After visiting so many places, I feel it is obligatory to rank everywhere I went, the hostels I stayed in and the trains I took around.
The first thing I am going to rank is the places I visited; based on five criteria: Value for Money (can you get a lot for your money), Attractions (how many there are and quality of attractions), Atmosphere (I like a chilled yet alive kind of vibe, not hectic, not dead), Tourist Level (this is linked to atmosphere – better marks for fewer tourists) and Aesthetic (how pretty it is).
15. Munich: 40/50
Value for Money: 7
Attractions: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Tourist Level: 9
Aesthetic: 8
Although I really loved Munich it has come out at the bottom of this list. I think the reason for this was that it was quite an expensive place and there weren’t so many things to do in the city itself (though the surrounding area is great).
14. Basel: 41/50
Value for Money: 6
Attractions: 9
Atmosphere: 8
Tourist Level: 9
Aesthetic: 9
Although Basel is tied with Rome and Vienna I have put it 14th as it was very expensive and Rome had more attractions. I loved the low level of tourists in Basel and how surprisingly beautiful the city was.
13. Vienna: 41/50
Value for Money: 8
Attractions: 9
Atmosphere: 8
Tourist Level: 8
Aesthetic: 8
Vienna is in 13th place due to having fewer attractions than Rome, however Vienna is a lovely place, with very beautiful architecture and lots to do – the Hundertwasserhaus is especially interesting.
12. Rome: 41/50
Value for Money: 8
Attractions: 10
Atmosphere: 8
Tourist Level: 7
Aesthetic: 8
Rome has lots of attractions, but it is extremely touristy, for obvious reasons. This is quite a problem as there are lots of restaurants that sell terrible food to tourists because they can – so when in Rome, make sure you get restaurant recommendations from Romans.
11. Bruges: 42/50
Value for Money: 8
Attractions: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Tourist Level: 8
Aesthetic: 10
Bruges was a lovely place to visit, there is quite a lot to see and it’s very picturesque as it is a very well preserved medieval town. It’s not too touristy and the vibe of the place is nice. Bruges is behind Krakow and Amsterdam purely due to its higher cost and fewer attractions.
10. Krakow: 42/50
Value for Money: 10
Attractions: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Tourist Level: 8
Aesthetic: 8
Krakow was a hard one to rank as there were millions of catholic teenagers there when we were there which should have made the tourist level very low as it was heaving! I left it at 8 in an attempt to estimate what it would have been like without the catholic invasion. I want to go back to Krakow when it’s quieter!
9. Amsterdam: 42/50
Value for Money: 8
Attractions: 10
Atmosphere: 8
Tourist Level: 8
Aesthetic: 8
Amsterdam has a nice atmosphere, but it has been marked down a little due to the constant weed smell. There is a lot to do and the attractions are high quality, I especially enjoyed the Red Light Secrets Museum. Amsterdam is ahead of Krakow due to me actually seeing more of it!
8. Interlaken: 43/50
Value for Money: 6
Attractions: 8
Atmosphere: 10
Tourist Level: 9
Aesthetic: 10
Interlaken is very expensive but a beautiful place overall. The landscape is absolutely stunning with the lakes and the mountains and it had a lovely chilled vibe while being full of life.
7. Berlin: 44/50
Value for Money: 8
Attractions: 10
Atmosphere: 10
Tourist Level: 8
Aesthetic: 8
Berlin has so much to do and it is a wonderful place, especially for young people. There is a very social atmosphere and I also loved the constant reminders of the history of the city – I love the attitude of looking into the past to learn from our mistakes.
6. Naples (Amalfi Coast): 44/50
Value for Money: 8
Attractions: 10
Atmosphere: 9
Tourist Level: 8
Aesthetic: 9
The Amalfi coast is stunning, however Naples (where we stayed) isn’t the prettiest city. Sorento was gorgeous and Pompeii and Vesuvius were fascinating. I suppose the area is rather touristy, but one can understand why. This area narrowly beats Berlin in the list due to its beauty.
5. Annecy: 47/50
Value for Money: 9
Attractions: 8
Atmosphere: 10
Tourist Level: 10
Aesthetic: 10
Annecy is such a stunning place, with the massive lake, French alps and quaint little streets, it has earned 5th place in this list. There is not massive amounts to do, unless you count swimming in the lake and relaxing on the beach!
4. Zadar: 47/50
Value for Money: 10
Attractions: 7
Atmosphere: 10
Tourist Level: 10
Aesthetic: 10
As Zadar is quite a small place, there aren’t many things to see, which is the only reason it isn’t top of this list. This was definitely one of my favourite places to visit in Europe (although I may be biased as Croatia is my favourite place in the world so far). Such a beautiful, good value, chilled, unspoiled place!
3. Bratislava: 48/50
Value for Money: 10
Attractions: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Tourist Level: 10
Aesthetic: 10
I was so surprised by how good Bratislava is and it seems to be Europe’s best kept secret as there were basically zero tourists! It has lots of things to see and do, the castle is stunning and the old town is just fantastic.
2. Budapest: 48/50
Value for Money: 10
Attractions: 9
Atmosphere: 10
Tourist Level: 9
Aesthetic: 10
I loved Budapest so much! It has such a wonderful atmosphere – there’s lots going on, the ruin bars are one of the best things Europe has to offer in terms of nightlife (and very hipster, but in a good way). There is SO MUCH there too – just go now, drop whatever you’re doing and book your flight today!
1. Prague: 49/50
Value for Money: 10
Attractions: 10
Atmosphere: 10
Tourist Level: 9
Aesthetic: 10
And lastly, here is Prague with a near perfect score! Prague has a similar vibe to Budapest, which was great, but had that wonderful added extra of a massive amount of Jewish history to experience. Easily wins first place for me – another one to book today!
The World Ahead 