The Most Cultured Western Cities to Travel To

Post Contributed by Laura

If you’re a lover of culture, there are lots of great cities around the world to travel to. Here are my favourites.

New York City:

New York is certainly the most important cultural city in the United States. It’s a city that’s particularly good for people who are interested in theatre and cinema. There’s the Museum of the Moving Image, which shows old films all year round, with lots of interesting retrospectives. The city is most famous for Broadway. But there are also plenty of very interesting, smaller theatre productions off-Broadway too.

 

Florence:

There are so many ways in which Florence is important to world culture. Firstly, it’s the birthplace of the Renaissance and the home to Michelangelo’s David. It has two of the most important galleries in the world: Uffizi Gallery and Palazzo Pitti. It’s also one of the world’s capitals for fashion. As you can see, it remains one of the most important cultural cities in the world. It’s located in the Tuscany region, and the best Tuscany tours take in these cultural landmarks.

 

Paris:

Paris isn’t just a great cultural city; it’s also the epicentre of culture and the arts for the entire Western world. It has hundreds of museums, galleries and concert halls. Not to mention the Gothic architecture. There’s no major art form that Paris hasn’t played a part in developing. Most recently, in the 1950s and 60s, Paris was where a revolution in film-making took place. People like Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut changed how films were made. And, in the late 19th century, the Lumiere Brothers first developed the moving image.

 

Salzburg:

There’s more to Salzburg, and Austria generally, than The Sound of Music, even if that’s what it’s associated with. The biggest claim to cultural fame that the city has is that it’s the birthplace of the great Amadeus Mozart. The city still holds a festival each year in his honour where music is performed. But if that’s not your thing, you can take a walk through the city’s ‘Old Town’. This is like stepping into the past and discovering the city’s history.

 

Budapest:

Budapest used to be two different cities before they fused into one in the 19th century. Those two cities were called Buda and Pest. Despite all the wars and political upheavals that the city has seen come and go throughout the 20th century, the city is still a cultural marvel. It’s a city marked by the Renaissance, Baroque architecture and the Art Nouveau. The modern galleries and especially the Museum of Music History make it a wonderful modern city too.

 

St. Petersburg:

Of all Russia’s great cities, St. Petersburg is the one that best combines culture and history. It has a fascinating history because it was home to many great writers, musicians and artists. But it’s also had a difficult past too. It was built quickly and it was based on the vision of Peter the Great. It has some stunning architecture from that period, and the local arts scene is very vibrant too. There are theatres, museums, art festivals and the ballet.

For travelers who love museum-hopping, art-gazing and going to the theatre, these six cities are sure to keep you busy.