Europe attractions

An architectural landmark and one of Russia’s most prestigious venues, the Bolshoi Theatre is home to the world-famous Bolshoi ballet and opera companies. With a legacy dating back to the late 18th century, the theater hosts regular performances of classics such asLa Traviata,*Carmen,Swan Lake, andThe Nutcracker*.

Straddling the border with Poland, the Belarusian Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park is one of the oldest wildlife refuges in Europe. As part of the Białowieża Forest UNESCO World Heritage Site—one of just four in Belarus—it’s also home to much of the continent’s remaining primeval forest, where you can enjoy hikes, tours, and bike rides through a truly untouched and awe-inspiring landscape.

Telling the story of the Gulag—the forced labor camps set up by Stalin in the early 20th century—the Gulag History Museum provides a harrowing look at one of the darkest periods in Soviet history. Founded by a former labor camp prisoner, it’s an emotional tribute to those held captive in the camps.

Housed in a spectacular glass pavilion designed by the architectural practice OMA in partnership with Rem Koolhaas 2015 on the site of a derelict restaurant, Garage is the creation of Russian girl-about-town Daria Zhukova, the longstanding girlfriend of Roman Abramovich. Originally found in the Bakhmetevsky Bus Garage (hence the name), which is now the home of the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, the art gallery has a spectacular location on the fringe of Gorky Park. The temporary exhibitions held on the gallery’s two levels concentrate on promoting the work of international modern artists, while its permanent holdings specialize in the development of Russian contemporary art from the 1950s to present. Recent big names shown there include Louise Bourgeois and installation artist Rashid Johnson. Creative workshops are held for kids and there’s a stylish café with views over Gorky Park, an arty bookshop and a research library in the museum too. A welcome addition to Moscow’s burgeoning cool cultural scene, Garage should be on the itinerary of all visitors spending time in the city.

Located close to Gran Paradiso National Park in the Aosta Valley, Rhemes-Notre-Dame Ski Resort is a seasonal attraction for outdoor enthusiasts. Here you’ll find seven pistes, with a snow park area for children, trails for cross-country skiing, and slopes for snowboarding. Beyond winter sports, the area is also popular for hiking in the warmer months.

Grand Maket Russia, or Гранд Макет, is a private museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. It is a model museum, meaning that it represents collective images of Russia on a scale of 1:87. It is quite big, at 800 m², or 8611 square feet, making it the largest model museum in Russia and the second largest in the world. The museum opened on June 8 2012, in a two-story building built in 1953, at the initiative of St. Petersburg businessman, Sergey Morozov. It represents everyday life in Russia: from work, leisure, sports, study, military service, travel, and more. It also features different modes of transportation with movement, light and sound effects: from trains to cars, trucks, trams and buses. The display is interactive, and visitors can push buttons to activate different effects.

Red Square has been Moscow’s historic and cultural epicenter for centuries, holding everything from a medieval marketplace to Soviet military parades to rock concerts. No visit to the Russian capital is complete without a stroll through the square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that's encircled by some of Moscow’s most iconic landmarks.

Also known as Russian State Pushkin Academy Drama Theater, the Alexandrinsky Theater opened in 1832 and is the home of the oldest theater company in Russia. It is one of the most famous theaters in St. Petersburg, second only to the historic Mariinsky Theater. The theater building is also considered to be one of the finest works of architect Carlo Rossi. However, inside the theater, only carvings on the Tsar’s Box and a few other boxes remain from Rossi’s original design. Named after Empress consort Alexandra Feodorovna, the theater was one of the largest in Europe when it opened, with space for an audience of nearly 1400. It has been the site of the premieres of many of the top Russian dramas, including the works of Alexander Griboedov, Alexander Ostrovsky and Anton Chekhov.

Built by Catherine the Great in the 18th century for her son, Emperor Paul I, Pavlovsk Palace is a notable example of the era’s neo-classical architecture. Set amid 1,500 acres (607 hectares of landscaped parks and woodlands, a visit to the estate provides insight into the life of one of Russia’s most enigmatic rulers.

With a history dating back to 1865, the Leningrad (St. Petersburg) Zoo is Russia’s oldest zoo and remains a popular family attraction. The zoo, located in the heart of the city, is home to around 2,000 animals, including over 410 species, the most famous of which are its resident polar bears.

One of several churches standing on Cathedral Square inside Moscow’s Kremlin, the Cathedral of the Archangel was the main burial place for Russian tsars for centuries until the capital was temporarily moved to St. Petersburg. Built in the early 16th century, it represented the culmination of a grand building project initiated by Ivan the Great. Built in a style unique from the other Kremlin cathedrals, the Cathedral of the Archangel features Italian Renaissance design elements, as well as five domes representing Jesus and the four evangelists. While many of the cathedral’s treasures are now displayed in the Kremlin Armory Museum, the 17th century iconostasis remains, as do many 16th and 17th century wall frescoes, painted by more than 100 different artists. The oldest icon in the cathedral, which depicts Archangel Michael in full armor, dates back to the 14th century. Visitors can see more than 40 tombs inside the cathedral, with those of the Grand Dukes and their families lining the southern wall and the vaults of the Romanovs standing in the center of the building.

The city of Bordeaux is 60 miles (97 kilometers) inland from the Bay of Biscay and is the gateway to France’s most famous wine region. Smaller ships can travel up the Garonne River and dock in the city center at the Port de la Lune, but larger ships must dock in Verdon at the Gironde estuary, about two hours' drive from the city.

Step into a painting, hang off the side of a skyscraper, and get into other wacky scenarios at the 3D Fun Art Museum Lisboa. Full of optical illusions, this museum north of central Lisbon has more than three dozen backdrops for endless photo ops, and it’s especially popular for families and as a quick detour en route to the nearby Edward VII Park.

With an expansive façade facing the Fontanka River, this former Imperial palace was designed for the 18th-century Empress Elizabeth. The Bolsheviks turned it into first a museum, then a massive home for after-school clubs. Now, it’s officially the Saint Petersburg Palace of Youth Creativity, hosting activities from art to music and sports.

With an imposing Neoclassical façade over 1,900 feet (580 meters) long, the Carlo Rossi–designed General Staff Building is one of St. Petersburg’s architectural highlights. The grand building, which is part of the enormous State Hermitage Museum complex, houses a large collection of impressionist and post-impressionist art works.

The Mariinsky is St. Petersburg’s most notable theater, home to the Kirov Ballet (now known as the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Ballet in Russia, and a venue for opera and classical music. As well as the 19th-century building, modern additions have added to the performance space. Arts and culture lovers shouldn’t miss seeing a performance, such as Swan Lake or Anna Karenina.

Encircled by poignant monuments and memorials, the Victory Museum—or the Museum of the Great Patriotic War—is the focal point of Moscow’s Victory Park (Park Pobedy). Opened in 1995 to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, it’s Russia’s largest and most important museum of military history.

Set off Ireland’s craggy, wind-battered Atlantic coast on the western edge of Europe, this trio of sparsely populated and starkly beautiful islands is a stronghold of traditional Irish culture. The Aran Islands’ jagged coastal cliffs enclose a patchwork of green fields, where the remnants of ancient stone forts and medieval churches can be seen, while in their one- and two-pub towns, locals trade gossip in Irish Gaelic (Gaeilge) and traditional music sessions last well into the night.

The Winzavod Center for Contemporary Art (Vinzavod) in Moscow is the heart of the city’s contemporary art scene. The seven industrial buildings that make up the center include the former home of Moscow’s oldest winery and what was once the second largest brewery in Moscow. The complex was later bought by one of the richest men in Russia, who established an art gallery with more than 500 paintings, making the Winzavod Center the oldest art gallery in Moscow. Covering 20,000 square meters, the center is now home to four of Russia’s most prestigious contemporary art galleries, as well as artists’ studios, fashion showrooms, a photography studio, an avant-garde clothing store, a bookstore, an art-supply store and an art-café. Eight different halls within the complex can be used for special events such as lectures, festivals or art exhibitions. It also hosts the annual national photo contest, Best of Russia, which receives tens of thousands of entries from all over the country.

Lisbon’s fascinating history—from the Phoenicians and Romans through the medieval Age Of Discoveries to the devastating 1755 earthquake and the Carnation Revolution in 1974—is condensed into a series of colorful comic strip–style panels at the History of Lisbon Mural. Painted by illustrator Nuno Saraiva, the public artwork is one of Lisbon’s most unique free attractions.

Completed in 1811 after ten years of construction, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan (Kazansky Sobor stands 203 feet (62 meters tall—a stunning example of Russian neoclassical architecture. The structure encircles a small square, and the interior is adorned with the works of some of the country's greatest artists and sculptors.

It’s easy to see why Peterhof Palace, a magnificent complex of palaces and gardens stretching along the St. Petersburg seafront, is called the Russian Versailles. Fronted by the opulent Grand Palace and displaying a rich variety of architectural styles, this UNESCO World Heritage Site—known officially as the Peterhof State Museum-Reserve (Muzeya-Zapovednika Peterhof)—is one of the city’s most visited attractions.

Russia’s most famous street—the Champs-Élysées of St. Petersburg—runs for 3 miles (5 kilometers) through the city’s historic center from the Admiralty Building to Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Some of the city’s most impressive buildings line the street, including the Kazan Cathedral, Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood, and the Grand Europe Hotel.

The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius has been the spiritual center of the Russian Orthodox Church since the mid-14th century. In the small town of Sergiev Posad along Russia’s Golden Ring, the monastery complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an architectural marvel, capped with blue and gold onion domes and surrounded by castle-like walls.

Tucked down a side street in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, Els Quatre Gats (The Four Cats) is one of the city’s most famous restaurants and a memorable location for a cup of coffee or some Catalan cuisine. The tavern was fashioned after Le Chat Noir in Paris and quickly became a favorite haunt of Pablo Picasso and Antoni Gaudí.

In St. Petersburg, it doesn’t really matter what the weather is doing outside, because it’s always warm inside Piterland Aquapark. Spend the day relaxing and having fun, taking full advantage of the park’s pools, waterslides, and saunas. Or, just lounge around under a palm tree on the artificial beach.

Nice’s enchanting old port is a lovely place to wander and find the perfect little restaurant for an authentic meal with a romantic view of the Mediterranean Sea. Soak up the atmosphere of the yacht-filled port, then stroll over to the hilly green park, Colline du Château, or the adjacent Quartier Segurane, known for its antique shops and flea market.

Moscow’s Kazan Cathedral (Kazansky Kafedralny Sobor) was built between 1633 and 1636 to celebrate Russia’s liberation from Polish invaders in 1612, the end of the Time of Troubles. Prince Dmitry Pozharsky often prayed to a holy icon of Our Lady of Kazan, to which he attributed his success in removing Polish occupiers. Kazan Cathedral housed the icon for two centuries. In 1936, the church was intentionally demolished as part of a greater plan to remodel Red Square to host military parades for the Soviet Union. Using measurements and photographs of the original church, the All-Russian Society for Historic Preservation and Cultural Organization built a replica of the cathedral in 1993. Services are held within the cathedral twice each Sunday, as well as for vespers on Monday evening.

Open to the public since 1894, Hermitage Garden in central Moscow offers a great escape from the hustle and bustle of Russia’s capital. Throughout its history, the park has been known for its cultural attractions and even hosted the premieres of several Anton Chekhov plays at the end of the 19th century. During Soviet times, people also flocked to the park to play chess and watch films in an open-air cinema during the summer months. Today, visitors can stroll among linden, oak and maple trees, relax on a bench or hammock, grab a bite to eat at one of several cafes or enjoy a performance at one of three theaters: Novaya Opera, Hermitage and Sphera. Cherry blossoms in the spring and an ice rink in the winter are also popular draws, as is the annual Hermitage Garden Jazz Festival. Held every August and open to the public for free, the festival is the oldest of its kind in Moscow.

With its perfectly preserved medieval architecture and two working drawbridges, Château de Montmuran is a highlight of the Rennes countryside. Join a guided tour to explore its two original 12th-century towers, as well as the imposing gatehouse, guardroom, dungeon, and chapel, plus take in views over the lush Dinan landscape dotted with more than 20 bell towers from atop the fortress walls.