Walking through the main thoroughfares of some major European cities can feel like a walk through every continent on the planet. Turkish barbers sit next to Japanese restaurants, spice markets, South American steakhouses, and Western fast food outlets.

Europe’s cities have become modern celebrations of diversity, blending rich cultural environments and heritage in a melting pot of diversity. These are the best places to travel in Europe to see unity in diversity and celebration in multiculturalism.

London

London is a rich tapestry of culture and nationality. The city’s residents are made up of 270 different nationalities, speaking 250 different native languages. The city prides itself on its rich cultural heritage and this is reflected in the restaurants and tourist attractions on offer.

Brick Lane in Camden offers some of the best Indian and South Asian cuisine available outside the Asian continent. Following Regent’s canal from East to West London is also a great way to take in the full extent of London’s diversity, while exploring many of London’s infamous districts and boroughs. Of course, it wouldn’t be right to visit the English capital without making time for tea in Drink, Shop & Do around King’s Cross.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam in the Netherlands has built a reputation on tolerance and progressive thinking. From its notorious red-light district to its legal cannabis coffee shops, to its progressive immigration policy surrounding asylum seekers, Amsterdam prides itself on being a welcoming home to people from across the globe.

To best appreciate Amsterdam’s commitment to diversity, check out its annual DRONGO Festival, a festival dedicated to the virtues of multilingualism and language learning.

Paris

The city of love is also the city of diversity. Extensive immigration, beginning in the Medieval period, has created a modern cosmopolitan city in the heart of France. Today visitors to the French capital can visit Sikh temples, discover the city’s hidden Croat, Indian, Eastern European, and African communities (including little Mali). Most recently, the city has launched its black culture tours which explores the history and impact people of colour have had on the Parisian landscape.

Berlin

The hedonistic capital of Europe is also a smorgasbord of global cultures. Since 1996, the city has hosted its Carnival of Cultures, featuring art, dance, music, and food from across the globe.

Shopping at the Turkish Market, visiting the Dong Xuan Center for Vietnamese food, and paying the House of Cultures a visit are all excellent ways of experiencing multicultural Berlin and exploring the best the city has to offer.

Dublin

Dublin has become increasingly multicultural and diverse in recent years. A walk around Dublin’s famous Temple Bar reveals dialects, accents, and languages from all over the globe, and the pubs are filled with happy visitors exchanging their languages and culture over a pint of black (Guinness).

Visitors from around the globe flock to Ireland to take English language courses and Dublin is where many end up putting down roots.

Europe is a rich tapestry with a variety of languages and cultures woven together. Each thread offers a different perspective, which when woven together, create something beautiful quite unlike anywhere else on earth. This is worth celebrating and preserving, particularly at a time like the present.