What is your favorite international city?

London NW3.

Venice , Italy

Stockholm.

New York or Amsterdam. New York for the theatre and the museums, Amsterdam for the markets, architecture and galleries.

Istanbul.

Berlin. Museums und Schwule.

Odessa

Istanbul

Tbilisi

Easy -- Cuzco.

Cape Town

Nogales-Nogales, Mexicali-Calexico, or Barle-Hertog/ Barle-Nassau

Rome .

London

Tie b/w Paris & HCMC

HCMC over Hanoi?

London. Wonderful, welcoming, International city

Madrid

Outside of the U.S. I've only been to two international cities: London & Paris. I adored both, but had a better time in Paris. So I vote for Paris.

Fuck I need to get out of the country, and travel.

Athens

Boise

Paris

R11, can you say what you like about Rome? Aside from the obvious stuff (Vatican, Trevi fountain, Pantheon). I went there for a brief trip and I don't feel like I missed out on that much (by not staying longer).

I would love to go back to Paris. I didn't have enough time there when I went. Love NYC. Could go to Tokyo again.

Bogotá can be great fun.

LONDON

Hanoi

Rome, the Eternal City.

New York, Berlin

San Miguel de Allende

Copenhagen

Seville

Dublin

Dublin, drunk Irish booty

Barcelona

Minsk

r14 Prefer food, weather & accommodations in HCMC, and quick jumping point to Mekong Delta & Con Dao

I prefer HCMC to Hanoi as well. Hanoi has lots of old world charm, but HCMC has an energy and vibrancy like few other places. (And I saw Brad and Angelina at my hotel there back in the day, so I'll always have that association.)

Paris. Incredible.

Florence (Firenze).

I work for a French company. I've been to Paris too many times.

Cairo for the cock.

I've never been to Italy myself, but isn't Venice now one of the most horrific tourist traps in the world?

^ yes but it feels like being in a great set piece. And there are always quieter less touristy parts if you explore a bit.

London - if I were very rich, I'd move there tomorrow.

R37 Venice is a tourist trap but it's magnificent.

Venice, the most unique and architecturally beautiful city in the world with a rich and fascinating history .

Edinburgh

Glasgow

Warsaw

Lisbon. I need to find a way to stay.

Stockholm

Runner-up: Moscow

Another vote for Firenze, you’ve got about 1/6 of all the greatest art in the world located in basically a small walkable town with great architecture, wonderful food and gardens surrounding by beautiful countryside.

Vorkuta - For the heavenly weather and hospitality.

Tirana, Porto-Novo & Vientiane

Paris

ho chi min city

^^ full of bad teeth and stupid, monarchist sheep

^^ for R15

[quote] London. Wonderful, welcoming, International city

Vienna. I have several that I definitely want to return to a couple of times, but Vienna is the one I can never see myself getting tired of. I love it.

Lausanne is small but perfectly formed

Lisbon, but mostly because my grandmother still lives there, and there's a lot of family history.

Bangkok. Madrid is a close second.

Asunción, Paraguay

London

Baghdad

[R52]

Lausanne is a beautiful city! During her college years, my sister became an international phone operator for The International School in Lausanne. I visited her many times there. She loved the fact that she could ski in the morning, and then go to work. Eventually, she went back to college in the US.

My favorite city is Rome. The architecture, the food! I ended up just meandering for eight hours, and time just flew by.

Tampa

Berlin, just for the museums.and the nightclubs.

Can I say Cape Town without getting my ass chewed?

R61 I loved Cape Town!

R61 me too but then I used to live there. As long as you stay in the safe areas it’s a wonderful city. The wine lands a short drive away make it special too.

London will probably always be my favorite place in the world, but here are some others with a special place in my heart (and that I've been to multiple times and could always go back to):

Edinburgh, Cape Town, Florence, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Auckland

-London

-Barcelona

-Paris

For fabulous smaller cities: definitely Lyon and San Sebastian.

I don't care for Rome but weirdly I do love Milan even though it's pretty gritty. I used to go there for business quite a bit and the hotels, restaurants and the overall "scene" was just so sexy. My boss would get us rooms at the Bulgari Milan and just walking into that bar would make you swoon. The men were gorgeous, especially the older wealthy daddies.

Montreal

Why Lyon, R65? Just curious as I've never been there.

Is New York represented by an international coffee flavor?

Bogalusa!

Hong Kong

Despite the draconian Mainland overlords.

Vienna, because it most reminds me of General Foods International Coffees.

Siena.

Miami

Buenos Aires

"Why Lyon, [R65]? Just curious as I've never been there."

If you really dig gastronomy, Lyon is fucking Valhalla (more than Paris). The restaurant scene/food is incredible. Bordeaux is also amazing in this capacity.

Tampa

London again.

Paris is my hang out City. I lived there for a few years and in non-pandemic times return a few times each year.

Cannes. I have a friend who goes each year for a conference. We spend a few days in Paris and then take the train to Cannes. I love it there. It's small, walkable, has great food and shopping, a beautiful beach, beautiful people. I look forward to it each year. It's not a place you'd spend a week but if you go to Nice, I'd recommend a side trip for a day or two.

Barcelona and Berlin

Tokyo - food, art, fashion, trend-spotting, amazing small bars and very polite and friendly people.

Of course all the above was pre Covid-19.

Vancouver, BC

Lyon is a gangster town. Be suspicious of these people.

R84 Lyon is the headquarters of Interpol!

I love Lyon. A friend of mine and I were visiting the city years ago, and we were sat outside a gay bar having a drink and then suddenly the Lyon Pride march came last the bar!

Lyon has great restaurants, is very pretty to walk around and I really like it and would return.

Madrid: art, gastronomy, Chueca...

Anywhere along the Cote D'Azur from Monaco to St. Tropez. MonteCarlo, Nice, Cannes...all heaven if you've got the cash. Paris, London, again only if you're loaded. Berlin if you're destitute.

Prague. Hot twinks.

I found Bratislava and the Baltic States were Twinksville

r89 Absolutely. Kraków, Poland delivers on the twink front too. Enchanting architecture as well.

Hong Kong, Tokyo, or Madrid, but only in the winter or autumn.

Tampa. Coffee, cigars, craft beers, grouper, Cuban food. Great jumping off place to beach towns on the Gulf.

Nairobi.

And they have the best coffee in the world too. Better than even Paris or Rome.

OK queens - when asked to name your favorite, why do you have to list 3 or 4 or more? You're annoying.

Lisbon

Peoria

I assume OP’s definition of the word “international” is “anything not in the US.”

I’m sorry, but the choices should only be limited to cities that are part of the General Foods International Coffees line, the height of sophistication!

I've spent vacation time in many major and minor Western European cities, with the notable exceptions of Barcelona, Helsinki, and Berlin, but including Dresden, Budapest, Athens, Dubrovnik, and Venice, if those are considered "outliers."

But of all the "international cities" I have visited, the one I, along with Dr. Samuel Johnson, would never tire of would be....

LONDON.

A dozen times, and I have not yet gone to the London Zoo, the Tate Gallery, the V&A, most of the British Museum, the Wheel, and the theatre (except to see "The Mousetrap" and a drama with Julie Christie), among other attractions and sites.

I love the parks; the pageantry; the pubs (Scotch eggs!); the history, both in museums and extant buildings; the shops; the literary heritage; the architecture; the liveliness; simply everything!

Look right!

R98 In all regards to Samuel Johnson, perhaps one of the most learned and knowledgeable men of the world for his time, there is no current city, including his beloved London, that would even be even slightly recognizable and his ability to carry out what for him would have been a deeply analytical process for making that decision.

R79 - Cannes?? It’s so small and boring apart from the festival season, with mostly miserable and cold people living there. I was one of them until I got the hell out. But the city I could return to again and again is Melbourne.

London.

Sipping General Foods International Coffees in Tampa. Thinking about that waiter, Jean-Luc.

I loved Madrid. If I could speak Spanish, I would love to live there

R103 Have you been to Barcelona? I found Barcelona even more beautiful then Paris.

Yes, Barcelona is gorgeous, but not as cosmopolitan as Madrid or Paris, of course.

Years before it gay marriage was legal in the US, I saw gay couples Kissinger public in Madrid and no one cared

R99, One's London is as one finds it. The sentiment is eternal.

And the good doctor could still have a nip at his Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese!

R105, I've always wondered about Henry.....

Most British people nominate York as their favorite, London comes a miserable 22nd?

R108 Was that survey done by the Church Times.

I think every city in the top 10 has a cathedral and most of them do in the top 20!

[quote] Most British people nominate York as their favorite, London comes a miserable 22nd?

English cities like York and Bath are charming and good for a visit once before you die. I can see how Brits who choose to spend their holiday in the UK rather than travel abroad would enjoy cities like these. I enjoyed both cities, but once was probably enough unless business or something happens to take me there.

R109 It was done by The Government.

London has four Cathedrals and an Abbey, It didn't seem to push them up them up the list?

British people aren't very impressed by it overall.

R111 What makes an Anglican cathedral? Isn’t a Catholic cathedral based on it being headed by a cardinal?

I'd like to return to Belfast.

R112 I think an Anglican Cathedral has a Bishop, I'm Atheist though so I could be wrong?

When I lived in Tampa there were so few gays they didn't even have a parade, just a picnic in a park. And there was no adult porno theater but the Ritz in Ybor City had a big screen for hetero porno movies and a super 8 set up in a room with a few folding chairs for the gays.

Seoul is pretty cool

R114 is right.

R111 The trouble with London is it was full of bloody foreigners visiting. Now it's much more peaceful and super to explore.

San Sebastián for the food, great weather and stunning beach.

London used to be far better before they allowed the Arabs to move in and ruin it with their tacky sports cars and lack of manners. I guess that could be said of most Western cities these days.

Madrid

[quote]Have you been to Barcelona? I found Barcelona even more beautiful then Paris.

Barcelona is Euro Trash Central. It's only slightly better than Athens. How could anyone even think to compare it to Paris?

R121 A bit harsh, nowhere is even close to being as bad as Athens.

R121 The Eixample is a stunning example of urban planning with it’s wonderful grid system and beautifully cut corners at the intersection with a human scale and a uniformity of architecture that then allows break out buildings, such as the Gaudis, to shine in comparison. It is very livable modern setting for an old European city. The break during the day and late night eating schedules is very conducive to cosmopolitan living. There is a beach and the artistic and cultural resources are plentiful and human scaled without being overwhelming like some other major cultural centers. I prefer it the same way I enjoyed living in Long Beach over LA. Barcelona is just a more livable city to me then Madrid, Rome, Paris or London. All of those are nice to visit, but I don’t know if I would actually like to live there for an extended time.

R114 In Roman Catholicism, a cathedral is the seat of a bishop.

I haven't been to Paris or Lyon, but Lyon actually looks more beautiful to me than Paris.

[quote] A bit harsh, nowhere is even close to being as bad as Athens.

Athens is fucking amazing. I can't wait to get back there. I love that city.

Florence is beautiful.

The Ponte Vecchio, the statue of David, the Duomo, the Uffizi the English Cemetery...........

Some of you mentioned cities that were "twinksville". I want a city full of burly, beefy, hairy men. Which city would that be?

Istanbul

Amazing city.

Seville (home)

Rome (back up)

Paris Madrid Amsterdam Capetown Johannesburg! Buenos aires Seville Budapest Taiwan! and oddly enough Phnom Penh a gay paradise

This proves how subjective travel recommendations are. Everyone is different in interests - and experiences vary. The multiple Lyon references does make me want to reconsider spending more time there. In the brief stays, never saw much to attract a longer stay. London, Paris and Rome are all just too much - coming from NY. The historical architecture is nice - but the global affluent cosmopolitan vibe is too predictable.

Amsterdam and Barcelona provide something unique. Generally prefer smaller cities - that are still international.

R132 You're right.

I was in Lyon two years ago and will also encourage you to give it a chance. The food scene is amazing - many high grade restaurants and the Paul Bocuse Market is beautiful. For history/architecture lovers the old town is beautiful and there is the mini Notre Dame cathedral up on the hill. It’s a nice city to walk around with no sense of purpose or urgency and just go with the flow.

I would also recommend hiring a car then driving south to the coast. I spent 7 days in Bandol, lazing around, doing wine tours of Provence, day trip to Cassis. Heaven.

Bangkok, as the global top destination city by international visitor arrivals

Porto, Paris and Amsterdam.

[quote][R11], can you say what you like about Rome? Aside from the obvious stuff (Vatican, Trevi fountain, Pantheon). I went there for a brief trip and I don't feel like I missed out on that much (by not staying longer)

I'm not r11, but I think Rome is unmatched not just for its very attractive culture, but for its historicity and the sheer volume of art, beauty, architecture and artefacts layered over millennia. For example, the city has 900 churches, nearly all of which are of some historical significance. Most people born and raised in Rome only get to experience a fraction of these and other treasures the city has to offer. The sites you mentioned (plus the Colosseum and the Forum) is just scratching the surface. You are confronted by history and monuments on literally every street and corner.

But the thing I love most about Rome is the piazzas and the culture around them. No city in the world has such a high number of aesthetically unique public squares and spaces.

Tokyo

R136, r98 here. Spent a few unexpected days in Porto. Got violently ill on unpasteurized cheese.

Doctor in ER knew of my (also sick) husband's internationally-renowned doctor brother, so he personally drove us, once better, back to our hotel in order to continue the conversation.

What Porto actually looks like, I couldn't tell you!

R2, r98 here. Have been to Venice four times. Stayed twice in Mestre and took a train as part of the rest of the trip; the third time in an air-conditioned hotel near San Marco (heaven!); and finally with a tour in a hotel on the Lido.

One of those times we decided to bring home some stunning and unusual masks, which have hung on my living-room wall since.

The approach to Venice from the sea is like a dream vision out of "Kubla Khan."

To anyone going there: Sit on the piazza at night. Have a drink while listening to the musicians. Magical.

R135 Any chance of Bangkok being interesting died with this video for me, but it was nice to see the Solid Gold Dancers get work outside of their TV show.

Ah, Paree!

Paris and, now, this small city I live in because I learned the nice spots that always change but it isn't international, just relaxing.

[quote] I think Rome is unmatched not just for its very attractive culture, but for its historicity and the sheer volume of art, beauty, architecture and artefacts layered over millennia. For example, the city has 900 churches, nearly all of which are of some historical significance.

I agree with r137. I've been several times, and I still can't wait to go back. On my last trip there, I spent two days just going around through as many churches as possible. Some of the artwork in Roman churches is better than you'd find at some art museums in other cities.

I think everyone should visit London, Paris, Rome, and NYC at least once in their lives.

[quote] Have been to Venice four times. Stayed twice in Mestre and took a train as part of the rest of the trip;

I absolutely hate Venice. I know it's an unpopular opinion, but it's just not my cup of tea. The second time I was in the area, I stayed in Mestre and didn't bother going into Venice. I really like Mestre, though. It's got a suburban feel with great shopping, great food, and nice people.

Istanbul. Sailing on the Bosphorus is an absolutely breathtaking experience.

The time to see Venice is in the late fall thru early spring--when the tourist hordes depart. There is something about a damp and misty (quiet) Venice that brings out a sense of mystery and grandeur. Also no noxious smell or mosquitos.

Favorite city: Berlin, Paris, London in that order. Berlin wins for me due to its ease of transport and relaxed vibe.

Agree with R137 that Rome is an amazingly beautiful and rich and fascinating city. It was my first big trip on my own, and I walked everywhere and saw, among other places, some 120 churches. I walked until my feet bled and left knowing a lot about the city but also aware that I had not scratched the surface. There is beauty everywhere and layers and layers of things to discover. It was one of my two picks for favorite city, I think because I can turn a corner and stop dead in my tracks to see something so startlingly beautiful.

It's always interesting to me, though, that so many people don't like Rome. Maybe they were there too short a time and jostled between too many monuments? Or maybe we just have very different tastes but I love the place and, for me, it's impossible to tire of that kind of dense concentration of history and beauty.

Another non-fan of Rome. I appreciate its beautiful individual churches - but as a whole it’s too chaotic, disorganIzed, aggressive and strangely non-gay. You can find it, but for such a large city the gay scene is pathetic. Paris provides the architecture in a more structured and wholly enjoyable way. Rome is always work - never enjoy it but willing to deal with it to se the art and history.

I'm really scratching my head over the votes for Bangkok. Dirty, congested, not much beauty and not much to see. The rest of Thailand - sure.

Tokyo or NYC for me.

R144 - I agree but I had a miserable time in Italy because the transport sucks, it's dirty and people are not just rude but hostile and it smells like pee. Of course the artwork is amazing. I also went to every church and monument. Hated the Lazio cuisine so my folks found a restaurant with Neapolitan cuisine and I always just went there for dinner. The grooming and clothes on Roman women was disconcerting and nothing like the rest of Italy.

[quote] I agree but I had a miserable time in Italy because the transport sucks, it's dirty and people are not just rude but hostile and it smells like pee.

That's true of the subway system, I suppose. It's super crowded and dirty. I almost never take public transit when I'm in Rome - it's so walkable - and if I do, it's usually a bus. The busses aren't nearly as bad as the subway. The trains to the outskirts of the city and surrounding areas are fine, though.

R150 when we went to Bangkok we hired a company that is basically your personal chauffeur. Get picked up at the hotel, air conditioned ride to the site you want to go to, step out at the entrance and when you are sick of the heat call the driver and go back to the hotel. It wasn’t even as expensive as it sounds.

Lyon's great for foodies but it's a crime-ridden city. Last two times I was there to shop at the Part Dieu my car was broken into.

Another anti-Rome guy here. I have spent a total of five weeks in Rome across four separate trips. Of course, it is a beautiful city with astonishing art, history, and architecture. White the subway is shitty, the buses are good when they actually run. Transportation in Rome is just chaotic. But it is miserable most of the time. The stifling humidity and heat in the summer is overwhelming. When it’s hot outside, it’s also hot inside. The smell of sewer gas and urine is powerful.

The best trip was in October one year. It rained every day, so the air was cleaner than usual. It was warm, but not hot. But lots of Rome is disfunctional in hard rain. It was nice to roam around with a good umbrella, even with no particular destination. Overall though, not my favorite.

[quote] The stifling humidity and heat in the summer is overwhelming.

This is true. Rome is best visited in the late fall / early winter.

Tel Aviv.

Beach, great food, great music and art scenes, easy to get to anywhere else in Israel, big gay scene and a whole lot of fine looking men with cut cocks.

Bologna's severely underrated. Best food in Italy and nice to stroll around in too.

Rio de Janeiro……those fuckin Brazilians know how to party…..

[quote]I also went to every church and monument.

Old people who've lived their entire lives in Rome will readily admit they haven't seen everything because there is just so much.

Florence, without compare.

R161, Florence must have more great art per capita than any city of comparable size. Another reminder than even small European cities are more interesting than American cities two or three times larger.

It's almost insane r162. It's just everywhere. You walk into any church, or pretty much any building, it's really kind of crazy.

R163, you don't even really need to go to a museum to see art there, it's just everywhere. That's how ubiquitious it is.

Another vote for Florence. It's such a gorgeous city with so much to do - and it's really clean.

I was actually a little frustrated when I went to the Medici Palace hoping to get some history. But nope, another amazing art collection. The whole city is just art, art, art masterpiece after masterpiece. Loved it, but could have used a little history too.

Amsterdam

Morpeth, Northumberland.

Arts for art’s sake

[quote] I was actually a little frustrated when I went to the Medici Palace hoping to get some history. But nope, another amazing art collection. The whole city is just art, art, art masterpiece after masterpiece. Loved it, but could have used a little history too.

Florence does have a nearly unsurpassed art collection, but there's history there, too. Did you check out the Palazzo Vecchio or the old Roman Baths at the Basilica San Miniato al Monte?

Oh I know there is, r170, there totally is. And I exaggerate, had some interesting tours and talks about the republic and the Medici. But sometimes the constant proliferation of masterpieces, and damn, was there a constant proliferation of masterpieces, overwhelmed everything else. With the Medici I was just wondering, okay, where did all this come from, how did they pay for all this? Who was actually making the money to pay all those artists, and how? But who cares? It's an amazing city all the same.

And I will second Amsterdam. I love Florence forever and ever, but I actually plan to revisit Amsterdam next year. Great and interesting city.

[quote] Oh I know there is, [R170], there totally is. And I exaggerate, had some interesting tours and talks about the republic and the Medici. But sometimes the constant proliferation of masterpieces, and damn, was there a constant proliferation of masterpieces, overwhelmed everything else. With the Medici I was just wondering, okay, where did all this come from, how did they pay for all this? Who was actually making the money to pay all those artists, and how? But who cares? It's an amazing city all the same.

I get what you mean. When I was there, I used the Rick Steves app and listened to his free audio guides for the big places of interest. That kind of filled in the gaps in terms of the context and backstories of what I was looking at. They are really good, actually - I give them two thumb up.

I don' t understand the question. Is this about "international cities" such as Geneva and Monte Carlo and London and Dubai? Filled with expats and people from around the world, passing through?

I’ve been to Florence six times. Yes, it is an amazing place to visit. But ding my last visit, in May 2018, my travel partner and I conducted a small amount of research. We spent hours one afternoon just walking around the city, without going inside any buildings except a couple coffee bars for a pick me up. Nine of ten conversations we overheard were in English. It seems that nine months of the years, the only people in Florence are tourists. And to me, this spoils a visit to a different culture.

And don’t even get me started about Venice in the summer! Mercifully they banned those >3000+ passenger cruise ships that were docking next to the Doge Palace and ruining the lagoon.

London

Tokyo

R172, If you haven't yet seen the Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk, or the Van Gogh museum, do!

Last time I decided I was sated. I had tired of once-craved rijstaffels; seeing "The Gap" store was sad; Vondelpark had a bad vibe; and dodging bikes, cars, and trams---once falling hard---finally got to me.

Plus I realized I had enough copper bowls, coal scuttles, and other Delft-handled pieces from the Waterlooplein flea market that it, too, lost its charm.

The many pleasures of Tampa: Walking along Bayshore Boulevard as dawn rises over Hillsborough Bay, sipping tea in the wintergarden at Oxford Exchange, shopping for knickknacks in Hyde Park Village and sitting with R115 and the other gays on folding chairs to watch a porno at the Ritz Theater in Ybor City.

R175, the cruise ships are back in Venice…

I know it’s hypocritical of me to say it, but I hate how mass tourism is ruining so many places. Most large capital cities are large enough to withstand the onslaught, but places like Venice, Florence, Bruges, Edinburgh, Prague and Amsterdam are in danger of losing what makes them so attractive. I know that the Dutch tourist authorities are working to encourage tourism to other cities, and actively discourage people from visiting Amsterdam just to get stoned. I hope it works!

Personally, I enjoy visiting cities which get fewer tourists, even if it means missing out on the most amazing sights. I adore New York, but found Philadelphia a wonderful place to wander around, and the revolutionary era history there is worth a visit on its own. Rome is a historic and artistic treasure chest, but it’s smelly, congested, and car owners use their car horns as instruments of torture, so I visit Pisa and the smaller towns of Tuscany. Paris is definitely somewhere everyone should see when they get the chance, but Nancy, Metz, Strasbourg, and the small wine villages of Alsace make a wonderful destination for a week or two. As a Brit, I recognise that London has benefitted from investment in the arts for centuries, but Bath, Brighton and York are much more places to potter around.

*much more PLEASANT places…

The weighted positive responses to date, more or less

Tampa really is amazing

Brighton Beach Brooklyn - Internationally flavored peen galore!

Cologne, Munich & Hamburg are nice cities. Especially at Christmas.

Geneva's great. Elegant and pricey. Can't believe Biden's staying at the Intercontinental which always looks like a seedy leftover from the 60s. Why doesn't he stay at the Bergues? Much classier.

Au contraire, R186. Geneva is among the most boring cities in Europe. For Switzerland, opt for Zurich. If you must be in French-speaking Switzerland, go for Lausanne.

[quote] Istanbul

Not Constantinople

God, where do I start..?

Vienna will always be my darling. I’m a sucker for history, rococo and grandeur - Vienna has it all.

I also very much enjoy Madrid, it’s just such a “real” city, unlike Barcelona that feels overrun and ruined.

Amsterdam because it’s vibe and architecture is unlike anything else in European countries.

Love that some of you mentioned Hanoi, I really liked that city, too. Much more than Ho Chi Minh (Saigon). Bangkok is always a treat, but only for three days. Total madness.

I could go on and on, but I’ll stick with VIENNA.

Per Roma non basta una vita. I'm a culture vulture and Italian food lover; I go to Rome at least once in most years, and I've never done more than scratched the surface of its riches.

Vienna is a lovely underrated city with 1500 years of art and history to discover.

No love for Havana?

London, Rome, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Venice, Sidney, Melbourne. (Aussies are very friendly).

Katmandu, Delhi, McLeod Ganj, Taipei, Yangshuo..

R191 Americans can't easily visit Havana.

How ya gonna keep ‘em down on the farm after they’ve seen Par-eee?

Ottawa, Ontario.

R187 - I lived in Switzerland for 40 years. Zurich's full of fucking Swiss Germans. Horrible city. Lausanne's great when you're a student, boring as shit when you aren't. Geneva's the center of all the UN organizations and a mass of NGOs with staff from every country in the world. The most international city in the world and a great place to live.

Parc LaGrange is looking gorgeous on CNN today.

Budapest

Pyongyang, North Korea

Prague, Copenhagen, St. Petersburg (that's right).

As a kid, I learned about "international" cities through coffees. I begged my mother to buy these coffees at the grocery store because I thought they were so classy and elegant. I envisioned my adult self visiting Geneva, Rome and Vienna and sipping these coffees in their natural habitat. Thankfully, I eventually did and loved every minute of it.

R201 = Marge Simpson

Vienna, for the opera.

R202 I immediately went back and reread that in Marge’s voice and almost shit myself laughing!

[quote]Zurich's full of fucking Swiss Germans. Horrible city.

But a lot of gay orgies I hear.

If it’s Vienna for me, it’s going to be all about the desserts.

I'm delighted to see so many of us gays like Vienna. It's one of my favorites as well. It always gets inexplicable hate over on the Reddit travel communities.

R106, went on the Pub Walking Tour and visited the Cheshire Cheese and The Mitre. Later went on my own to The Grapes in Limehouse, where Dickens famously lived while separated from his wife. The bartender showed me where they used to dump bodies into the Thames. London is magnificent.

Still, I'm voting for Mexico City because the literal layers of history are so compelling.

Do you like The Great Beauty, R148? A real love letter to Rome and companion piece to La Dolce Vita.

I'm an aging shop-bottom living with my mother in Flyoverstan. My favorite international cities are Las Vegas and Epcot at Disney World. And who doesn't love the exciting international wares at the San Marcos Texas outlet center!

Thank you, R209. I know of it and have seen bits of the film, but somehow have never seen it. I'll make a point to watch it very soon. During the tightest period of the Covid lockdown when I had to enjoy my city from the rooftop I watched the series "Suburra" on Netflix and suffered some fernweh for Rome. It's not so lush a vision of the city, but not at all half bad, and when the world was limited to home and the grocery store...

For those of you missing your cities, there are many walking tours (usually without commentary) of hours long walks through different destinations. As someone mentioned, there seem to be primarily people speaking English through the streets of Firenze filmed here in July 2019. It’s a fun way to visit, especially the cities like this that you primarily explore by walking, though the route can be strange. They go back and fourth over the Ponte Vecchio here.

Suburra sounds great--I'm always looking for Italian series.

I like the idea of London, even though I’ve never been there. In my imagination it’s a Carnaby Street-fantasy where it’s 1967 forever, and I prefer to keep it that way.

I once did that Euro-train thing where you travel all over Europe for a fixed fee and London came out tops - but you have to explore round the back streets, get off the beaten tracks to find the real London. Also on that trip I stayed in Nice and loved it - but it's been ruined since cheap flights from England began.

R213. Hope you like. Suburra is one of two great things I saw on TV this Covid year, an unlikely gay love story amidst some glorious Roman locations.

[quote] I once did that Euro-train thing where you travel all over Europe for a fixed fee

Are you European, r215? I looked into doing the Eurail-wander-around-Europe thing, but found that (as an American) it was way cheaper to just buy single tickets. I think the price and policies are different for EU citizens, though. Just curious.

I find London dull and spread out. I really enjoy the gritty beauty of Rome much more than the white dazzle of Paris. Tokyo is a fun but overwhelming at times. Kyoto is pure serenity; the most beautiful place.

Also Venice, Italy, for me!

Agree on London being way too spread out. So many better cities - especially as a tourist. I’ll never understand the love of London - except that they speak English.

Rome is very 'spread out' It's just that most tourists are too stupid to leave the historic centre.

I enjoy mall-hopping in Tampa, my fave international city. Shopping for knickknacks in International Plaza, shopping for athletic gear at Dick's Sporting Goods in Westshore Plaza, shopping for medical marijuana at the Trulieve dispensary at Citrus Park Mall.....it always feels fresh and new, like sipping warm and flavorful General Foods International Coffees, like French Vanilla Cafe, but with a generous pour of Tuaca liqueur, to really reinforce the vibrant vanilla flavor. ☕

Oy - while I appreciate Tampa, it does not belong in the International City category.

Yes, I am R217 - but there were tons of Americans doing it who also had the Euro-Pass, but I think you had to be under 27 or something like that, to get a cheap rate.

The Eurail pass was great for young Americans, it was setup and purchased by the number of days and you could travel extensively as much as you wanted within that twenty four period. I would do things like catch a train after midnight in Madrid, sleep the night on the train so I wouldn’t have to pay for a hotel, arrive in Granada in the morning enjoy it for the day and take the late afternoon train back to Madrid before midnight. I did this with a Firenze to Dijon trip as well, saving that extra hotel night’s money and the cost of two days of train travel down to one.

I live in it. New York.

But Paris.

R225 you must have smelled pretty ripe with that travel routine.

[quote]I like the idea of London, even though I’ve never been there. In my imagination it’s a Carnaby Street-fantasy where it’s 1967 forever, and I prefer to keep it that way.

r214 >

R225 sounds like a shitty low-rent Grand Tour.

r229 We have a Lord among us, guys. Nothing screems "poor" like acting that pretentious.

[quote] We have a Lord among us, guys.

Can't you buy a tiny plot of land in Scotland for £19 and officially have the title of Lord? I used to see commercials for that quite often.

[quote] the white dazzle of Paris

That's a really unique way to describe pee.

Flint MI

Scunthorpe