# What is the first city that comes to mind when I say "Greatest City in Europe"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 24, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258 "2010-01-24T18:56:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![maplekiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@maplekiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maplekiwi)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258/41 "2010-01-24T23:26:36Z")
Paris, followed by Vienna ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258/42 "2010-01-24T23:30:32Z")
Pavel Banya, Bulgaria! _crickets chirp_ It’s where I was a Peace Corps Volunteer. It has 3,000 people, all of whom wonder why I don’t have any children yet. Seriously, my favorite city in Europe is probably Sarajevo. Beautiful, interesting, affordable. I’ve been to Paris (meh), London (loved it, v expensive), and Rome (loved it, got pickpocketed TWICE), but not Berlin, Amsterdam, or Prague. Oooh, or maybe Venice. Venice is pretty fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258/43 "2010-01-24T23:58:41Z")
My thoughts upon reading the thread title were “London. No, wait, is it supposed to be _Continental_ Europe? If so, Paris. I guess some people would consider Paris more important anyway. It’s got to be one or the other, though. So, either London or Paris.” FWIW, I’ve been to London once and liked it. I’ve never been to Paris and have no real desire to go. ---
**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:** [January 25, 2010, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258/44 "2010-01-25T00:23:27Z")
I immediately said Paris. I have been to Paris twice and London once, and spent this summer travelling to numerous cities in Europe, many of which I enjoyed more than Paris (which is not a slam on Paris). ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258/45 "2010-01-25T00:26:10Z")
I like London a lot, and as a North American I certainly consider it Europe, but my first thought was Rome, followed closely by Venice, Vienna, and Paris in roughly that order. Then London. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258/46 "2010-01-25T00:58:41Z")
Oh lord. Obviously it wasn’t the first thing to come to mind, because it took a mention by **Desert\_Nomad** in another thread to remind me, but _Istanbul_. Istanbul is fucking AMAZING. It’s the largest city in Europe. It’s affordable even for brokeass backpackers like yours truly. It’s really exciting and interesting and has a fascinating history. You would never ever run out of things to do there. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258/47 "2010-01-25T01:12:43Z")
London. It’s the biggest, grandest, most bustling city on the continent. Great history, great food (yes!), great arts and architecture, very outward looking, very powerful, still the seat of a great commonwealth, etc. Paris, in comparison, feels pretty but kind of small and complacent. Where are those who say that the UK doesn’t _really_ feel like part of Europe from? Several Londoners have chimed in to vote for their own city, and they don’t seem to have a problem feeling part of Europe; I just wonder if Brits’ self-conception as Europeans has moved a lot farther than most North Americans… London is also the first place that comes to mind when someone says “Greatest City in the World”. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258/48 "2010-01-25T01:28:48Z")
London, but Paris is a close second. [QUOTE=Rodgers01] London is also the first place that comes to mind when someone says “Greatest City in the World”. [/QUOTE] Really? I wouldn’t think of London. The answer to that question, to my mind, is obviously New York City. ---
**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:** [January 25, 2010, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258/49 "2010-01-25T01:35:01Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Oh lord. Obviously it wasn’t the first thing to come to mind, because it took a mention by **Desert\_Nomad** in another thread to remind me, but _Istanbul_. > > Istanbul is fucking AMAZING. It’s the largest city in Europe. It’s affordable even for brokeass backpackers like yours truly. It’s really exciting and interesting and has a fascinating history. You would never ever run out of things to do there. I put Istanbul and Hong Kong as the two greatest cities in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258/50 "2010-01-25T01:35:09Z")
London ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258/51 "2010-01-25T01:46:29Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > London now after having read through: Paris and London were close choices, but not because of the “is GB in Europe” question. I think Paris gets the nod in terms of historo-political importance (precisely because it was Continental), it was a far greater center for culture movements, political movements, and philosophical movements than London. Was. However, I gave the nod to London because, at least in the 20th century, it has been more germane to world goings-on. But, extremely tough choice. Cities like Berlin and Vienna are undoubtedly “great” but they lack the pedigree of London and Paris, if you ask me. Istanbul is probably the most historically important of them all, but I don’t think that’s carried past the days of the “sick man of europe” era. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258/52 "2010-01-25T06:51:30Z")
Amsterdam. ---
**Author:** ![Khaki\_Campbell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Khaki\_Campbell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khaki_Campbell)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258/53 "2010-01-25T07:01:43Z")
The kind-of clichéd question subliminally calls for Paris, but my heart says **Helsinki.** ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258/54 "2010-01-25T08:11:25Z")
> [@Rysdad](#): > > My first thought was Rome. Same, though neither Paris nor London would have surprised me. Still, no city runs away with the title. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258/55 "2010-01-25T10:07:57Z")
London ---
**Author:** ![JoseArcadio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc348/32.png) [@JoseArcadio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseArcadio)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258/56 "2010-01-25T10:18:05Z")
Amsterdam… with Inverness a close second. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258/57 "2010-01-25T12:18:06Z")
The first city I thought of was Prague. I don’t think it is, but that was the first city that came to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258/58 "2010-01-25T12:26:35Z")
Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner…but my thought process was essentially “London…oh wait, is he considering London to be in ‘Europe’ or does he mean the Continent only? Paris, then.” I’d rather live in London and visit Paris than the other way around. Especially if I could pop over to Paris for dinner on a regular basis…mmmmmm… ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258/59 "2010-01-25T16:16:22Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner…but my thought process was essentially “London…oh wait, is he considering London to be in ‘Europe’ or does he mean the Continent only? Paris, then.” Ditto. I thought “London, no question”, but realise I’m being British-centric. I must say I had no idea that so many people stumble over the idea that Europe includes Britain.\* I’m surprised no one has asked by what standards we are measuring ‘greatness’. Some people seem to be basing their answers on where they most like visiting or would like to live, whereas my decision was based on ‘which city has been most significant’, and as London has been the largest city in Europe for centuries along with being the beating heart of the British Empire, as was, along with ‘still’ being one of the most significant cultural and business centres in the world, I just don’t see how Paris stacks up to that. - Yes yes, I understand they don’t REALLY think that the UK isn’t in Europe, just surprised that they don’t think of us in terms of Europe ---
**Author:** ![Bartman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bartman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bartman)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258/60 "2010-01-25T16:23:06Z")
In order I would say: Paris Rome London (Although like others I place GB as adjacent to Europe rather than in Europe, rather like Istanbul) Vienna However as I have not yet had a chance to visit any of them… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-europe/526258.md?page=4)