Need some travel inspiration? Can't
decide where to go? How about one of
the world's most beautiful cities? If
you're looking for a destination with
urban pleasures but also with natural
and man-made beauty, consider one of
the cities below. They offer a
combination of magnificent architecture
and breathtaking vistas; art and nature
in perfect harmony. If you want to make
a list of the top places to see before you
die, start with these beautiful cities:


1 | VENICE
Among those who've seen it in person, the conclusion is
unanimous: Venice is the most beautiful city in the world,
and the only one that can truly be described as unique.
Each building is a work of art, with their beauty enhanced
when reflected on the canals that cross the city. Its
magical scenery is fascinating and breathtaking at first
sight, evoking the feeling of entering the setting of a real-
life fairy tale. It's perhaps even unfair to all other cities to
call Venice a city, as it is a place unlike any other, that no
other can compare to, or ever be like.


2 | PARIS
The Seine and the bridges that cross it, the grand
boulevards, the monumental squares, the magnificent
monuments, the charming streets of Montmartre -- these
images of Paris confirm that it is indeed the most elegant
and sophisticated of all cities. It has inspired practically
every major world capital, with every city claiming its own
Champs-Elysèes, and Place des Vosges becoming the
prototype of residential squares throughout Europe. Sit at
an outdoor café table or go on a boat tour of the Seine and
see it all romantically flash before your eyes.


3 | PRAGUE
It is known as the city of the thousand spires because of
its profusion of grand, beautifully-preserved historical
monuments dating from practically every period in history.
Those spires are best admired from the bridges that cross
the Vltava River, especially from the magnificent Charles
Bridge, or standing in the stunningly beautiful Old Town
Square. Add the atmospheric alleyways and cobbled
streets that lead to it, and you know that few other cities
delight the senses as much as Prague.


4 | LISBON
Magnificently sited on a series of hills running down to the
grand Tagus River, Lisbon is one of the world's most
scenic cities. Beautiful unexpected views are found at
every turn down its colorful, picturesque streets, and
especially from strategically-placed viewpoints or terraces
at the top of each hill. The city has an unpolished,
seductive appearance; an effortless beauty with captivating
details such as cobbled designs, tiled façades, and pastel-
colored buildings blending together to give it a singular
atmosphere now lost in so many other cities. In such a
stunning place, it's no wonder that many of the world's
great explorers questioned what other beauties lied beyond
the horizon when they departed from here in the 15th
century.


5 | RIO DE JANEIRO
There are those who say God created the world in six days
and devoted a seventh to Rio. The city is indeed blessed
with one of the most stunning settings in the world,
making it the most naturally beautiful city in the world.
Even if it was deserted of buildings and population, anyone
standing at the top of the famous Sugarloaf Mountain or by
the Corcovado statue would see one of the world's most
beautiful landscapes. Green, tropical luxuriance mixes with
the blue of the ocean and the brightness of the sand at the
beaches, proving that this is indeed "the marvelous city"
as locals call it.


6 | AMSTERDAM
Each of the thousands of buildings that line Amsterdam's
main canals can be classified as a monument, beautifully
kept as apartments, offices, cafés, restaurants, and even
brothels. All together they form an aesthetic uniformity
that make the city one of the most charming in the world,
a stunning place of bridges and bikes crossing canals,
picturesque cobbled streets, and strikingly elegant
architecture.


7 | FLORENCE
Florence is synonymous with the Italian Renaissance,
known for the artistic heritage in its palaces and museum
collections. Yet with all the beauty both inside and outside
its palazzi's walls, it is the city as a whole that impresses
the most. See it from Piazzale Michelangelo, a 19th
century terrace overlooking the entire city, and you'll be
looking at one of the most storybook-perfect cityscapes.
You'll see its unspoiled skyline, the towers and domes of
the heart of the city, its bridges, the hills in the distance,
and the magnificent Duomo standing in the middle of it all.
Few other places in the world will leave you as awestruck.


8 | ROME
The city standing on seven hills by the Tiber River is a
treasure-trove of monuments among some of the most
beautiful squares and classical architecture in the world.
Because everyone visits Rome for its landmarks, its
picturesque streets are often overlooked, such as those of
the Trastevere district, filled with charming lanes, faded
palazzi, and lovely homes decorated with flower boxes. It
is on streets like those that Rome proves itself to really be
eternal.


9 | BUDAPEST
Split in two by the Danube River, Budapest is the result of
the merging of three cities. Buda is the hill with the royal
palace and an old town filled with baroque and gothic
monuments looking over the mostly-19th century Pest,
crossed by broad avenues lined with elegant neo-
renaissance buildings. Admire its setting and remarkable
architecture (including the stunning Parliament Building)
from the monumental Chain Bridge, and step into the old
town for some of the most romantic lanes you'll ever stroll
through.

10 | BRUGES
It's a small city, in a small country,
hardly a metropolis, but huge on beauty.
It's one of the world's best preserved
medieval cities, filled with gothic and
baroque monuments surrounded by an
oval canal and extraordinarily romantic
cobbled lanes. It's no wonder that it is
one of Europe's most visited cities,
helped by its location in the very center
of the continent. It's an unmissable
destination when in Brussels, and easily
accessible from anywhere in central
Europe. Its combination of gorgeous
architecture and pretty, peaceful spots
crisscrossed by canals make it one of
the most magical sites to be
experienced in the world.

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