Welcome to 2025, a brand new year. In January, many people think about where to travel in 2025. Let’s say you’ve decided to go to Europe for the first time. If that’s you, you are in the right place. Today, I will share my top 10 capital cities for first-time European visitors.
Why visit a capital city on your first trip to Europe?
Let me start by answering the question of why you should visit a capital city during your first trip to Europe. There are three compelling reasons.
- Capital cities in Europe are the best connected for transportation purposes especially if you’re flying over from the states.
- Typically, capital cities have the most sights, the best food, and plenty to see and do.
- You can get a feel for the rest of the country by visiting the capital. A good example is if you want to know what the Netherlands is like, spend some time in Amsterdam.
The criteria used to create this list
You may be wondering how I created this list. Here are the 10 criteria I used.
- I have visited in the past decade. I don’t want to give old information.
- Historic sights to see
- Cultural sights such as museums
- Food and drink
- How easy is it to get to the city from the US
- How much will it cost to visit
- Culture shock for Americans This is especially important for your first trip to Europe.
- The weather
- The language, as in do they speak English
- The location. How easy is it to get from the city to other places in Europe?
Capital City #10 — Brussels, Belgium
Some people think Brussels is boring. I don’t. There are several reasons to go here, including chocolate, beer, fries, and waffles. The food is excellent. There are plenty of flights to Brussels from the US, and it is well connected to the rest of Europe by train and airplane. The last thing I’ll mention is if you’re looking for a lot of sights to see, then Brussels is probably not a great choice.
Capital City #9 — Edinburgh, Scotland
Some of you may say that Edinburgh is not a European capital city. Please do not tell the Scots that. From a historical standpoint, there are a ton of sights to see. If you are a whiskey lover, you need to go here. Two things are not great. Obviously, the weather stinks. It rains a lot in Edinburgh. Second, it’s a little bit remote. It might be hard to get some other places in Europe from here unless you fly.
Capital City #8 — Dublin, Ireland
Dublin is famous for its music as well as its party scene. There are some historical sites as well. If you are a Guinness lover, absolutely you need to go here. Guinness does taste better when you get it straight from the factory. Similar to Edinburgh there are two challenges when it comes to Dublin. The weather is iffy. Connections to Europe are not as plentiful. I will mention, though, that getting back to the States from Dublin is easy. You can check in to TSA in Dublin and go straight through customs when you get back.
#7 — Vienna, Austria
This city is overlooked by some tourists. I’m a big fan of Vienna, Austria, for three reasons.
- Music — especially if you like classical music.
- History — the Habsburgs ruled for centuries from this location. There are plenty of palaces and other historical sights scattered across the old city center.
- World-class museums — If you enjoy Paris and have never been to Vienna, Austria, I highly recommend you go.
#6 — Amsterdam, The Netherlands
There are several good reasons to visit Amsterdam, including good museums. It is such a unique City with all the canals and such. There are plenty of flights in and out of Amsterdam from the USA, as well as all over Europe. It has an excellent train system. If you’re going to visit the Netherlands or Europe, Amsterdam is a great starting place.
Capital City #5 — Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon, Portugal, is a beautiful capital city that gets great weather almost year-round. It is super popular these days for several reasons. The food is excellent, and there are also a lot of great sights. Two things to keep in mind when visiting Lisbon. Portugal is not as well connected to the rest of Europe as some countries on this list. It is a hilly city. If you like walking, you’re going to get a workout in Lisbon.
Capital City #4 — Madrid, Spain
Another beautiful capital city with several excellent historical sites is Madrid, Spain. It also has world-class museums, and the food in Madrid is to die for. The other thing I’ll mention is that Madrid is located smack dab in the middle of Spain. If you visit Spain, start here. You can get to just about anywhere else via high-speed train or planes. Driving in this country is also easy.
#3 — Rome, Italy
Rome is known as the Eternal City. I don’t think any city has more historical sites than this one. If you love Italian food, you’re going to have some of the best of your life here. I enjoy Rome a lot. The only reason I won’t go in 2025 is the Jubilee. It will be packed more than usual. Also, I would avoid Rome in the summer. It will be hot and the air conditioning isn’t quite to the same standard as we have in the US.
Capital City #2 — Paris, France
Paris may be the most beautiful European capital. In 2025, it will be particularly nice since they hosted the Olympics. The other reason is they just reopened the Notre Dame Cathedral. It’s been closed after the fire in 2020. I cannot wait to see what the interior looks like. There can be a little bit of a language barrier if you’re like me and you know zero French. Deal with the language barrier the best you can. Most French speak English. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.
#1 — London, the UK
My top pick for people going to Europe for the first time, especially Americans, is London, the UK. There are several reasons I put London at the top of the list.
- They speak English there so the culture shock won’t be quite as much.
- A ton to see and do there
- There’s actually a good food scene in London. It’s ranked one of the best cities in the world for food
The last thing I’ll mention is London is well connected to all over Europe. If you’re an American and you want to go to Europe, I highly recommend starting your adventure in London.
Bonus — Barcelona, Catalonia
Let me throw in a bonus place, and that is Barcelona, Catalonia. Now I know once again some of you are saying it’s not a European Capital. For heaven’s sake, don’t tell the Catalans that. The reason I’m including it is twofold. First, it’s much different than Madrid the capital of Spain. Two, it’s located on the med, unlike any of the others on this list. There are lots to see and do, and the food is excellent. I’ve been to Barcelona multiple times. It is fantastic.
I am Doug Keating, and this is my letter to my sons.