Top 100 Cities To Visit In Europe

what's up guys my name is ryan and i've spent the last three years exploring the incredible continent of europe and i want to show you my favorite cities so here's my european city's top 100. europe cities remain unmatched to the rest of the world from the canals of venice to the ancient city of athens it's impossible to beat the beauty of europe cities this video is a long one so i made timestamps of all the places in the description so you can jump around to your favorite cities let's start this video off at possibly the most iconic city in the world london i've traveled more to london than any other international destination i have to say it's my favorite city in the world and i just keep coming back everything from the double decker buses to the energy of piccadilly circus makes the city feel so alive there's just so many places to see you can check out the iconic big bend and walk across the ridge to see the palace of westminster there's the tower bridge which is possibly the most famous bridge in all of london you can go see the stoic guards at buckingham palace or take a ride on the london eye if you haven't already been in london i'd highly recommend visiting when you can it's hard to beat the london atmosphere there's no city like it in the world while we're still in the uk we're gonna head over to edinburgh if you want to go back in time edinburgh is a must it's where jk rowling's wrote her harry potter novels when i started traveling this was one of the first cities i visited it's a medieval town with intricate neoclassical buildings cobblestone streets and beautiful gardens the iconic edinburgh castle overlooks the city and it's home to scotland's crown jewels one of my favorite places in edinburgh as carlton hill that just offers a beautiful view of the entire city after scotland let's head over to portugal to visit the vibrant city of lisbon being one of the oldest cities in the world lisbon is europe's second oldest capital city after athens i mean there's just so much culture and history in the city you can check out the sanctuary of christ the king monument reminds me of a mixture of rio de janeiro and san francisco's bridge the commerce square is another beautiful spot to explore one of the coolest parks in lisbon is the parque eduardo the seventh it's full beautifully designed hedges and just a great place to enjoy the afternoon or evening the balaam tower is also an important monument that served as a point of embarkation for portuguese explorers after portugal we're going to head over to malta to visit valletta now located in the southeastern region on the main island of malta valletta is a sight to see with only an area of 0.61 square kilometers it's the european union's smallest capital city valletta was established back in 1566 after the knights of malta defeated the ottomans today the architecture of aletta is absolutely stunning it's the perfect mixture of baroque and modern architecture i just love how the whole city is dominated by 10 medieval buildings if you visit the city you can check out the saluting battery at noon a cannon is fired pretty cool if you ask me valetta just has so much beauty in history and i hope you all can witness it in person after let's head over to the beautiful city of talon located in estonia on the coast of the baltic sea talon received its city rights in the year 1248 and during medieval times it quickly became a major trading hub due to its strategic positioning one thing that i love about talent is that you can take a relatively short boat ride to helsinki stockholm or even st petersburg russia as for the city one of the most impressive places is talon's old town it's one of europe's most well-preserved medieval cities i just love all the buildings and architecture there one thing that's fascinating about talent is that it has the highest number of startups per person than anywhere in europe if you want to visit one of europe's most trending cities you have to give talent a visit after we're going to head over to the magnificent city of milan located in northern italy milan is a powerhouse of a city it has the second largest economy in the eu after paris it's one of the world's four fashion capitals the city is full of a mixture of modern skyscrapers and apartment buildings one of the most notable features of the city is the duomo di milano the construction began in 1386 and it took over six centuries to complete it stands as the second largest church in europe and the fourth largest in the world i mean that just blows my mind if you want to go shopping you can visit the oldest active shopping mall in the world that was built back in 1877 i just can't believe the dome glass roof there while we're still in italy let's head over to the iconic city of venice now venice is one of the world's most unique cities there are no roads and just canals to get around it's made up of 118 islands and they're linked by over 400 bridges venice was a major financial and maritime power during the medieval ages and the renaissance and today it's one of europe's most popular tourist destinations when you're there you can take a ride down the canals on a gondola or you can check out st mark square it's a one of a kind location i hope you all can see another one of my favorite cities in italy is bologna special thanks to my friend jack anda for providing this footage he makes incredible aerial videos of italy and i'll link his channel in the description below i was just blown away by his bologna film now bologna is one of the wealthiest cities in italy and it's the seventh most populous with a population around four hundred thousand what i love about bologna is its medieval towers they were constructed back in the 12th and 13th centuries with the highest being over 300 feet tall back in medieval times there were an estimated 180 towers which dominated the city over the centuries many towers were demolished or simply collapsed and today fewer than 20 towers remain the most famous are the two towers the tallest tower reaches over 97 meters with an overhang of 2.2 meters i mean they're both laying a little bit they look like they're going to collapse i just can't imagine all the history these towers must have experienced throughout the ages after we're gonna head over to italy's capital to visit rome now rome may be the most famous capital in the world its history spans over 28 centuries with its founding taking place in the year 1753 bc during ancient times rome's population peaked around 1 million people it's just crazy to think that a city was so advanced that could support so many people during that time ancient rome's architecture stands today and draws millions of tourists each year one of the most well-known structures of the capital is the colosseum it's the largest amphitheater built at its time and could hold anywhere from 50 to 80 thousand spectators you can marvel its architecture from the outside or take a guided tour to witness the interior one of my personal favorite attractions in rome is the trevi fountain it's this baroque style fountain that was completed in 1762 if you do go the earlier the better because you can get super crowded there while we're still in rome we're gonna head over to the smallest country in the world to visit vatican city now this country is completely surrounded by rome the vatican is the headquarters of the roman catholic church and home to the pope the population is made up of only 800 people it was founded over 90 years ago on february 11 1929 the saint peter's basilica is possibly the most magnificent building in the world is the world's largest church and when you go inside the detail is mind-blowing architects such as michelangelo helped design it and construction began in 1506 and was consecrated 120 years later in 1626 after rome and the vatican were going to head to southern italy to visit naples shadowed over by mount vesuvius naples is a historical town dating back to roman times what's so great about naples that it's close to many beautiful sights and cities you can make the 20-minute drive to witness the ruins of pompei pompeii was buried under six meters of volcanic ash in 79.80 creating one of the most well preserved archaeological sites in the world another cool place you can go from naples is you can take a boat ride out to the island of capri and there's just so much going on there now about an hour's drive from naples is possibly the most beautiful town in all of europe positano located on the mafi coast back in the first century luxury rowan villas were built on the coast here it was believed to be a home of mythical sirens who would seduce sailors to crash upon the rocky shores positano was a somewhat poor fishing village during the first half of the 20th century but tourism began to gain traction in the 1950s when you see this place in real life you won't believe it it's hard to beat the backdrop of the mountains filled with colorful villas against the mediterranean sea with boats and yachts posie town is quite the touristy destination but its beauty is worth it after the amalfi coast we're gonna head over to the island of sicily to visit palermo now located on the northwest coast of the island palermo is the capital of sicily it was founded way back in 734 bc by the phoenicians it's an incredible place full of beautiful churches and sceneries now while we're still on the island we're going to head over to the city of catania after palermo catania is the second largest city on the island what's unique about catania is that it lies at the base of the massive mount aetna volcano it's one of the world's most active volcanoes which is wild seed ash shooting and drifting out of the top after sicily we're gonna head over to switzerland to visit zurich located in north central switzerland zurich is one of the world's largest financial center it's often labeled as one of the most expensive cities in the world now zurich was founded by the romans in 15 bc and today it's the most populous city in switzerland i mean it's just hard to beat the senior of the city there i love how it sits at the edge of the lake and the lima river runs right through it i mean switzerland doesn't mess around when it comes to a cities from zurich you can make the hour drive to visit lucerne located in the heart of switzerland lucerne is a picturesque lake city surrounded by the swiss alps it's just a short 40 minute drive from zurich one of my favorite parts of lucerne is all of its medieval buildings and architecture lucerne is home to chapel bridge which is the world's oldest surviving trust bridge it was built over 600 years ago in 1365. it almost burned down in 1993 but it was reconstructed and it's now open to the public another impressive place in lucerne is the music wall and towers the fortifications began in the 13th century and it's made up of nine snow towers that were used as a defense wall during medieval times aside from all the history lucerne is just a beautiful city to walk around and explore the lake and all the surrounding scenery and it's hard to beat the beauty of this swiss city after lucerne we're going to visit one of my favorite places in all of switzerland grindelwald i was lucky enough to live in switzerland and on my last week living there i did a road trip to grindelwald to see what the hype was about when i got there i was awestruck by mount iger it's the biggest mountain i've ever seen i wanted to do a hike that would give me a great vantage point of mount iger but i didn't know the area that well so i just saw this random peak so i decided to hike straight up the mountain when i reached the top i had the whole peak to myself and i was rewarded with an incredible view of mount eiger it was just such a memorable experience while we're still in the alps let's visit zermatt zermatt is home to the most iconic mountain in the alps the matterhorn with a height of 14 692 feet it's one of the highest peaks in the alps there are many different hikes you can do around the area to get different views of the matterhorn if you're early riser i'd suggest getting up for sunrise to watch the morning light kiss the top of the matterhorn as the sun rises over the horizon zermatt is a really unique city because they don't allow cars or motorized vehicles so i had to take a train to get there when i reached the city i just had a great time exploring i also found a mcdonald's there so that was kind of funny after we're gonna head over to the czech republic to visit the capital city of prague due to its location and rich history prague was the capital of the kingdom of bohemia and was the main residence of many roman emperors such as charles iv one of my favorite attractions is the charles bridge its construction began in 1357 and it wasn't finished until the beginning of the 15th century the bridge is decorated with an alley of over 30 statues and which is so scenic and such a great feature in prague the old town square is also a great place to explore and the prague castle is another beautiful sight to see it's considered to be the largest ancient castle in the world and it was built more than a thousand years ago in the ninth century i mean that's a freaking long time prague has such a historic vibe and i hope all can visit while we're still in the czech republic let's head over to chesky krumlov located in the south bohemian region of the czech republic cesky krumlov is a medieval fantasy as i was doing research i was just blown away by the beauty of this place it looks like something straight out of a fairy tale the town arose around the year 12 40 when the cesky krunov castle was built and a settlement emerged beneath it cesky krumlov thankfully escaped the bombings of world war ii which is the main reason the city is so well preserved today it stands as one of czech republic's most beautiful towns i mean it's just such a magical place and i can't believe it exists after we're gonna visit the famous city of barcelona now when you think of spain this is what you probably imagine barcelona is home to incredible architecture mediterranean beaches and an energetic vibe all around the most iconic attraction in barcelona is la sagrada familia it's this roman catholic minor basilica that began construction over 138 years ago and it still isn't finished it's anticipated that construction will be finished in 2026 but who knows all i know is one of the most unique building in the world and i still can't get my head around that it's been construction since 1882. while we're still in spain we're going to head over to the beautiful city of toledo located right in the middle of the country toledo is a stunning ancient city perfectly placed on a hill it's known as the city of three cultures due to its influences from christians muslims and jews the history of toledo is fascinating and complex it was taken over by the moors for several centuries until it was conquered in the 11th century by the castilians today the city has a population around 80 000 one of the most impressive is the alcazar de toledo it was once used as a roman palace and then it was eventually restored in the 16th century another amazing city in spain is cordoba it's home to more world heritage sites than anywhere in the world with four one of the coolest features of the city is the mosque cathedral of cordoba it's regarded as the most accomplished monument of morse architecture it was finished in 746 a.d and it was converted to a christian church in the 16th century another one of my favorite cities in spain is ronda it's just a two hours drive from cordoba and it's home to one of the most scenic bridges i've ever seen called puente nuevo it was built in the 18th century to cross the el tajo gorge it stands 120 meters over the canyon floor i just can't get over the architecture of the arches what a beautiful spot now from ronda we're going to make the two hours drive to granada now loaded at the base of the sierra nevada mountains granada is an elegant spanish city the crowning feature of granada is the alhambra it's a fortified moorish palace that was completed in 1354 the interior of this palace is stunning there's a reflection pool and a pillared courtyard i mean i totally understand why it's one of the most renowned islamic buildings in europe after explaining let's head back to portugal to visit obitos located about an hour's drive from lisbon in central portugal oviedo's is a romantic medieval town protected by an impressive stonewall around the year 713 the moors established a fortification here and in 1148 the king of portugal reclaimed the land after successful storming of the moors castle in the 13th century the king gifted orbitos to his queen and for the following centuries the village received special treatment from the queens of portugal remodeled and enriched the village throughout the middle ages today obito's is one of portugal's most well preserved medieval cities after exploring obitos we're going to head two hours up the coast to the beautiful city of porto now located in the coast of northern portugal porto is the second largest city in the country after lisbon it's one of the oldest european centers as it developed as an important commercial port during roman times today it's one of europe's most vibrant cities i just love how colorful all the buildings and roofs are the lewis verse bridge is one of the most recognizable features as it spans across the river now after portugal we're going to head over to germany to visit cologne located on the rhine river in western germany this 2000 year old city is full of history and beauty it was established in the first century a.d thanks to its location on one of europe's major trade routes it grew to one of the largest city north of the alps during medieval and renaissance times sadly during world war ii cologne was almost completely destroyed thankfully this city has been rebuilt today the most popular attraction of the city is the cologne cathedral its construction began in 1248 a.d it wasn't completed for nearly 600 years the weight was worth it because it's just one of the most beautiful gothic cathedrals in the world after cologne we're going to visit rothenberg when you go to rothenburg you feel like you're walking into a fantasy movie it's one of the most preserved medieval towns in europe during the middle ages rothenberg thrived as it was located at the crossroads of the european trade routes at the beginning of the 15th century it rose to become the second largest city in germany but during the 17th century rothenberg faced adversities such as the 30 years war and the bubonic plague without much resources rothenberg's growth was halted which aided in keeping the town preserved in its medieval state today rothenberg maintains its medieval charm it's been the inspiration for disney movies such as pinocchio and beauty and the beast if you can go check out the famous planine corner or the christmas market from rothenberg you can take the three-hour drive to the beautiful city of munich also known as bavaria's capital munich is located in the south of germany about 50 kilometers from the alps during world war ii munich was heavily bombed by over 70 air raids but to date the city is restored to its former beauty one of the most popular spots is the marion platz central square you'll find the new town hall with its stunning clock tower and historical figurines what's cool about munich is that it's close to some beautiful places in bavaria you can make the 90 minute drive to the famous new schwanstein castle made something out of a disney movie now another beautiful town to visit in bavaria is birch descarden just south of the town is where hitler's former eagle nest retreat is the area is also full of stunning alpine lakes from birch to scotland you can make the 30 minute drive to visit the beautiful city of salzburg surrounded by the alps in western austria salzburg is one of the most beautiful cities in all of europe salzburg literally translates to salt castle today salzburg is renowned for its baroque architecture and is one of the best preserved cities north of alps the crowning feature of the city is the hogan salzburg fortress its construction began in 1077 a.d today it's one of the largest and best preserved meteor castles in europe if you want to visit the austrian alps you can head over to the picturesque village of halstadt this town looks like it should be in a fairy tale because it's so magical it was once a salt mining town but now it's one of austria's most popular tourist attractions another amazing city to visit in austria is innsbruck located in western austria in the heart of tyrol innsbruck is a magical destination situated right the heart of the alps it's one of the world's best destinations for winter sports and has hosted several winter olympics throughout the years after we're gonna head to the east side of austria to visit the capital of vienna now vienna has been ranked one of the world's most livable cities vienna is known as the city of music musicians such as beethoven and mozart called vienna their home one of the most impressive places is the chambroom palace their stunning gardens and mazes to explore around the palace after we're gonna head over to the capital of bratislava now located in slovakia right on the border between austria and hungary bratislava became slovakia's capital after the velvet revolution which split czechoslovakia into two separate countries making it one of europe's younger capitals today bratislava has a population of 430 000 and it ranks as the third richest region in the european union one of the most prominent features of the capital is the bratislava castle located on an isolated hill right above the danube river the bratislava castle has been a symbol of the city since the middle ages construction of the castle began in the 9th century and it stood until it was tragically burned down by fire in 1811. luckily it was rebuilt in 1964 and stands as one of slovakia's greatest castles the broadyslava castle includes four towers a courtyard and a beautiful garden area all surrounded by a fortified wall it's just absolutely massive and it can be seen from all over the city now to get one of the best views of the castle and all of bratislava you can visit the ufo bridge it's a road bridge that goes over the danube river and was constructed in 1972 and stands 278 feet high on top there's an observation deck and a restaurant that offers the best views of the city after we're going to head over to france at the capital of paris now since the 17th century paris has been europe's major center of finance diplomacy fashion and the arts paris is one of the world's most visited cities and with all its attractions and fascinating history it's easy to see why paris's most recognizable attraction is the eiffel tower it was built in 1889 for the world fair the eiffel tower is 324 meter high which made it the tallest man-made structure in the world until 1930. you can take it over up there to get incredible 360 panoramic view of all of paris another popular attraction is the louvre museum it's the world's largest art museum and it's home to da vinci's mona lisa you can also take a drive around the arctic triumph or walk the grounds of the palace of versailles and there's just so much to see in this grand city if you want a road trip outside the capital you can head to france northern coast visit the coastal town of petrito located about three hours outside of paris echita is famous for its white cliffs and rock formations one of the most well knowns is the fallace de aval arch after exploring the french coast we're going to head over to the fairy tale city of komar komart looks like something straight out of a disney movie the city's old town is lined with timber medieval buildings i love the canal that runs through the city it just adds to the magic of the place now after komar we're gonna make the four hour drive to lyon lyon is a beautiful city built upon two rivers during the renaissance leon was a major economic hub today it's france's third largest city one of the most prominent features of the city is the basilica of notre dame it's perched perfectly on the hill to overlook the entire city after leon we're gonna head to one of my favorite places in france carcassonne now when i imagine medieval europe i don't think there's a better place that exemplifies it better than this fortified city located in southern france carcassonne began as a roman fortified hilltop and was given to the visigoths in the 5th century who continued to fortified and build the city throughout the centuries carcassonne proved to be an impregnable fortress as army after army failed to overtake the protected city today the city consists of 53 towers that are protected by its two outer walls it remains as one of europe's greatest medieval gems after france we're going to visit monaco's monte carlo now monaco is the second smallest country after the vatican the whole country is only 499 acres monaco has been known as a billionaire's playground and over one-third of monaco citizens are millionaires one reason why monaco draws the rich is because it's a tax haven there are no income taxes and other tax rates are extremely low one of the most famous places in monaco is the monte carlo casino it was opened in 1863 and has been featured in the james bond films another annual tourist attraction in monaco is the grand prix i'd love to see some race cars ripping through the city there if you can handle the riches of monte carlo and monaco it's definitely a place to add to your european city bucket list after monaco we're going to head over to ukraine david kiev located in north central ukraine along the nipa river kiev is one of the oldest cities in eastern europe and is believed to be founded around the 5th century as a slavic centrelit that grew as it was positioned on the trade route between scandinavia and constantinople at the beginning of the 12th century it grew to be one of the largest cities in the world with a population exceeding a hundred thousand today kiev is an important cultural scientific and industrial center of eastern europe i'm amazed by how beautiful the city is especially during the summer time one of the most famous places in the city is the kiev monastery of the caves it's an orthodox christian monastery and it began as a cave monastery in the year of 1051 a.d today it's an active monastery with over a hundred monks it's named one of the seven wonders of ukraine right next to the monastery is the motherland monument it's a 203 foot tall stainless steel statue that was completed in 1981 to celebrate the soviet victory over nazi germany after kiev we're going to head over to the seaside town of odessa now located about a six hour drive from kiev odessa is a port city located on the northwest shores of the black sea it was an ancient greek settlement then became a tartar settlement in 1440 by the con of crimea today is ukraine's third most populous city it's a great place to come in the summer in bathing the black sea one of the coolest spots in odessa is the akroman fortress it's unclear when the fortress was founded but it's believed to be an established in the 13th century by the republic of genoa while we're still in ukraine we're going to head over to levi located in western ukraine 70 miles from the bordeaux poland one thing interesting about the city is that it's home to 1500 cafes making it the highest amount of cafes per capita in the world i just love all the architecture throughout the city there's so many beautiful churches and other historical buildings the roofs are just so colorful and unique after ukraine we're gonna head to the magical capital of luxembourg city now the country of luxembourg is one of the smallest in the world it's nestled between belgium france and germany and has a population around 600 000 luxembourg also has the highest gdp per capita in the world which is pretty crazy now the crowning feature of the country is its capital luxembourg city built among deep gorges cut out by surrounding rivers the city is home to one of the most impressive medieval old towns now what made this landscape so appealing is that it's surrounded by sheer cliffs that serve as a natural fortification against invading armies luxembourg's fortifications grew gradually and became one of europe's strongest fortresses sadly in 1867 the treaty of london required luxembourg's fortress to be torn down so it could be a place of neutrality today the fortress's ruins still remain the best place to see them is the bach promontory where you'll find the city's fancles underground tunnels and fascinating history after we're gonna head over to belgium to visit brussels now look it in the heart of the country brussels is the most densely populated region with a population of 1.2 million after world war ii brussels became a major center for international politics is the de facto capital of the european union i went to brussels many years ago and its impression has left a mark on me one of my favorite places was the grand place it's the center square of the city and i just remember being blown away by the immaculate buildings and all the cobblestone the square is considered to be one of the most beautiful in all of europe and i totally understand why while you're there you can treat yourself to a belgian waffle or make the short walk to the famous statue of mannequin piece now a really interesting attraction is that tomium landmark building it was built in 1958 for the brussels world fair and there's a restaurant with incredible panoramic view on top while we're still in belgium we're going to visit the medieval city of bruges due to its tidal inlets and canals bruges is sometimes referred to as the venice of the north bridge's tidal inlet helped to become one of the most prosperous cities during the middle ages as it quickly became a strategic location for maritime trade routes bruges continued to flourish until the year 1500 when the tidal inlet became silted up which led to the decline of the city today most of bridges medieval structures have remained intact one of my favorite features of the city is the market square it's towered over by 277 foot medieval bell tower of belfry which was constructed in the 13th century to such impressive and unique medieval city after we're going to head over to the netherlands to visit amsterdam i'm known for its elaborate canal system narrow houses and countless bridges amsterdam has a vibe like none other i was in amsterdam many years ago and his impression has always left a mark on me it's just crazy to think that people were able to construct a city around canals hundreds of years ago truly mind-blowing amsterdam originated as a small fishing village in the 12th century and rose to one of the world's most important trading ports in the 17th century if you fancy art you can visit the van gogh museum and witness some of the world's most famous paintings the risk museum is another wonderful place to check out some art when i was there i just had an incredible time just walking around the canals and enjoying the atmosphere of this incredible city and it's just hard to beat this place while we're still in the netherlands we're gonna head over to rotterdam now lucky just an hour's drive from amsterdam rotterdam is home to europe's largest seaport rotterdam's history dates back to the 13th century due to its location between germany and britain it was completely destroyed in world war ii when rotterdam was rebuilt the city was extremely bold with its buildings and unique architecture today rotterdam scotland is full of modern skyscrapers now just 30 minutes from rotterdam is another impressive dutch city called the hog one of the coolest features of the city is de pierre it reminds me a lot of the beaches and piers in california such a fun little place there after we're gonna head over to the capital of denmark copenhagen now copenhagen started as a viking fishing village in the 10th century and became the economic center of scandinavia during the renaissance today copenhagen is the cultural economic and governmental center of denmark one of the most recognizable places in copenhagen is the new howard canal it's a 17th century canal that is lined with beautifully colored houses and historical wooden ships it's just a great place to walk around and enjoy some danish restaurants and cafes another impressive spot in the city is the copenhagen opera house it's one of the most modern and expensive opera houses ever built with an estimated cost of 500 million dollars after copenhagen we're going to head over to the nearby malmo now looking on sweden's southern coast malmo is the country's third largest city the eight kilometer orsi sun bridge connects malmo to copenhagen one of the coolest features of the city is the turning torso skyscraper it's a 190 meter tall tower that was built in 2005 it's the tallest building in scandinavia and it's claimed to be the world's first twisted skyscraper and just such a unique feature that adds to the beauty of malmo right next to the turning torso is one of europe's biggest skate parks malmo is such a charming city that you gotta check out after we're gonna head over to gothenburg a locate on sweden's west coast gothenburg is the second largest city in sweden it began as a dutch train colony in 1621 and today it is home to the largest shipping port in the nordic countries it's famous for its dutch style canals and seaside views when you go there you can visit the leicester amusement park it's one of the most visited all of scandinavia after gothenburg we're gonna head over to sweden's capital stockholm i was able to visit stockholm last summer and i was just pleasantly surprised it's made up of 14 islands and 50 bridges compared to other nordic countries such as norway and iceland i felt sweden was much more affordable i had a good time walking around the city and using their public transportation i swear i rode on the world's biggest escalator i just love the buildings and architecture there it reminded me a lot of copenhagen with its colorful buildings and canals full wooden ships i mean it's just such a wonderful city and i think everyone should give it a visit after exploring sweden we're gonna head over to finland now for the past three years finland has been ranked the happiest country in the world thanks to its wonderful healthcare education and obviously it's beautiful scenery on the same note the capital of finland helsinki has been ranked the happiest and most livable city in the world now helsinki is one of the northernmost metropolitan areas the whole city just has a great vibe to it if you want to see some of finland's nature you can head up north to visit the arctic city of rovaneemi located about four miles south of the arctic circle roven navy is the capital of lapland it's also the largest city in all europe by land area it's considered to be the official hometown of santa claus i can't think of a better place to visit during christmas time you'll find reindeer snow coated pine trees and maybe you get lucky and see the northern lights it's just such a cool remote city while we're still in the nordic we're going to head over to norway's capital of oslo located on norway's southern coast at the start of the oslo fjord oslo was founded at the end of the viking age during the 11th century today oslo is one of europe's fastest growing cities i love all the modern buildings and museums throughout the city the oslo opera house is an impressive piece of architecture that resembles that iceberg it was completed in 2007 and features slanted marble and granite slates that slide down to the water from oslo we're going to make the seven hour journey to the magical town of bergen located on norway's southwest coast and surrounded by mountains and fjords bergen is one of norway's most charming cities bergen was founded back in the 11th century thanks to its maritime trade domination brigand was the largest city in norway until the 1830s today it's famous for its colorful wooden houses on the old wharf if you're in the city you can hike to the floyd mountain to get amazing panoramic views of the city another beautiful city on norway's west coast is alisond it's about a seven hour drive from bergen so it's quite a ways alisson is one of nori's most prominent fishing towns built on a uniquely shaped archipelago similar to bergen it's home to beautifully colored buildings perched right up against the ocean to get one of the best views of the city you can go to the by rampant viewpoint or mount axla lookouts both will give you incredible panoramic views of the fjords and archipelago if you go to allison during the winter months you might get lucky and witness the stunning aurora borealis as it dances across the norwegian sky while we're near the arctic circle we're going to keep heading north to visit tromso when i flew into tromso i just remember looking at where i was on the map and i couldn't believe how high up in latitude i was trumps it was the third largest city north of the arctic circle one thing great about tromso is that it's one of the best places in the world to see the northern lights when i was there i road trip from trump to senya and i experienced one of the most magical nights of my life as i slept underneath the aurora borealis now from norway we're gonna head over to iceland to visit the capital of reykjavik known as the land of fire and ice iceland is a spectacular country with a great capital city reykjavik is the largest state in iceland with a population of 130 000 residents it's believed that reykjavik is the first permanent settlement in iceland and was established by north solar in 874 a.d to date reykjavik is known as one of the cleanest greenest and safest cities in the world one of the crowning features of the city is lutheran church that took 41 years to build and was completed in 1986 what's great about reykjavik is that you can visit some amazing places with relatively short drives such as the famous blue lagoon or you could venture to the uranus ferry beach to witness the black sea pinnacles or visit the iconic waterfall of skogafoss after iceland we're going to head over to the charming capital of dublin now located on ireland's eastern coast dublin is a city full of charm the capital is known for its beautiful gardens and architecture i mean just such a friendly vibe to it when you're there you can take a walk across the river liffey on the uniquely designed samuel beckett bridge or you can walk to the coast to experience the irish i just love the phila dublin it's just such a magical capital after let's head over to poland to visit warsaw located on the vestula river in east central poland warsaw is the capital and largest city in the country warsaw began to grow in the 16th century and was called the paris of the north but warsaw was damaged extensively during world war ii with 85 percent of its billings in ruins today it's a bustling capital with a population of 1.8 million one of my favorite buildings is the palace of culture and science at 778 feet tall it's the fifth tallest building in the eu you want to see some medieval vibes you can check out warsaw's old town it was established in the 13th century as full of history and medieval architecture after warsaw we're going to head up to the charming city of gdansk now located in northern poland on the baltic coast earliest mention of gdansk was in 997 and during the middle ages gadons grew as an important seaport in shipbuilding town it rose to the wealthiest and largest city in poland until warsaw's rapid growth in the 18th century sadly a majority of godansk was destroyed during world war ii but today gdansk is one of poland's most beautiful cities i just can't believe how stunning the old town is it's full of perfectly placed houses next to the river after we're going to head over to ratswa frat swath is located in poland about a three hour drive from kakao brat suave is such a charming city it's home to one of the most beautiful market squares in europe it's lined with elegant townhouses and cobblestone streets rotswaff also has one of the most beautiful cathedrals in all of poland it was originally built in 12 to 72 but was damaged and rebuilt several times throughout the centuries i just love its double spires while we're still in poland where to head down to krakow located in southern poland krakow was founded back in the 7th century so you best believe it's full of beautiful history and architecture one of the most impressive sights is the huawei royal castle it was built during the 14th century and was the first unesco world heritage site it features architectural styles from the medieval renaissance and baroque periods after we're going to head over to russia's saint petersburg saints peterburg is located at the end of the baltic sea it was founded relatively recent in 1703 after russia captured it from swedish colonists today is one of russia's most thriving cities and receives millions of tourists each year i love all the canals it reminds me a lot of amsterdam one of the most famous spots is the peter and paul fortress it was the original citadel of st petersburg and was finished in 1740. you can also check out sites such as the palace square or many of the city's gorgeous gardens while we're still in russia we're going to visit moscow moscow is the world's most northernmost and coldest mega city it's also europe's second most popular city with over 12.4 million residents one of the coolest places in moscow is saint basil's cathedral it was completed in 1561 under orders of ivan the terrible has such a unique look with its colorful onion shaped domes right next to the cathedral is the moscow kremlin it's a fortified complex that was completed in 1495. it serves as the official residence of vladimir putin so it's basically the russian equivalent of the white house one of the most stunning buildings in my opinion is the moscow state university it reminds me of a scene straight out of a batman movie i mean there's just so many intriguing places to visit in moscow what a wild place after russia we're gonna head back to italy's coast to visit vernazza vernazza is one of the seaside villages that make up cinque terre these fishing villages have lined the italian coast for thousands of years now the small town of vernazza is one of my favorites in cinque terre i just can't get over the colorful houses and beauty of the city now another wonderful city in italy is verona famous for being the setting of shakespeare's romeo and juliet verona is a beautiful medieval town i just love how the river cuts through the town it's home to the verona arena which is an ancient roman amphitheater it's where the closing ceremony of the 2026 winter olympics will be held now while we're still in italy we're going to head over to the nearby san marino the republic of san marino is a micro state completely enclosed by italy the history of this small country is absolutely fascinating it was founded by a stonemason from croatia named saint marines after facing persecution for his christian sermons he fled to the mountain of monte titano where he built a church and founded the small country in the year 301 a.d san marino claims to be the oldest surviving sovereign state and the oldest constitutional republic the capital of the country is the city of san marino and it's situated on the slopes of monte titano it's hard to beat the location of the city one of the most iconic spots in san marino is the fortress of guayita it was built in the 11th century and served as a prison after italy we're going to head over to slovenia to visit ljubljana now while ljubljana is one of the smallest capitals in europe with a population around three hundred thousand it's one of the most stunning in my opinion one thing i love about the city is how the ljubljanika river runs right through it it makes it feel like you're not even the city the crowning feature is the ljubljana castle as it overlooks the city it was built around the 12th century and it's one of the capitals most popular attractions if you want to venture outside the capitol i'd highly recommend making the hour drive to lake bled it's one of europe's most beautiful lakes and it has this little island and church right in the middle of it just hard to beat the scenery there after we're gonna head over to croatia to visit dubrovnik one of the most popular medieval cities in europe the history of dubrovnik dates back to the 7th century when it was founded by refugees during the 14th century up to 1808 dubrovnik was a free state one of the most notable features of dubrovnik are the walls that surround the city they're almost two kilometers in length and are anywhere from four to six meters thick the walls were used to protect the city throughout history the unique look of the city has made a popular filming location dubrovnik was featured in game of thrones as it was used to depict the city of king's landing another one of my favorite cities in croatia is the port of ravine now located on the austrian peninsula on croatia's western coast ravine is one of the most beautiful medieval fishing towns i've ever seen from 1283-1797 was governed by the republic of venice from 1918 to 1947 it belonged to the kingdom of italy today is part of croatia and it's one of the country's most beautiful cities when you walk the streets you'll feel like you're in italy due to its italian influence one of the most beautiful features of the city is the church of saint euphemia it's perfectly perched on the hill in the historic part of the city it was completed in 1680 and stands over 60 meters tall after we're gonna head to croatia's capital zagreb now located in northwestern croatia zagreb is the country's largest city with a population of over one million zagreb is a city full of history that dates back to the rowan times one of the most popular attractions in the capital is the cathedral of zagreb it's not only the tallest building in croatia but it's also the most monumental sacral building in gothic style southeast of the alps the cathedral was completed in 1217 and sadly it was destroyed in 1242 by the mongols but it was rebuilt a few years later the two spires reach a height of 354 feet it's just crazy to think that it was constructed nearly 800 years ago sagar was just such a beautiful capital to visit after we're gonna head back to the baltics to visit riga now i have to say that i was very surprised by riga's beauty it's full of stunning medieval architecture riga was founded back in 1201 and today it's the largest city of all the baltic countries one of the most famous buildings is the house of the blackheads it's located in riga's old town and was built in the 14th century saint peter's church is another dramatic building that towers over riga skylines riga is just such a special and underrated city and hope all can visit after riga we're going to head down to lithuania's capital of vilnius unlike other baltic capitals italian and riga vilnius is located inland near its eastern border before world war ii vilnius was one of the largest jewish centers in the world napoleon called it the jerusalem of the north i'm just blown away by the beauty of the city and this perfect mixture of modern and baroque architecture after lithuania we're gonna head over to the neighboring belarus to visit the capital of minx located in the center of the country minsk is quite the city similar to many cities during world war ii it was largely destroyed so when it was rebuilt soviet bloc style buildings rose up across the city minsk is famous for its big concrete soviet-style buildings that claim minks to be the perfect example of a soviet city one of the most unique features of the city is the national library it's this extremely unique shaped library and apparently it's been named one of the world's ugliest buildings but if you ask me i think it's pretty cool now afterwards we're going to head over to budapest budapest is one of europe's most photogenic destinations the danube river runs right through budapest making a unique and stunning city one of my favorite attractions is the chain bridge it's a suspension bridge that runs across the danube first time i saw the bridge was this video that will smith did where he got on top of the bridge towers the hungarian parliament building is another incredible piece of architecture it was opened in 1902 as the third largest parliament building in the world budapest is also famous for its thermal baths the secheny thermal bath is the largest in europe and it's known for its medicinal properties it's hard to beat the beauty and energy of budapest after it run head over to romania to visit bucharest now located in the south of romania bucharest is the country's capital with a population of 1.8 million it's referred to as the paris of the east thanks to its elegant architecture one of the most impressive buildings in the city is the palace of parliament it's the heaviest building in the world and i just can't believe how massive it is what i like about bucharest is the roads are lined with buildings and they go right towards the parliament building similar to paris bucharest is an arc of triumph dedicated to the heroes of world war one now while we're still in romania we're going to head over to brassov located near the carpathian mountains brazil is a charming city known for its medieval saxon walls and towering gothic black church one of my favorite places near the city is the bronze castle it's located 30 minutes outside and supposedly dracula's castle i mean it would be a fun place to go during halloween now after we're going to visit montenegro's coastal town of kotor located in what some consider to be europe's southernmost fjord kotor is one of the most well preserved medieval old towns in all the balkans it's grown in popularity over the years and it's a popular cruise ship stop if you want to get one of the best views of couture you can drive the serpentine road to get a panoramic view of the entire bay and surrounding mountains i mean just what a beautiful city after montenegro when head over to bosnia and herzegovina to visit the capital of sarajevo nestled in a valley surrounded by the dynamic alps sarajevo is the country's largest city with a population around 300 000 it's considered to be the prominent center of culture in the balkans and due to its long history and religious and cultural diversity and sometimes referred to as the jerusalem of europe the capital is full of crazy history the city began in the 15th century as an ottoman stronghold in 1914 archduke franz ferdinand was assassinated here which sparked world war one in 1984 sarajevo hosted the winter olympics and the city was thriving but from 1992 to 1996 the city suffered the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare during the bosnian war i just can't imagine what that must have been like aside from its history i find sarajevo to be such an intriguing place from the melting pot of religions to the surrounding alps sarajevo is an undiscovered gem that deserves a visit after we're going to head over to the city of mostar the most popular feature of the city is the old bridge it's an ottoman bridge from the 16th century it stood for 427 years until it was destroyed in 1983 during the croat bosniak war but in 2004 it was rebuilt now one of the cool thing that i love about the bridge is that they let you cliff jump off of it i believe it's a nearly 20 meter fall down to the river below so it's pretty high but next time in bosnia i'm going to make sure to send a gainer off of the bridge after we're gonna head over to the nearby serbia to visit belgrade no it's the capital and largest city in serbia with a population of 1.7 million what's crazy about belgrade is that it's one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in europe and the world one of the most notable attractions of the city is the belgrade fortress which was built all the way back in 279 bc it sits atop a hill and offers one of the best views of belgrade after serbia we're going to head to the ancient city of athens it's the capital and largest city in greece and it's one of the world's oldest cities athens is such a wild place with so much history one of my favorite places in athens is acropolis if you want to get into parthenon it cost about 20 euros so it's a little expensive but it's totally worth it especially if you're there when i went to the acropolis i was able to get some of my favorite time lapses over the city they're just an endless sea of white buildings with mountains in the background if you do go to greece i recommend exploring athens for at least a day or two it's just such a unique place afterwards we're going to head over to turkey to visit the notorious city of istanbul istanbul is one of the most fascinating places it's a transcontinental city which means that istabul is part of both europe and asia the boss restraint which is considered to be the boundary between europe and asia runs right through the capital istanbul is the most populated city of all europe with a population of over 15 million the history of istanbul is endless it was settled as far back as 7th century bc it became the capital of the roman empire in the year 330 a.d one of my favorite features of the city is the galata tower it's a uniquely shaped medieval building that dominates the skyline it was built in 1348 and the tower was used to spot fires one of the most important features of istanbul is the hagia sophia it was built all the way back in the year 537 a.d as a christian church but after the fall of constantinople in 1453 the church was converted to a mosque by the ottoman empire at the time of its completion it was the world's largest interior space and the first building to use a fully pentative dome after turkey were to head over to georgia to visit tibalisi now located on the banks of the kura river tibolisi is georgia's capital and largest city with a population of 1.5 million the city was founded all the way back in the 5th century and grew steadily thanks to its location on the crossroads of europe and asia to date tabalisi is a vibrant city i was surprised by all its modern architecture throughout the capital on its outskirts there are plenty of historical sites such as the fourth century narutikala fortress just 30 minutes outside the capital are two impressive monasteries the jivari monastery was built around 590 a.d and across the river is the 11th century cathedral i won't even try saying that name after that we're going to germany's capital of berlin now today berlin is a thriving capital with a population of over 3.6 million people it's an incredible city with a complicated history now berlin was first documented in the 13th century during world war ii it was the headquarters of hitler's third reich and became the most heavily bombed city in history after the war berlin was divided into the east and west berlin with the end of the cold war east and west berlin were finally reunited in 1990 so one of my favorite spots is the rattenberg gate it's this 18th century neoclassical monument that is germany's national symbol of unity and peace you can also check out the berlin wall memorial to see remnants of the historical wall after berlin we're going to head over to hamburg located in northern germany on the el river hamburg is the second largest city in germany after berlin thanks to its access to the north sea hamburg grew as the port city throughout the ages today is europe's third largest port i just love all the canals that run through the city hamburg is home to 2 500 bridges making the city with the highest number of bridges in europe it reminds me of modern day venice a really impressive spot in the city is the spikerstat it's the largest warehouse district in the world now another beautiful spot in the city is the alsair lakes it's a set of two artificial lakes that are often full of sailboats during the summer time now after hamburg we're gonna head over to frankfurt located in west central germany frankfurt is one of europe's major financial hubs and it's home to the european central bank it's full of beautiful skyscrapers and kind of reminds me of american cities aside from its skyscrapers and financial districts frankfurt is a beautiful historical town one of the most popular places is romerberg it's a beautiful town square lined with colorful timber houses that will get your german vibes going now after germany we're going to head over to one of my favorite spanish islands to visit palma de majorca a located on beautiful mallorca when most people think of this island they probably imagine beautiful beaches and incredible landscapes but it's also home to the resort city of palma one of the most notable features is the massive santa maria cathedral the cathedral was started in the 13th century and it stands as iconic symbol of palma there's also a lot of great restaurants galleries and nightlife to enjoy when you explore this awesome city after we're gonna head over to valencia now being spain's third most popular city valencia is full of culture and history it's located on spain's southeastern coast one of the most impressive attractions in valencia is the city of arts and sciences i mean it's one of the most unique modern architectural structures that i've ever seen construction began in 1996 and it was inaugurated nine years later it was estimated that construction cost almost 1 billion dollars so that's pretty crazy but anyways you can go paddle board on the water or you can go watch a film in the imax theater there i mean the surrounding science museum park is also a beautiful place to walk around and enjoy the beauty of valencia after valencia we're going to head over to seville as the capital of the andalusia region of spain seville is a very historic city where flamenco dancing was born the cathedral of seville will blow your mind it's one of the largest churches in the world and it's the world's largest gothic church another impressive site in the city includes the plaza de espana it's a beautiful place that's the perfect combination of brook renaissance and mars architecture afterwards we're going to head over to madrid now located in central spain madrid is a beautifully modern city the capital of spain was originally toledo but philip ii moved his court to madrid in the 1560s and the city has continuously been spain's capital since 1606. the plaza mayor is a great place to visit and experience the heart of madrid the royal palace is another incredible spot it's the official residence of the spanish royal family and it's the biggest palace in all of europe after let's head back to switzerland to visit the capital of bern now in my opinion i think burn is one of europe's most beautiful capitals i love how the blue waters of the ara river went perfectly through the city now burns origins date back to the 12th century and today the capital hosts a population of a hundred thousand now one of the most impressive places in burn is the old city it's the medieval part of burn one of the most prominent features is the cathedral of burn it started construction in 1421 and it's the tallest cathedral in all of switzerland at a height of 100 meters after burnt we're gonna head over to geneva located on the southern tip of lake geneva in western switzerland geneva is switzerland's second most popular city after zurich i was lucky enough to live there for a summer and i just loved every second of it it's home to the headquarters of the united nations so there's a lot of diplomatic stuff going on there one of the most famous landmarks of the city is the geneva water fountain it's a jet of water that flows over 140 meters high i mean i just love geneva and i hope you all can check it out one day after switzerland we're going to head back to italy to visit the cities of tuscany now located in central italy tuscany is known for its landscapes history and artistic legacy one of my favorite cities in tuscany is san gimigiano sanchi magiano is a stunning medieval city perched upon a hill from san gimigiano you can make the 40 minute drive to siena i went there many years ago i just remember it was mesmerizing to me the piazza del campo is this uniquely shaped square with a massive clock tower the duomo de siena is another spectacular sight the interior will blow your mind with its black and white pillars another beautiful town in tuscany is pisa it's known worldwide for its leaning tower the tower is over 55 meters tall and has a lean of nearly 4 degrees the tower was completed all the way back in 1372. the lien is caused by an unstable foundation and it's been a problem since it began construction in the 12th century i just don't know how they've been able to keep it up for this long it's definitely a wonder of the world and you gotta witness it at least once in your life now to finish this video off we're going to the capital of tuscany to visit the iconic city of florence it's considered to be the birth of the renaissance one of the most impressive buildings in the city is the florence cathedral when you look at it you just can't believe how big it is it was completed in 1436 and it just amazes me that they were able to engineer such a big dome the ponte vecchio bridge is another historic site as it crosses the arno river and i just can't say enough good things about florence and it's just such an amazing city that you need to visit all right well that is it for my european cities top 100 there are so many more places i wish i could include so maybe look out for a part two let me know in the comments where your favorite european city is if you guys want to feel relaxed i started a relaxation channel where i post hour-long videos of places around the world with common music that can bring some peace and nature in your life you can find me on instagram and tick tock at shirley.films it's ryan shirley and we will see you [Music] later

Channel: Ryan Shirley

Views: 1,075,891

Rating: 4.9425378 out of 5

Keywords: top cities to visit in europe, best cities to visit in europe, europe cities, european cities, where to visit in europe, europe, europe travel guide, europe travel, best places to visit in europe

Id: lMUNqNMaUbo

Length: 57min 25sec (3445 seconds)

Published: Sat Nov 28 2020