The Stob Pyramids, a series of earth and sandstone pinnacles formed by national erosion, lie close to the village of Stob in the foothills of the Rila Mountains. These photogenic rock formations make for pleasant hiking and are a popular stop-off on the way to the Rila Monastery UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Find a family-friendly place to play at this Costa Dorada water park. With its 16 pools and attractions, the PortAventura Caribe Aquatic Park features lush, Caribbean-inspired pools and greenery. Visitors of all ages can explore the indoor-outdoor campus, with options that range from a laid-back lazy river to adventurous slides and waves.
Overlooking the UNESCO-listed hills of Le Langhe, the medieval village of Barolo is at the heart of Piedmont’s wine country. Barolo’s old town is ideal for sampling wine that’s produced in the surrounding vineyards and is also home to a wine museum housed in a castle.
Founded in 2013 to showcase Belgium’s contemporary beer scene, today the Brussels Beer Project (BBP) has taprooms in both Brussels and Paris. In the Brussels location, you'll find 17 taps with a number of BBP classic brews, along with a few new beers and a handful of offerings from outside breweries.
Perched sternly above the medieval town of Gradara, this 12th-century castle is the setting of Dante’s love story of Paolo and Francesca—and the site remains storybook-ready, with its drawbridge and crenelated watchtower. Visit for an idea of what life might have been like during the Middle Ages, and savor the views from the ramparts.
With so many more famous ruins dotted around Turkey (officially the Republic of Türkiye), Ankara’s Temple of Augustus and Rome often gets overlooked; however, it’s worth a peek if you’re in the capital. Constructed in 25 BC and 20 BC after the Romans conquered what is now Anatolia, the Temple of Augustus and Rome is notable for its unique Roman-era inscriptions that chart the deeds of the Roman emperor Augustus.
Valencia’s Fallas festival is an annual pyrotechnic spectacle on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. If you can’t make it to the festival, there’s always the Museum of Las Fallas (Museo Fallero), where you can experience the festivities’ color, culture, and energy year-round.
The Fimmvörðuháls area is best known for the Fimmvörðuháls Trail, also known as the Fimm. It’s arguably Iceland’s best day hike; the 15-mile (24-kilometer) route passes 26 waterfalls, volcanoes, ice caps, glaciers, lava fields, and rivers. Most hikers complete the trek in a day, while others overnight in mountain huts to extend the spectacular journey.
Artist Vincent van Gogh spent two years living in Nuenen—often called Van Gogh Village—and today this Dutch town serves as an open-air museum in his honor. The local Vincentre hosts a multimedia exhibition documenting Van Gogh’s time in Nuenen, and a cycling route connects a number of locations linked to the artist's years there.
Stockholm’s island of Kungsholmen is primarily residential and offers a laid-back escape from the tourist path and a chance to mix with locals. Here you’ll find lots of great restaurants, bars, and cafés, as well as opportunities for long strolls along the waterfront. Kungsholmen is home to Stockholm’s most prominent building, City Hall.
Comprising a procession of skeletal life-size bronze figures, the haunting Famine Memorial remembers the victims of the Great Irish Famine of 1845–1849. Over a million people died and more than a million more were forced to flee the country as a result of starvation and disease brought on by the failure of the potato crop.
The St-Tropez Market at Place des Lices is a must for visitors wanting to see a slice of the real St-Tropez, where locals and tourists shop. Sat a couple of blocks from the Old Port, this central open-air market buzzes twice weekly, flaunting a vast range of goods. Provencal food produce, fashion ware to complete any French Riviera wardrobe, and general bric-a-brac are among the finds.
Immerse yourself in the multi-sensory exhibits of Bucharest’s Museum of Senses, home to around 40 life-size optical illusions. The family-friendly museum provides plenty of photo opportunities and unique experiences, including the chance to dance in an infinity mirror room and walk through a dizzying Vortex tunnel.
Just south of the Sava River lies the oasis of Bundek City Park (Gradski Park Bundek). A hidden gem of tranquility, the park boasts sprawling greenery, shimmering lakes, and shaded walking paths. Visitors can enjoy a host of activities, including paddle boating, cycling, and picnicking. The park blends natural beauty and modern amenities to create a recreational haven.
The UNESCO-listed town of Noto is a treasure trove of Sicilian baroque architecture, and this basilica is one of the city’s headliners. Standing at the top of a monumental staircase, the 18th-century church has an ornate facade that will delight any architecture aficionado, leading into one of the most impressive interiors in Noto.
Tucked behind the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, the Holocaust Memorial Center (Memorijalen Centar Na Holokaustot) stands in what used to be Skopje’s Jewish Quarter. This memorial and museum commemorates the over 7,000 Jews in North Macedonia killed during the Holocaust and tells the history of the Jewish communities of the Balkans.
Get a taste of Milan’s high fashion on a budget at the Fidenza Village outlet shopping center. Popular with Italians, this complex has over 100 shops featuring brands such as Versace, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Diesel, and Furla. Several restaurants and a children’s play area make the outlet center an easy half-day trip from Milan for the whole family.
The award-winning El Palacio Andaluz is Seville’s largest dedicated flamenco venue and an essential destination for dance and music lovers. This theater, built in a renovated warehouse, offers two nightly shows featuring a varied repertoire performed by a group of over a dozen singers, dancers, and musicians.
With its combination of timber-fronted buildings, cobbled lanes, and Gothic churches, a stroll around Troyes transports you back to medieval France. Hidden away in the south of the Champagne region, the atmospheric Old Town is known for its art galleries, striking architecture, and traditional artisan workshops.
Perched dramatically on the Firth of Clyde coast in Scotland, the ruins of Dunure Castle appear to tumble into the Atlantic Sea. The castle’s gruesome history—the last abbot of Crossraguel was notoriously roasted on a spit here—attracts history buffs and ghost hunters alike, while its rural location promises no crowds and natural panoramas.
Descend 36 meters underground for a guided subterranean exploration at the Genova Caves (Cuevas de Genova). The caves, which are hidden under a restaurant, offer beautiful rock formations as well as pools of water, corridors, and columns and are enhanced with a variety of colorful lights in an audiovisual show.
A paradise for foodies, Paciotti Salumeria is one of Rome’s most enduring and beloved gastro-emporiums. Family-run since 1970, it’s tucked into a tangle of backstreets outside of Vatican City. This visual and aromatic delight of a shop is known for its superb selection of cured meats, Italian cheeses, fresh bread, and other gourmet delicacies. While the store exists to serve locals, tourists can pick up vacuum-sealed produce and gift boxes to take home edible souvenirs.
Just an hour north of Zurich, the lively medieval town of Schaffhausen is best known as the gateway to one of Switzerland’s most famous tourist attractions: Rhine Falls. The mighty waterfall is Europe’s largest, stretching 450 feet (137 meters) across the Rhine River and cascading from heights of up to 75 feet (23 meters).
This museum showcases an extensive collection of works by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen, who designed well-known creations such as the Lion of Lucerne and the tomb monument of Pope Pius VII. While Thorvaldsen's works are the museum’s main draw, it also features paintings from other European artists and Greek and Roman antiquities.
Opened by Prince Edward in 1993, the Inverness Botanic Gardens—previously known as Floral Hall—are a tranquil escape from the bustle of the city center. In addition to outdoor gardens with seasonal floral displays, fish ponds, and the Scottish Highlands’ largest succulent display, the grounds house a café, visitor center, and two greenhouses.
Cadiz Cruise Port (Puerto de Cádiz) is a major gateway to historic Cádiz, a small, beautiful city on Spain’s southwestern coast, not far from the Strait of Gibraltar. The port is conveniently close to the city’s Old Town, and cruise passengers docking here can join a variety of tours around the city or excursions to more distant locales.
Before 1895, photography was cutting-edge technology. Then, the Lumière brothers changed image-making forever with the Cinematograph, which produced the first moving pictures. Visit the birthplace of this radical invention at Lyon's Lumière Institute (Institut Lumière, a museum, cultural space, and theater celebrating cinema's origins.
Formulated more than 200 years ago as a medicinal beverage, Zwack Unicum remains one of Hungary’s favorite liqueurs, and holds a special place in the country’s history. Sample and learn all about the famed digestif at the Zwack Museum and Visitors’ Centre.
Madame Tussauds is a popular visitor attraction all around the world, but Madame Tussauds Blackpool—the only UK branch outside London—grants you an audience with some of Britain’s best-known celebrities. Here you can come face to face with everyone from singer Olly Murs to athlete Mo Farah, and even the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Once King Henry VIII’s hunting lodge, the 14th-century Penshurst Place has an impressively regal history, some of England’s most carefully cultivated walled gardens, and a magnificent medieval hall. Here, at the birthplace of poet Sir Philip Sidney, stroll through the acres of surrounding parkland, visit the on-site Toy Museum, and more.
