tailsock

One of my favorite parts of a European city is it's public or market square. There are the obvious ones that spring to mind: Trafalgar Square in London, St Mark's in Venice, Place de la Concorde in Paris to name a few... sooooooooo.... which would be your vote for a hidden gem of a plaza, market, or piazza? Try to think of one that is not quite as well known that you have visited. Please avoid ones that most people could easily identify from a photo such as Brussels' Grand Place or Prague's Castle Square. I'm looking for the lesser known beauties out there ;-)

i cast my vote for the Vrijdagmarkt in the criminally overlooked city of Gent
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/o...l/69731464.jpg

would love to see what others come back with

julia1

<i>"the criminally overlooked city of Gent"</i>

Would that be Ghent in Belgium?

Alec

Gent is the local, Flemish (Dutch) spelling of the Anglicised Ghent, or Gand in French.

Not overlooked by any means, but the main square in Krakow, Rynek Główny, is breathtaking.

tarquin

That Ghent one is a bit overblown for my tastes.

Try the Place du Furstenberg in Paris, exquisite, small and quiet.

tarquin

www.flickr.com/photos/twiga_269/2915535885/

Ingo

To bad this question is limited to Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Italy. I would know some in other countries.

kerouac

My vote will always go to Place Stanislas in Nancy.

http://www.anyportinastorm.proboards...&page=1#135399

adrienne

My vote is Telc in the Czech Republic. All the buildings have been restored and there is a wonderful symmetry to the square.

http://modigliani.shutterfly.com/cze...frankfurtpa/73
http://modigliani.shutterfly.com/cze...frankfurtpa/89
http://modigliani.shutterfly.com/cze...frankfurtpa/76

cathies

Place des Vosges in Paris is my favourite. I love it.

tailsock

i shouldn't have tagged those countries... it's open to any place in Europe. these look good so far. let's hear some more

kfusto

So many to choose from and my favorite places to explore when in Europe, no matter the country.

Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin

Piazza Maggiore in Bologna

Santa Maria in Trastevere - great contrast of historical significance and current day vibrant nightlife

Piazza Sant'Ambrogio in Florence - local public market as well as artisan shops and restaurants - out of the tourist fray

Munich's Marienplatz

TorontoSteven

Segovia with the Roman aqueduct.

hetismij2

Plaza de la Glorieta in Las Manchas, La Palma. A magical little square in a small village in La Palma (Canary Islands).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFhjmkRT4Qo

http://www.qype.es/place/425343-Plaz...photos/3575365

The wine museum around the corner is also worth a visit .

amer_can

Salamanca..Plaza Mayor..exceptional and as TorontoSteven says..Segovia!!! Hard to define the places as each has it's own charm and beauty.

StCirq

Place St-Louis, Aigues-Mortes

thursdaysd

Another enthusiastic vote for Place Stanislas in Nancy.

I suspect I might also vote for Lviv, but the square was being repaved when I was there and I didn't get to see it at its best.

I rather liked the square - more of a rectaangle - in Levoca, Slovakia.

sundriedpachino

Piazza del Duomo, in Syracuse, gorgeous and almost no tourists. Bonus is you can sit on the Piazza and have a glass of good cheap Sicilian wine.

sundriedpachino

Here it is at night


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2219/...e0e2030f_o.jpg

Coquelicot

I won't say this is the best, but in one of the squares in Dubrovnik we saw a dancing bear. The square was full of gypsies, peasants, a market with shoppers, and the bear. At first we thought, hey, this Dubrovnik is something, till we realized they were making a film.

I didn't learn till later how they train the bear to dance. Since then I've never liked to see that.

FoFoBT

A third vote for Place Stanislas! The first time I saw it was at dusk on a November evening. The lights had just come on, people were having their pre-dinner drinks at cafes, the temperature was cool and crisp, it was wonderful in every possible way.