Your favorite Medieval town/city

Visby! https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Visby

It is hard to pick my favorite, so I have to say Rothenburg and Riquewihr.

Badger, I just looked it up.....looks hard to get to?

Siena.
Tallinn
Prague

Badger, I just looked it up.....looks hard to get to?

I guess it depends on how you define hard, but I've been there many times and I've never thought is was hard to get there. There is a port right next to the medieval centre served by frequent ferries to the mainland. There is also an airport on the island.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Dinkelsbuhl, both in Germany
Brugges, Belgium
Carcarassonne, France
Segovia, Spain
Toledo, Spain
St. Paul de Vence, France
Siena, Italy
Krakow, Poland
York, England

That's a difficult question, considering most towns in Europe that are marketed as "medieval" are not really medieval vintage but rather early modern 16 and 17th century. It's hard to find a truly authentic medieval town in Europe. Here's my short list, I don't really have a favorite, but I will be in Visby tomorrow so I'll try to circle back with an update on how it is as a medieval town.

Carcassonne
Toledo
Olite
Štramberk

@Badger, do you leave from Stockholm?
@Carlos, I have heard of your first two, but looking up the third and fourth one as I had not heard of them. Thanks!

Lübeck
Goslar

Olite is in the Navarra region of Spain, not far from Pamplona and Lorgroño. The Royal Palace there is very much worth visiting even though it’s be heavily restored. There are plenty of interesting small towns and villages in that area.

That's a difficult question, considering most towns in Europe that are
marketed as "medieval" are not really medieval vintage but rather
early modern 16 and 17th century. It's hard to find a truly authentic
medieval town in Europe.

That is an important point, and many towns contain a blend of different ages. And they also have been updated with things like street lights and plumbing.

@Badger, do you leave from Stockholm?

No, but I live on the mainland.

Quedlinburg.

But also, it's easy to forget that these are real towns that are home to modern people. Those old city halls have internet. By the same token, there are myriad towns and cities that date to Medieval or older times, but where one can't necessarily see it. Hamburg, for example, dates back to around 800. However, there is virtually no evidence of that given that the city has been sacked and flooded and bombed and burned multiple times over its history. So what you are probably asking is which towns we love that have a lot of preserved medieval buildings and still deliver that feel and look. That's what I answered.

My favorite are those that predate the mid 14th century (canons changed everything). I also much prefer original construction to rebuilt. So much has been destroyed by wars and rebuilt.

France - Conques, Foix, Najac, Cordes sur Ciel (I prefer Lot Valley to Dordogne), almost all of Burgundy's small towns and (for half-timbered instead of stone) Alsace

Italy - Volterra, Montepulciano, Perugia

Spain - Toledo

Sweden - Visby

Estonia - Tallinn

Check Republic - Kutna Hora (Kuttenberg in German)

England - I used to love York's shambles. Last time there was 2019 and they've turned it into a Harry Potter theme park (not literally, but those who went earlier and now know what I mean)

I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch, but those are some that come to mind.

So far, Bruges.

Visby is easy to visit from Stockholm. There is a ferry that leaves from Nynäshamn. Nynäshamn is easily reached by the commuter train (pendeltåg) from Stockholm. The train station in Nynäshamn is a 5 - 10 minute walk from the ferry terminal. If you are interested in Visby, combine it with a trip to Stockholm.

My easy answer is to get a map, circle Europe and say"all of them." I loved Canterbury, dazzled by Carcassonne, inspired so much by my 2 hour visit to Beynac in 2019 that I'm heading back in 6 weeks for a 4 day stay.

Sighișoara, Romania

Quedlinburg, Germany
Perouges, France
Aarau, Switzerland (perhaps later than medieval)
Gent, Belgium
Monemvasia, Greece
Obidos, Portugal

@Howlinmad-yes, thank you, that is exactly what I meant and I think most people got that.
Thanks for all these, I'm spending my Sunday looking up the ones I wasn't familiar with!

@Tim-I forgot about Monemvasia, which I just loved when we were there. I'm adding it to my original post.

My favorite is Ystad.

These towns still have some remnants of medieval times -
Colmar, France
Strasbourg, France
Amboise, France
Bacharach, Germany
Lucerne, Switzerland
Salzburg, Austria
Venice
Florence
Bruges
We have enjoyed them all.

In Germany: Büdingen, Limburg, Marburg, Michelstadt, Kronberg, Bacharach, Eltville
In Spain: Najera, Santo Domingo, Fromista, Castrojeriz, Rabanal, Ponferrada, Samos, Hornillos, Santiago di Compostela
In France: Bayeux, Saint Jean Pied di Port

Here are a few that in the Rhineland (or just outside) that are mostly unknown to American tourists -

Alzey - At least 1500 years old, was a major horse trading market in medieval times.
Saarburg - North of Trier. Interesting town with a large waterfall running through the town.
Wissembourg - Just over the border into France, on the wine road, still has the ancient bastions to walk.
Annweiler - Just below Castle Trifels, where King Richard was held before his return to England.
Friesheim - still has the complete city wall, much of which has been incorporated into more modern buildings. Just celebrated its 1250th anniversary.

There are dozens of cities, but considering this was once a "back door" resource I find it much more interesting to avoid places everyone's heard about.

I'll also mention Malbork Castle, located in Northern Poland, it was once the headquarters of the German Teutonic Knights, by many accounts it's the largest castle in the world. It's so expansive, one really feels like you're exploring a full on medieval town rather than just a castle.

In Spain there too many medieval towns to list, mostly due to the lack of industrial development in the Spanish countryside during the 19th century, many of these towns and villages have become time capsules, often retaining their old medieval walls rather than tearing them down.

I'll just mention a few Albarracín, Santillana del Mar, Rupit, Sigüenza, Jerez de los Caballeros, and Cáceres‎. Most of these places feature an interesting mix of Muslim and Christian medieval architecture.

So I googled Medieval. Wikipedia says it's roughly 500-1500 c.e. Soooo, here's my list without a lot of pondering . . .

Jerusalem. Start with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre most of which was built, rebuilt and added to over those 1000 years. Then there's the beautiful Dome of the Rock. While it's hard to know how much of the Old City is actually from that millenium (a lot is later, a lot is much earlier) walking through the narrow streets feels like going back in time.

Cordoba. The Mezquita is unique and stunning. The well-preserved Juderia is another place you walk back in time.

Venice!!

My vote would go to Cáceres, a beautiful city in the Extremadura region of Spain. I was here about 15+ years ago, and felt like I had stepped back in time to the Middle Ages. The Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and truly is remarkable. The whole area is wonderful, and much less crowded than Andalucia.

I'd have to say Eze...but Eze from the 1970s. I don't know if it is a disaster now from too many people. Nonetheless, of all the places I have seen since, and that has been many, they do not surpass Eze.
Monemvasia is a distant second.

I think a lot of places are called medieval, that are really Tudor.

Is Venice medieval?

Great question, Tammy, and fun answers. I will probably spend some airport time today looking up a few of these cities. I have already tentatively added Visby to a future Sweden list.

My vote goes to Lüneburg

Bamberg, Germany. It's just as quaint as Rothenberg, but with one quarter the tourists. In addition, Bamberg has other cultural/historical interest, comprising 1. A cool beer-brewing museum; 2. Former residence of E.T.A. Hoffman, the writer who penned The Nutcracker around 1815, which Tchaikovsky made famous with his ballet music some 80 years later; 3. Cathedral with Tilman Rimenschneider-carved altar and "Bamberg Reiter" statue. 4. Residenz or royal palace. 5. Family home of Claus von Stauffenberg, the German officer who almost succeeded in killing Hitler.

Barri Gotic, Barcelona: The medieval quarter of the Spanish metropolis is a city within the city.

Chartres, France: Everyone goes there to see the pilgrim cathedral, which is worth seeing, but they should also see the charming town.

Kilkenny, Ireland: Oozes charm at every corner. And few Americans make it there.

There is also Schloss Stauffenberg , as they were part of the Catholic elite in south Germany. I saw this interesting Schloss in 2016, got there by train. Everything then was in German, just as in the old days, audio headphones were available but they were also in German too as were all the brochures, except for one which was in French. Interesting and also poignant place.

In Bruges there are about 125 buildings classified as monument. That are historical buildings and not necessarily medieval. However some are medieval, but have undergone renovation in the past and actually lost their original appearance. Part of it is still to regard as truly medieval and made of brick or natural stone and only built for those who could afford it like the church, the count and wealthy merchants. They were built to last for ever in contrary to the majority of the buildings, mainly residential homes who were made entirely of wood.

Wood was compared to brick and natural stone a cheap building material those days and widely available. So as the majority of buildings in mediaval cities were made of wood, they were prone to huge fires and so late medieval houses had brick side “fire” walls. Later much is replaced by houses completely made of stone. As wood don’t last for ever or hard to preserve there isn’t much left. Btw Gothic architecture remained in use after the Middle Ages, so 16th and 17th century too. As far as I know the only building with an original wooden front and so classified as monument is to find in Kortewinkel (street). If you remove all what is not medieval in Bruges you will have a seriously empty place to my opinion.

In Belgium (and more countries in Europe) during the Romantic period in the 19th century there was a renewed interest for Gothic architecture, so Bruges became a hotspot for neo-Gothic building projects. And so you can admire a lot of those buildings there like the Provincial Court at the Main Square. If you compare it with the authentic medieval Gothic Town Hall at Burg Square you can see that the latter is much more refined and solid built than it’s 19th century counterpart. So don't think too easy the Provincial Court like more buildings in Bruges are authentic.

I think the idea labeling places as medieval is in many cases a lack of knowledge combined with wishfull thinking and marketing. Can’t speak for instance for the mentioned cities in Italy, but looking around with google streetview I am not convinced they are completely medieval. So I take many qualifications here with a grain of salt.

If you like Gothic architecture (being authentic or not) than Bruges is one of the best places to visit.

There are two small villages in Spain I like.

The first is Uncastillo, Aragon. Very small, 700 people, but it has, in the words of wiki : several Romanesque buildings, including the parish churches of St. Martin and Santa Maria, and the churches of San Felices, San Andrés and San Juan. Its other landmarks include the castle and palace of Peter IV (14th century). Way off the beaten track.

The other village is Pedraza, near Segovia. Very picturesque, and has been used in many movies, tv shows and commercials.

Currently in Visby, the historic town on the island of Gotland that was mentioned up thread,

Here's my photo album so far, planning on writing a trip report later:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/43CumCauZBgh1iFj6

I'm really enjoying my time in Visby but after a few days here I still don't feel like I am in a "medieval" town. On the outside, especially with the walls it looks medieval, but after a few hours walking around the old town you realize that 90% of the buildings still standing are from the 17-19th centuries. Really it's a Baroque/Neoclassical town in the footprint of the original medieval town. Not to say it's bad, it's very interesting to see how the early modern city has grown from its medieval shell.

Thanks for the photos, Carlos! I am using them to help persuade a friend that Sweden needs to be our summer destination next year.

Loved all the suggestions and enjoyed looking up the ones I had never heard of, thank you everyone. I hope to get to more medieval places in my future travels!

Tammy, how dare you impugn my beloved Venice! LOL

From wikipedia (my go-to for the most trusted information)

Venice's long decline started in the 15th century**. Venice confronted the Ottoman Empire in the Siege of Thessalonica (1422–1430) and sent ships to help defend Constantinople against the besieging Turks in 1453. After the Fall of Constantinople, Sultan Mehmed II declared the first of a series of Ottoman-Venetian wars that cost Venice much of its eastern Mediterranean possessions.

Good photo collection, Carlos. Thanks for sharing.

During Hanseatic League (HL) times it was a very mighty town. German town Lübeck, one of the founding towns or the HL, had no own resources for stones. Therefore they imported a lot of white stones from Visby for their representative buildings.

And Sweden is definitely worth a journey!

German town Lübeck, one of the founding towns or the HL, had no own resources for stones. Therefore they imported a lot of white stones from Visby for their representative buildings.

Yes and also invaded Visby several times too I learned, I guess they must really like their stone lol! Walking around you notice many of the ruins say destroyed in the Lubecker invasion in 1500s, never rebuilt after.

From the UNESCO website - "The end of Visby’s greatness came in 1525, when it was stormed by an army from Lübeck and the northern parts were partially burnt." https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/731/