From Barcelona to the Baltic and Paris to Prague, here’s my guide to 11 of the best Art Nouveau cities in Europe
The free-flowing, decorative art and architectural style of Art Nouveau flourished across Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, leaving behind some of the most beautiful buildings in Europe. In this article I’ll show you the best 11 Art Nouveau cities in Europe to visit, covering the length and breadth of the continent.
Art Nouveau varied greatly across Europe, with new interpretations and characteristics wherever it took root. It began in Brussels and soon became popular in Paris, but its influence spread from the Atlantic and Mediterranean to the Baltic, with concentrations of it in several cities in Central Europe.
And it wasn’t all just about the art and architecture – some of these buildings were a tentative exploration of the roots of regions and countries, including Catalunya, Latvia and what was to become the Czech Republic, which had been under Habsburg hegemony for almost 300 years at this point. Art Nouveau contributed to the growth of national consciousness, especially in the likes of Prague and Budapest.
In this guide I’ll show you the best buildings (and museums where there are some) to visit in each of these cities, and explain the historical background of each city. I’ll also suggest Art Nouveau-themed tours, and places to stay when you visit each city. Enjoy!
Best Art Nouveau Cities In Europe To Visit
Budapest, Hungary
Some of the best Art Nouveau – and most beautiful tiled roofs – in Europe
Hungarian Art Nouveau – Szecesszio – features in three of the eleven cities I write about in this article, so it’s perhaps fitting that we begin with Budapest, which is undoubtedly one of the best Art Nouveau cities in Europe.
The Hungarian capital is well-known for its Art Nouveau heritage, but many of its best buildings remain rather obscure and off the beaten path.
Art Nouveau in Hungary developed at a time when the country was still joined at the hip with Austria, as part of the Habsburg Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Hungarians celebrated the Magyar Millennium – the thousandth anniversary of their arrival in the Pannonian basin, where modern Hungary is now located.
One of the leading Art Nouveau architects in Hungary was Ödön Lechner, a pioneer sometimes called the ‘Hungarian Gaudi’ who deserves the same level of recognition as the Catalan genius.
He was responsible for some of the great buildings of Budapest, including the astonishing Applied Arts Museum, the former Post Office Savings Bank and Geological Institute, all of which are on the Pest side of the city. These three buildings have stunning Zsolnay tiled roofs with vivid colours and patterns, and their facades are decorated with ceramic motifs.
Other Budapest Art Nouveau treasures include the famous Gellert Hotel – due to reopen in 2027 as the Mandarin Oriental Gellert. Its renowned Thermal Spa will remain open through this period.
Budapest is also home to a few other lesser-known Art Nouveau gems. If you’re visiting Budapest Zoo, the entrance and Elephant House – the latter built in the style of an Indian temple – are wonderful examples from this rich period in Hungarian architectural history.
Where To Stay: Párisi Udvar Hotel Budapest – world-class hotel in stunning Art Nouveau palace near the Danube and main city sights
See Also: Art Nouveau Budapest – 9 Magnificent Buildings You Have To See
Prague, Czech Republic
From the glorious railway station vestibule to the stained glass of St Vitus Cathedral, Prague is rich in Art Nouveau
We lived in Prague for four years, and we kept discovering hidden Art Nouveau gems right up until we left the Czech capital. It has some of the finest Art Nouveau buildings in Europe, but you’ll find details all over the historic centre, especially in the New Town area.
The first port of call in Prague for Art Nouveau lovers is Obecni dům (Municipal House), a complex with two concert halls and an outstanding café and restaurant, each packed with Art Nouveau details. The Smetana Hall is one of best concert venues in Prague. There’s also a fine Alfons Mucha mural to seek out, and if you missed it on the way in, be sure to see the stained-glass marquee above the entrance when you leave.
If you arrive in the city by train, it’s incredibly easy to miss the stunning historic vestibule of Prague main train station. It’s hidden away upstairs above the soulless modern concourse, so look out for signs for it when you’re there. It’s a spacious half-domed hall, its ceiling decorated with the coats of arms around the country. It was designed by Josef Fanta, who is commemorated in the Fantova Kavarna café in the hallway.
You don’t have to walk far from the station into New Town Prague to find plenty more Art Nouveau wonders. On Wenceslas Square (Vaclávské náměstí) two exquisite Art Nouveau hotels – Meran and W Prague – sit next door to each other. The latter, formerly the Grand Hotel Evropa, has been extensively remodelled and refurbished, with a façade that’s a different colour to, but faithful to the stunning original.
Hop on board tram 9 at Wenceslas Square and take the short ride to Narodní třida. Walk along this busy street, passing several lovely Art Nouveau buildings, then turn left at the National Theatre (Narodni divadlo) onto Masarykovo nabřeží, one of the most picturesque Prague streets, with several more Art Nouveau mansions.
You’ll also find Art Nouveau in some of the finest churches in Prague. When St Vitus Cathedral was finished in the early 20th century, it was with several stained-glass windows by Alfons Mucha, the most famous figure in Czech Art Nouveau, who was also responsible for iconic posters of the French actress Sarah Bernhardt.
Where To Stay: W Prague – restored Art Nouveau wonder on Wenceslas Square
See Also: Art Nouveau Prague – 14 Amazing Sights Not To Be Missed
Brussels, Belgium
The birthplace of Art Nouveau – and it’s home to the great early works of Victor Horta
Art Nouveau began in Brussels in the early 1890s, and within a few years had spread to all corners of Europe. It was called Art Nouveau (‘new art’) in Brussels, and marked a move away from the more staid architecture of the time. Straight lines suddenly began to give way to curves, large windows let in more light, and new materials – iron, glass, ceramics – were now de rigueur. Sgraffito – a technique common in Central Europe 400 years previously during the Renaissance – was also applied to the facades of some Brussels Art Nouveau buildings – something rarely used elsewhere in Europe during this period.
The first two Art Nouveau architects were Paul Hankar and Victor Horta. Hankar built his own home with the help of some artist friends, and used sgraffito to decorate the façade. Horta’s first Art Nouveau building was the Hotel Tassel, completed in 1893, and this and three of his other Brussels buildings – the Hotel Solvay, Hotel van Eetvelde and Horta’s own studio, now the Horta Museum – were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
There are several hundred Art Nouveau buildings in Brussels. I used to visit a university friend who lived in Schaerbeek, and got to see many of these houses around this district during my visits there in the 1990s.
The city also has a second Art Nouveau World Heritage Site, the Palais Stoclet, the work Viennese Sezession architect Josef Hoffmann. The house was conceived as a ‘complete work of art’, and several other Viennese artists, including Gustav Klimt (who created the Stoclet Frieze) and Koloman Moser, also contributed. Its tower, adorned with a statue on each side, also prefigured the Art Deco style of architecture which grew popular in the 1920s.
Tours: This 3-hour Art Nouveau walking tour includes the Hotel Solvay, the outstanding Maison de Saint-Cyr on Square Ambiorix, and a walk around the Ixelles neighbourhood, which also has a wealth of Art Nouveau houses.
Alternatively, this Art Nouveau bike tour of Brussels lasts 225 minutes, and one of the highlights is the extraordinary sgraffito-decorated Maison Cauchie.
Where To Stay: OPO Hotel Brussels – 4-star luxury 5 minutes’ walk from Grand Place
Paris, France
Iconic Metro signs, a department store dome and one of the most exuberant bridges in Europe
Art Nouveau in Paris developed towards the end of the Belle Epoque, the decades of prosperity that followed its defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. The nature-inspired curves and bright decorations of Art Nouveau were an architectural expression of this, although what has come to be loved by 21st-century Art Nouveau aficionados wasn’t as widely embraced at the time.
Surprisingly this is true of one of the great icons of Paris Art Nouveau, the unique yellow Métropolitain signs created by Hector Guimard. Only two of the butterfly-style glass édicule station entrances – at Abbesses Metro station in Montmartre and at Porte Dauphine – survive. But many of the smaller, less elaborate plant-like signs like the one pictured above are thankfully still intact. They’re a remarkable creation, the lamps like illuminated flowers emerging from petals at night.
Until Guimard’s Metro entrances appeared, Art Nouveau had largely been the preserve of the artistic avant-garde, but these stations did much to popularize it. However, when Guimard’s design for the opera station was rejected in 1905, he stopped working for the Paris Metro, and over time many of his works were lost.
Art Nouveau found vivid expression in many forms around the city, especially in the grands magasins, the vast department stores that still dominate shopping in Paris over a century on. The two flagship stores on Boulevard Haussmann, Le Printemps and Galeries Lafayette, have some exquisite Art Nouveau stained-glass. The Galeries Lafayette dome is particularly impressive, and along with the Palau de la Musica Catalana in Barcelona, is one of the great sights of European Art Nouveau.
While visiting Paris, don’t miss the stunning Pont Alexandre III, built for the 1900 World’s Fair (Exposition Universelle). The bridge is adorned with some wonderfully ornate and over-the-top Art Nouveau statuary and lamps, and it’s well worth staying on to see the lights come on at dusk, when you get the best Eiffel Tower views.
Paris also has many outstanding Art Nouveau mansions and townhouses. Two of the best are a short walk from the Eiffel Tower – at 3 Square Rapp and a minute’s walk around the corner at 29 Avenue Rapp, the amazing Lavirotte Building.
Where To Stay: Hotel Duc de St-Simon – historic 18th-century hotel in the 7th arrondissement
Vienna, Austria
Vienna was at the forefront of Art Nouveau in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1897 a group of artists led by Gustav Klimt formed a new movement, Sezession, a withdrawal from other contemporary art and architectural forms.
The following year, the Sezession exhibition hall, showcasing these artists’ work, was completed by Joseph Maria Olbrich (who later also worked at Darmstadt, see section below). The building is extraordinary, crowned by a gold leaf ‘dome’ nicknamed the ‘golden cabbage’. Its most renowned exhibit is Klimt’s stunning Beethoven Frieze, which is on display in the basement gallery.
At the same time, Vienna was rapidly modernizing, and this included the construction of the city’s Metro system of underground trains. The architect appointed for this was Otto Wagner, along with Klimt a prime mover in Viennese Art Nouveau. One of his two surviving station entrances is a two-minute walk away from the Sezession building at Karlsplatz, while the other is at Stadtpark.
Wagner also designed the delightful Majolikahaus a short distance away on Linke Wienzeile. It’s one of the most beautiful Art Nouveau buildings in Europe, with a gorgeous, exuberant floral patterned façade.
He also designed one of the most beautiful churches in Vienna, the stunning St Leopold Church in Steinhof, just to the west of the city. Built as a hospital chapel, it’s one of the rare entirely Art Nouveau churches in Europe.
Tours: This Vienna Art Nouveau walking tour is a fantastic introduction to the city’s Jugendstil architecture and art.
Barcelona, Spain
Where Art Nouveau was known as modernisme and where the boundaries were probably pushed further than anywhere else
One of the reasons Barcelona became so popular in the budget flight boom of the ‘90s was its Art Nouveau architecture. Widely called modernista, Barcelona Art Nouveau bore many similarities with its contemporaries across Europe, particularly the inspiration of nature and the sometimes sinuous forms in which buildings were created.
The best-known Art Nouveau Barcelona figure is undoubtedly Antoni Gaudi I Cornet. His work is the most radical of his time, and a century after his death, he still seems decades, perhaps centuries ahead of his time.
Gaudi is most widely known for his Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia, a colossus of a church that recently became the tallest church building in the world, surpassing the spire of Ulm Munster. It was due to be completed in 2026, but this has been revised to between 2030 and 2032. Inspired by natural forms, the first spires to be built remind me of elongated, inverted pine cones, and the pillars of the soaring interior resemble the stems of plants. It’s one of the greatest buildings of our times – and you can book your ticket with audio guide here.
His other buildings are just as out there. The owner of Casa Batllo wanted something to stand out from the crowd when he commissioned Gaudi to build his townhouse. He got a ceramic façade, balcony balustrades that resemble bones and a scaly roof modelled on a dragon’s back. It’s very popular, so book your tickets ahead here.
Further up the same street, Passeig de Gracia, Casa Mila (also known as La Pedrera) is an apartment building with scarcely a straight line in sight. The outline of the building is curved, not unlike the ripples of waves in water. The rooftop is where visitors spend most of their time, wandering among science-fiction-like chimneys and air vents.
Gaudi is only part of the Barcelona modernisme story. The work of two of his contemporaries also stands out. Lluis Domenech I Montaner was responsible for the astonishing Palau de la Musica Catalana, one of the most beautiful concert halls in the world (if you love the dome of Galeries Lafayette in Paris, you’ll adore this). And Josep Puig I Cadafalch created Casa de les Punxes, an extravagant building that could easily be mistaken for a fairytale castle in Germany.
Where To Stay: Hotel Casa Fuster GL Monumento – wonderful palace just up the street from La Pedrera, built by Lluis Domenech I Montaner.
See Also: Spanish Landmarks – 30 of the most famous sights in Spain
Darmstadt, Germany
Home to an Art Nouveau artists’ colony, now a World Heritage Site
Art Nouveau was known as Jugendstil (‘young style’) in Germany, and there are several pockets of it around the country, particularly in Leipzig and Chemnitz in the eastern part of the country, But the standout Art Nouveau in Germany is Darmstadt, 30 km (20 miles) south of Frankfurt.
An artists’ colony – the Mathildenhöhe – was founded in 1899 by Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse. He invited several contemporary artists and architects to live and work in Darmstadt, including Peter Behrens, Joseph Maria Olbrich and Rudolf Bosselt. The site they chose was next toa newly-completed Russian Chapel where the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, sometimes worshipped.
Ludwig hosted a series of Exhibitions through the 1900s, the first of which showcased the artists’ houses and apartments, most of which can be seen along a single street, Alexandraweg. After more houses were built, the Exhibition Building with the neighbouring red-brick Hochzeitsturm (also known as the Wedding Tower) were completed in 1908. Don’t miss the interior of the tower, particularly the Prince’s Room with its lavish painted walls and ceiling.
Getting there: Darmstadt is only 30 km south of Frankfurt am Main, one of the best international and intercontinental airports in Germany.
Where To Stay: Welcome Hotel Darmstadt City Center -great central location and one of the closest hotels to the Mathildenhöhe.
Riga, Latvia
The greatest concentration of Art Nouveau buildings in the world
At the turn of the 20th century, the Latvian capital Riga – at the time part of the Russian Empire – was expanding rapidly. Its medieval town walls had to be demolished and new districts were built to house the booming population. The majority of these buildings – mostly apartment houses – were in the Art Nouveau style, and completed in the decade 1904 to 1914.
As was the case from Catalunya to Budapest, local traditions and motifs were an important part of the development of Art Nouveau. For Latvians, this was tied in with a growing national consciousness, and several of the most prominent Riga Art Nouveau architects (including Janis Alksnis and Eizens Raube) were Latvian and spoke Latvian – as opposed to Russian or German speakers who also lived in the growing city.
The best place to start is the area known as the Quiet Centre, with possibly the most famous street in Riga – Alberta iela – is home to houses built by one of the Riga Art Nouveau pioneers, Mikhail Eisenstein. The lead shot of this section is one of these, and occupies the corner with Elizabetes iela.
These two streets are part of the so-called ‘Art Nouveau Triangle of Riga, along with Strelnieku iela. These streets comprise a tiny area, but if you only have one day in Riga, this is where you should head. The Riga Art Nouveau Museum is also on Alberta iela, in the former home of another Latvian Art Nouveau architect, Konstantins Peksens. The Museum also has a database of all Art Nouveau buildings in the city.
Tours: I recommend this Riga walking tour, which includes both the medieval Old Town and the Art Nouveau Quiet Centre district.
Where To Stay: The 4-star Monika Centrum Hotel is housed in a late 19th-century Gothic Revival palace, right in the heart of the Art Nouveau district.
Turin, Italy
The best city in Italy to see il stile Liberty, the Italian variant of Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau wasn’t as widely embraced in Italy as it was in much of Central Europe, and the city with the strongest legacy from this period is Turin, the capital of the northwestern region of Piedmont.
The 1902 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative Art was held in the city, with displays by the likes of Victor Horta, Peter Behrens and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. At the time, it helped that there was plenty of wealth in the city, and people with vast disposable income ready to flaunt it.
The most prominent Art Nouveau architect in Turin was Pietro Fenoglio, whose Casa Fenoglio-LaFleur house in the Cit Turin district is possibly the most famous Art Nouveau building in the city. Another of his creations, Casa Ina, is located across Via Principi d’Acaja.
Some of the Art Nouveau buildings in Turin bear some medieval influences, most notably the Casa della Vittoria, at Corso Francia 23, with its fantastical dragon sculptures bringing to mind some of Gaudi’s early works.
And in the centro storico, don’t miss the Galleria San Federico, a shopping arcade with elements of both Art Nouveau and the later Art Deco style.
Tours: As Turin’s Art Nouveau buildings are spread across several districts, this Art Nouveau walking tour with a coffee break is a great introduction to the city’s Liberty architecture.
Where To Stay: B&B Via Stampatori – guest house in a 16th-century palazzo in the historic centre of Turin
Subotica, Serbia
The last Hungarian hurrah before Subotica was lost to the fledgling Yugoslavia after World War I
Subotica – Szabadka in Hungarian – had been governed by the Habsburg Monarchy – and later Empire – from 1686 until the end of the First World War in 1918. Now in the far north of Serbia, it was then in southern Hungary, but ceded to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes – soon to be Yugoslavia – under the Treaty of Trianon. Over a century later, this settlement still stirs up great resentment among many Hungarians.
While Subotica was still part of Austria-Hungary, it benefited from the Szecesszio building boom of the early 20th century. As mentioned in the Budapest section of the article, the Hungarian take on Art Nouveau was briefly adopted as a national style of architecture – albeit while the country was still entwined in the Vienna-led Habsburg Empire.
Hungarian designers adopted natural, plant and floral motifs as did others around Europe, but the Hungarians did so using ceramics, especially Zsolnay tiles and porcelain. These were produced in Pécs, just 80 miles (140 km) to the west of Subotica.
As a result of politics and its position in southern Central Europe, Subotica is well off the beaten path for most English-language visitors. If you venture here you’ll be rewarded with some of the most beautiful Art Nouveau buildings in Europe, including the City Hall and Synagogue, both the work of Marcell Komor and Dezső Jakab.
Getting there: The nearest major international airports are Budapest and Zagreb. You could drive from Budapest to Subotica in well under three hours, otherwise it’s over 4 hours by train with a change at Szeged.
Where To Stay: Hotel Forum Garni – fine 4-star right in the centre of town
See Also: 12 Best Day Trips From Budapest
Oradea, Romania
Romania’s Art Nouveau capital
Like Subotica, Oradea – in northwest Romania – has a Hungarian past. Until 1918 it was known as Nagyvárad, and it was also lost by Hungary under the terms of the Treaty of Trianon. And so Romania inherited one of the finest Art Nouveau cities in Europe.
Again, like Subotica, Oradea is scarcely known in the English-speaking travellers’ world. But it’s worth the effort, even if you have to allocate the best part of a day to get there, and another day to travel onwards.
Oradea has over 80 Art Nouveau buildings, many of them superb. The best place to begin is around Piata Unirii (Union Square), where you’ll find the Art Nouveau City Hall, the Palace of the Greek Catholic Diocese, and the outstanding Black Eagle Palace and shopping arcade.
On the northern side of the river, take a stroll along Calea Republicii, where there are more fine Art Nouveau townhouses such as the striking turquoise Moskovits Palace. If you’re craving seeing the interior of one of these handsome buildings, you’re in luck – the Casa Darvas-LaRoche, on Strada Iosif Vulcan, is Romania’s only Art Nouveau Museum.
Where To Stay: Astoria Grand Hotel – beautiful Art Nouveau hotel just across the river from Piata Unirii
Best Art Nouveau Cities In Europe to Visit – Final Thoughts
I hope you have enjoyed this guide. Some of the cities I’ve written about have a well-known Art Nouveau heritage, but others are far less widely known, and well off the beaten track.
If you haven’t checked them out, take a look at my individual city guides to Art Nouveau Budapest, Art Nouveau Prague and Art Nouveau Barcelona.
For very different European architecture – from the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century – take a look at my guides to Communist Architecture in Europe and Fascist Architecture in Europe.
These guides are part of a wide-ranging series of themed articles on Europe, all designed to give you a healthy dose of inspiration. Here are some more for you to browse at your leisure:
15 Off The Beaten Path World Heritage Sites In Europe
Most Beautiful Villages In Europe
Most Beautiful Streets In Europe
Most Beautiful Landscapes In Europe
24 Best Roman Monuments In Europe
Best Border Towns In Europe To Visit
Most Beautiful Beaches In Europe
Most Beautiful Castles In Europe
Most Beautiful Islands In Europe
Most Underrated Cities In Europe
Most Beautiful Squares In Europe
Most Beautiful Churches In Europe