European holidays: Guardian writers share their tips – and you can too. Le Comptoir Général, Paris A 10-minute walk from the metro stop République, past the trendy young Parisians languishing along canal Saint-Martin, lies Le Comptoir Général.
But don't look for it by name. Instead head for 80 quai de Jemmapes, where you'll probably be met by a queue and a tall, friendly Senegalese bouncer. Le Comptoir Général is a lounge bar-cum-gallery-cum-library and cinema that celebrates the creativity of poor African communities and, in a wonderfully chaotic style, curates everything from old barber shop equipment to witchcraft paraphernalia. The food is excellent. Parc Floral, Paris There are some good children's playgrounds in the centre of Paris, but at Château de Vincennes at the east end of the number 1 metro line, Parc Floral is the biggest playground, or set of playgrounds, I have ever seen.
Eindhoven. Dutch Topographic map of Eindhoven (city), March 2014 Eindhoven (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɛi̯nt.ˌɦoː.və(n)] ( Neighbouring cities and towns include Son en Breugel, Nuenen, Geldrop-Mierlo, Heeze-Leende, Waalre, Veldhoven, Eersel, Oirschot and Best.
The agglomeration has some 440,000 inhabitants. The metropolitan area (which includes Helmond) has nearly 750,000 inhabitants. Also, Eindhoven is part of Brabant Stad, a combined metropolitan area with more than 2 million inhabitants. Bologna. Bologna (Italian pronunciation: [boˈloɲɲa] ( ); Emilian: Bulåggna pronounced [buˈləɲɲa]; Latin: Bononia) is the largest city (and the capital) of Emilia-Romagna Region in Italy.
It is the seventh most populous city in Italy, located in the heart of a metropolitan area (officially recognized by the Italian government as a città metropolitana) of about one million. The first settlements date back to at least 1000 BC. Bari. Bari.
Turin. Turin (Italian: Torino, pronounced [toˈriːno] ( Much of the city's public squares, castles, gardens and elegant palazzi such as Palazzo Madama, were built in the 16th and 18th century, after the capital of the Duchy of Savoy (later Kingdom of Sardinia) was moved to Turin from Chambery (nowadays France) as part of the urban expansion.
Turin is sometimes called the "cradle of Italian liberty", for having been the birthplace and home of notable politicians and people who contributed to the Risorgimento, such as Cavour.[3] The city currently hosts some of Italy's best universities, colleges, academies, lycea and gymnasia, such as the six-century-old University of Turin and the Turin Polytechnic.
Prestigious and important museums, such as the Museo Egizio[4] and the Mole Antonelliana are also found in the city. Turin's several monuments and sights make it one of the world's top 250 tourist destinations, and the tenth most visited city in Italy in 2008.[5] History[edit] Ancient origins[edit] Venice. Venice seen from ship Photography of Venice at dusk Venice view from the Bridge Foscari, to the Bridge Santa Margherita.
Venice (English /ˈvɛnɪs/; Italian: Venezia [veˈnɛttsia] ( )[1] alternative obsolete form: Vinegia; Venetian: Venexia [veˈnɛsja]; Latin: Venetia; Slovene: Benetke) is a city in northeastern Italy sited on a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges.[2] It is located in the marshy Venetian Lagoon which stretches along the shoreline, between the mouths of the Po and the Piave Rivers. Trapani. Pisa. Billund. Oslo. Oslo (English pronunciation: /ˈɒzloʊ/, OZ-loh,[3] Norwegian pronunciation: [²uʃlu] ( ) or, rarer [²uslu] or [¹uʃlu]) is the capital of and most populous city in Norway.
Oslo constitutes a county and a municipality. Founded around 1000 AD, and established a "kaupstad" or trading place in 1048 by King Harald III, the city was elevated to a bishopric in 1070 and a capital under Haakon V around 1300. Personal unions with Denmark from 1397 to 1523 and again from 1536 to 1814 and with Sweden from 1814 to 1905 reduced its influence. After being destroyed by a fire in 1624, the city was moved closer to Akershus Castle during the reign of King Christian IV and renamed Christiania in his honour. Barcelona. Barcelona (English /bɑrsɨˈloʊnə/, Catalan: [bərsəˈɫonə], Spanish: [barθeˈlona]) is the capital city of the autonomous community of Catalonia in Spain, and its 2nd largest city, with a population of 1.6 million[1] within its administrative limits.
Founded as a Roman city, in the Middle Ages Barcelona became the capital of the County of Barcelona. After merging with the Kingdom of Aragon, Barcelona continued to be an important city in the Crown of Aragon. Besieged several times during its history, Barcelona has a rich cultural heritage and is today an important cultural centre and a major tourist destination. Particularly renowned are the architectural works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner, which have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Madrid. Valencia. Valencia is integrated into an industrial area on the Costa del Azahar (Orange Blossom Coast).
Valencia's main festival is the Falles.