Europe attractions

Fronted by a Romanesque, baroque and Gothic facade, Ghent’s cavernous cathedral serves as a repository for a valuable collection of art treasures, including works by Rubens and Laurent Delvaux. Its showpiece attraction is the Van Eyck brothers’ world-renowned 24-panel altarpiece,The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb.

Perched atop the city’s highest hill, the magnificent Notre-Dame de la Garde, which is visible from all over the Marseille, is one of the city’s most striking landmarks. The Romano-Byzantine basilica dates back to the 19th century and is best known for its grand bell tower, which is capped with a gleaming gold statue of the Virgin Mary.

The sweeping Place Vendôme is one of Paris’ most rarefied public squares, home to elegant hotels, storied couturiers, jewelry houses, and even the Ministry of Justice. Commissioned by King Louis XIV in the 18th century, the square is famed for its history, impressive architecture, and the Napoleonic Vendôme Column at its center. Its convenient location near the Louvre and other highlights of the 1st arrondissement make it a mainstay of Paris sightseeing.

Step into Berlin’s Nicholas district (Nikolaiviertel) for a look at what the city was like during the Middle Ages. Though many of the buildings were built after World War II, St. Nicholas Church (Nikolaikirche) remains the city’s oldest church, dating back to 1230. Today, the quaint area offers a break from the hustle and bustle of Berlin.

A tiny coastal town in Sicily, Castelmola offers panoramic views over the Mediterranean Sea and Mt. Etna. Neighboring Taormina is 670 feet above sea level while Castelmola is higher up at 1,700 feet above sea level. Adventurous travelers hike uphill from Taormina to Castelmola to see its churches, visit a 13th century castle, and to taste local almond wine.

The Sarajevo Tunnel was a lifeline to the outside world during the years-long siege of Sarajevo. During the war, the Bosnian army smuggled food and supplies through the tunnel. Today, the small museum serves as a memorial to those difficult times, with information boards, video presentations, and audio guides depicting life under siege.

Visitors to the Croatian city of Zadar are inevitably drawn to the melodious sounds emanating from the city’s most popular sight: the Sea Organ (Morske Orgulje). This massive underwater instrument, designed by architect Nikola Bašić, plays musical notes generated by the sea. The constantly shifting waves never play the same tune twice.

A magnificent structure in the heart of the city, the Krakow Town Hall Tower is located on the capital’s Main Market Square. Dating back to the 14th century, this Gothic-style masterpiece rises above the Old Town and lets you climb up to a small observation area. It’s also home to an exhibition space, a theater, and a cafe.

Take a break from urban Amsterdam in Vondelpark—an English-style green space in the heart of the city. Opened in 1865, the 116-acre (47-hectare) park boasts an open-air theater, a rose garden, and a statue of the Dutch poet, Vondel, plus the title of the capital’s largest city park. Several cafés, restaurants, and museums ensure Vondelpark is a year-round attraction.

Built into the limestone bluffs outside of Split, the imposing Klis Fortress (Tvrdava Klis) was once an important defensive stronghold between the Mediterranean and the Balkans. It housed the seat of many Croatian kings, though nowadays it’s better known as the film location for the fictional city of Meereen in the series Game of Thrones.

With its network of cable cars and cogwheel railways traversing the snow-clad slopes of the mighty Mount Pilatus, Pilatus Railways (Pilatus Bahnen) provides the link between the lakeside resort of Lucerne and the 7,000-foot (2,133-meter) summit.

Commanding the views over the Lauterbrunnen Valley is the Jungfrau, part of the mighty Swiss mountain trio that includes the nearby Eiger and Mönch. As a visitor, you can’t actually visit the Jungfrau peak. Instead, you visit Jungfraujoch, a saddle of the mountain range that connects Jungfrau to the Mönch and is marketed as the Top of Europe. An ice palace, glacier viewing platform, and terrace are among its attractions.

A public square situated in the center of Málaga, Plaza de la Merced has been a functional part of the city since the Roman Empire. It is best known as being one of the largest plazas in Málaga as well as being located steps away from famed artist Pablo Picasso’s childhood home.

Standing proudly on Rome’s Sacra Via, next to the Roman Forum, the towering Arch of Titus (Arco di Tito) is an impressive monument built by Emperor Domitian in the first century AD to commemorate the Roman general (later Emperor) Titus’ capture of Jerusalem from the Jews. Though often overlooked by visitors exploring Rome’s Colosseum and Pantheon, the triumphal arch provides a fascinating window into Rome’s imperial past and its architectural legacy.

Occupying a sweeping space close to the summit of the city, historic Toledo’s main square, Zocodover Square (Plaza de Zocodover), is actually a triangle. The Arco de la Sangre, a towering horseshoe arch, was once a gateway within the old city walls: today, it’s framed by grandiose government buildings.

Anzac Cove (Anzak Koyu), a slender strip of beach on Turkey’s Gallipoli Peninsula, holds a huge amount of importance, particularly for Australians and New Zealanders. During the 11-month Gallipoli Campaign in World War I, Anzac Cove was the primary landing spot for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). Many soldiers lost their lives in battles here, and today it’s a place of pilgrimage in their honor.

The cultural center of Glasgow, George Square dates back to 1781. It was named after King George III and today is surrounded by grand buildings including the Glasgow City Chambers. See statues of great Scots, visit the city’s main tourist information office, and go shopping at the annual Christmas market all in this one central square.

The ancient metropolis of Miletus dates back to 1,400 BC, and was once a thriving port city known for its wealth and strategic position. A shifting river eventually led to the city's abandonment, but not before it was destroyed in 499 BC and rebuilt on a grid plan that inspired Roman cities.

Prejmer Church (Cetatea Prejmer) is the largest fortified church in southeastern Europe and among the oldest recorded in Transylvania. Begun by Teutonic Knights in 1211, the settlement withstood 500 years of attack, and, thanks to its strong defences, secret passages, and progressive weaponry, it only fell once in all that time.

The captivating former Greek and Roman city of Syracuse wasn’t actually founded on Sicily, but on a tiny island just offshore called Ortygia. Connected by two bridges to the mainland and modern expanse of the city, Ortygia is where you’ll find Old Town highlights such as the Duomo, Temple of Apollo, and Fountain of Arethusa.

St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery was commissioned by Prince Sviatopolk in 1108 to house the relics of St Barbara; it was Byzantine in style and survived centuries of political turmoil in Ukraine, expanding and acquiring a lovely Baroque façade before being razed by the USSR under Stalin in 1936. In 2000, almost a decade after independence from Russia, it was spectacularly brought back to life with a painstaking reconstruction of its intricate sky-blue and white plasterwork façade topped with seven glittering gold domes, along with the refectory and bell tower. Named after the patron saint of Kiev, St Michael’s lost many of its treasured mosaics and frescoes to Moscow but most of these were returned after fraught political wrangling in 2004. A community of monks returned to the monastery and today it is thriving once more. Entrance to the monastery is through the exotic 18th-century bell tower, which houses a small museum relating the demise and reincarnation of the building; views from the top of the tower take in the River Dnieper and the rooftops of Kiev’s old heart. The church interior gleams with Baroque icons, its wall again smothered with original frescoes and mosaics. A monument to the ten million Ukrainians who starved to death in the Soviet-induced famine of 1932–33 stands by the exit to the grounds.

Much like London’s Picadilly Circus, Leiden Square is one of Amsterdam’s most vibrant entertainment and shopping districts, famous for its packed pubs, brand-name retailers, and international restaurants. It’s also the hub for multiple tram lines. Visitors will find plenty to keep them busy in Leiden Square; whether you’re looking to shop, eat, party, or just passing through, it’s hard to resist the square’s energy.

Adolf Hitler's Nazi government opened the Dachau Concentration Camp in 1933. Today, the remains are a memorial to more than 40,000 people who were killed here, as well as the 200,000-plus who were imprisoned here. The Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site has been a place of memory and education since 1965, 20 years after American troops liberated Dachau.

One of a clutch of historic villas that ring Lake Como, the 19th-century Villa Melzi d’Eril is surrounded by lush greenery, the Villa Melzi Gardens (Giardini di Villa Melzi). While the villa is closed to the public, the botanical gardens offer walking paths directly along the lakeshore that make for a peaceful respite from the crowds of Bellagio.

Built to house the wreckage of the ambitious but ill-fated Vasa warship, which sank on its maiden voyage in 1628, Stockholm’s Vasa Museum (Vasamuseet) now draws over one million annual visitors—unsurprisingly as it’s the best-preserved 17th-century ship in the world. Like its sister museum, Vrak – Museum of Wrecks, the museum is located on Stockholm’s island of Djurgården.

When Londoners say “King’s Cross,” they could mean the neighborhood or the station. But if they’re in the neighborhood, it’s likely they’re there for the station. Most visitors come to catch a train up north or even abroad, taking a Eurostar service from neighboring St. Pancras station to Paris, Brussels, or Amsterdam. After a huge regeneration project, the neighborhood is now a nice place to kill time, with restaurants, fountains, and pop-up attractions.

Furnas Lake is a special place to visit: created after a volcanic eruption, is has bubbling mud pools, other-wordly hot springs, and underground cooking holes where local chefs gather to dig up their cozido stews. The best way to explore the area's scenery is to take the circular trail around the lake.

Thanks to its spectacular setting among a series of islands and skerries laced with waterways and scalloped inlets, Tromso is the epicenter of day trips out into the fjords bordering the Norwegian Sea. These long, narrow sea inlets are characterized by steep, mountainous slopes carved by glaciers during the last Ice Age. Here, you can take a wildlife cruise, kayak, visit local islands, or simply marvel at the wild scene from shore.

High in the Dinara Alps in Montenegro, encompassing Mount Lovćen and its surroundings, Lovćen National Park is known for its beautiful views and its diverse flora and fauna. It's also the site of the mausoleum of Petar II Petrović Njegoš, a poet and philosopher who once served as Montenegro's ruling Prince-Bishop.

Built in the early 18th century, Blenheim Palace is one of Britain’s grandest historical estates and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The English nation gave the site to the Duke of Marlborough, General John Churchill, to thank him for his role in defeating a French and Bavarian army at the 1704 Battle of Blenheim. Britain’s famed wartime leader, Sir Winston Churchill, was born here in 1874.