10 of the Most Beautiful Squares in Europe

European cities were built around their squares. They were where markets were held, laws announced, festivals staged and, now and then, people executed. Many are still the place where a city comes together, and sitting at a café table on one of them is one of the simple pleasures of travelling in Europe.

These are ten of the most beautiful squares in Europe. For each one there’s a little history, what to look at, and the best time to be there, which is almost never midday in July.

The squares at a glance

• Most ornate: the Grand-Place in Brussels.
• Biggest medieval square: Rynek Główny in Kraków.
• Best for an event: Piazza del Campo in Siena during the Palio, or almost any of them at Christmas.
• Least crowded: Place Stanislas in Nancy and the Town Hall Square in Tallinn.

1. Grand-Place, Brussels (Belgium)

Victor Hugo is said to have called it the most beautiful square in the world, and it’s hard to argue. The Gothic Town Hall, with its 96-metre spire, faces the King’s House across a square lined with gilded baroque guildhalls, most rebuilt after a French bombardment in 1695 levelled the area. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.

Every two years in August, the square is covered with a carpet of about half a million begonias. At Christmas there’s a light show and a tree. Come back after dark on any evening, when the facades are lit and the day-trippers have gone.

2. Rynek Główny, Kraków (Poland)

Kraków’s Main Market Square covers roughly four hectares, which makes it one of the largest medieval town squares in Europe. The Renaissance Cloth Hall runs through the middle, still full of stalls, and the two unequal towers of St. Mary’s Basilica stand in one corner. Every hour, a trumpeter plays the hejnał from the taller tower and stops in mid-note, a tradition said to commemorate a watchman shot by an arrow while sounding the alarm.

Tip: under the square, the Rynek Underground museum shows the medieval market streets that were excavated beneath it.

3. Old Town Square, Prague (Czechia)

Gothic, baroque and rococo buildings ring this square in the centre of Prague’s Old Town, dominated by the spiky twin towers of the Týn Church. On the side of the Old Town Hall is the Astronomical Clock, installed in 1410, where crowds gather on the hour to watch the apostles’ procession. In the middle stands the memorial to the reformer Jan Hus, unveiled in 1915.

Tip: climb the Old Town Hall tower for the best view of the square, and avoid the restaurants with menus in eight languages right on the square.

4. Piazza San Marco, Venice (Italy)

Venice’s only true piazza (every other square in the city is a “campo”) is framed by St. Mark’s Basilica, the Campanile, the Doge’s Palace on the waterfront and long arcades of old government offices. Historic cafés with orchestras, such as Florian, which opened in 1720, set out their tables under the arcades. It’s also the lowest part of the city, so it floods first when the tide is high, usually in autumn and winter.

Tip: come at sunrise, when the square is almost empty and the light on the basilica’s mosaics is at its best.

5. Piazza del Campo, Siena (Italy)

Siena’s main square slopes gently down to the Palazzo Pubblico like a scallop shell, its brick paving divided into nine sections in honour of the Council of Nine that ruled the medieval city. Twice a year, on 2 July and 16 August, the Palio horse race is run around the edge of the square: three wild laps, about a minute and a half long, in front of tens of thousands of spectators.

Tip: the 400-odd steps up the Torre del Mangia give you the view in the photo. On a normal day, do as the locals do and sit on the paving itself.

6. Plaza Mayor, Madrid (Spain)

Madrid’s arcaded main square was completed in 1619 and has hosted markets, bullfights, coronations and trials of the Inquisition. After several fires it was rebuilt in its current, uniform form in the late 18th century. The painted Casa de la Panadería stands out on the north side, and an equestrian statue of Philip III sits in the middle.

Tip: in December the square fills with a Christmas market. Year-round, the bars in the surrounding streets serve the local classic, a squid-ring sandwich (bocadillo de calamares).

7. Place Stanislas, Nancy (France)

This may be the most elegant square in France, and few foreign visitors know it. Built in the 1750s for Stanislas Leszczyński, the former king of Poland who became Duke of Lorraine, it’s ringed with pale stone palaces and gilded wrought-iron gates and fountains by the ironworker Jean Lamour. With two neighbouring squares, it has been on the UNESCO list since 1983.

Tip: on summer evenings a free sound-and-light show is projected onto the facades.

8. Piazza Navona, Rome (Italy)

Piazza Navona’s long oval shape comes from the Stadium of Domitian, a 1st-century athletics arena that once stood on this site. The baroque square that replaced it is a showcase of Rome’s great rivals: Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers (1651) in the centre, and Borromini’s church of Sant’Agnese in Agone facing it.

Tip: remains of the ancient stadium can still be seen below street level on the north side, in a small museum.

9. Plaza de España, Seville (Spain)

The youngest square on this list was built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. A huge semicircular palace in brick and ceramics wraps around a canal crossed by tiled bridges. Along the wall, a series of tiled alcoves represents the provinces of Spain, each with a map and a scene from its history. Film fans might recognise it from Star Wars: Episode II.

Tip: it’s in María Luisa Park, a short walk from the cathedral. Go late in the afternoon when the brick glows, and rent a rowing boat on the canal.

10. Town Hall Square, Tallinn (Estonia)

The heart of Tallinn’s medieval old town is a sloping square of merchants’ houses dominated by the Gothic Town Hall, which dates from the early 15th century and is considered the oldest surviving town hall in Northern Europe. In one corner, the Town Council Pharmacy has been dispensing medicine since at least 1422. From late November, the square hosts one of the prettiest Christmas markets in the Baltics.

Tip: climb the Town Hall tower in summer, or walk up to the Kohtuotsa viewing platform on Toompea Hill for the classic rooftop view.

Tips for visiting Europe’s famous squares

• Time it right: early morning for photos, early evening for atmosphere.
• Eat one street back: restaurants with tables on the main square are almost always more expensive and rarely better.
• Look for events: markets, festivals and Christmas markets bring these squares to life. Check the city’s events calendar before you go.
• Mind your pockets: crowded squares are a magnet for pickpockets.

Planning a bigger trip? See our guide to the 25 best places to visit in Europe, from city breaks to fjords.

Keep exploring

• 12 Famous Bridges in Europe Worth Crossing (and Where to See Them From) and where to see them from.
• Vienna Landmarks: 12 Sights Worth Your Time (and How to See Them): 12 sights worth your time.
• The Most Beautiful Cities in Romania: 10 Worth the Trip.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most famous square in Europe?

Piazza San Marco in Venice and the Grand-Place in Brussels are probably the most famous, with Prague’s Old Town Square close behind.

What is the largest medieval square in Europe?

Kraków’s Rynek Główny, at about four hectares, is usually described as one of the largest medieval town squares in Europe.

Which European squares have the best Christmas markets?

Old Town Square in Prague, Town Hall Square in Tallinn, the Grand-Place in Brussels and Plaza Mayor in Madrid all have popular markets in December.