Helsinki

It's a clean city with airy parks and peaceful rhythms of life with modern architecture and public statues. In winter it's bustle with theaters, political institutes and thousands university students. But summer are getting quieter, since many residents flee home.
Helsinki festival in late August, a two week arts activities from opera to sculpture, cinema to avant garde,mixed media creations are represented here. The Neo classical center was designed almost single handedly by Carl Ludwig Engel, a German Architect in the early XIX th century.
Visit the Tempelliaukio Churh, a modern masterpiece finished in 1969 by Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen. The Natural Museum,The Kansallismuseo, has displayed a wonderful Finish culture, from Gypsi and Lapp osume,rugs, woven sinc mdieval tims used in boats and sleighs. In summer a popular spot for sun blasting is Pihlajasaari.

Beograd

Founded in the Third century BC, it's located just over the confluence of the Danube and Sava Rivers. It suffered from both repeated destruction and renovation since its founding until the last destruction in 1941, when attacked by German's  Luftwaffe in WW II.
Visit the National Museum which has a huge collection of prehistoric artifacts, icons, frescoes, and paintings. In Kalemegdan Park you might find amusement parks, lovers, and both Albanian and Gypsy indigents. But the major attractions are the Orthodox Chapels and outstanding Military Museum. Beside, Fresco Museum which houses original copies of the vivid and dramatic medieval Serbian Frescoes.
Do not miss to scroll down along the bustling downtown, it's a diverse mix of the XIXth century palaces, modern architecture, and a few Turkish-style narrow streets.
Explore the old quarter, linger in the cafes, or even join the parade of Ulica Skadarska, the restored Bohemian haunt.

Athens

 It is an ancient city, which has about 7000 years history of civilation. But you may not find the imagination you had before your arrival. Traffic noise and smoggy environtment will welcome you.
Don't worry , spent on the coast of Crete or climb the mountain of Peloponesse or the Acropolis or stroll along the alleys of Plaka or go to the National Garden.  Syntagma Square is the center point of tourists where you can find the Parliament, top hotels, cafes, banks, airlines, and important buildings.
National Garden which contains the Zappeion Area , the center of nightlife of Athenian. The Plaka has a narrow streets lined with trees, stores, and discos. Monastiraki, an old section, home of the flea market and Agora, the market place and administrative center of old Athens and the site of massive archeological works.
Or, visit Omonia Square, the noisy downtown or Acropolis museum which houses the famous caryatids, i.e column in the shape of woman, of the Erechtheum.

Lisboa

In 1755 this city was destroyed by a disastrous earthquake which demolished almost all buildings in this beautiful medieval city. But the character of the city still remain intact, and today the glorious days of the XVth century is over. But the friendliness of the Lisboetas will make you feel happy and stick in your memory.
Both food and accommodation, perhaps the least expensive comparing with any other capitals in Europe. The most interesting place in the city is Alfama which is called by Alexandre Herculano " A labyrinth, confused, heaped up, multi colored, and re-twisted -an outskill of souls "
Look into San Miguel the finest of the many churches here. Miradouro de Santo Lucia, an intimate square of tiles and grapewines when you can explore the view of the Alfama and the harbor below as well.
Visit also the Museum Nacional de Arte Antigua, specializes in Portuguese primitive and painting by Bosch, Durer, and Hoblein the Elder.

Sofia

It was here that the Cyril and Methodi Brothers developed The Standard Cyrillic Alphabet. Bulgaria was twicw liberated and freed by Russian troops, from The Turkish in 1877, ended the five centuries occupation and from Th German in 1944 during the WW II.
Sofia is the capital city and it was also the capital of The Roman Province of Dacia. The huge white marble buildings, wide avenues, gigantic squares dominate the center of the city. Walk along the Slivinica River, stop at a coffee shop or taste the drinking water which is probably one of the best in Europe.
The Alexander Nevsky Church, built in the beginning of the XX centuries in recognition of the 200.000 Russians who died during Russo-Turkish war in 1877-1878.

Visit the Crypt which has an enormous collection of painted icons and religious artifacts from the past thousands years. The Old Royal Palace now houses the National Gallery which has a collection of modern Bulgarian paintings and uninspiring ethnographic museum

Budapest

Located between the Buda Hills and The Great Hungarian Plain, it's a great combination between the two-thousand year history of the Magyars and The Socialist community, it is a city of  forgotten corners and glowing monuments.
This city will be very crowded in both July and August. Try to dine in a restaurant which has a fantastic view to the river of Danube and the city at night as well as a classical gipsy music. You'll find a lot of cheap restaurants including biztrous, grills, and self-services.

The castles of Buda, the ancient city of Obuda and the center city of Pest developed as three separated towns until 1873, and finally they merged into one municipality.
Buda and Obuda located on the west bank suburban residential areas on the slope of their seven hills. The Royal Palace built in 13 century destroyed during WW II, rebuilt again, has two museums National Gallery and Castle Museum.

Krakow

It's an elegant city, where Pope John Paul was born, it has a glorious heritage, like the Renaissance style of 
Wawel Castle  on the Wisla River. In the entire Stary Miosto (old city) is just lovely,  take a slow walk and stroll along the old city to enjoy them, visit the Rynek (market square), the Kosciol Mariachi, the most beautifully decorated cathedrals in Poland.
In the center of the Rynek, find the Sukiennice (cloth hall), where ion the second floor houses an excellent collection of modern Polish arts, including works by Stanislaw Wyspionski.
Take a look the greatest treasure of Krakow, i.e. Wawel Castle, a massive complex of  profane and sacred architecture. built in the Xth century, and rebuilt again in the XVIth century.
It also has several small museums , like the Kamienica Szolayskich with statue of Madonna of Kruzlowa, the Zbiory Czartonyskich with western European paintings like da Vinci's "Lady with the Ermine" and Rembrand's "Landscape with the good Samaritan"

The Jagiellon University is second oldest in eastern Europe after Prague, founded by King Casimir the Great in 1364.