The Cities

So you ask, what cities should I visit? Maybe you have talked with people and heard the stories of their visits and this has stirred your curiosity and imagination. Through the years you have read or heard about historical events and want to see and experience the actual place where these events occured. You may be curious about your family’s ancestors and where they came from before immigrating to America. Depending on your interests, some cities may become more attractive for you to visit. Read about what they have to offer and you will come away with a few favorites to put on your list.

When one thinks of cities in Europe, these are most likely the names that roll off people’s lips first. These are some of Europe’s most visited as well as, interesting and famous cities. They are absolutely a must to see when visiting a particular country. They typically are the largest and in most instances the capitol of a country. Most at one time or even now, served as the centers of commerce, education and cultural of their regions or countries. In some cases some were the political home of great empires that held dominion across Europe and the world. Their rich history, culture and attractions make them the reason why they are visited more than any of the others. 

These cities should always be at the top of anyone’s to see list but, there are many more worth visiting. In fact some travelers find others cities more interesting for multiple reasons. Go to our ➾ More Classical Cities page for a comprehensive list and suggestions. There are also smaller towns and villages where time has seemed to stand still for several centuries.

Find your city of interests on the list and click on the information links. The cities listed here have their own city page with detailed information:

City, Country	2016	2017	2018	2019	World Rank
🇬🇧 London, England, UK	19,059	19,828	19,233	19,559	3
🇫🇷 Paris, France	13,926	15,834	17,560	19,087	6
🇹🇷 Istanbul, Turkey	9,218	10,730	13,433	14,715	10
🇮🇹 Rome, Italy	9,353	9,531	10,065	10,317	16
🇨🇿 Prague, Czechia	8,200	8,806	8,948	9,150	22
🇳🇱 Amsterdam, Netherlands	6,898	7,848	8,354	8,835	25
🇪🇸 Barcelona, Spain	6,515	6,288	6,714	7,016	33
🇮🇹 Milan, Italy	6,175	6,347	6,481	6,604	35
🇦🇹 Vienna, Austria	5,867	6,186	6,410	6,634	37
🇩🇪 Berlin, Germany	5,559	5,627	5,959	6,195	41
🇬🇷 Athens, Greece	4,526	4,797	5,728	6,301	43
🇷🇺 Moscow, Russia	4,571	4,800	5,510	5,969	45
🇮🇹 Venice, Italy	5,212	5,316	5,502	5,590	46
🇪🇸 Madrid, Spain	5,131	5,273	5,440	5,597	47
🇮🇪 Dublin, Ireland	4,810	4,986	5,213	5,462	50
🇮🇹 Florence, Italy	4,844	4,941	5,059	5,125	51
🇩🇪 Munich, Germany	3,389	3,829	4,066	4,205	56
🇷🇺 St. Petersburg, Russia	2,840	3,600	3,996	4,457	59
🇧🇪 Brussels, Belgium	2,511	3,430	3,942	4,276	60
🇭🇺 Budapest, Hungary	3,511	3,654	3,822	4,025	62
🇵🇹 Lisbon, Portugal	3,136	3,522	3,539	3,639	63
🇬🇷 Heraklion, Greece	2,885	3,147	3,371	3,034	66
🇩🇰 Copenhagen, Denmark	2,887	2,963	3,069	3,185	71
🇵🇱 Kraków, Poland	2,650	2,800	2,850	2,910	74
🇵🇱 Warsaw, Poland	2,733	2,630	2,732	2,980	83
🇩🇪 Frankfurt am Main, Germany	2,406	2,496	2,636	2,728	87
🇸🇪 Stockholm, Sweden	2,327	2,473	2,604	2,721	88
🇫🇷 Nice, France	2,164	2,327	2,466	2,582	92
🇵🇹 Porto, Portugal	1,969	2,232	2,341	2,491	96
🇬🇷 Rhodes, Greece	2,091	2,178	2,337	2,414	97

	City, Country	Population		City, Country	Population
1	🇹🇷 Istanbul, Turkey	14,025,646	21	🇨🇿 Prague, Czechia	1,259,079
2	🇷🇺 Moscow, Russia	11,503,501	22	🇧🇬 Sofia, Bulgaria	1,228,282
3	🇬🇧 London, United Kingdom	8,538,689	23	🇷🇺 Kazan, Russia	1,176,000
4	🇷🇺 St. Petersburg, Russia	5,191,690	24	🇷🇺 Samara, Russia	1,172,000
5	🇩🇪 Berlin, Germany	3,562,166	25	🇷🇸 Belgrade, Serbia	1,166,763
6	🇪🇸 Madrid,Spain	3,165,235	26	🇧🇪 Brussels, Belgium	1,171,828
7	🇮🇹 Rome, Italy	2,761,477	27	🇷🇺Rostov-on-Don, Russia	1,104,000
8	🇺🇦 Kiev, Ukraine	2,848,597	28	🇬🇧 Birmingham, United Kingdom	1,092,330
9	🇫🇷 Paris, France	2,241,346	29	🇩🇪 Cologne, Germany	1,007,119
10	🇧🇾 Minsk, Belarus	1,949,400	30	🇷🇺 Volgograd, Russia 1,019,000	1,019,000
11	🇷🇴 Bucharest, Romania	1,924,425	31	🇷🇺 Perm, Russia	1,014,000
12	🇦🇹 Vienna, Austria	1,805,681	32	🇷🇺 Voronezh, Russia	1,004,000
13	🇩🇪Hamburg, Germany	1,758,448	33	🇺🇦 Odessa, Ukraine	999,359
14	🇭🇺 Budapest, Hungary	1,754,000	34	🇮🇹 Naples, Italy	989,111
15	🇵🇱 Warsaw, Poland	1,735,420	35	🇺🇦 Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine	982,969
16	🇪🇸 Barcelona, Spain	1,602,386	36	🇸🇪 Stockholm, Sweden	921,504
17	🇺🇦 Kharkiv, Ukraine	1,431,565	37	🇳🇱 Amsterdam, Netherlands	834,119
18	🇩🇪 Munich, Germany	1,407,836	38	🇪🇸 Valencia, Spain	809,267
19	🇮🇹 Milan, Italy	1,339,975	39	🇭🇷 Zagreb, Croatia	792,875
20	🇷🇺 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia	1,260,000	40	🇵🇱 Kraków, Poland	761,900