Nothing can get you into the holly jolly holiday spirit quite like a beautiful Christmas market, thousands upon thousands of twinkling lights and far too much Glühwein than is acceptable for one’s waistline. No other time of year is more magical than the holiday season anywhere than in Europe, but Vienna certainly knows how to do it best!
As one of the finest cities in northern Europe along the Baltic coast, Gdańsk is a charming city loaded with beautiful architecture and waterfront views along its ports. Having had the misfortune of being the location of the first shots fired during the Second World War, it would later lay in almost complete ruin by the end of the war. Almost eight decades later, the city has been gloriously rebuilt and has so much to offer, along with the neighboring towns of Gdynia and Sopot.
Located in the Greater Poland region of Wielkopolska, Poznań, the regional capital is one of the largest cities in Poland, yet simultaneously relatively unheard of and under the radar in comparison to Krakow, Warsaw or Gdańsk. Poznań (Posen) boasts all the same fascinating history, vibrant architecture and delicious food as found in the more popular destinations, yet is practically tourist-free.
Along my travels, and having been lucky enough to live in two of these cities, I’ve come to learn which cities were almost entirely spared from the ravages of war or were only minimally destroyed. So I’ve gathered a list of cities and towns throughout Germany which were untouched and still offer that historic Medieval charm we all crave to see and feel. And while there are many destinations in Germany to visit which also survived, I have yet to visit all of them.
Ok, by now you’ve heard of Bucharest and the country’s most impressive castles and learned about the myths and legends of Dracula, but have you ever heard of Timişoara? Probably not. As the third largest city in Romania, it’s one of the loveliest urban centers as it shakes off the remnants of a dictatorship and is today one of the top destinations in the Balkans to visit.
Bucharest. A sprawling capital city with over 500 years of fascinating history and culture, blending old crumbling buildings with new, hip cafes and shops. Wait, are you sure I didn’t mean Budapest? Yes, I’m sure. Wouldn’t want to mix up the two cities like Michael Jackson did during his visit in 1992. But to find these cool and unusual places in Bucharest, you have to break out your investigative skills.
Located at the confluence of three rivers, the Inn, Ilz and Danube directly on the border between Germany and Austria, not far from the Czech Republic lies one of the most lovely little Old Towns in Germany. You’ve probably never heard of this charming town as it is easily overlooked by some of the more popular towns in Bavaria. If you’ve heard of Passau, you’ve likely visited via a river cruise. But there is so much to love about Germany’s postcard peninsula town!
What better way to introduce you to Romania than by starting with some of the country’s most renowned and impressive castles beyond the capital of Bucharest? Scattered throughout Transylvania are a plethora of castles, but three of the most well-known are all a hop-skip and a jump apart from each other making for an easy two day visit.
Set on a rocky peninsula jutting out into the Black Sea, the ancient Bulgarian town of Old Nessebar is one of the country’s few UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Today, it is one of Bulgaria’s most popular tourist destinations, and for good reason: it’s packed with exceptionally picturesque wooden houses and churches. The small peninsula is connected to the main land via a man-made isthmus meaning “narrow strip of land connecting two areas of land” in Ancient Greek.
Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second largest city and quite possibly the oldest in Europe, and therefore the world, was originally supposed to be a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am kind of day trip between our drive from Sofia to Sunny Beach. I had heard so many wonderful things about this beautiful city which boasts some of the best “National Revival” architecture that I knew we absolutely had to visit because it’s as STUPID PRETTY as they come!