Europe is graced with a beautiful kind of culture. From art galleries and museums to high-end shopping and five-star hotels, London, Paris and Milan all offer something a little bit different, but entirely luxurious.
London
As the capital of England and primary home of the Royal Family, it is only right to expect true grandeur from the city of London. From the luxury of Mayfair and its surrounding areas, high-end shopping, hotels and restaurants are very easy to find in London. For shopping, there’s perhaps nowhere more renowned than Harrods. The store offers floor after floor of luxurious shopping, with an impressive interior and array of eateries inside, too.
If you’re looking to stay for a night or two in the city, then The Stafford London Kempinski is the ideal place to rest your head in absolute decadence. The hotel is an elegant place with traditional features, and rooms which you’ll find difficult to leave.
London’s Victoria and Albert Museum is full to the brim with timeless luxury, and is worth a visit if you’re in the lovely Knightsbridge area. The sculpture and art on display here epitomises luxury through the ages, and is the best place to lap up some elegance in the busy city.
Paris
Though the city is full of iconic structures, it is in the less ostentatious buildings that you’ll find Paris’ luxurious streak. That is with one exception – the Louvre Museum. With the controversial glass pyramids that sit in the square outside the magnificent building, the galleries are filled with some of the most important art pieces in the world.
Soaking up so much culture is hungry business, and Paris is renowned for its incredible food. For true luxury, try Akrame Restaurant. The restaurant gained its first Michelin star in only its first year of opening – something usually unheard of – and is sure to be the decadent meal that is worthy of the French capital.
Along with its food, Paris is a designer shopping destination. Good fashion is seemingly effortless for the native Parisian, and that’s no surprise when you see the names that line the city streets. The centre of the Paris fashion district is in the Faubourg Saint-Honoré district, and is home to Versace, Hermes and Yves Saint Laurent – it doesn’t get much more luxurious than that.
Milan
Battling Paris for the title of fashion capital, Milan is also home to some of the more luxurious shopping destinations. Though there are a few versions of the department store scattered around various other Italian cities, the Milan La Rinascente remains as the flagship store, offering luxury in clothing, beauty products and household items.
The importance of the place that luxury fashion holds in the city doesn’t end there. Iconic brand Dolce & Gabbana have grown beyond reams of fabric, and now have their own concept restaurant and bar in Milan – Gold. The food looks as exquisite as you’d expect from the designer brand, and a trip here would be the perfect way to lap up the fashion and design culture that Milan has to offer.
The city isn’t solely about luxury fashion though, with a rich culture and historic buildings acting as the bones that hold Milan together. The Santa Maria delle Grazie is home to Leonardo Di Vinci’s The Last Supper – you can find the fresco in the refectory of the church, and the whole area is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It can be tough to get in here, but it’s something that is well worth the visit if you’re in Milan.
This post was made possible by our partner sponsor Kempinski Hotels.
Photo credits: Kempinski Hotels from the Kempinski London/Stafford website’s image gallery. Le Louvre under creative commons from buytaert.net.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
