‘It’s a place to take your time’

From the piazzas of Tuscany to the citrus-scented plazas of Spain, squares capture the soul of a city, says Marcel Theroux. Plus our guide to the classics – and some intriguing alternatives

My first stop on arrival in any European town is the central square. Whether it’s surrounded by half-timbered houses and cake shops, like the Marktplatz of Quedlinburg, or with olive trees and whitewashed churches like towns in the Cyclades, this is the place I like to pause and get my bearings.

Every old town square is special. Like the overture of an opera, or a coil of DNA, each contains the quintessence of something larger. Sitting in one, musing over cloudy pastis and watching a game of pétanque, or sipping a Bellini and admiring a Tuscan bell tower, or inhaling the scent of bitter orange trees in the Spanish sunshine, is not only a pleasurable activity in itself, it’s an opportunity to investigate the character of your new location.

The solidity and prosperity of Dlugi Targ in Gdansk – restored after the Second World War – conveys the outwardness and mercantile mindset of this historic port city. This is somewhere to eat pickled herring and Kashubian duck, washed down with goldwasser, the sticky herbal liqueur conceived in the city that contains flakes of 23 carat gold. Tiny Plaza de Santa Maria in Tarifa, Spain, the windsurfing capital of Europe, captures the town’s odd combination of history and frivolity. A pretty, star-shaped Moorish fountain for some reason has tiny sculptures of frogs on each point of the star.

Old town squares give lie to the idea that the world is becoming more homogeneous. Each square is the hub of the community it serves and often the nucleus from which the whole town sprang. Some are grandiose and overbearing – no one would describe Red Square in Moscow or La Place Bellecour in Lyon as cosy – but smaller towns have pocket handkerchief-sized squares. Tiny Torshavn, capital of the Faroe Islands, barely has a square at all, just a basalt promontory called Tinganes, where the Vikings who founded the place used to hold their outdoor parliaments. Most European cities have squares in the Goldilocks zone: roomy enough to hold a few tourists, sufficient zinc tables so that everyone who wants to can sit down, a fountain – perhaps two – and a statue of a forgotten monarch or regional tyrant. When I cycled with my family along the Danube through Germany and Austria, one of the things that sustained us was the prospect of the town squares ahead: the strudels they promised, the cold beer and sausages, the chance to get blister ointment and sunscreen in an apotheke (weird provincial opening hours permitting).

A square is a place to take your time, to unfold a map or guidebook and discover something about your new surroundings – or just order another espresso and enjoy the novelty of fresh air and sunshine.

No doubt about it, it’s hip to be in a square.

Staromestske Namesti

(Old Town Square)

Of all Europe’s medieval town squares, Prague’s Staromestske Namesti is one of the best known and arguably the best loved. Its almost absurdly photogenic qualities draw tourists by the thousands, day in, day out, whatever the weather. But it’s not just a pretty face: its heavyweight architectural credentials include the 15th-century Astronomical Clock, complete with a mechanism of Twelve Apostles that “parade” every hour, a grand Old Town Hall building (accessible to visitors), the baroque St Nicolas Church, famous for classical music concerts, and the soaring Gothic towers of the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn. Visit at Easter or Christmas to see the square full of life and market stalls.

Where to stay: Old Town Square

Hotel (00 420 221 421 111; otsh.com) offers double rooms from £120 a night

THE ALTERNATIVE

Although also quite well known thanks to its “Good King Wenceslas” connotations, this vast public square in the city’s New Town (Nove Mesto) couldn’t be more of a contrast to the intimate charm and striking medieval architecture of Old Town Square. Here, in the commercial heart of the city, visitors can find department stores as well as banks and other municipal buildings, but also some grand Art Nouveau hotels and cinemas seemingly lost in time among the modern brashness. The square is also overlooked by the National Museum, and its many side streets offer boutique hotels, a slew of more independent shops, cafés and bars, and the Prague State Opera.

Where to stay: Art Nouveau

Palace Hotel (00 420 224 093 111; palacehotel.cz) offers double rooms from £90 a night