Help me Choose 2 European Cities....

How long is your trip and what languages do you speak ?? Most of the capitals can take several years to explore - maybe you might prefer an in depth look at a smaller place with old family connections, using a language in which you know some phrases ?

Otherwise, as "headline" cities, I would suggest London (read ISBN-13: 978-0099201915) or Paris, plus one from . . . Barcelona, or Lisbon, or St.Petersburg. I guarantee you wouldn't forget Pripyat either, but perhaps not quite what you meant.
 
Coming from Dallas you might factor in what month you are going because the light in European cities where people are giving you suggestions is rather different from the light in Dallas. I'm in LA, and the light here is much brighter than it is there. Also, I know that no matter how bad European weather might be, I will return to nice weather in LA-- that idea has given me the freedom to go to Europe at off times of the season. In fact, I prefer the light, for BW shooting at least, from late October to April. And my own favorite cities, in order, would be Paris, followed in close second by Paris. Depending on your airline, you could fly first into London or Amsterdam, both terrific cities. Or, stick with Paris as your in and out point then visit France's smaller also wonderful cities like Bordeaux, Dijon, Lyons, Marseilles and Nice. Or fly into Paris and out of Nice. If you stay in Paris for a week, consider renting an apartment and using that as a base while you walk around the city. If you shoot BW it won't matter what kind of weather you get. AMsterdam is also a good walking city, but smaller, and unique for its canals, and the Dutch are great people. In both Paris and Amsterdam speaking English is not a liability, although in Paris it does make a positive difference if you can speak some French. Off season also helps the dollar go farther, though not much.
 
hard to narrow it down to two cities. I've only ever been to Italy, so I'm going to have to cast my vote for Venice. It is simply amazing, when I first arrived we were riding in on a boat ( of course) and I was taking so many pictures that I actually hit my head on a low bridge. Unfortunately they didn't teach me "duck" in Italian class, so I just heard a lot of shouting.
 
Europe from Dallas

Europe from Dallas

Tough choice but do not miss Paris: it is a great and beautiful city to just wander in. Venice is remarkable, Barcelona is lovely but it takes a little time to reach. All three are great for photography. Do plenty of research on line first if your time is limited.

Bon voyage.

Gary Haigh

Oz
 
it's realy that cracy what you want to do and you others tell him.

First, how many time do you have?

1 or 2 weeks?

So I would visit only one city, and I would start in Prague,
there you'll find all the most historical places and of course all of the modern too.
If you can calm your self and stay in a lovely hotel you can visit museums, places and find non touristic places, you can read a book and a rainy day is perfect for a day in a coffeshop with wireless LAN.

When will your trip be?
Autum, winter, spring?

Hey, and in Prague you'll find Josef Sudeks studio,
be shure you need nothing more!

have a nice day,

martin
 
I would send you some place just slightly off the beaten path (for Americans) where I have never been, but want to visit. Lyon, or Strasbourg France, Girona Spain, and Odessa Ukraine.

No good?, OK Paris, then you'll always have Paris.
 
Not Prague - it is fighting together with Barcelona for the title "European captial of thieves" (and it is crowded .... )

Suggestion : Vienna and Budapest* (take a boat ride) - Lisbone or Rome**

*old and new Europe - ** "mediteranean" Europe
 
Well, if we're getting into 'Don't go to...' I'd add the following:

Prague: Gorgeous, but full of people radiating "Hey, aren't I cool, I'm in Prague'. Also, beware of hotels with curtains that don't keep the light out (or no curtains at all): a surprisingly common shortcoming throughout the Czech Republic (I've been there about 5 times).

London: Photo-persecution capital of the UK. Be prepared to be stopped and questioned by the police and occasionally even insulted (not by the police, but cries of 'perve!' and 'paedo!' from yobs).

Krakow: Appalling traffic, and again an excessive 'Aren't I cool' factor. I was there a few weeks ago and much preferred little provincial Pszcyna (near enough 'Pzzz-cheenah') that I visited a day or two later.

Strasbourg: Astonishingly unmemorable. Sorry!

Athens: Appalling pollution. The obvious tourist sights are crowded solid; the less well-known ones are all but unvisited, which tells you something about the sort of tourists who go there.

Istanbul: At the airport, on arrival, a cartoon old-fashioned Turkish official (fat, ill-shaven, badly fitting uniform) stole GBP 10 off me and was VERY pissed off when he asked for $10 or GBP 20 from my wife (US passport, but arriving from the UK) and she had $10 handy. This understandably prejudiced me against the place, despite the many charming Turks I met in the following few days (I was not there long).

Moscow: Perfectly summed up by a St. Petersburger: "Hah! Is big village!"

Versailles: Well summed up by an 18th century traveller, "A great heap of littleness."

In other words, nowhere is perfect; an awful lot depends on personal luck; even more on personal taste; and you can get good pictures almost anywhere. Increasingly, as I get older, I prefer less-touristed small towns and cities. Examples include Pszcyna in Poland; Kezmarok in Slovakia; Mertola in Portugal; Arles in France (still pretty touristy); Chania in Crete; small towns on the Romantische Straße in Germany; Daroca in Spain; Mdina in Malta...

Sure, you don't get the 'trophy' pics (Arc de Triomphe, Brandenburger Tor, Akropolis of Athens, Ayia Sofia in Constantinople...) but equally you don't get the Standard Generic Tourist Experience.

Edit: before you start arguing, re-read the text in bold above. Everywhere has its bad points as well as its good points. Which outweighs the other is personal choice. Just don't be persuaded by one person's advice, unless you know and trust that person REALLY WELL.

Cheers,

Roger
 
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All european cities are splendid places for a photographic stroll. Summer is nice everywhere, winter may pose its problems in the northern cities. No sun in winter above the arctic circle, and central and northern Europe are very cold for outdoor activities after October.
 
Bilbao and Lille for the architecture.

If you have the time you can take the ferry from Bilbao to Britain, then the EuroStar train from London to Lille.
 
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Europe is too diverse

Europe is too diverse

Just pick something and don't think two cities will give you a summary of Europe. That does not exist.

I'd pick Sienna or Lucca in Italy. Go there. If once there you actually feel like going somewhere else I'd say Galway in Ireland.
 
Which photographer's work do you admire? Atget? Cartier-Bresson? Brassai? Kertesz? Man Ray? Then perhaps a visit to Paris would allow you to see the city they photographed.

I think Paris would be a must visit for its sheer beauty and for its place in the history of photography. Take a look at this article by Philip Greenspun:

http://photo.net/france/paris
 
If you drive by car, try this out:

Fly into Munich (Germany)
1. Salzburg (Austria)
Then take the Grossglockner Pass to the northern part of Italy
2. Lucca (Italy) [close to Pisa]

This is easily managed.
 
If I only had two, I'd probably choose Paris and St. Petersburg.

Both are simply breathtaking, but Paris' architecture, character, food and atmosphere is unique, and very accessible in a short time (it's actually a surprisingly compact city). Well, there's nothing I can say that hasn't already been said: it's Paris FFS!

St. Petersburg, however, is in my humble opinion, simply magical - my favourite city in the world. Built by force of will by a singular teutonic individual to bring Russia into Europe, it is finally emerging from a century of decay (thanks to Putin and his clique of Leningraders) but has yet to become too gentrified. It is simply breathtakingly beautiful - full of canals and pastel-coloured stucco structures mingling with Russian Orthodox 'kupelleh' churches. It also happens to house The Hermitage - hands-down the single most amazing museum in the world.

For others:

If you go to St. Petersburg, I'd also advise you to include Moscow - St. Petersburg's evil twin. It is said that Russia is a bipolar country - with St. Petersburg and Moscow as the two extremes. An overnight sleeper-train trip connects the two, and Moscow's brashness, confidence, ostentation and dynamism together with its incredible modern history makes it a very interesting counterpoint to St. Petersburg's introspective majesty...

If you want another stop-over en-route back home, I'd also advise a weekend in Reykjavik, Iceland. TINY, but with one of the best nightlifes in the world, the country was a total surprise the first time I went five years ago. I've been back four times since! Windswept, devoid of vegatation (it is covered only by moss), and covered in fjords and lava fields, the country is like an alien landscape - just populated by the most wonderfully eccentric and friendly people. It also happens to be cheap thanks to an economic crisis, and Iceland Air is offering special packages from the UK to the US including a stop-off in the capital. Well worth it to get off the beaten track IMO...

There are more, but if I was choosing, these are the ones I'd choose (and I'm a Londoner and am not including it). I think they really gives an idea of the artistic, intellectual and physical differences in what is the world's smallest continent.

(I've been many times to Prague, and just got back from a trip to Tuscany - Siena, Luca, Florence etc. They're all nice, but I always get the feeling they have become pastiches of themselves. Those I've written above, more than anything else, are living, breathing cities in a way that none of the interesting parts of Prague or Tuscan Italy are... Just my $.10)
 
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