In my experience... a lot of people. Rome has many returning visitors, but everyone tends to visit Vatican only once. Unless you're particularly religious or with someone new to the place.
Correct - I did want to see the Vatican but I didn't want to give them any money. Eventually, someone I went to Rome with really wanted to go inside and it was just the 2 of us so I agreed to go in with them.
To be fair, I'd been in St Peter's Square several times so had technically been in the country of Vatican City, but I hadn't actually gone inside the building
I think when talking about cities, the Vatican should be considered part of Rome. The Pope denotes his address Urbi et Orbi, that is to urbs (referring to the city Rome)
I think that for most people the Nordic countries are quite expensive. I live in Germany and even for the German standard Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden are everything but cheap.
Here's my tip to the Nordic countries: Take a tent.
See freedom to roam. Includes an opportunity to some amount of free food, as well, if it's the season (berries, mushrooms). Denmark has stricter rules 'cause they're special.
Stockholm is a lovely city but as a fellow German I agree: Really expensive. There are beautiful sights but I didn't know most of them before preparing my vacation. Unlike sights that everyone knows like the colloseum in Rome or the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Also, while I've heard many beautiful things about the nature in Scandanavia (especially Norway's fjords), I think tourists traveling to big cities in Europe tend to be more interested in cultural/artistic attractions. Scandanavia has less of that compared to places like France and Italy, and what they do have isn't as well known. I can name several major tourist attractions in London, Paris, Istanbul, and Rome, but nothing stands out to me in Oslo or Stockholm.
If you ever find yourself there... Stockholm is a fairly quiet city, but lovely just to potter around. The Vasa Museum is wonderful. Oslo is nice too, and has a wonderful Viking ship museum. On a fine day go and see the Vigelund sculptures in the park.
I love going to the Scandinavian cities - plenty to see and do, and far fewer tourists!
Have you ever studied European history at all?! Of course Istanbul is a European city - indeed it's one of the most important cities in European history!
He did say 'one of the most important cities', not 'the most important city'. And yeah, I agree with him. Between being called Byzantium, Constantinople and Istanbul, it has done more to influence Europe than most other European cities have.
A bit surprising that Prague is ahead of Amsterdam and Barcelona. I can't even imagine that many people in the old part of town. Is that a fairly recent development?
Visited 15 out of the 21. Madrid, Moscow, Milan, Budapest, Saint-Petersburg and Florence, here I come (well, in a few years, when and if we can travel again...).
I was really surprised it only just made it onto the list. I was expecting it to be top-ten, and for Porto to also make an appearance on the list. I guess tourists really are sleeping on Portugal...
I don't know why we count Istanbul as Europe. Europe is not a real geological continent, but a cultural continent. And culturally, Istanbul is certainly not European.
While everyone loves debating whether Australia is a continent or an island, Europe, being of similar size and really just a large peninsula off Asia, escapes the same debate.
Convention has it that Europe is a continent with it eastern border the Urals and the Caucasus. A large part of Istanbul is west of this "border" so it can legitimately claim to be "European". And Europe is very diverse culturally...Turkey could claim to be more similar culturally to other Mediterranean countries like Greece than it is to say Iran
It's true that the border between Europe and Asia is a fuzzy one, but there is arguably no point where it is clearer than at the Bosphorus, and Istanbul (or most of it, at least, including the city centre) is west of that.
Historically, Istanbul (or Constantinople) was the capital of the Roman Empire and the most-populated Greek city for most of known History. If we're not going by geography, that's got to count for something!
Did you ever study European history at school?! Of course Istanbul is a European city - indeed it's one of the most important cities in European history!
No Frankfurt with all its business visitors?
To be fair, I'd been in St Peter's Square several times so had technically been in the country of Vatican City, but I hadn't actually gone inside the building
See freedom to roam. Includes an opportunity to some amount of free food, as well, if it's the season (berries, mushrooms). Denmark has stricter rules 'cause they're special.
I love going to the Scandinavian cities - plenty to see and do, and far fewer tourists!
Convention has it that Europe is a continent with it eastern border the Urals and the Caucasus. A large part of Istanbul is west of this "border" so it can legitimately claim to be "European". And Europe is very diverse culturally...Turkey could claim to be more similar culturally to other Mediterranean countries like Greece than it is to say Iran