Need some travel inspiration? Can't decide where to go? How about
one of the world's most beautiful cities? If you're looking for a
destination with urban pleasures but also with natural and man-made
beauty, consider one of the cities below. They offer a combination of
magnificent architecture and breathtaking vistas; art and nature in
perfect harmony. If you want to make a list of the top places to see
before you die, start with these beautiful cities:
1 | VENICE
Among those who've seen it in person, the conclusion is unanimous: Venice is the most beautiful city in the world, and the only one that can truly be described as unique. Each building is a work of art, with their beauty enhanced when reflected on the canals that cross the city. Its magical scenery is fascinating and breathtaking at first sight, evoking the feeling of entering the setting of a real-life fairy tale. It's perhaps even unfair to all other cities to call Venice a city, as it is a place unlike any other, that no other can compare to, or ever be like.2 | PARIS
The Seine and the bridges that cross it, the grand boulevards, the
monumental squares, the magnificent monuments, the charming streets of
Montmartre -- these images of Paris confirm that it is indeed the most
elegant and sophisticated of all cities. It has inspired practically
every major world capital, with every city claiming its own
Champs-Elysèes, and Place des Vosges becoming the prototype of
residential squares throughout Europe. Sit at an outdoor café table or
go on a boat tour of the Seine and see it all romantically flash before
your eyes.
•See the PARIS CITY GUIDE»
3 | PRAGUE
It is known as the city of the thousand spires because of its
profusion of grand, beautifully-preserved historical monuments dating
from practically every period in history. Those spires are best admired
from the bridges that cross the Vltava River, especially from the
magnificent Charles Bridge, or standing in the stunningly beautiful Old
Town Square. Add the atmospheric alleyways and cobbled streets that
lead to it, and you know that few other cities delight the senses as
much as Prague.
4 | LISBON
Magnificently sited on a series of hills running down to the grand Tagus
River, Lisbon is one of the world's most scenic cities. Beautiful
unexpected views are found at every turn down its colorful, picturesque
streets, and especially from strategically-placed viewpoints or terraces
at the top of each hill. The city has an unpolished, seductive
appearance; an effortless beauty with captivating details such as
cobbled designs, tiled façades, and pastel-colored buildings blending
together to give it a singular atmosphere now lost in so many other
cities. In such a stunning place, it's no wonder that many of the
world's great explorers questioned what other beauties lied beyond the
horizon when they departed from here in the 15th century.
5 | RIO DE JANEIRO
There are those who say God created the world in six days and devoted
a seventh to Rio. The city is indeed blessed with one of the most
stunning settings in the world, making it the most naturally beautiful
city in the world. Even if it was deserted of buildings and population,
anyone standing at the top of the famous Sugarloaf Mountain or by the
Corcovado statue would see one of the world's most beautiful landscapes.
Green, tropical luxuriance mixes with the blue of the ocean and the
brightness of the sand at the beaches, proving that this is indeed "the
marvelous city" as locals call it.
6 | AMSTERDAM
Each of the thousands of buildings that line Amsterdam's main canals
can be classified as a monument, beautifully kept as apartments,
offices, cafés, restaurants, and even brothels. All together they form
an aesthetic uniformity that make the city one of the most charming in
the world, a stunning place of bridges and bikes crossing canals,
picturesque cobbled streets, and strikingly elegant architecture.
7 | FLORENCE
Florence is synonymous with the Italian Renaissance, known for the
artistic heritage in its palaces and museum collections. Yet with all
the beauty both inside and outside its palazzi's walls, it is the city
as a whole that impresses the most. See it from Piazzale Michelangelo, a
19th century terrace overlooking the entire city, and you'll be looking
at one of the most storybook-perfect cityscapes. You'll see its
unspoiled skyline, the towers and domes of the heart of the city, its
bridges, the hills in the distance, and the magnificent Duomo standing
in the middle of it all. Few other places in the world will leave you
as awestruck.
•See the FLORENCE CITY GUIDE»
8 | ROME
The city standing on seven hills by the Tiber River is a
treasure-trove of monuments among some of the most beautiful squares and
classical architecture in the world. Because everyone visits Rome for
its landmarks, its picturesque streets are often overlooked, such as
those of the Trastevere district, filled with charming lanes, faded
palazzi, and lovely homes decorated with flower boxes. It is on streets
like those that Rome proves itself to really be eternal.
9 | BUDAPEST
Split in two by the Danube River, Budapest is the result of the
merging of three cities. Buda is the hill with the royal palace and an
old town filled with baroque and gothic monuments looking over the
mostly-19th century Pest, crossed by broad avenues lined with elegant
neo-renaissance buildings. Admire its setting and remarkable
architecture (including the stunning Parliament Building) from the
monumental Chain Bridge, and step into the old town for some of the most
romantic lanes you'll ever stroll through.
10 | BRUGES
It's a small city, in a small country, hardly a metropolis, but
huge on beauty. It's one of the world's best preserved medieval cities,
filled with gothic and baroque monuments surrounded by an oval canal
and extraordinarily romantic cobbled lanes. It's no wonder that it is
one of Europe's most visited cities, helped by its location in the very
center of the continent. It's an unmissable destination when in Brussels,
and easily accessible from anywhere in central Europe. Its combination
of gorgeous architecture and pretty, peaceful spots crisscrossed by
canals make it one of the most magical sites to be experienced in the
world.
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