The best-ranked cities in Europe cover much of the continent. Capitals were big hits, but so were smaller destinations that offer unique cultural experiences.
If you’re craving an urban escape to an incredible destination filled with distinct food, architecture, and history, you won’t go wrong with any of these choices.
No. 15: Lisbon, Portugal
Getty Images Score: 86.29
No. 14: Paris, France
Getty Images Score: 86.60
No. 13: Madrid, Spain
Getty Images Score: 86.85
No. 12: Edinburgh, Scotland
Getty Images No. 11: Prague, Czech Republic
Getty Images Score: 87.27
No. 10: Venice, Italy
Getty Images Score: 87.61
No. 9: Istanbul, Turkey
Getty Images Score: 87.89
No. 8: Siena, Italy
Getty Images Score: 87.98
No. 7: Budapest, Hungary
Getty Images Score: 88.05
No. 6: Seville, Spain
Getty Images Score: 88.27
No. 5: Kraków, Poland
Getty Images Score: 88.72
No. 4: San Sebastián, Spain
Getty Images Score: 88.75
No. 3: Rome, Italy
Getty Images Score: 89.22
No. 2: Barcelona, Spain
Getty Images Score: 89.60
No. 1: Florence, Italy
Getty Images Score: 89.85
Sure, it’s the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, but a little history isn’t enough to make a city rise above the rest of Europe. But throw in centuries-old cathedrals, pedestrian-friendly medieval neighborhoods, terra-cotta-roofed palazzi lining the Arno, and galleries housing masterpieces like Michelangelo’s David and Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, and you can understand why Florence takes the grand prize. And we haven’t even mentioned the food—or the views from Brunelleschi’s Duomo, where you can see all the way to the Tuscan countryside.
Loud Whispers 
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