OK, that title is a lie: If we’re talking about “favorites,” then I’d have to lead with London and Paris — the two European capitals where I’ve actually lived. These, rather, are the five European capitals I recommend most often to visitors looking for somewhere to go that’s not Paris or London.

* Except Minsk and Nicosia

1. Helsinki

I love Finland. I love how the Finns hate small talk, love Marimekko, and offer a sauna on every street corner. As a Lutheran, I can’t believe there’s a capital city with a Lutheran cathedral. I love that the main railway station, which is austere and sumptuous simultaneously, was designed by Eliel Saarinen (father of Eero Saarinen, of the Gateway Arch and JFK Terminal 5 Saarinens).

My favorite day in Helsinki is spent somewhere like the extremely cool Kultuurisauna or at the sprawling Loyly (these are both saunas; Loyly is pictured here), seeing what’s on at the Helsinki Art Museum (which often puts the spotlight on local icons like Tove Jansson), or looking at the latest from Finnish brands like Marimekko and Iitala. It’s also worth building a couple extra days in the itinerary for an overnight trip to Tallinn, easily reached by a roughly two-hour ferry.

Positive adjectives + nouns: Beautiful, seaside, saunas, design, salmon everywhere
Cons: Not cheap

2. Amsterdam

How can you beat Amsterdam? You can’t. One of the best art and design cities in the world, imminently walkable, home to histories both tragic and fascinating: The Rijksmuseum has enough western classics to fuel a thousand art history classes (it is “het museum van Rembrandt, Vermeer en Van Gogh”), while the Van Gogh Museum is obviously iconic. If you can ride a bike confidently amongst a few zillion other confident bike riders, this might be heaven.

Amsterdam is also a terrific hub for exploring far and wide in the Netherlands: Just pick your train from the city’s easy-to-navigate Central Station, and you can visit the island of Texel (a personal favorite that’s like the Dutch version of the Hamptons), the city of Rotterdam (rebuilt after the terrible destruction of World War II), and closer-in destinations like the windmill-heavy Zaanse Schans.

Positive adjectives + nouns: Beautiful, historic, full of incredible art, amazing during tulip time
Cons: The city is making a real effort to cut down on unruly “nuisance tourists,” but it’s a work in progress.

3. Vilnius, Lithuania

I’d happily put any of the three Baltic capitals on this list: Tallinn feels like a bit of fairy tale Scandinavia, while Riga is an Art Deco gem. Vilnius has apparently won out, due to a mixture of its own loveliness and I think a bit of good luck: I visited the first week of October, and I don’t think I’ve ever visited a European city with such immaculate fall vibes. Coming from Paris, where the leaves don’t turn colors as much as they seem to sort of roast to death and die, it was splendid.

I actually wrote quite a comprehensive post detailing nine things I really enjoyed doing in Vilnius, from food and photography tours with locals (sadly no longer offered by the vendors I met, who were great, but possible with other outfitters, like Vilnius With Locals Tours) to the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul (and many other churches). The best attraction I saw was the heart-wrenching Museum of Occupation and Freedom Fights; sited in the former KGB, it covers the Soviet occupation and the many state and personal tragedies it brought to the country. But the best way to spend time, I found, was to simply explore the chill and lovely Old Town.

I almost forgot one thing I really loved about it: I found navigating the city extremely easy. I love Scandinavia, and all of its order and regularity, but obviously it’s extremely expensive. Vilnius had all the order and at much lower prices.

Positive adjectives + nouns: Lovely, a quintessential Old Town, friendly, fascinating if upsetting history, very manageable, affordable
Cons: It’s small — if you’re looking for an overwhelming urban EXPERIENCE (à la Paris, London, Berlin, etc) this is the wrong place for it.

4. Sarajevo

What a terrible recent history: It’s hard to visit Sarajevo and not be reminded of its awful siege, between 1992 and 1996, during which various forces took control of the city’s surrounding hillsides and launched all manner of artillery at the citizens below. Leaving the city was a perilous, extracted affair, and remnants of this tragedy are everywhere. In other words, Ibiza it’s not — you have to visit Sarajevo knowing what you’re in for. But if you are up for it, you’ll find a friendly, beautiful city with incredible history and an excellent Old Town.

I got the most out of my trip by taking tours — one focused on the siege, the other on the food scene — and by eating as much cevapi as possible. Both tours were operated by Art & Tours Sarajevo. They also offer a day trip to Mostar, which if you aren’t visiting independently, as I did, I would really recommend — it’s beautiful.

I got more out of trip by reading and writing about the conflict quite a bit before I left — this is a list of all the movies I watched/books I read before going, including the exquisite, and harrowing, Aida. 

Positive adjectives + nouns: Inexpensive, friendly, an incredible amount of history
Cons: That history is incredible, indeed, and incredibly sad, and difficult to sit with.

5. Vienna