Beautiful cities for a short getaway

A city on water without a single car: canals, humpbacked bridges and palaces mirrored in the lagoon.

Porto tumbles in terraces down to the Douro River: azulejo tiles, wine cellars and an iron bridge that looks like the Eiffel Tower.

Gothic spires, red-tiled roofs and Charles Bridge — a storybook city that's a joy to explore on foot in 2–3 days.

A medieval town in Europe's southernmost “fjord”, where mountains plunge straight into a turquoise bay.

Southern Italy without the crowds: white clifftop towns, trulli houses and a stunning sea.

An ancient town on the shore of one of the oldest lakes in the world: crystal-clear water, Byzantine churches and very friendly prices.

Seven hills, yellow trams, fado drifting from open windows and the ocean nearby.

Canals, swans and brick houses — Bruges seems frozen in the 15th century.

Mozart's city with its baroque squares, and just an hour or two away — Hallstatt: wooden houses above a mirror-like Alpine lake.

A cosy capital with dragons on its bridges and cafés along the river, and an hour away — Lake Bled with its island and church.

A fortress city with marble streets, encircled by walls above the sea.

A city that lives inside a Roman palace.

An open-air museum of an island with honey-coloured stone, knights' fortresses and a warm sea almost all year round.

The heart of Andalusia: flamenco, orange trees lining the streets and Moorish-style palaces.

The Alhambra against the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada — one of the most beautiful sights in Europe.

An elegant city of limestone palaces on the Garonne and the wine capital of the world.

The French Riviera at a budget-airline price: the Promenade des Anglais, an old town full of markets and clifftop villages 20–30 minutes away by bus.

Fly into Pisa and an hour later by train you're in five colourful villages perched on cliffs above the sea, linked by hiking trails.

A royal capital with one of Europe's largest medieval squares, an atmospheric Jewish quarter and very pleasant prices.

Parliament on the Danube, hot thermal baths and evening river cruises.

One of the best-preserved medieval centres in Europe: towers, walls and red-tiled roofs.

The gateway to the Norwegian fjords: the colourful wooden houses of Bryggen, mountains right in the city and day cruises through the fjords.

The birthplace of pizza, Vesuvius and the ruins of Pompeii — and right next door, the winding roads of the Amalfi Coast with lemon groves above the sea.

Houses with “eyes” in their roofs, cobbled squares and the Carpathians on the horizon.