Top five crowd-free European cities
11 May 2021
Top five crowd-free European cities
Avoid the crowds in the five European cities rated best for peace and quiet by Which? members
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Krakow may be Poland’s second-biggest city, but wander away from the impressive Central Square towards the remains of the old medieval wall and you ll start to have the place to yourself.
In Planty Park, which encircles the Old Town, you’ll find acres of space among its eight colourful gardens and towering pines. And to really avoid the crowds, take a trip to the suburbs for 17th-century Tyniec Abbey, built into a cliff overlooking the river Vistula. Stay for mass and you ll hear Gregorian chants from the resident Benedictine monks.
The mixed-use Saint-Urbain development of eight buildings creates a new ‘urban island’ in the French city
In the French city of Strasbourg, LAN (Local Architecture Network) has completed the Saint-Urbain block, a mixed-use development of eight buildings in various bright colours, comprising housing (including both social and intermediate rent), office space, a hotel and shops.
Located between the historic city centre and the neighbourhood of Neudorf – a former industrial suburb turned densely populated urban district – the Saint-Urbain block connects the two areas while visually appearing like a colourful ‘urban island’. Across eight buildings set around a central garden, the development includes 178 homes, 2,756 sq m of offices, a 123-room hotel, and eight food shops and restaurants.