Your Travel Guide to the 2025 European Capitals of Culture

Nova Gorica and Gorizia: two cities united at the Italy-Slovenia border

For the first time, two cities have teamed up to become the European Capitals of Culture.
Located in Slovenia, Nova Gorica is a fairly recent town, built at the end of World War II and the home of some 13, 000 people.
Gorizia on the other hand, is a thousand-year-old city in Italy, sheltering around 33,000 inhabitants. Both cities face each other, each on one side of the river Isonzo.

The project GO! 2025, led by Nova Gorica and Gorizia, aims at symbolizing the disappearance of borders in Europe. Their slogan for this cultural year, “Go Borderless!” perfectly reflects this spirit of openness and a will to push boundaries.

Their program presents no less than 400 events with a very wide scope: music, dancing, theatre, literature, gastronomy, oenology, botany, research, sports…

Our favourite events in Nova Gorica and Gorizia 2025

1. The official opening ceremony will take place on February 8th, 2025 (Slovenia’s cultural day and a bank holiday) with a cross-border popular parade connecting both cities’ train stations.
2. Europe Square, called by locals either Piazza de Transalpina or Trg Evrope, is an important symbol as it is crossed by an administrative border. The square is going to be completely redesigned based on the ideas of the winning project of the International Architectural Ideas and Project Competition. A large park will be built around it with different installations, including a centre devoted to culture and built between both countries.
3. The Walk for Europe will take place from March 1st to 9th, 2025 while similar events will also be organised simultaneously in several European towns. Other sports events will also be presented during these walks, including demonstrations of dynamic and unusual ways of crossing borders!
4. The exhibition “Borders. From Turner to Monet to Hopper. Song with variations”, at the Villa Manin, from November 10th, 2025 to December 4th, 2026 will explore the theme of lines and limits (geographical, historical, cultural…) through over 100 paintings, from 40 international museums and private collections. A great opportunity to admire the works of Monet, Degas, Van Gogh, Renoir, Matisse, Rothko, Bacon in the same location.
5. When it comes to gastronomy, two events should delight your taste buds: the Taste without border festival from September 26th to 28th, 2025 and the Go! Pasta project which, all through 2025, will offer new recipes and ideas to prepare…pasta!
6. To end this year of culture on a high note, spectacular illuminations, as well as concerts are scheduled in both cities from December 1st to 5th, 2025.

The quality and diversity of the events prove the desire of these cities to highlight the best of what Culture has to offer and make it accessible to all.

• To find out more, visit the official GO! 2025 website.

Good to know: While culture has no borders, you still might need a visa to travel to Italy or a visa to travel to Slovenia. Don’t leave without it or without its compulsory travel insurance!

Chemnitz, European Capital of Culture 2025.

Chemnitz is a city of around 240,000 inhabitants, located in Eastern Germany, at the South of Leipzig and Dresde.
The slogan of Chemnitz 2025 is “C the Unseen” putting forth a will to highlight the hidden treasures and lesser-known aspects of the city and its region, made up of 38 neighbouring towns.
This motto, imagined around 6 themes, will be developed in a very varied program of over a thousand events presented in more than 200 pages! We’ve selected a few for you.

Our favourite Chemnitz 2025 events

1. The #3000GARAGES. There are over 30, 000 garages in Chemnitz, most of them built during the GDR (the German Democratic Republic) era. They still play an important role in the life of the people of the city, as a place where they can socialise, find and provide assistance and create. These collective spaces will take even more importance in 2025 as they will become the setting of many events: exhibitions, workshops and other various activities.
2. The “Purple path” is an outdoor artistic trail, which will connect Chemnitz with 38 other participating towns. Sculptures and installations by renowned, international, national, and Saxon artists will tell the story of the people of the region and put forth its rich mining heritage, characterized by the extraction of silver, tin, cobalt and iron, among others.
3. Living Neighbourhood plans to plant 4, 000 apple trees in Chemnitz thanks to the active participation of its residents. This initiative aims at promoting Democracy through Art, Culture and the lasting commitment of the community. The Planting Festival is organised in two parts: form March 30th to April 6th for the planting phase, from October 19th to 26th for the harvesting phase.

Chemnitz 2025 is full of exciting events: street art festivals, modern dancing, electronic music, a cooking marathon, a discovery-week of over 85 sports, a cycling race for Peace (European Peace Ride or EPR), ... There will be something to please everyone!

• To find out more, visit the official website Chemnitz 2025.

Good to know: Before you head off to Chemnitz, don’t forget to check if you need a visa to travel to Germany!

What is a European Capital of Culture?

When was the idea of a European Capital of Culture born?

As it so happens, European Capitals of Culture used to be called differently!

The European City of Culture program was born in the Eighties and was an initiative of two Ministers of Culture, Melina Mercouri in Greece and Jack Lang in France. In 1984, they asked their counterparts in other EEC countries (the European Economic Community) to select a European City of Culture and to do so every year. Athens in Greece was the first chosen in 1985.

In 1999, the program changed its name to “European Capital of Culture”.

Did you know?
To mark the new millennium, no less than 8 cities were chosen to become the European Capitals of Culture. Avignon (France), Bergen (Norway), Bologna (Italy), Brussels (Belgium), Helsinki (Finland), Krakow (Poland), Prague (Czech Republic), Reykjavik (Iceland) and Santiago de Compostela (Spain).

What is the purpose of European Capitals of Culture?

Supported by the EU, this initiative places Culture at the heart of European cities.
During one year and through a program of events designed especially for the occasion, the designated city celebrates Art and creativity in all their different aspects.

According to the European Commission, the “European Capital of Culture” initiative was created to:

• Put forth the richness and diversity of cultures in Europe.
• Celebrate the common cultural features shared by Europeans.
• Increase in European citizens a sense of belonging to a common cultural space.
• Encourage the contribution of Culture in the development of cities.

Furthermore, this experience has shown that being selected is a great opportunity for the cities to:

• Enhance their prestige at an international level,
• Improve how inhabitants consider their city,
• Give a new impulse to cultural life,
• Boost tourism.

Did you know?
In the year following its title of “European Capital of Culture”, the awarded city experiences an increase in the number of visitors by around 20 to 25%, compared to the previous year.

When and how are the European Capitals of Culture chosen?

The process to be chosen as the European Capital of Culture starts 6 years before the actual designation. The competition is open to all cities part of the EU, candidate-countries or potential ones, as well as those part of the European Economic Area (EEA). Each town must present projects reflecting both the diverse and common areas of European cultures. A jury of experts appointed by the EU awards the prestigious title, four years before the year in question, allowing the winners time to prepare the events featuring on their programmes.

Did you know? The EU grants each Capital of Culture a 1.5 million euro support fund.

All three 2025 European Capitals of Culture belong to the Schengen area, which means that most third-country nationals (citizens outside the Schengen area) need to apply for a Schengen visa.
To obtain this visa, you need to subscribe to compulsory travel insurance, meeting all European criteria.

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FAQ

What are the 2026 European Capitals of Culture?

In 2026, there will be two European Capitals of Culture: Trenčín (in Slovakia) and Oulu (in Finland).

What are the 2027 European Capitals of Culture?

In 2027, there will be two European Capitals of Culture: Liepāja (in Latvia) and Évora (in Portugal).

Have any Irish cities ever been chosen as European Capitals of Culture?

Yes, several Irish towns have been chosen as European Capitals of Culture: Dublin in 1991, Cork in 2005 and Galway in 2020-2021.