Louisa Masters’s Top 5 European Cities to Visit

I love to travel, and I LOVE Europe. There’s something incredibly rewarding—and inspiring—about seeing things that are different from my everyday life, that have been around for many hundreds of years, and that have a story to tell. It’s not a coincidence that four of the cities on this list appear in my latest release, The Athlete and The Aristocrat—I dreamed up the characters while I was visiting those cities.

So, in no particular order, because my favorite changes depending on mood: 

1: Venice. Smelly? Yes. Crowded? Yes. Expensive? Yes. Completely magical? Absolutely. Bring comfortable shoes and walk everywhere you can. Explore every alley. Do it again at twilight and again after dark, because it’s a different experience every time.

2: Paris. If you only have limited time in Paris, hit the tourist hot spots and enjoy them. If you have a little more time, put on those walking shoes and start the exploration! There is more to Paris than just the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe. 

3: Monte Carlo. This is without question my favorite place to people watch. Take a seat on a bench in the Place du Casino and prepare to be amazed by the variety of people—and cars. Never have I seen so many expensive cars. I couldn’t even identify some of them.

4: London. This is another “walking shoes” destination. My romance reader life began mostly with Regency historicals, so many places felt familiar in a way that only happens when you’ve been there in a book.

5: Amsterdam. My adoration of this city can be summed up in one word: architecture. Seriously, how cool is the concept of a winch on the front of the house to get furniture in through a second-story window?

Have you been to Europe? Do you live there? Do you dream of one day visiting? Which European cities are at the top of your list?