Favorite European City (rural or urban)

Ravello, Italy.....that place is magical to me.

I agree! The entire Amalfi Coast and Capri are also favorites of mine. I can't decide whether to go their again in 2011 (for the 3rd time!) or give it up to visit the Cinque Terre, which we have yet to see. It's a difficult choice.

Ah.. difficult question. Inverness with it's lovely walks along the river, it's quaint victorian shopping arcade and it's wonderful whisky. Aviemore with lovely moutain views, whisky, and a hotel that looks like a miniture castle on the outside and scottish hunting lodge inside and that serves THE BEST food ever. London- it is true--- if you are tired of London you are tired of life. And finally (well not really...) Oslo. It is one of the cleanest cities with the best sculpture park ever. Oh-- Salzburg, Vienna.....

Toni, I haven't visited any of the cities you mentioned (including London) so I will take them under advisement! We would like to visit London, since we will probably be flying British Airways. Their are lots of home exchanges in London; what is/are the best area(s) of the city for sightseeing? We definitely want to show the kids the changing of the guards, and all that touristy London stuff!

Leuven and Hasselt in Belgium, for very personal reasons. By the way, what exactly is a "rural city"?

Berlin - and each time you go you'll find a completely different city.

Edinburgh Scotland is my favorite city so far. I love the view of the castle built on top of an old volcano, especially in the evening when the fog rolls in. I love the Royal Mile that winds down to the palace. I love New Town (older than anything in Pittsburgh) with its beautiful Georgian buildings and squares. I love to climb Arthur's seat. I just wish it had as many bakeries as Paris!

Kerry- London is one of the safest cities I have been in. All of the "touristy" parts of the city seem to be well lit and the tube (subway) has never seemed a problem. We love to stay in the Victoria Station area. Easy to get to the tube, trains, etc and the station itself is basically a mini-mall. We have also stayed in the Covent Garden area (when we really wanted to treat ourselves- it was a 4-5 star hotel!!!!) I love the theatre, Kew Gardens, the markets -Covent Garden is different every day of the week- Leciester Square and Picadilly Circus.... Windsor is an easy 25 min. train ride away as are LOTS of other places when you want a brief break. Give it a try and you'll be as addicted as we became- more than 40 trips in 20+ years and I still am "travelsick" to get back there.

Edinburgh, Inverness, Berlin--I love each one for different reasons. Edinburgh for the history and culture, Inverness for the energy and the highlands, Berlin for it cosmopolitan nature. Pam

What do you call a rural town in europe? A village? That's what I was trying to say. I like rural locations, not just cities.

Tom, you responded elsewhere that you love Ocean City, NJ? Are you serious? If so, what is so wonderful about it? I'm only 1 1/2 hours drive, but I've never been. Is it really that nice?

For history= Rome
For culture= Amsterdam
For people= Ireland- esp. Dingle town
For food= Paris
For wine= France- too many place to name
For beer= Prague

I intend to go to Rome; am seriously considering Amsterdam; and I could not agree more, the Irish are the nicest, open and pleasant people I've ever met! I recently had a home exchange offer from a family in Killybegs, Ireland. Are you familiar with this area. It's a major fishing port in Northwest Ireland. I may consider it, but don't know enough about it.

Kerry,

We spent 2 weeks in NW Ireland in Aug of 2009. Killybegs is in a great location for a week or more as a home base. It is just a few Kil. from Sleive League, the highest cliffs in Europe. Kilcar has a great trad music festival around the 2nd week of August. "Baskins" Restaurant in DunKineely is touted as having the best fish and chips in Ireland, and we had to agree. All of this including Killybegs is just a short drive west of Donegal Town. We only got one day and night in Donegal Town, and wished for 1 or 2 more days. Donegal Castle is worthwhile, and the town of Donegal has great pubs, shops, and restaurants. Not too far south of Donegal town is Sligo with many megalithic tombs and ruins. We didn't get north of Donegal, but that would make a great day trip or 2 as well from Killybegs. I don't specifically have any info about Killybegs town itself, but all the little sea coast towns between Donegal and Slieve League were quaint and inviting. The beauty of the Donegal countryside, as well as being a less crowded tourist area, compared to the rest of Ireland makes it a good choice in high season of July or August. Hope this helps! Dan

I have been fortunate to have travelled throughout most of Europe..and have enjoyed so many beautiful places, but the place that "captured my heart" ....
Ljubljana, Slovenia... Slovenia is wonderful!

Amsterdam--the canals, bikes, spirit of the people, architecture, Schiphol airport, live and let live tolerant attitude. Istanbul--exotic architecture & vibe, beautiful location by the sea, historical sites, warm people, bazaars, carpets & crafts, lots to see and do. Berner Oberland--natural beauty, waterfalls, hiking, Lauterbrunnen valley, the Alps, Gimmelwald, friendly people.

(Dan) your comments on northern Ireland WERE very helpful, thankyou. Thanks to everyone else as well, I will keep this list and consider any opportunities in the locations you all love. Feel free to continue posting your responses, I will keep checking in.

Probably Venice is number one, Salzburg is number two. I can't single out a three, there are so many great places to choose from.

Paris Paris Paris Paris (But we also love London.)

Paris! ... can't wait. (But Nice is very, very nice.)

For a smaller place (probably not 'rural' though) we love St. Jean de Luz. Back-and-forth between there and San Sebastian ... delight!

Larger: Paris, Istanbul, Prague, Budapest

Smaller: Taormina, Santiago de Compostela, Honfleur

We exchanged homes with a family 15 minutes outside of Paris last summer for 10 days, in a lovely town called Marnes la Coquette. We spent a lot of time in Paris including two nights at the Hospitel Hotel Dieu across the street from Notre Dame. We loved Paris as well. We were there in July and got to spend time at the Paris Plage (so cool!) and my daughter got to play with the local kids at the "Big Toys" area of Luxembourg Jardins". We picnic'd under the Eiffel Tower and got to see it light up and twinkle. We visited Monets home and water garden in Giverney (simply divine!) and got to see a night time "spectacle" at Versaille complete with fountains running, classical music and special effects thru out the gardens. That was magnificent. They had a giant bubble maker; I'd never seen such bliss on my 7 year old daughter's face! There is so much we did not get to do in Paris since we tried to take our time and not overtax the kids and my mom - and whose kidding, me and my husband too. We will just have to go back.

Bigger: Paris, Rome, Barcelona (so typical!)

Smaller: Dubrovnik, Cinque Terre, Cortona, Toledo

If you like Granada for its "exotic" atmosphere, Dubrovnik is another great place to get that "am I still in Europe?" sensation -- and it's just an overnight ferry ride from Italy.

Emma, Rome is definitely included on our next trip. I was last their in 1996 on my honeymoon and I would love to visit again with my kids. Someone recently posted that the lower levels of the Coloseum are going to be open to the public soon. That will be very interesting to see. I loved Madrid so I imagine I would really love Barcelona too. Dubrovnik, I will look into. Toledo was great, I was there in 1992; talk about ancient! It's like being taken back in a time machine. Cortona, I'll look into to.

Paris, Aigues Mortes and Antwerp. I also loved Dubrovnik but I've only been there once and I need to return to see if it qualifies as one of my favourites.

Kerry, how fun that you're planning this trip from scratch and open to so many different destinations! Norma, you're right -- the true "favorites" get better with each visit. :)

Big cities...for me, a tossup between Paris and Berlin.
Small towns or villages...La Alberca, Spain, hands down.

I love Castelrotto in the Dolomites in Northern Italy. It felt like I was in a background scene from a Disney movie. I kept waiting for Heidi to come frolicking by - it was surreal.

I feel safer in most places in London (even the east end) than I do in Colorado. They have CCTV cameras EVERYWHERE and I think it is somewhat of a deterrant.

Wow, that's saying a lot Tami! Colorado's pretty safe!

Norma, where's La Alberca and what's it like?

Kerry, La Alberca was Norm's chosen place, not mine.

Kerry...it's a small village in sthe mountains of western Spain close to the border with Portugal....south of Salamanca.
Over the centuries, this region was the poorest in Spain....development passed it by, and the village remain locked in the 16th century.
In the late 1920's and early 1930's the area received a bit of a boost with a visit from the King of Spain and the filming of a documentary on the poverty in the area. But, with the ensuing Civil War in the late 1930's, and the difficulty in reaching the area, it still remained a quiet backwater.
It's only in the last 30 or 40 years or so that it has become better known. Through a royal decree, the village's architecture has been preserved in its original form, although many of the interiors, of course, have been updated. It has become a very popular destination for Spanish families during the summer....but from October to June it slips back into its usual rural slumber.
The area is dominated by several mountain ranges...more like eastern American mountains than the Rockies...and is criss-crossed with excellent hiking trails. It is a stop on the southern route of the Camino de Santiago. There are also several other villages in the area that are quite picturesque.
Click here for some initial information on La Alberca. A car is best for touring all the back roads. But there are bus connections (2/day if memory serves) from Salamanca, and bus connections to some of the other villages in the area as well. PM me if you want more info.

Another vote for Ravello. It truly is magical - the whole Amalfi Coast is for that matter.
Large city Paris. The first time I glimsped it in the distance from the bus, I got goosebumps. On my first overseas trip, my friend took us to Lake Moraine in BC. My first view of the lake and surrounding scenery was truly a 'breathaking' moment.
Dingle, Glendalough, ring of Kerry, Inverness - where does one stop!!!???