republic of San Marino, an independent country of 23 square miles and worth visiting for the shops and vistas. In the Umbria region, visited towns of Perugia (known for the Perugina chocolates) and unbelievable old tunnels under the town. Also visited San Gimignano, just another delightful Italian small town en route from Rome to Florence.
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
Linda, it was so funny to see you mention Trier as that's the town I was going to mention! The only reason I went there was because I'd met a woman from there in a bed & breakfast in Edinburgh, on my first trip to Europe. We corresponded, and she invited me to visit her town on my next trip, a year later. What a delightful surprise, as I thought Trier was wonderful! <BR> <BR>I also like Menton, on the Cote d'Azur right next to the Italian border, and recently spent a day in the Tuscan town of Arezzo, where the beginning scenes to Roberto Begnini's "Life is Beautiful" were filmed.
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
Richard: We found the small town of Spello in Umbria to be very quaint. There's not alot of "sights", but it is a very magical place to visit. There is a wonderful little trattoria called Il Trombone with super food and a terrific view across the landscape from the outdoor patio. We enjoyed just walking around and visitng some of the shops; one in particular had the best pottery we saw, including that in Deruta. If you are ever in that part of Italy, try not to miss this little jewel of a town!!! Regards, Sally
#11
Guest
Posts: n/a
I guess it all depends on perspective, but a SMALL town to me means less than 3000 people. Given that criteria, I would choose: <BR>Portovenere, Italy <BR>Hallstatt, Austria <BR>Cesky Krumlov, CR <BR>Viano do Castelo, Portugal <BR>Nerja, Spain <BR> <BR>Do yourself a favor and plan your next trip minus any city or town over say 10,000 population---my kind of trip.
#17
Guest
Posts: n/a
Matt - Munich is huge, but it's one of the most accessible large cities I've ever visited. Just about everything you'd want to see is within walking distance of the train station. Sure, it lacks the quaintness of a little town, but I think it's worth a visit.
#19
Guest
Posts: n/a
Some of them: Albi (France), Urbino( Italy), Albarracín (Spain), Viana do Castelo (Portugal), Menton (France), Ronda (Spain), Rothenburg (Germany), La Valletta (Malta), Roros (Norway), Leuven (Belgium), Delft (Netherlands),Santillana del Mar (Spain), Sarlat (France), York (UK), Ribe (Denmark), Cesky Krumlov (Czech Rep.), Sopron (Hungary),Cuenca (Spain) Eger (Hungary), San Gimignano (Italy), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Segovia (Spain).....to be continued
#20
Guest
Posts: n/a
OK, I think a few people above read the question different than I wrote it. <BR> <BR>When I referred to "Small Cities" I meant cities smaller than the Euro Mega Cities such as Paris, London and Rome. I consider Munich a small city because it is very accessible and not a mega metropolis. The population of Munich is 1.3 Million, although this seems large, the tourist areas are relitively small. <BR> <BR>This is OK! I consider cities like Sienna, Strasbourg (Pop 265,000), Stockholm (Pop 743,000) Florence (Pop 493,000) small. For me, these seem small because I come from the mega metropolis of Los Angeles with a population of 3.7 Million people! <BR> <BR>Please feel free to add any city (or village) you consider small to the list. After all this is an open forum.