In the land of Johann Strauss, Schloss Schönbrunn and Empress Sisi, life is still a little bit slower than elsewhere. Famous coffeehouses, shady vineyards and the charm of the past make Vienna Europe’s capital of nostalgia. Add in a bit of the new, with the Museums Quartier cultural district, one of the ten largest cultural complexes in the world.  Vienna is a great place for music lovers, especially if you have the chance to attend a Vienna State Opera concert. Most attractions lie within the First District, where you can find some of the most beautiful buildings in the city -- the State Opera House, the Natural History Museum, Parliament, City Hall, and the Palace Theatre. The Waltz also originated in Vienna, and did you know in Austria there is a designated ball season? This happens from November to June and there are hundreds of balls to choose from. 

Gemütlichkeit is one of those German words with an entire constellation of meanings, and Munich embodies them all. This south German city is filled with good fellowship, happy times, friendliness, amicability and congeniality. Head to Marienplatz at the center of the pedestrian zone just before the top of the hour to watch a performance of the Glockenspiel in the tower of the Neues Rathaus.  The 260-foot tower includes a carillon with two elaborate sets of figures enacting scenes from the city’s history. In the  Viktualienmark, just off Marienplatz, you can find not only fruits and vegetables, herbs and cheeses and more, including traditional Bavarian specialties like Schweinshax’n (broiled pork hock) and Speck (bacon). The nearby Munich Hofbräuhaus (beer hall) dates back to the 16th century.  If you’d like to learn how Munich became the “capital of beer”, stop in at the Beer and Oktoberfest Museum. Mention the English Garden to someone who’s visited Munich, and they’re likely to tell you about the nude sunbathers. But the 900-acre park  is a great place for a walk with a choice of four beer gardens -- Chinesischer Turm, Seehaus, Hirschau and Aumeister. Stop for a stein!

Milan’s reputation for being a fashion capital certainly does not disappoint.  From the moment you step out of the taxi or off the metro into the city, you’ll notice the smartly dressed locals, the impeccable and impressive architecture, and shop after shop selling the latest fashions. It’s enough to window shop, even if you aren’t interested in buying, especially in places like the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, a breathtaking shopping arcade over a hundred years old.  Next to it is the city’s main attraction, the Duomo, covered with hundreds of spires and statues; take the stairs to the roof for great views and a closer look at the details of the architecture.  Another important stop is the Castello Sforzesco, which doubles both as a castle as well as home to several important museums.  And hopefully you’ve made a reservation well in advance to visit Saint Mary of the Graces, home to Milan’s most famous painting, Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper.

Out of all of Spain’s wonderful cities, Barcelona seems to be one of the most popular.  From coastal views to the rich art and architectural heritage, you’ll quickly see why.  Why not get some perspective on it all from the most famous site of all, the Sagrada Familia?  It is a church – or piece of art? – created by famed artist Antoni Gaudi; the design is so complex that it still isn’t finished, despite having been started in 1882.  Head down the spiral stairs and admire it from afar for a different perspective, and then reflect on your thoughts while people watching on Las Ramblas, the hive of Barcelona’s cultural district.  This is a great place to sit and enjoy a glass of sangria, a beer, or even try out some tapas with fresh local ingredients.  Beyond Las Ramblas, you can also walk the Barri Gotic, Barcelona’s old medieval town, or pay a visit to Art Montfalcon, a souvenir shop that is noteworthy for having what seems to be just about one of everything.

Although founded in the ninth century, Madrid didn’t become Spain’s capital city until 1560. The Madrileños – those who live in Madrid – come from all over Spain and the rest of the world. Spanish is, of course, the dominant language, but most people dealing with visitors speak English. The main difference is “time". Lunch, for example, is seldom before 2 p.m., and dinner at 10 p.m. or later is commonplace. Hungry in between? Stop in a bar and sample some tapas! Many stores still are closed in the afternoons, although most offices in Madrid no longer close for siesta. Plaza Mayor, constructed during the Hapsburg era, was the hub of an empire circling the globe in the 16th and 17th centuries, and it remains a popular gathering spot. Not far away is the Royal Palace – a place for formal meetings rather than the residence of the king. Built in the mid 1700s, the neoclassical structure is open for public tours when not being used for state functions. Time for just one stop? Make it the Prado and check out works by some famous Spanish painters, such as Goya and Velázquez.

Imagine walking into a coffee shop and buying marijuana with your cappuccino, or hunting for souvenirs and ending up in a sex shop. This can happen to you in Amsterdam. But cannabis and the Red Light District are only two of the eclectic experiences that the city has to offer. Romantic canals lined by 17th century architecture criss-cross the city, ad strolling around has the feel of visiting an open-air museum. Shop for tulips, bulbs and wooden shoes at the floating Flower Market. Soak up culture in the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frankhuis. Add a windmill, a canal boat cruise and a Heineken or three. If you are in need of some fresh air and exercise, rent a bike and really explore and see the city. Head to Vondelpark, Amsterdam’s largest city park and sit and enjoy the sights. The result is a city full of luscious ingredients and as tasty as the famous Dutch appelgebak or apple pie. 

Rome is more than a fascinating European capital city; it is a spectacular encyclopedia of living history. It has been said that all roads lead to Rome, and in Rome, every road leads to eternity. The city is vast, although the historic center is quite small. The whole experience of Rome is so powerful as to be almost overwhelming at times. The best way to prepare for a visit is to study a little of the history of the region, and then arrange an itinerary that allows time to explore, rest, and reflect on the magnificence of it all. Visit Vatican City, a independent city-state located entirely within Rome.  Tours of Rome are plentiful and often based on themes of history, food and wine, art, and religion.  The daring may want to rent a Vespa and navigate the historical streets of a city teeming in history.  

Paris is known for its famous buildings and works of art, its chic fashion scene and its modern literary, artistic, and intellectual ideals, and is a must for anyone wishing to experience the best of both contemporary and age old European culture. If you have limited time, make sure to go to the area north of the river, the Rive Droite, to see the tree-lined Avenue des Champs Elysees, running west from the Arc de Triomphe. East of the avenue is the Musee du Louvre, the Centre Georges Pompidou and a lively district of museums, shops, markets and restaurants. Immediately south of the Pompidou Centre on the Ile de la Cite is Notre Dame Cathedral. If you still have time, head west along the river and you will find the city’s trademark, the Eiffel Tower. If you are intrigued by Paris’ famous academic, artistic and intellectual enclave, the Saint Germain de Pres and Montparnasse districts are located just to the east. 

Athens can seem overwhelming at first. The mountains, the rocks, the historic ruins, the panoramic views of valleys and sea: nothing is small. Athens is not scrubbed and polished; it has an ancient, lived-in look as befits a city that has been inhabited for at least 4,500 years. There are ruins in unexpected places throughout the city. What first appears to be a modern street will have fenced off areas containing parts of ancient toppled columns, statues, etc. They have been sitting there for hundreds of years and are now fenced for protection; repair and restoration work is ongoing in Athens. A visit to the Acropolis is a must, and make sure to explore the shops and restaurants in the historic Plaka district. Stop in the National Archeological Museum if you have the time.

The capital of Germany is paved with cobblestone streets dating back 750 years, but at the same time it is gloriously modern. For nearly 30 years, Berlin was really two cities: East and West Berlin, with an impenetrable wall between the two.  In 1989 all that changed. The wall came down, reuniting the two parts of the city.  Since that time, Berlin has been not only reborn, but also reinvented. The action (sights, restaurants and nightlife) is now found in eastern Berlin. Much of the new city is already in place: parliament sits in the renovated Reichstag; Potsdamer Platz, once leveled to a field in the Wall's death zone, is now a bustling quarter with shops, restaurants, a theater, a film museum, and a casino; and the city's world-class collection of European art has been reunited in the Gemaldegalerie. Art lovers should check out the various warehouse art galleries and the graffiti on what is left of the Berlin Wall. This revitalized Berlin has been called the "New York City" of Europe. 

Venice is an extraordinarily beautiful city. Venice represents an urban landscape so rich in its lavishness that it can be overwhelming. It seems as if at each step you will encounter some aspect of the city worth admiring.  The major sights like the basilica and piazza of San Marco are perhaps the city’s most famous. Venice’s most celebrated event is the Carnival, which occupies the ten days leading up to Lent. Another major event is the Regatta Storica, held on the first Sunday in September, an annual trial of strength and skill for the city’s gondoliers which starts with a procession of richly decorated historic craft along the Canal Grande course, their crews all decked out in period dress. Venice is also the home of the Venice Biennale, set up in 1895 as a showpiece for international contemporary art, and held every odd-numbered year from June to September. Its permanent site is located in the Giardini Pubblici. 

The Piazza San Marco is the hub of most activity, signaled from most parts of the city by the Campanile, which began life as a lighthouse in the ninth century. Venice’s lavishness and fantasy, the result not just of its remarkable buildings but of the very fact that Venice is a city built on water but a city created more than 1,000 years ago by men who dared defy the sea, implanting their splendid palaces and churches on mud banks in a swampy and treacherous lagoon. Gothic styles were adapted to create a new kind of Venetian Gothic art and architecture. Venice is a unique blend of water, art and romance located four kilometers from terra firma and two kilometers from the Adriatic Sea. It is a treasure from the artistic and architectural point of view. The city was built on over 100 islands in a lagoon on an exceptional atmosphere during the phenomenon of "high water," when the high tide exceeds the level of dry land and floods the main streets and piazzas of Venice. For these reasons, Venice is one of the cities most visited by tourists from around the world. Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance are the principal reference points for the artistic development of Venice.

For a city rich in cultural history, bringing together the best of the French and Flemish communities, we introduce you to Brussels, Belgium. Dating back to the 10th Century, Brussels has grown from a fortress town to a booming metropolis with a population of over 1 million.

A visit to this diverse city, which is the capital of the European Union, will have you exploring historic venues like the medieval Grand Palace in Lower Town, the eye-catching Art Nouveau residences, the world-renowned Menneken Pis - the infamous peeing boy or the monumental, twin towered Cathédrale des Sts Michel & Gudule.

Learning about the history of this city will leave you hungry, both for knowledge and for delectable cuisine, and finding time to explore the culinary scene is an absolute must.  From sidewalk cafes to Michelin rated restaurants, Belgians claim their food scene is among the best in the world. Find a seat at a bustling cafe, savor a signature Belgian dish like Moules Frites, learn the secrets behind making Belgian waffles or feel the rush as you enter a Belgian chocolate shop - all will have you feeling like a local. And don’t forget to try some Belgian beer.