Fifteen European cities, from Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin and Prague to Athens, Lisbon, Vienna, Budapest and the tiny Alpine village of Hallstatt, with the hidden history and urban quirks most visitors miss.
Europe's cities pack thousands of years of history into a few square kilometres, and every one of them hides stories that guidebooks leave out. This collection visits fifteen of them: the capitals Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Warsaw, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Madrid, Athens and Reykjavík, plus Barcelona, the walled Croatian city of Dubrovnik and the Austrian lakeside village of Hallstatt.
Many of them are engineering marvels. Amsterdam stands on millions of wooden poles and has more canals than Venice, Lisbon was rebuilt after 1755 on one of history's first earthquake-resistant grids, and Budapest opened continental Europe's first underground railway. Berlin has more bridges than Venice, and Warsaw was rebuilt so faithfully after being levelled in World War II that it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Their quirks are just as memorable. Paris has no stop signs and once built a fake decoy city to fool German bombers, Prague's Charles Bridge is said to be held together with eggs, Madrid is home to the world's oldest restaurant, and Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens inspired Walt Disney. Reykjavík has no McDonald's, Vienna claims the croissant and the snow globe, and Hallstatt is so picturesque that China built a full-scale copy.
Some of these cities are very old: Athens has been inhabited for more than 3,400 years, Lisbon is older than Rome, and Hallstatt's salt mine has been worked for 7,000 years. Choose a city below to read fifteen facts about it.
Every item on this page, with the one fact most people get wrong about it.
| Name | Where you'll meet it | The fact worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam | Netherlands | The whole city rests on millions of wooden poles. |
| Athens | Greece | Athens has more than 3,400 years of history. |
| Barcelona | Spain | Its famous beaches are entirely artificial. |
| Berlin | Germany | Berlin has more bridges than Venice. |
| Budapest | Hungary | It opened continental Europe's first underground railway. |
| Copenhagen | Denmark | Tivoli Gardens inspired Walt Disney to create Disneyland. |
| Lisbon | Portugal | It is Europe's second-oldest capital, older than Rome. |
| Madrid | Spain | It is home to the world's oldest restaurant. |
| Prague | Czechia | Charles Bridge is said to be held together with eggs. |
| Reykjavík | Iceland | It is the world's northernmost sovereign capital. |
| Vienna | Austria | The croissant originated in Vienna, not Paris. |
| Warsaw | Poland | Its rebuilt old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. |
| Dubrovnik | Croatia | Dubrovnik invented the concept of modern quarantine. |
| Hallstatt | Austria | It has the world's oldest salt mine still in operation. |
| Paris | France | Paris does not have a single stop sign. |
Oldest History
3,400+ years
Athens is one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Athens
Oldest Industry
7,000 years
Hallstatt's salt mine is the oldest still operating in the world. Hallstatt
Most Bikes Fished Out
15,000 a year
Amsterdam's canal dredgers pull up to 15,000 submerged bicycles every year. Amsterdam
Netherlands
Amsterdam has more canals than Venice and more bicycles than residents, and dredgers pull up to 15,000 bikes from its canals each year. It is home to the world's only floating cat sanctuary and the first public stock exchange. Its houses lean forward on purpose so goods can be hoisted up.
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Greece
Athens invented direct democracy and is home to the world's only all-marble stadium. The Parthenon uses optical illusions, and its metro stations double as museums. One temple took seven centuries to complete.
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Spain
The Sagrada Família has taken longer to build than the Great Pyramids, and Gustave Eiffel first offered his tower to Barcelona. Gaudí was killed by a tram after being mistaken for a beggar. A powerful supercomputer works inside a chapel.
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Germany
The modern döner kebab was born in Berlin, where residents eat 70 million currywurst sausages a year. Hitler's bunker lies under an ordinary car park, and Teufelsberg is a hill made of wartime rubble. Wild boar roam its suburbs and parks.
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Hungary
Budapest was formed by uniting three towns in 1873 and has more thermal water than any other capital. It has Europe's largest synagogue and is the birthplace of the Rubik's Cube. Its ruin bars turned abandoned buildings into nightlife hubs.
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Denmark
Copenhagen's Round Tower has a spiral ramp instead of stairs, and residents can ski down the roof of a power plant. The harbour is clean enough for swimming, and the Little Mermaid has been vandalised many times. Denmark claims the oldest national flag still in use.
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Portugal
After the 1755 earthquake Lisbon was rebuilt on one of history's first earthquake-resistant grids. It has the world's oldest operating bookstore, and the pastel de nata was born from egg yolks left over by monasteries. In World War II it was a nest of international spies.
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Spain
Madrid was founded by Muslims and is the highest capital in the European Union. It has an authentic Egyptian temple, a statue of the fallen angel 666 metres above sea level and Europe's largest royal palace. Madrileños eat twelve grapes at midnight on New Year's Eve for luck.
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Czechia
Prague has the world's largest ancient castle and a street so narrow it needs a traffic light. It practically invented throwing politicians out of windows, and its Astronomical Clock has a gruesome legend. A giant metronome replaced its huge Stalin monument.
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Iceland
Reykjavík's name means "Smoky Bay" and dates back to 874 AD. Geothermal energy heats its pavements, and Icelanders exchange books at Christmas. It hosted the famous 1972 Cold War chess championship and has no McDonald's.
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Austria
Vienna has long been called the spy capital of the world, and the snow globe was invented there by accident. It has the world's oldest operating zoo and produces more wine within its limits than any other capital. Its tap water flows straight from Alpine springs.
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Poland
Warsaw was levelled in World War II and rose again, earning the name Phoenix City. Its mermaid symbol wields a sword, and Chopin's heart rests in a church pillar. It was the birthplace of the universal language Esperanto.
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Croatia
The Republic of Ragusa outlawed slavery in 1416, and its walls have never been breached. Its Franciscan monastery houses one of Europe's oldest pharmacies. It played King's Landing in Game of Thrones.
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Austria
Hallstatt gave its name to an entire prehistoric era, the Hallstatt culture. Its ossuary holds hand-painted skulls, and it has Europe's oldest wooden staircase. China built a full-scale copy of the village.
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France
France built a fake Paris during World War I, and the catacombs were born from an 18th-century health crisis. An underground lake lies beneath the Palais Garnier, and the Eiffel Tower grows and shrinks with the seasons. The city's oldest bridge is called the "New Bridge".
Read the full article →8 questions, every answer is somewhere above.
1. What does the whole city of Amsterdam stand on?
2. What fast food was invented in its modern form in Berlin?
3. Which famous toy puzzle was invented in Budapest?
4. What did Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen inspire?
5. Where is the world's oldest restaurant?
6. What is Charles Bridge in Prague said to be held together with?
7. Which fast-food chain has no restaurants in Reykjavík?
8. What did France build during World War I to confuse enemy bombers?
Athens has been inhabited for more than 3,400 years. Lisbon is Europe's second-oldest capital and predates Rome by centuries.
Berlin has more bridges than Venice, and Amsterdam has more canals than Venice and more bridges than Paris.
Yes. The city was almost completely levelled during the war and then rebuilt so carefully that its reconstructed historic centre became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A form of extreme psychological distress suffered by some tourists whose romantic expectations of Paris clash with the reality of the busy modern city.
The Austrian village is so picturesque that a developer built a full-scale replica in China. The real Hallstatt has 7,000 years of salt-mining history and now struggles with over-tourism.
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