We have selected for you 5 European cities that are particularly rich and pleasant to discover, as many summer destinations of choice. Each of them offers you a total change of scenery and great cultural or gastronomic moments, not to mention a few shopping opportunities to bring back flavors, souvenirs and specialties to extend your stay at home, or even trendy outfits that will be all the rage when you return.
Palermo, pearl of Sicily
Join the Sicilian capital for a gourmet and joyful stay. Enjoy the beauty of Palermo and the Sicilian way of life. In the morning, atespresso time, with a cornetto, think about your lunch and dinner. Go to the market to fill up on flavors, fish and shellfish, cold cuts and cheeses, fine herbs, ripe fruit, prickly pears, persimmons and juicy lemons. For lunch, choose pasta alle vongole or pasta alla Norma, before choosing from the pizza menu. In the evening, enjoy an Aperol Spritz on the terrace. And throughout the day, in summer, enjoy Sicilian ice creams, those inimitable granite with a brioche that surprise at first and to which you get used very quickly. Don't let all these delights stop you from visiting museums, historical monuments, churches and the opera. And from neighborhood to neighborhood, look for the processions behind the statue of a saint, always fervent and very folkloric.
Prague, in love
The capital of the Czech Republic is not lacking in romance. Go there as a lover! As you cross the famous Charles Bridge, a majestic pedestrian structure over the Vltava River, look out for the statue of St. John Nepomuk. It is said that if you touch the base of the martyr's statue with your left hand while making a wish, it will certainly come true. Ride a streetcar, visit the medieval center, greet the world's most famous astronomical clock, built in 1410, and wait like everyone else to see the parade of the 12 apostles at the stroke of the hour. Climb up to Prague Castle and wander through the Golden Lane, charming with its small old stores, adorable as dollhouses, named after the goldsmiths who lived there in the 17th century. For a change from visiting monuments, go to the Prague Zoo, an educational and avant-garde zoo in terms of animal welfare and its participation in programs to safeguard biodiversity in situ
Vienna, cultural capital
Spread out along the Danube, Vienna is one of the European capitals best provided with prestigious historical monuments representing the different medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Art Nouveau and modernist periods, and even today's Vienna, which is seeing the emergence of new innovative modern districts. These districts give pride of place to citizenship, eco-building, green transport, and commitments to feminist, ecological and inclusive ideologies, especially for migrants... This city is a melting pot of ideas and an experimental laboratory for society. The city is a melting pot of ideas and an experimental laboratory for society. In addition, its great cultural vitality around sumptuous exhibitions, residencies of contemporary artists, designers, stylists and video artists from the four corners of the world, participating in the cultural and intellectual influence of the Austrian capital.
Barcelona, from Gaudi to Columbus
Pearl of Catalonia, Barcelona invites you to discover a dynamic and urban Spain. Follow in the footsteps of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926) by visiting the Sagrada Familia, walking through the Parc Güell, and going to the Casa Vincens, an orientalist-style summer residence built for the wealthy owner of a ceramic factory. You'll stroll like the locals and the many tourists along the Rambla, a long and wide avenue that connects the Plaza de Catalunya, the center of the city, to the Port Vell and its Christopher Columbus column, a tribute to the navigator. On the way, you will discover the sprawling and spectacular La Boqueria market, the oldest covered market in the city. Leaving the tourist routes, you enjoy a trendy and modern city. And in the evening it's tapas for everyone! Atmosphere guaranteed to immortalize in selfie... Opt for a European package to make the most of it.
The fortified city of Valletta
A little less touristy than the previous European cities, the capital of the island of Malta, the economic and administrative center of this tiny country, nevertheless reserves some nice surprises. You will indeed have plenty of it. Just imagine: Valletta is home to so many churches, palaces and sumptuous monuments that it was listed in its entirety as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. The small city was built on its peninsula in the 1500s by the Catholic order of the Knights of St. John, who are still very present. The city is known for its museums, palaces and imposing religious buildings. We admire the baroque ensemble of the co-cathedral of St. John with its opulent interior. Here you will discover one of the jewels of the city: the Decollation of St. John the Baptist, a masterpiece by Caravaggio. In contrast, Valletta boasts some daring modern architecture
Staying connected during your stay
Don't isolate yourself. Share your discoveries! It would be a shame to restrict your communications, images or research with a locked phone. Your cell phone is a valuable travel simplifier with which you can choose a restaurant, book a show, read a QR code, scan a document, have a travel guide to your destination, etc. To maximize these capabilities, purchase a prepaid SIM card. With My European SIM, physical or digital version, you have unlimited calls, SMS and MMS in France and Europe for 30 days. No need for a PIN code, your prepaid SIM card or eSIM is compatible with all new generation phones. You can install it in one click and use it immediately after purchase in plug and play. Its application facilitates your stay with practical information by theme, health, accommodation, visits, etc. You benefit from exclusive discounts from a list of partners. A Petit Futé digital travel guide is included in your option, worth 10 euros. As a bonus, by saving paper, you make an ecological choice!
