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Cinque Terre, Italy= five picturesque cities set on the side of hills overlooking an emerald sea. Amazing restaurants and foot paths to take you on walking adventures. (no cars)
Salzburg, Austria= Up on a hill, a lovely city to wander through. Old buildings and quaint shops. (made famous with The Sound of Music)
A must visit: Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany, a 19th century palace built up on a rugged hill, the most well known and visited castle in all of Europe.
Innsbruck, Austria= Another lovely city to wander around with shops and cosy cafes. Surrounded by the scenic craggy peaks of the Austrian Alps.
Krakow, Poland: Like Prague, without all the tourists. And more walkable. There is a donut-shaped park that encircles the old town, so you can wander the wonderful streets of the town and then quickly step out into the park for a block or two, drop back into town, out to the park, and repeat. I also like the guy who plays the town's theme song on the trumpet from the tower. And the new town is every bit as fun as the old.
Madrid, Spain: My nomination for the under-rated city of Europe. It often gets overshadowed by Barcelona, which I didn't care for quite as much. The Prado museum is a must see.
Delft, Netherlands: A quaint toen with great architecture, friendly locals, few tourists, and great beer. What's not to like? I also like the fact that the Dutch are so interested and supportive of classical and chamber music.
Cheating: I know it is probably cheating, but I'd add a bunch of other small towns in the Netherlands. Utrecht, The Hague, etc. So many great museums to see.
Venice: I only like to visit for a couple of days. But, c'mon, it's Venice!
To be honest, I really like smaller European towns in general. I know the question was about favorite "cities", but I am usually more taken in by places like Orvietto and Cortina in Italy, or Cuenca in Spain than by the larger cities. In this modern age where we have so many people interested and able to travel, it seems like the larger metropolitan areas are becoming more and more similar. For example, London is so cosmopolitan and multicultural that it doesn't feel very "British" anymore, but rather similar to Paris, Rome, and Amsterdam. Sure, they're all nice, but you get more of a feel for the old world in the small towns.
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