The Ugliest and The Most Aesthetic European Capitals

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Planning a trip to Europe and looking for some inspiration? Don't know which capital cities in each country to fit in your plans? Or maybe just looking for the places where beauty and aesthetics are preserved in architecture and art in Europe? Check out this video about the most beautiful European capitals.
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💡 TOPICS IN THIS VIDEO 💡
Europe travel, Best European capitals, European city breaks, European capital tours, Must-see European capitals, Top European capitals, European landmarks, Hidden gems in Europe, European architecture, European culture, Europe sightseeing, European lifestyle, European history, European cuisine, Romantic cities in Europe, Europe vacation, Beautiful European cities, European art, European music, European fashion, European parks, European museums, European cityscapes, European photography, European travel tips, European train travel, European budget travel, European solo travel, European backpacking, European adventure travel.
🔎 VIDEO EXCERPT 🔎
Some people say that beauty is difficult to define. I disagree. Beauty is a combination of qualities that please the aesthetic senses.
What is subjective is what each person finds pleasing to their sense of beauty. I once met a guy who considered that black fabric for furniture was better than gobelins or jacquard. He said he was a minimalist, and that is why he preferred plain, dull black. Later on, he revealed that it was not the black that was more beautiful for him, but he preferred it since it was more difficult to spot stains when it got dirty.
So, in this list, you can expect cities that please the senses. At least they pleased mine and all my companies when we visited them.
I am also not evaluating anything else other than the aesthetic criteria. Some of the cities with low scores fare remarkably well in other things, like history-filled Bucharest. All these cities, however, are relatively safe, and none of them figure among the most dangerous cities in Europe.
Each city is rated from 0 to 10. It may be cruel, and if anyone has any point to make, feel free to do so in the comment section.
However, once more: this is not supposed to be an insult, and while some cities may not be the most aesthetic, they have their own qualities.
With no further ado, it’s time to start. Since the article is about the most beautiful cities in Europe from worse to best, we start with the ugliest.

Опубликовано:

9 май 2023

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Комментарии : 80

@the_expat 11 месяцев назад

Do you agree with our opinion about Berlin? Tell us here in the comment section! Here is another curious thing: Despite being the most beautiful cities in Europe, Rome, and Vienna are far cheaper than some other capitals. Check out this video where we compare the cost of living in different European capitals: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zoYSZWfvjFg.html (For more like this, simply click "Subscribe" above).

@Bellasie1 11 месяцев назад

I don't agree that Berlin is ugly. I personally love its TV tower and other iconic monuments. Mitte has some splendid, pompous classic architecture. I don't like so-called street art and tags, but in Berlin it's part of the wall history. The canals, Spree River, huge parks, modern and historic mix of architecture give it a lot of allure. In any case, even if you think it's ugly I really believe that Belgrade, Dublin, Sofia and Bucharest are way worse looking!

@the_expat 11 месяцев назад

@@Bellasie1 Do you think Dublin is uglier than Berlin? o.O

@erickarnell Год назад

Ljubljana Slovenia probably wasn't on your list, but I find the architecture to be gorgeous.

@the_expat Год назад

That is true. I visited Ljubliana not long ago, so when I was still doing the script of this video, I couldn't put it. But indeed it is a gracious city.

@lecmanuel 11 месяцев назад

No surprise, considering that Slovenia is home to some of the most respected architects of the World, Jože Plečnik being the most proeminent of them.

@paprikajanos607 11 месяцев назад

It's so terrible how much damage the WW2 caused in many capital cities. For example, Budapest was mindblowing beautiful before, but today it's only the shadow of its own

@the_expat 11 месяцев назад

That is true! It is a pity what happened to cities like Budapest, Warsaw, Dresden and so many others...

@Bellasie1 11 месяцев назад

@@the_expat And Berlin! Try and find a video of how it was before WWII, you'll be surprised!

@SnowWhiteArches 4 месяца назад

It was not the second world war that caused these losses, but a specific country.

@chuckjones5788 10 месяцев назад

Madrid, and Lubljana should be on the list. I'm surprised there was no mention of Amsterdam, Brussels, Stockholm, Oslo, Tallinn, Helsinki, and Zagreb.

@the_expat 10 месяцев назад

We only mentioned cities that we had been to (22 European capitals so far). It would be unfair to rank cities that we never visited. But after producing this video, we visited Ljubliana and I completely agree: splendid, pretty city!

@patriciabeller64 Год назад

Vienna is my absolute favorite!! I was disappointed my adult children were more enthralled by Prague and its pub/beer culture, but that must be their younger age. I feel drenched in beauty and culture in Vienna and think everyone should experience it! Thank you for the video travelogue!

@the_expat Год назад

Glad you liked it! I felt the same about Prague :)

@lecmanuel 11 месяцев назад

3:35 As A Brazilian, I can explain the reason for the architecture of Federal Public Buildings in our Capital, Brasilia. During the 1950’s, when there was the decision to build a new Capital in the middle of the country (which, by the way, was determined by the Constitution of 1891, the first after the end of the monarchy), the Federal Government opened a bid to hire an architectural plan for the new Capital. And the architect that won that bid, Oscar Niemeyer, was a declared fan of brutalist architecture and also a renowned communist activist. This explains much of it. On the other side, if you look at the public buildings of the Country’s ancient capital, Rio de Janeiro, they are completely different.

@the_expat 11 месяцев назад

That is interesting! Indeed Rio' s Fiscal Island palace look straight out from a fairy tale.

@markdarnell614 11 месяцев назад

Madrid gets more attractive as it becomes more GREEN! - Architecturally, it's more beautiful than Lisbon...in my opinion.

@the_expat 6 месяцев назад

Nice to know! The only reason I didn't include Madrid is that I still need to visit there.

@CluelesssMe4080 4 месяца назад

I actually had the privilege to live in Portugal for 9 months last year. During this period I was able to visit the Spanish cities of Madrid and Zamora and the Portuguese cities of Lisbon (Only for the airport), Coimbra, Porto, Guimarães, Bragança, and Figueira da Foz. Overall, I would say that even the smaller cities of Portugal carry more charisma and charm than Madrid. I found the city to be very rundown and in bad shape. Some places were incredible like Las Ventas and Parque El Retiro however I still found cities in Portugal to be more enjoyable. Lisboan architecture keeps more of a traditional and beautiful feel while Madrid is almost soulless. Zamora was much different though, it felt more authentic and cultural.

@publicminx Месяц назад

in difference to Berlin most cities cannot change to REAL green because this means you have AT FIRST to build for most residential streets wide streets with alleys, wide pedestrian space and so on. Almost no city in Europe has that which is also why you can have in Berlin space for outdoor Cafes/Shops AND bike lanes AND alleys AND a wider street AND often also for instance trams in the middle. Paris lacks on such real green and also Madrid has not such a REALLY green structure which one also can see on satellite images. It was extra built this way after a new urban planning under the Prussians (and it is still the best urban structure in the world, because it combines all functions the best. too many people confuse just parks with green (or even a forest as part of the city. This is NOT a REAL green city. most cannot be changed because then you had to destruct for instance a huge part of paris,. madrid, barcelona, london and so on and REBUILD the core structures - not even to talk about cities like Rome and so on - and even cities with more medieval character (which means more narrow streets - cosy but NOT modern) - even New York has often more narrow streets which is why they also have problems to integrate real alleys into the structure). it is also not just green which makes a big city attractive but a combination of urbanity, green, water/channels/bridges and overall structures (like for instance old industrial charm structures like elevated railways/subways/-sbahnen etc. to give a more 'deep' structure (combined with courtyards - which also many cities dont have with that masses like in Berlin. for many reasons the channel is fare away from having even basic knowledge of city structures and 'less superficial' aspects of beauty (in a way the same difference as you have with nice barbie models/actors to 'deeper beauties/actors'. this channel is on the superficial side)

@matisslazdins8897 11 месяцев назад

The reconstructed Berliner Schloß ; unter den Linden/ Gendarmenmarkt Schoß Charlottenburg ; how can you rate Berlin and not being to the right places !

@vincentwhelan475 11 месяцев назад

I find some of your choices very strange in order of preference 🤔

@the_expat 11 месяцев назад

Would be glad to read which choices you find strange :)

@isabelsilva100 11 месяцев назад

I agree , Lisbon is one of the most beautiful capitals in Europa ... but Athens , no, i don´t agree !

@the_expat 6 месяцев назад

Lisbon is lovely 🥰

@mortimusmaximus5485 2 месяца назад

Vienna is 20% old beauty and 80% glass skyscraper and concrete flats....its not a nice place if you have the ability to either see, smell or hear

@the_expat 2 месяца назад

But this 20% is near-perfection ;)

@lucylane7397 11 месяцев назад

What about Edinburgh the whole place is a gothic work of art

@the_expat 11 месяцев назад

I bet Edinburgh is splendid! But we never been there and we evaluated only places we saw personally. But maybe soon we visit both Edingburgh and Glasgow :)

@gizmo9290 10 месяцев назад

Edinburgh is not a European capital that the video is all about.

@lucylane7397 10 месяцев назад

@@gizmo9290 it’s the capital of Scotland

@marklanders6833 9 месяцев назад

To me *ROME* remains _the_ most beautiful, unsurpassed masterpiece on earth. No other city can be at her level.

@the_expat 9 месяцев назад

Rome is a testament to human spirit

@marklanders6833 9 месяцев назад

@@the_expat AMEN!

@l.a.crenshaw5952 10 месяцев назад

where is Madrid and Amsterdam?

@the_expat 10 месяцев назад

We only evaluated cities that we had been :) It would be unfair to talk about places we still didn't visit.

@robertoesterini1021 3 месяца назад

Athens is REALLY ugly besides maybe the Parthenon.. Berlin has really beautiful places like Charlottenburg palace, Unter den linden avenue, Museum insel, the rebuilt former royal baroque palace (Humboldt forum), it looks like you only rated the ugly parts of Berlin. It's not as beautiful as Rome/Vienna/Paris/Prague obviously , but it's at least a 6

@the_expat 3 месяца назад

There are some beautiful parts in Athens like Plaka :)

@dowed1209 Год назад

Greetings from Rome ❤

@the_expat Год назад

Cheers!

@demisgeorgiadis8752 3 месяца назад

1.Rome 2.London 3.Madrid 4.Paris 5.Vienna 6.Amsterdam 7.Lisbon 8.Berlin 9.Athens 10.Copenhagen

@augth 10 месяцев назад

Paris is undoubtedly more beautiful than Copenhagen, which is also very nice but cannot compare. I do agree with Rome number 1 though. I’ve never been to Vienna or Malta.

@the_expat 10 месяцев назад

The parts of Paris that are beautiful are indeed better than Copenhagen. But unfortunately, during the last 40 years, a sequence of mayors ruined certain areas with aberrations like the Centre Pompidou...

@publicminx Месяц назад

nonsense list. (not just because cities like Minsk, Belgrad and so on are uglier, but also Monaco, Athens and masses more). already the structure of Berlin is that you have by far more Boulevard like alley streets (the idea was 'for everyone') than in almost all other cities in the world (Holbrecht plan under Prussia). a real green structure (not just parks) - integrated in by far more old urban building district structures despite the wars (also integrated are much more water (most bridges after Hamburg in the World) - because it is also a water city with masses of channels, rivers, lakes and so on (you also have an entire imperial/kaiser/king culture landscape in and around Berlin (with many palaces of all kind but also many explicit ancient Greek structure - the Brandenburg Gate for instance IS build after the entrance to the Acropolis - which also explains its size and function as a former main gate (from 18) to the city). And you also have masses of modern buildings. Commie block like parts (which are in a better shape than in most cities btw) has basically every big city, not just in former socialist countries but also as western variations (like the Banlieus in Paris). Many parts of Berlin have also still 'old town' feelings, they are just not in focus. True is that you have more Graffiti than in most cities and also many spots which are more edgy (between beauty and all kind of other stuff) - but this creates its own charm (also due to the structures i talked about) - and i do not talk here about real ugliness which is just euphemistically narrative changed. and because of that one could much more than in other cities continue to show beautiful places - while in most other cities after a short time those parts are already shown. You have many fairytale spots (literally fairytale spots created by kings for exactly such reasons). Long story short: the channel doesnt know what he is talking about and just selected stereotypical and biased against the reality (and one is already not understanding differences between a polycentral city and a more centric one - and then overfocus on a relatively small center and ignoring the rest. typical mistake). Just to give an example for many things most (also Germans) dont know: look for instance at things like 'Berlin Klein Benedig'(Little Venice) or 'Berlin Neu Venedig' (New Venice): Look at the structure of the Tiergarten Park (and the interieur) and the masses of 'big garden parks' - and again, the romantic beauty which you dont have in most cities due to a lack of deeper structures i already talked about (including industrial elevated subways/s-bahn systems which gives a big city just another vibe. many things this channel obviously superficially does not notice). And again: to select extra parts of Berlin (partly with bad weather) to fit to the bias is not exactly convincing (and of course showing his favorite cities only the nice parts - but AVOIDING the others).

@harriseppanen5207 11 месяцев назад

Copenhagen is great but it’s nowhere close to Stockholm in beauty.

@the_expat 11 месяцев назад

Interesting. We didn't put Stockholm in the ranking because we still need to visit there, but good to know. Thanks!

@josesantos8746 11 месяцев назад

Café in Wien no way 😂😂

@the_expat 11 месяцев назад

It is amazing. You should try.

@g0blin11 4 месяца назад

Trust me I really agree that Bucharest is quite ugly and a bit run down compared to most European capitals and mostly because of communist systematization, earthquakes, WW bombings...etc. Even as it is right now, there's no way it can compare to Sofia, Athens, Skopje or Podgorica and trust me I've been to all 4 of those. I've heard loads of people from Bulgaria admitting Sofia is worse than Bucharest in all possible aspects.

@the_expat 4 месяца назад

I do agree that it is a tight dispute. Brutalist/concretist unfortunately made many capitals im Eastern Europe less beautiful than they should.

@Janika-xj2bv 11 месяцев назад

Athens ? A 7/10 ? Have you actually been there ? The architecture is BORING, the city is unsafe, dirty, the Piraeus is run-down, the area around Viktoria Plateia is a giant dustbin

@the_expat 11 месяцев назад

" The architecture is BORING" What?There is absolutely NOTHING boring about parts like Plaka or Anafiotika. That the city is unsafe I agree, but this is not about safety...

@Janika-xj2bv 11 месяцев назад

@@the_expat Plaka and Monastiraki are cool places, true. But allow me to remind you that absolutely nothing happened in Athens, from the architecture standpoint, between Antiquity and the 1950s. There's little to no variety in style and design. No inspiration. It's mostly concrete boxes with awning-covered balconies and windows. Boring all over.

@euroschmau 11 месяцев назад

I agree with your list, but it seems you haven't been to Madrid...I would say it is more beautiful than Paris because the buildings have a similar architecture but also are clad in a diverse array of colors. This and the presence of two massive parks, ornate plazas and several large stately boulevards make it simply breathtaking, especially in the hours before sunset.

@the_expat 11 месяцев назад

That is true; we've never been there. Since we just ranked places we have been, unfortunately, Madrid was not on the list. But we can't wait to visit the Spanish capital.

@Bellasie1 11 месяцев назад

Madrid is in better shape than Paris but it doesn't compare architecturally!

@the_expat 11 месяцев назад

@@Bellasie1 Tru!

@publicminx Месяц назад

his list sucks and he obviously just went for stereotypes - not for real knowledge.

@michaelvojkovic671 11 месяцев назад

Bratislava is so beautiful and one of the most green capital city in world

@the_expat 11 месяцев назад

The old town is lovely indeed.

@user-gb1gn7mh5q 11 месяцев назад

According to your list, Athens is more beautiful(???!!!) than: London, Warsaw, Belgrade, Moscow, Bratislava, Podgorica, Sofia, Bucharest, Tirana and Berlin. And also than (not on your list. Why?): Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, Minsk, Kyiv, Chișinău, Stockholm, Zagreb, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Oslo, Bern, Amsterdam, Brussels, Madrid and Reykjavík. You left me speechless!!!!!

@the_expat 11 месяцев назад

Hi! We didn't included Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, Minsk, Kyiv, Chișinău, Stockholm, Zagreb, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Oslo, Oslo, Bern, Amsterdam, Brussels, Madrid and Reykjavík because we only evaluate cities that we visited. By the time this video was made, we visited 23 European capitals. We think it is more honest to just rank places that we saw personally, with our own eyes :) And yes, Athens is way more beautiful than Berlin. Berlin has many qualities but beauty is not one of them.

@user-gb1gn7mh5q 11 месяцев назад

Do you live in Athens?

@the_expat 11 месяцев назад

@@user-gb1gn7mh5q No, just had been there a few times.

@alexandrosos 2 месяца назад

@@user-gb1gn7mh5q clearly someone else lives in Athens and has had enough of it :p

@dustgreylynx 11 месяцев назад

Overrated Vienna and underrated Berlin

@the_expat 11 месяцев назад

What do you like in Berlin? Besides the party scene, of course.

@dustgreylynx 11 месяцев назад

@@the_expat thé party scene is exactly to dislike. Berlin is not only Friedrichain-Kreuzberg, it has a nice mixture of the old and modern architecture. Vienna has brutalist socialist architecture and dangerous f'd up neighbourhoods not less than Berlin and beside its old city centre Vienns doesn't look any better or anything special. As for the castles and palaces and beautiful parks Berlin has it as well + Potsdam which is basically a part of Berlin. And yes there annoying crowds of partying people and junkies here and there but so does Vienna as well, actually any major city such as NY, London and Paris

@the_expat 11 месяцев назад

@@dustgreylynx I think it is exactly the opposite. Berlin is full of brutalist architecture (the parts rebuilt by soviets after WWII). Vienna is the city in the world with the largest amount of Baroque and Rococo buidings (thanks to the Habsburg dinasty).

@markdarnell614 11 месяцев назад

I really don't get Vienna as being that Beautiful. It looks cold, and pompously "Important" - much like Washington D. C. - You left out Gorgeous Stockholm, Sweden, and Edinburgh, Scotland - which is Stunning! - and Madrid should have at least scored a 7. To each their own!

@the_expat 11 месяцев назад

Hmm... I don't see how Baroque architecture can be considered something cold :)

@SnowWhiteArches 4 месяца назад

Imo Vienna is indeed pretty and well kept city but... nothing special? Like nothing unique or something. I find Budapest way more interesting.

@GreatIJ 10 месяцев назад

Moscow is one of the most beautiful cities un Europe. Really liked it and I am from Estonia, Tallinn.

@gizmo9290 10 месяцев назад

I don't think anyone is planning a visit to Moscow right now... BTW I like Tallinn. It's a surprisingly interesting place, the city walls are jaw dropping, and I love old houses made of wooden boards there. I'd like to visit Tallinn again.