Paris earns second for the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Seine: a first visit can alternate a major art collection with a walk or river outing. It beats London on our preferred combination of landmark identity and outdoor atmosphere.

Rome wins because ancient monuments carry more weight in our criteria than museum-led discovery. Art lovers have a strong case for reversing them. Give a Louvre visit space in the plan instead of rushing it between every postcard stop. Paris is our runner-up, not a consolation prize for missing Rome.

Sources: Paris je t’aime · Photo: Mark.thurman92 · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized/recompressed; source license retained.