These cities are officially the best in Europe: Which ones did you miss?

This year’s list of top 10 destinations is made up of smaller, quieter and sun-soaked destinations, many of which are hardly household names.

Voters in an online poll have crowned the city of Zadar, Croatia the best city to visit in Europe this year, thanks to its seaside location, ancient Roman ruins, and dramatic coastline.

This year’s list of top 10 destinations is made up of smaller, quieter and sun-soaked destinations, many of which are hardly household names.

Read: From Vienna to Rome, here’s how you backpack across Europe on a budget

Over three weeks, the public was invited to cast their choice in an online poll on the best destinations in Europe. Respondents from 179 countries cast nearly 289,000 votes.

Read: 10 tips to save money on Europe trip

Here are the other favourite cities in photos. Enjoy!

Athens, Greece: The capital of modern Greece, it’s still dominated by 5th century BCE landmarks, including the Acropolis, a hilltop citadel topped with ancient buildings such as the colonnaded Parthenon temple. (AFP)

Kotor, Montenegro: Kotor is a coastal town in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor. (AFP)

Azores, Portugal: The Azores islands, an autonomous region of Portugal, form an archipelago in the mid-Atlantic and are characterized by dramatic landscapes, fishing villages, green pastures and hedgerows of blue hydrangeas. (AFP)

Brussels, Belgium: Brussels is Belgium’s capital and home to the headquarters of the European Union. The ornate Grand-Place at the heart of the city has shops and cafes inside 17th-century guildhouses, and the intricate Gothic Hôtel de Ville (town hall) with its distinctive bell tower. (AFP)

Novi Sad, Serbia: Novi Sad is a city in Serbia on the banks of the Danube River. Atop a riverside bluff stands Petrovaradin Fortress, much of it dating to the 17th and 18th centuries, with an iconic clock tower and a network of tunnels. (AFP)

Milan, Italy: Milan, a metropolis in Italy’s northern Lombardy region, is a global capital of fashion and design. Home to the national stock exchange, it’s a financial hub also known for its high-end dining and shopping. (AFP)

Nantes, France: Nantes, a city on the Loire River in the Upper Brittany region of Western France, has a long history as a port and industrial center. It’s home to the restored, 15th-century Château des Ducs de Bretagne, where the Dukes of Brittany once lived. (AFP)

Paris, France: Paris, France’s capital, is a major European city and a global center for art, fashion, gastronomy and culture. Its picturesque 19th-century cityscape is crisscrossed by wide boulevards and the River Seine. (AFP)

Plovdiv, Bulgaria: Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, and one of the oldest cities in Europe. (AFP)

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