The kinds of people who travel the world come in all different kinds. Some like to explore the uncharted, visit the under-developed, and experience cultures both historic and untouched. Others like to view the history of civilization and how it has grown over the ages. Some prefer to spend their time lounging on tropical beaches, or experiencing the night life of the most bustling cities in the world.

We try to help out anyone who wants to travel, so we like to cover a range of different kinds of travel here on this blog. Today, it’s all about those cities with history. Cities that have stood in some form for hundreds or thousands of years. Cities where you can walk down the streets and feel what it was like in a time long before ours.

Europe is full of cities like that, so we’ve picked out ten of the most historic cities you should consider visiting. Some are common names, while others are a little less commonly visited. Read on to learn about our list, and don’t forget to let us know if you have a favorite we didn’t mention!

Vienna

First on the list is one of our favorite cities in Europe, Vienna. The capital city of Austria, Vienna, is a popular destination with tons to see and do. Whether you want to explore the musical history of the home of Mozart, take in an opera in the Vienna State Opera House, or view dressage training for horses at the Spanish Riding School, you can easily have a full vacation itinerary just for this one city.

In fact, we have an itinerary for you here.

Vienna is a hub of musical culture and history, art history, and even historic architecture. It’s also a hybrid city, where a good portion of it is about as historic as you can get, while other sections have been modernized and can feel no different from any other modern city.

If you can only pick one city in Europe to visit for a few days, Vienna is definitely a top contender in our books.

Budapest

Second on our list, and a second capital, Budapest is the capital of Hungary. A city split across the river Danube, it’s relatively close geographically speaking to Vienna. Indeed, the greater region shares a lot of history, though they’re obviously very different places.

Budapest has seen its share of drama over the centuries and has intermittently been ravaged by war and rebuilt. Many of its more historic attractions show this age, and you can stroll through eras just by walking down a hall. Whether you’re visiting the Citadel, the Old City Walls, or a place like Fisherman’s Bastion, you have plenty of history to soak in.

Budapest is also a great place to experience some unique tourist attractions you can’t find anywhere else. The Chain Bridge is a stunning piece of architecture over the river, and the spas found throughout the city are very relaxing. And, of course, no trip is complete without a visit to St. Stephen’s Basilica and the fantastic architecture in the area.

Prague

Prague has a very long history, longer than a lot of Europe, with some archaeological remnants indicating there has been habitation in the area for thousands of years. It has been intermittently a seat of power for the region for centuries, and was the capital of the Holy Roman Empire for an age.

Prague is also known as a seat of learning, as a hub of intellect for the renaissance age. Over these many eras and occupations, many different landmarks have been constructed and maintained. And, while it has seen the fall of more than one empire, it has stood tall and firm.

As a city, Prague is packed with things to do, ranging from walking tours to architectural field trips to live performances and more. Whether you’re visiting the castle, walking the bridge, exploring the zoo, or climbing the nearby hills to get a scenic overview of the city as a whole, it’s impossible to waste a trip to Prague.

Rome

Who doesn’t know all about Rome? In fact, if you had to name historic cities, Rome would probably be at the top of the list. One of the only reasons it’s as far down on ours as it is is that it’s such a popular destination that it seems redundant to even mention it.

That said, if you’re looking for a historic city in Europe, you can definitely do worse than Rome. It’s packed with ancient ruins, both large and small, ranging from the Pantheon, the Colosseum, and the Roman Forum all the way to individual historic fountains and mosaics.

Truth be told, there’s one significant downside to visiting Rome, and that’s the same popularity we’ve already mentioned. It’s one of the top tourist destinations in all of Europe, so especially during the busiest tourist months, it tends to be absolutely packed with people. There are also a lot of businesses and organizations that cater more to tourists than to authentic experiences, so it can be tricky to plan a trip while getting to see the real side of Rome itself.

All of that said, even a bad trip to Rome is still a very good trip. It’s hard to go wrong in a place where every turn takes you somewhere historic, where you can see ancient graffiti mixing with modern art, and where culture has been maintained unabated for millennia.

Avignon

Avignon is a city in France, north-east of Montpellier and north-west of Marseille. It was once the seat of the catholic popes for most of the 1300s, and didn’t become part of France until almost 1800. Its history goes all the way back to the Phoenicians during High Antiquity.

When France took over the city, they did destroy some parts of the pope’s palace, but the remains have been preserved to this day. In fact, the entire historic center of the city, dominated by the palace and its environs, has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as of 1995. The rest of the town is also historic, with churches, homes, and ramparts that have stood for at least 300-400 years.

While there are certainly many more famous attractions in France to visit, Avignon is one of the most historic. It’s especially great if you’re a fan of Catholic history and cathedral architecture, which is absolutely stunning. It’s also a relatively laid-back city compared to some of the others on this list, making it a great place to visit for a chill and slow-paced vacation trip.

Warsaw

Warsaw, located in Poland, was originally a simple fishing village all the way back in the 1300s. It quickly became a strategically important location on the Vistula river, and slowly grew until it became the seat of dukes in the 1400s. Poland eventually established its lower house of parliament in Warsaw in 1569, and ever since, it has grown in importance since.

Warsaw is very much the kind of city where you can visit for a day or two and feel satisfied with your trip, but it unfolds and has more to offer the longer you spend exploring it. At a glance, you can visit locations like the Old Town and the Royal Castle, the former being another UNESCO site. You can take food tours and visit any of the fantastic history museums throughout the city, or hop on a guided tour bus.

When you spend more time in the city, you can visit places like the Palace of Culture and Science, the Copernicus Science Centre, or more modern attractions like the Gallery of Steel Figures. And, of course, the surrounding areas of Poland include some fantastic national parks and other attractions if you want to base yourself in Warsaw and take day trips further afield.

Tallinn

The capital of Estonia is a city called Tallinn, and it’s not one you frequently see on lists of European tourism. Why? We’re not really sure. It’s broadly considered one of the best-preserved medieval cities in the world despite having a very long history of changing hands.

Tallinn was originally founded all the way back in 1050 and has, in turn, been conquered or annexed by the Danes, the Teutonic Knights, Sweden, Russia, the Nazis for a few years, and eventually, its own independence.

Tallinn’s Old Town is another UNESCO site, and the city itself has been revitalized, but not refurbished. It maintains its history and keeps it bright and vibrant as a tourist attraction in and of itself. The city itself also absolutely lights up during Christmas, where it’s one of the most fantastic places in Europe to see lights and celebrate the season.

If nothing else, we recommend Tallinn because so few people choose a place like Estonia to visit until they’ve hit all of the big-name cities in Europe, and that’s a shame. There’s so much to see and do off the beaten path; you don’t need to limit yourself to places like Paris and Berlin.

Split

Speaking of cities with plenty of history, off the beaten path, one we love is a place called Split. Split is in Croatia, and is the second-largest city in the country after the capital. It has a history that stretches back to the time of antiquity, and with museums, ruins, and a UNESCO site of its own, there’s plenty of history to soak in.

Some of the top attractions, at least as far as we’re concerned, include Diocletian’s Palace, the Belltower and the Saint Domnius Cathedral, and the Archaeological Museum. There’s also the Old Town, which encompasses other attractions like Jupiter’s Temple, the Golden Gate, and the waterside promenade named Riva.

Since we’re nature lovers, one of the top attractions for us is Marjan, a scenic hill that has been a designated park for 1,700 years, making it one of the oldest and best-maintained natural parks in the world. It’s incredibly scenic to hike and see both the sea and the city stretch out below.

Barcelona

Barcelona is an incredible mixture of rustic and quirky architecture, historic buildings, and modern construction. A single photo can encompass hundreds or thousands of years of history, while feeling like a fairy tale at the same time.

The city itself is large and sprawling, located as it is along the coast of Spain, as the capital of Catalonia. It’s packed with people, packed with sights to see, and packed with things to do. In fact, it’s one of the hardest places for us to recommend for a trip just because there’s so much to see and do there that it’s hard to make a single trip feel satisfying. Unless you’re prepared to go back or planning to spend a lot of time in the city, you risk leaving feeling like you missed it all.

Of course, with any city of this size and age, there’s a ton of history to be found throughout. You have fantastic buildings everywhere and stunning cathedrals among the best in the world. You can also visit sites like the Tibidabo Sky Walk, an overview that gives you a stunning view of the city, or explore culture through the National Art Museum. The beach, too, is great – it’s no Maldives, but it’s still the Spanish coast, which is famous for a reason.

Istanbul

Istanbul rounds out our list. Istanbul straddles the border between Europe and Asia, and has served as a gateway for millennia. With literally thousands of years of history to explore – and incredibly modern regions like the Levent business district – it’s a land of many contrasts.

If you visit Istanbul, be ready to see a lot of influences from the Asian side of the region. It’s quite unlike just about everything else on this list, and we hope it helps you broaden your horizons and consider making subsequent trips to regions a little further afield. It’s a gateway city, after all!

So, what do you think? Are you hoping to visit one of these cities, or do you have another one in mind? What’s your favorite historic city in Europe? Let us know!