The best cities for adventure travel score well amongst the criteria for other destinations. But for cities, other criteria hold as well. They need to have a, preferably old, city center with a good feel to it. The attractions need to be easily reached, either by foot, by bike, or by public transport. And an important one: they need to have good and cheap accommodation.
Here’s our list of great big cities
Number 1: Prague
Nice city square, cheap eating and drinking when you go off the square. And many sights in the city center. It is a very good place to be.
Number 2: Vilnius
The capital of Lithuania is actually too small for a big city. Yet, we liked it so much we had to list it here. It has a great historic center, a nice hostel near the train stations, where they also offer exciting activities.
Number 3: St. Petersburg
This majestic city in Russia is amazing. Cheap lodging can be found at the youth hostel. Most of the sights are in walking distance, and there is a good metro network. On top of this, everybody should have visited the hermitage once in their lives.
Number 4: Beijing
The capital of China is an experience. It is quickly changing, but the important sights will remain. And it is cleaner than most of the other big Chinese cities.
Number 5: Florence
We are no art lovers, but liked Florence very much. You do not have to visit all the museums to have a good time. Not many adventure activities, though. And it might be very crowded in summer. We might have mentioned Rome and Venice as well, by the way.
