UltimateEurope City Guides

The ULTIMATE City Guides · Europe

Independent guides to Europe’s great cities, islands and regions

From London and the Balkan capitals to Tuscany, Andalusia, the French Riviera and the islands of Greece and the Balearics: every ULTIMATE guide in Europe, each devoted to a single destination and checked against official sources.

See all the ULTIMATE City Guides worldwide →

Curated

Every place is chosen by our editors, on merit.

Checked

Each is checked against official sources, maps and its own website.

Current

Our lists are reviewed regularly, and corrections are always welcome.

Europe

31 guides
The Alhambra in Granada in the evening light

Andalusia

Spain

Seville, Granada and the Alhambra, Córdoba, Málaga, Cádiz and Jerez, Ronda and the white villages, Doñana and Cabo de Gata.

Visit the Andalusia guide
The floodlit Acropolis and Parthenon at dusk, seen from Philopappos Hill

Athens

Greece

The Acropolis and the Plaka, rooftop bars facing the Parthenon, the Athens Riviera and the Greek islands: our original guide, and our deepest.

Visit the Athens guide
The road winding out to the lighthouse on Cap de Formentor, Mallorca, above the open sea

Balearic Islands

Spain

Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera side by side, and how to hop between them by ferry.

Visit the Balearic Islands guide
The Sagrada Família lit up at night

Barcelona

Spain

Gaudí and the Sagrada Família, the Gothic Quarter, four Three-Star MICHELIN kitchens, the beaches and day trips to Montserrat and Girona.

Visit the Barcelona guide
Belgrade's old town and the spire of the Cathedral Church of St Michael above the Sava at sunset

Belgrade

Serbia

Where the Sava meets the Danube: a buzzing capital of art, classical music and famous nightlife, with a new waterfront and the mountains of Zlatibor and Kopaonik.

Visit the Belgrade guide
The Romanian Athenaeum in its garden

Bucharest

Romania

Belle Époque palaces, concerts at the Athenaeum, a buzzing food and coffee scene, and the castles and mountains of the Carpathians.

Visit the Bucharest guide
The Hungarian Parliament lit up at night on the Danube

Budapest

Hungary

Thermal baths, grand coffee houses, ruin bars and MICHELIN-starred dining on both banks of the Danube, with day trips to the Danube Bend and Lake Balaton.

Visit the Budapest guide
A cruise ship in the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro

Cruises (lines

ships & regions)

The world’s cruise lines for every budget, from family resort ships to yachts, expedition ships and river boats, with the cruising regions port by port.

Visit the Cruises (lines guide
Aerial view of the white sand spit of Ses Illetes and Llevant, the salt pans and, across the strait, Ibiza and Es Vedrà

Formentera

Spain

The white sands of Ses Illetes, the lighthouses of La Mola and Barbaria, the craft markets and an island made for bikes.

Visit the Formentera guide
The Baie des Anges, Nice

French Riviera

France

Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Cap Ferrat, Èze, Menton, Saint-Tropez and Cassis: palace hotels, three-star tables, beach clubs, the Festival de Cannes and the painters’ coast.

Visit the French Riviera guide
Blue domes of Oia above the Santorini caldera

Greek Islands

Greece

Island hopping made easy: Mykonos, Santorini, Paros, Naxos, Milos and the Cyclades, plus Crete, Rhodes and Corfu, with ferries, beaches, hotels and tavernas.

Visit the Greek Islands guide
Helsinki Cathedral above the South Harbour

Helsinki

Finland

Suomenlinna and the South Harbour, saunas by the sea, Aalto and the Design District, two-starred Palace and day trips to Porvoo and Tallinn.

Visit the Helsinki guide
The walls of Dalt Vila and the cathedral above the harbour of Ibiza Town, in late sun

Ibiza

Spain

Dalt Vila’s UNESCO walls, Es Vedrà, three MICHELIN-starred kitchens, the beach clubs and the quiet north, 30 minutes from Formentera.

Visit the Ibiza guide
Hagia Sophia and its minarets in golden evening light

Istanbul

Turkey

Two continents, one city: Hagia Sophia and the bazaars, Bosphorus ferries, meyhanes and rooftop bars, Sinan’s hammams and the car-free Princes’ Islands.

Visit the Istanbul guide
Congress Square, Ljubljana, with the castle on its hill behind

Ljubljana

Slovenia

Slovenia’s green, car-free capital of river cafés and Plečnik’s bridges, an hour from Lake Bled, the Julian Alps, the caves and the Adriatic.

Visit the Ljubljana guide
The Palace of Westminster and the Elizabeth Tower lit at dusk across the Thames

London

United Kingdom

Royal palaces and the Thames, great museums, West End theatre, grand hotels, and the restaurants and bars of Soho, Mayfair and the City.

Visit the London guide
The Metrópolis building at the start of the Gran Vía

Madrid

Spain

The Prado and El Retiro, the Royal Palace, DiverXO’s three stars and cocido since 1870, with day trips to Toledo and Segovia.

Visit the Madrid guide
La Seu, Palma’s Gothic cathedral, and the Almudaina above the old sea wall, seen from the Parc de la Mar

Mallorca

Spain

Palma’s cathedral and palace hotels, the UNESCO Tramuntana, Deià and Sóller, nine MICHELIN-starred kitchens, and Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera.

Visit the Mallorca guide
Yachts in Puerto Banús

Marbella

Spain

Whitewashed lanes and orange trees in the Old Town, the yachts of Puerto Banús, beach clubs on the Golden Mile and day trips to Ronda and Gibraltar.

Visit the Marbella guide
Turquoise water below the pine-topped cliffs at Cala Macarella, Menorca

Menorca

Spain

A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve: the coves of Macarella and Turqueta, World Heritage Talayotic sites, Ciutadella and Maó’s great harbour.

Visit the Menorca guide
Monaco from above, Port Hercule and Monte-Carlo below the mountains

Monaco

 

The Casino and Monte-Carlo’s palace hotels, the Prince’s Palace on the Rock, superyachts in Port Hercule, Larvotto’s beach clubs and the Grand Prix streets.

Visit the Monaco guide
The Millennium Bridge over the Morača

Podgorica

Montenegro

Montenegro’s relaxed capital of rivers and café terraces, and the gateway to the Bay of Kotor, Lake Skadar, Cetinje and the mountains.

Visit the Podgorica guide
The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its gardens, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

Property (prime markets worldwide)

 

Prime neighbourhoods, estate agents, new developments and how buying works, market by market across the ULTIMATE network.

Visit the Property (prime markets worldwide) guide
The Sebilj fountain and the square of Baščaršija

Sarajevo

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Where East meets West at a line in the pavement: an Ottoman bazaar, Habsburg boulevards, Bosnian coffee and the 1984 Olympic mountains, with Mostar two hours away.

Visit the Sarajevo guide
The Matterhorn in winter above Zermatt

Ski Resorts (Europe & North America)

 

Ski resorts in Europe and North America, country by country, for every budget: season dates, hotels, mountain restaurants, après, ski schools and getting there.

Visit the Ski Resorts (Europe & North America) guide
The Warrior on a Horse fountain in Macedonia Square, Skopje, lit at night

Skopje

North Macedonia

A 15th-century stone bridge between a 21st-century square and an Ottoman bazaar, Kenzo Tange’s concrete city, Matka Canyon, and Lake Ohrid three hours away.

Visit the Skopje guide
The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia, under a pink evening sky

Sofia

Bulgaria

Roman streets beneath the city, golden domes, warm mineral springs and a mountain at the end of the main boulevard.

Visit the Sofia guide
The restored Pyramid of Tirana under a blue sky

Tirana

Albania

An Ottoman mosque painted with waterfalls, museums in bunkers, Blloku’s cafés and the Dajti cable car, with Berat, Gjirokastër, the Alps and the Riviera within reach.

Visit the Tirana guide
Rolling green hills and a farmhouse near Pienza in the Val d’Orcia

Tuscany

Italy

Florence, Chianti, Siena, the Val d’Orcia, Pisa and Lucca, Versilia, Bolgheri, the Maremma, Arezzo and Elba.

Visit the Tuscany guide
Calatrava’s Hemisfèric lit at twilight, reflected in its pool

Valencia

Spain

Calatrava’s City of Arts and Sciences, the Gothic Lonja, paella by the sea, Las Fallas and the nine-kilometre Turia Garden.

Visit the Valencia guide
St Mark's Church and its tiled roof on St Mark's Square, Zagreb's Upper Town

Zagreb

Croatia

Croatia’s elegant capital of cafés, museums and markets, and the gateway to Plitvice Lakes, Istria, Dubrovnik and the islands of the Adriatic.

Visit the Zagreb guide