# Most Beautiful Cities In the World **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 27, 2011, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772 "2011-02-27T03:46:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772/41 "2011-02-27T17:49:47Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > I find baroque aritechture and quaint European streets ungodly boring. It’s all about the exotic mystery, to me. Oh, shit, how could I forget? For that exotic ancient city beauty, I would have to nominate Samarkand, Uzbekistan, as well. > [@Balthisar](#): > > Frankfurt Frankfurt was one of my biggest surprises in Europe. I’ve always thought of it as just an airport hub and a big financial city–had absolutely no interest in visiting it as a tourist. But it is surprisingly pretty (wouldn’t quite put it “most beautiful” level) and has an interesting mix of European and American style architecture, what with the skyscrapers in the city center. It looks so different than anywhere else I’ve been to on the continent. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772/42 "2011-02-27T18:04:52Z")
Another vote for Kathmandu. It, Patan and Bhaktapur, all within the [Kathmandu Valley](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathmandu_Valley), are a trip to stroll through. [Hoi An](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%E1%BB%99i_An), in central Vietnam. It somehow escaped damage in the Vietnam War. [Luang Prabang](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luang_Prabang), the old royal capital of Laos. Santa Fe, New Mexico. Honolulu, Hawaii. Beautiful place. Saint Gallen, Switzerland. Vienna, Austria. No doubt I can think of some others. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772/43 "2011-02-27T18:11:27Z")
The wife says to add Barcelona, Spain and Bruges, Belgium, both of which she’s visited but I’ve not. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772/44 "2011-02-27T18:22:13Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > The wife says to add Barcelona, Spain and Bruges, Belgium, both of which she’s visited but I’ve not. Forgot all about Bruges. It should be high on the list, for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772/45 "2011-02-27T18:23:23Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > Gloomy grey is the natural weather of Paris, and that’s how the city should be discovered and appreciated. It’s beautiful and gloomy, bit melancholic. > I love autumns and winters in Paris. It was fall when I was there and it was very gray. If that’s supposed to be the most beautiful time of year, it didn’t do it for me. The gray of the buildings and the sky melded together into a very monochromatic blah. Another nomination: Cartagena, Colombia. Gorgeous place. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772/46 "2011-02-27T18:44:52Z")
I haven’t travelled anywhere near as much as I’d like, but I’d have to list among mine, in no particular order: 1. My home town, Montreal. It manages to be beautiful throughout the year, even the sloppy slushy season, like a lady who looks gorgeous in no makeup and a sundress, full makeup and a ball gown or tousled and grimy after fixing her car. 2. I spent this most recent Winter Solstice morning with two dozen excited Pagans on the top of the Red Rock in San Francisco, watching the sun rise over the Bay in a perfect morning with just a little tracery of clouds. I may have been a little bit high off the circumstances and fatigue toxins, but it was one of the most beautiful cityscapes I’ve ever seen. 3. As was Venice, seen from the top of the campanile of San Giorgio Maggiore, which I went up on a whim. Heartstopping. Both San Francisco and Venice, otherwise so different, are places where I found myself constantly taking photos just of the urban landscape as I wandered around, not only the “sights.” 4. Barcelona. Actually, about two-thirds of the towns in Spain and Portugal I visited qualify; off the top of my head, Cordoba, Lisbon, Leon, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, and Cuenca. 5. Amsterdam has to be in here someplace, as do Copenhagen and Stockholm. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772/47 "2011-02-27T18:49:44Z")
> [@Cyros](#): > > Is it just me who gets a kick out of the fact that the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac is featured in all of those pictures? I guess it really is the most photographed hotel in the world. Well, in all fairness it is quite difficult to take a cityscape of Quebec City that _doesn’t_ have the CF in it. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772/48 "2011-02-27T19:11:45Z")
[Carcassonne](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcassonne), France. The old part of town is an actual medieval castle, much of which still exists. I’ve been to a lot of cities, and this was one of the few that truly blew me away. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772/49 "2011-02-27T19:46:40Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Vancouver BC. > San Fancisco. Among major North American cities, this is pretty much the list. I will say that whether a city is beautiful or not is not all that important to me. My favorite city is NYC, which isn’t going to win any prizes for beauty. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772/50 "2011-02-27T20:13:16Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Among major North American cities, this is pretty much the list. > > I will say that whether a city is beautiful or not is not all that important to me. My favorite city is NYC, which isn’t going to win any prizes for beauty. True enough. I loved London every time I visited there, but it’s pretty much Modern Blocky in style. At least it’s not downright ugly like most of Moscow. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772/51 "2011-02-27T20:21:32Z")
I’m quite untraveled but from my experience I’d say driving north on I-75 at night and coming over the hill and seeing Cincinatti OH. [Picture](http://i.pbase.com/u46/merriwolf/upload/29365745.ForpBaseCincyatNight2313.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772/52 "2011-02-27T21:39:31Z")
Wellington, New Zealand ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772/53 "2011-02-27T21:50:13Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > It was fall when I was there and it was very gray. If that’s supposed to be the most beautiful time of year, it didn’t do it for me. The gray of the buildings and the sky melded together into a very monochromatic blah. Paris in grey is true Paris, Paris in the sun is Paris for tourists. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772/54 "2011-02-27T22:04:14Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > Paris in grey is true Paris, Paris in the sun is Paris for tourists. Well, okay. That’s fine, I just didn’t think it was very beautiful. Gray buildings, gray sky; it was boring. Maybe if you live there for a long time, you appreciate the blah-ness of it all, but I like colorful things. It’s not limited to Paris - the bleak grays and browns, not the cold, is to me the worst thing about the Midwestern winter. That’s why I liked Rome (which I also visited during a chilly and gray time of year) so much more than Paris. It has beautiful and interesting colors everywhere. Also the food is better. ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772/55 "2011-02-27T23:17:55Z")
Torshavn on the Faroe Islands. It hardly counts as a city, but seen through the fog can be a religious experience. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772/56 "2011-02-28T00:35:29Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > [Carcassonne](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcassonne), France. The old part of town is an actual medieval castle, much of which still exists. I’ve been to a lot of cities, and this was one of the few that truly blew me away. Good choice. Of the one’s I’ve been to, for the top five I’ll nominate: Paris, Edinburgh, St. John’s (Newfoundland), Santa Barbara, CA and Jackson Hole, WY. Quite liked what I saw of Portland and Seattle, but I’ve not spent enough time in either place to speak authoritatively on them. Quito, Ecuador, may be one of the most spectacular locations for a city, but I don’t think anyone would call the town itself beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772/57 "2011-02-28T00:44:49Z")
Sana’a, Yemen Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia Esfahan, Iran Prague, Czech Republic Vancouver, Canada ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772/58 "2011-02-28T00:51:56Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Shhhh was tryna get the kid to visit Milton Keynes. I’ve been to the bus station on the outskirts of MK: is that enough? > [@matt\_mcl](#): > > Well, in all fairness it is quite difficult to take a cityscape of Quebec City that _doesn’t_ have the CF in it. Try [this](http://www.flickr.com/photos/75905404@N00/5439315172/) or [this](http://www.flickr.com/photos/75905404@N00/2773711425/) – there’s more to la Ville de Quebec than that hotel. Hong Kong hasn’t been mentioned yet: as a major city city on a beautiful harbour, it deserves a [mention](http://www.flickr.com/photos/75905404@N00/399713324/). ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772/59 "2011-02-28T01:16:35Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Frankfurt was one of my biggest surprises in Europe… I’ve read that it was basically flattened during the Second World War, and they decided to go all New York in the city centre instead of restoring what was there before. > [@matt\_mcl](#): > > 1. I spent this most recent Winter Solstice morning with two dozen excited Pagans on the top of the Red Rock in San Francisco, watching the sun rise over the Bay in a perfect morning with just a little tracery of clouds. I may have been a little bit high off the circumstances and fatigue toxins, but it was one of the most beautiful cityscapes I’ve ever seen. I’ve never actually wanted to be you before. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772/60 "2011-02-28T01:40:20Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Well, okay. That’s fine, I just didn’t think it was very beautiful. Gray buildings, gray sky; it was boring. Maybe if you live there for a long time, you appreciate the blah-ness of it all, but I like colorful things. It’s not limited to Paris - the bleak grays and browns, not the cold, is to me the worst thing about the Midwestern winter. I’m with you on this one. I’m not sure how an architectural vocabulary that is so over-worked manages to be so boring at the same time. Paris feels like a city made of tombstones stacked four stories high. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world/572772.md?page=4)