WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE AND BEST PLACES IN WEST EUROPE AND WHY?

Spain....isolation has given this country it's own unique culture. So many things that you will encounter are there because of their past as a world power. The civil war was terrible but this also kept Spain out of WWII. The people, food, weather and locations are incredible. The prices may have gone up but Spain is still quite reasonable.

London. A great walking around city. A close second would be Nuremberg Germany. The old town was a highlight of my last trip.

My favorite is Paris. For every reason you list! It has it all- culture, food, history, architecture, art. It is a city that has everything to do, but it is wonderful to just sit and watch the people go by. Anyone who is bored in Paris is bored of life!!

I determined by where I would want to live....if I lived in Europe. Switzerland, Germany and Austria as they are clean, neat, tidy and I felt safe there.

Best city - Paris. Best country - Italy. These are the only places that always say "come back" no matter how much time I am there. There is never a "been there, done that" feeling after a visit.

Without a doubt...Paris, Fontainebleau, London, Strasbourg, Amiens. In Central Europe (to stray a bit)...Berlin tops the list, Vienna, Dresden, Potsdam... all these are the ones which I never tire of visiting in West and Central Europe.

Florence. Like Disneyland for adults. World class art always a few steps away. Friendly helpful people. Wonderful meals. Easy walking/great discoveries while lost.

My favorite city is Edinburgh. Second favorite is Stockholm. My favorite non-city place is Great Blasket Island off the coast of Ireland. It is so beautiful and evocative with the ruins of the homes that were last occupied in 1953. There is something so exhilarating about exploring an island that is so isolated. Very few people get beyond the village and beach, so if you are willing to climb the hill, you have the island practically to yourself.

It is so hard to choose!!! London- it has a bit of it all and is satisfying on so many levels. Salzburg- beautiful, music, clean, fresh, old.... Inverness- God's country- wild, clean, yet homey and somehow comforting.

1) Paris,( France in general) 2) Switzerland 3) Italy 4) Greece 5) London Paris, for every reason you asked about( culture, sightseeing( the art, the buildings, the beauty) , price, food( sorry , best food in Europe bar none) , experience( there is just a certain something in the air there) , and location( easy to fly into , or take Eurostar from London) I know the "price" one may throw people, but I find it moderate by being careful and armed with knowledge,, and the other places I like are just as expensive or more so!! They are Switzerland and Austria( for sightseeing. scenery , culture, hiking etc) I know its part of Europe ( offically) but I still consider it sort of a different catergory,, but I also loved , loved, loved the Greek islands. Theres a lot of other places I like, but didn't list, and alot of other places I think I will like and haven't gotten to yet

I made paragraphs and breaks, ,, where are they?? Posts without paragraphs and breaks suck.

For me it's Paris. My favorite place on the planet. Can never get enough. Love the beauty, the people, the language, the architecture, the history, the lifestyle, the Luxembourg Gardens, the bakeries, the cafes, the river, the music, the food, the museums, the sights, Notre Dame, the bus', the metro....everything.

Pat, you must have been gone for a few days. Since midweek paragraphs and line breaks don't work anymore. It's that way for everyone. For more info: http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm/rurl/topic/54612/problem-with-boards.html

i think chani has it right. paris my favorite city ever. italy, wow, where do you start. as stated above, florence probably my second favorite city, even over rome. i love amsterdam and would reccomend it along with brugge, belgium. anywhere along the rhine or mosel river in germany is awesome. spain, barcelona, granada, toledo, madrid very nice, not quite italy or france but cool. you can see where this is going, i will stop now. anywhere in europe is better than most days in america. have fun, be safe.

Favorite country by far is Switzerland, mostly around Interlocken, but we also liked Zurich and Lucerne. Paris is the grandest city we've ever seen, but the French are, well - you know. On the Riviera, don't miss Ez and St. Paul de'Vance. London is a super city. My recommendation for a first time visit to Europe is Ireland - very friendly and a good introduction to Europe. Much to see in Rome and I'd take Venice any day over Florence. Some of the Dutch villages are neat. See Bruges in Belgium. A great stop in Germany is Rothenburg aub Tauber. I can provide much more detail if you want it direct! Now we are off to Scotland.

Paris. First, last and always.

Berlin!!!

I'm not picking a favorite until I've been everywhere. Here are a couple so far:

Culture - Rome (but I haven't been to Greece, Turkey, Eqypt or Israel yet). Second place to Florence. Third to St. Petersburg, Russia.

Sightseeing - a whole lot of categories here: Most picturesque - Yosemite Valley. Most picturesque city - Venice, second place - Salzburg. Best wildlife - Northern Australia (but I haven't been to Africa yet). Best Museums - London, tie for second between a lot of places.

Price - Before the Euro, it would have definitely been Austria. Now, Poland seems pretty reasonable.

Food - Ireland was the most pleasant positive surprise. Italy was a letdown from lofty expectations but not bad. I'm not a huge foodie anyway so not an important category for me.

Experience - Anywhere I can explore on my own and need a flashlight is right up there for me, Rheinfels castle, Kronburg castle casemates, Blarney Castle (because it was a pleasant surprise). Other top experience involve meeting people and doing local things but it's hard to pick the one favorite.

Almost anywhere in the UK- London (when a man is tired of London he is tired of life...) for a bit of eveything; Inverness for the atmosphere, people and being on the edge of the Highlands' lovely wilderness; Salzburg for the ambiance and the weinner schnizle (sp???); Oslo for for feeling of being in a city and the countryside all at once.

Even though I have been here since about dirt, I still really, really like Frankfurt, basically bordering on being passonate about it. I am always finding something new and interesting here and the more I find out, the more I love it. The city has such a tremendously long and rich history, a wonderful international population, tons of fun festivals, culture aplenty, beautiful old neighborhoods and great architecture, both new and old, the people are consistently friendly, restaurants galore from every country in the world practically, multiple farmers markets filled with gorgeous local produce, and the location is perfect if I want to travel anyplace else.....If I had to pick a different place though, Amsterdam or Edinburgh might be fun to live in.

I agree on London as a top choice...absolutely captivating and interesting place. Wasn't that Dr. Johnson's quotation?

Yes Fred, It was Dr. Johnson. I love Paris. I love the food and the way I feel when I'm there. Any place in the UK. I love English Food, Irish Food and Indian Food. The price, I'm not as crazy about. I like the history beause it's mine. The first smell of the air being pushed by the train while I'm waiting for the tube..gross? Not to me. I feel like I'm finally home. I must have lived here in a former life. Cream Teas & Black Cabs Sightseeing: The Lakes, Cornwall, N. Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. I love London. No matter how many times I go there, I still make lists of what to see the next time.

Lauren - I heartily agree with your enthusiam and passion for being in Paris and London. The absolute tops for me are Paris and Berlin. What about London? It's a pretty close second. As regards to the food and drink, I would omit Indian cuisine but Irish and English cuisine I like. You left out the English tea. Outstanding and incomparable!! But I'll take German beers over the English ones any day.

If Best Beer is a category, nothing to date beats a fresh Guiness in Ireland. It's like drinking a cream soda. Unfortunately, it doesn't travel well so it's horrible here in comparison.

Fred, No, no, I said Cream Teas. But I did forget Scrumpy. And I have to agree with Brad. Nothing like a Guiness in Dublin.

Fred, No, no, I said Cream Teas. But I did forget Scrumpy. And I have to agree with Brad. Nothing like a Guiness in Dublin.

your guys posts are awesome!

Berlin for it diversity. I've been there approx. 10 times now and never see the same things twice...unless I want too. Kudamm, KaDeWe, Charlottenburg, Kreuzburg, Tegal see, food, theater, the list goes on and on.

That's absolutely right on Berlin's diversity...most likely the most diverse city in all of Germany with: Turks, Russians, Chinese, Vietnamese, French, Americans (yes, an American colony is there), Japanese, Russian Jews, Greeks, etc.,etc. Keep going back to Berlin: Charlottenburg, Mitte, (didn't really care for Kreuzberg), Karlshorst, Wilmersdorf, Koepenick...and don't forget Potsdam!!

For the most diverse, you have might have to come to Frankfurt. I think we have the greatest amount of foreigners percentage wise (25%) as well as the large amount of countries represented. Large Chinese, Korean, Brazilian, Italian, Greek, Spanish, Sri Lanken, Moroccan, Somalia, Croatian, Serbian, Eritria, Indian, Afghani, Russian, Iranian communities live peacefully side by side, as well as Turkish of course.... Native English speakers are not lacking either, making up 2% of the population. At one time, there were around 60,000 Americans here too, but they are all gone now. Today, it is a British, Australian, Canadian, Irish, and American mix. Also, before WW2, Frankfurt also had the 2nd largest Jewish population in Germany too, something that truly molded this city into what it is today....This diverse population is what makes living here so much fun and so attractive.