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Based in central Austria, Salzburg is famous for being the setting for the movie The Sound of Music and birthplace of Mozart. There is, however, much more to the city’s culture and history, making it an interesting and beautiful location to visit as this latest article in Patrick McGougan’s series on European cities describes.

Salzburg currently has a population of over 148,000 making it the fourth largest city in Austria. Situated on the banks of the Salzach River at the northern boundary of the Alps, it is reachable by train from many areas of Europe and is around an hour and a half from Munich. The old city is a UNESCO World Heritage site as well as Austria’s second most popular tourist destination, behind Vienna.

Human settlement in Salzburg has been traced as far back as the Neolithic Age. Small Celtic communities were residing in the town, which at this point was known as Juvavum from 15 BC. In the 8th century, barges carrying salt on the river running through the city would be subject to a toll, which is where the name Salzburg, meaning “Salt Castle” comes from. In 1077, the Festung Hohensalzburg was built. This is a large fortress overlooking the old town and a focal point for Salzburg.

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The city of Seville (known as Sevilla in Spanish) is one of the oldest cities in Europe, dating back to around the 8th-9th century BC. Today much of its history is still evident, as there are architectural remains left over from both the Roman Empire and the Moorish period, which lasted from AD 712-1248. The population of the city proper is approximately 700,000 while the metropolitan area contains 1,450,000 people, making it Spain’s fourth largest. Meanwhile, this article by Patrick McGougan highlights some of Seville’s main attractions that would be of interest to travelers and tourists.

Based in Andalusia in the south of Spain, Seville is complemented with high temperatures and clear blue skies in the summer. This sexy, colorful, friendly, and interesting city homes a number of attractions to please the touristic eye; however, in many areas you may feel like you are the only non-resident of Spain.

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The city of Turin, Italy, also known as Torino in Italian, serves as a major industrial center as well as a significant attraction for tourists due to the many historical buildings and landmarks that are found here. The city proper has a population of about 900,000, but the greater metropolitan area that has grown up around Turin includes approximately 2.2 million inhabitants. It is located in the Piedmont province, which is situated in the northwestern part of Italy adjacent to the border with France. This article by Patrick McGougan highlights some of the main attractions in Turin that may be of interest to anyone thinking about planning a vacation to this area.

Located on the River Po in Northern Italy, Turin is a major business and cultural centre in the region. The city is fairly near to Milan; however it is far more satisfying for tourists. With a mixture of urban areas and tranquil parks, Turin provides beautiful buildings, pretty greenery and a mountain backdrop, enough to make any city attractive.

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Not to be confused with Montpelier, the capital of Vermont, the original French city of Montpellier is located very close to the Mediterranean Sea and makes a nice place to visit for travelers or tourists. Interestingly, I found out earlier today that the city in Vermont was actually named after this Montpellier (with a slight variation in spelling) in honor of the French who provided assistance during the period of the American Revolution. This article by Patrick MacGougan provides some basic information about the main attractions in Montpellier that might be of interest to visitors. Meanwhile, for additional information you can also visit the official site of Montpellier here.

This city in the south of France is 10 kilometers inland from the Mediterranean Sea, situated on hilly ground. Whilst it is based near the coast, it does not have the style of a typical city in the area like Marseille and Nice, which are further east from Montpellier and have beaches in close proximity to their city centres. Beaches that are nearby to Montpellier are reachable by bus, however, not on foot.

First mentioned in 985, Montpellier became prominent during the 10th century as a trading centre. In the 19th century, the city developed into an industrial centre, and during the 1980s and 1990s a number of redevelopment projects took place, raising awareness about the area to potential habitants.

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