Ten cities our editors keep going back to and that almost never make magazine cover lists. A working argument for travelling against the algorithm.
There are roughly 800 cities in Europe with over 100,000 residents. The major travel media write about maybe 25 of them. The gap is huge and full of places that, on any honest accounting, deserve a few days more than they get.
Porto, Portugal
Smaller and steeper than Lisbon, with the Ribeira waterfront, the port wine lodges across the Douro in Vila Nova de Gaia and a 19th-century bookshop (Livraria Lello) that briefly became too famous for its own good but is still magic at opening time.
Ghent, Belgium
Bruges with students. The Gravensteen castle in the centre, the van Eyck altarpiece in St Bavo's cathedral and a cafe culture that takes its beer list seriously.
Tbilisi, Georgia
Wooden balconies hanging over cobbled lanes in the old town, the sulphur baths in Abanotubani that gave the city its name, and a food culture (khinkali, khachapuri, supra dinners) that ranks with the best in the region.
Valencia, Spain
Properly the third city of Spain and frequently treated as a stopover. The City of Arts and Sciences by Calatrava, the old riverbed turned 9 km park and the actual home of paella. A 15-minute tram ride from the historic centre to the beach.
Bologna, Italy
Forty kilometres of arcaded streets, the oldest continuously operating university in Europe (1088) and the home of tagliatelle al ragù, tortellini in brodo and most of the food that the rest of Italy then exported as its own.
Antwerp, Belgium
Diamond capital, port city, the gallery of Rubens. The cathedral spire is one of the loveliest skylines in Flanders.
Riga, Latvia
The largest concentration of Art Nouveau architecture in Europe, particularly along Alberta Street, plus a medieval old town that the war did less damage to than expected.
Belgrade, Serbia
Rough around the edges and all the more interesting for it. The Sava and Danube meet under the Kalemegdan fortress and the nightlife on splavovi (river boats) is the loudest in the Balkans.
Cardiff, Wales
Castle in the middle of the city, the Wales Millennium Centre in the bay, and easy access into the Brecon Beacons within an hour.
Bilbao, Spain
Famously transformed by the Guggenheim, but the old quarter (Casco Viejo), the pintxo bars and the Basque countryside around it still hold the city together.
