Europe attractions

Conwy’s Albion Ale House is a traditional 1920s pub specializing in locally produced beer. It also offers a wine list, spirits, bar bites, and pub games. You’ll still find the bell pushes along the chair rail, once used to summon bartenders. Visitors can sit in the lounge by the baronial-style fireplace, relax in the snug, or saddle up to the bar with a pint.

Home to Scotland’s 10th-highest peak, 3,984-foot (1,214-meter) Ben Lawers, and other mountains, the Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve offers hikes from family-friendly 1-mile (1.5-kilometer) strolls to the challenging Tarmachan Ridge trek. Rare alpine and arctic flowers bloom, cattle and deer graze, and views can be spectacular.

Learn about the history of Denmark’s rural North Zealand at the Museum of Flynderupgard (Flynderupgard Museet), which charts the lives of the island’s farmers and fishers through the centuries. Set in a 19th-century country manor south of Elsinore (Helsingør), the museum features themed exhibits and a period working farm.

Grand arches and balconies are among the visual treats at the Granzig Hunting Lodge, but it’s the spiral iron staircase and tower lookout point that offer the real thrills. Visitors come to hike through the surrounding forest, soak up sweeping Rugen Island views, and discover the lodge’s history—from tales of Prussian princes to Nazi looting—in the museum.

One of Ascoli Piceno’s most important architectural and sacred sites, the Tempietto di Sant’Emidio alle Grotte wows with its ornate Baroque facade fronting a chapel set directly inside a natural cave. Constructed to mark the site where the martyred Saint Emidio—patron saint of Ascoli Piceno—was once buried, today this 18th-century sanctuary is a popular destination for both architecture buffs and religious pilgrims.

Bourg—also known as Bourg-sur-Gironde—is considered one of the most scenic historic villages in southwestern France’s Gironde department. Poised on a rocky promontory overlooking the confluence of the Dordogne and Garonne rivers, the village was founded by the Romans in the 2nd century, and is also celebrated for its wine.

Sitting on a spit of land that stretches into the Danube River, the Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum houses an array of contemporary and modern art. Located outside Bratislava, the impressive building is designed to look like a Roman galley that almost floats above the water’s surface. Colorful and striking sculptures are scattered throughout its grounds.

This park (which is sometimes also translated as the Polish Airmen Park or the Polish Aviators Park) is an airy green space in east-central Krakow. The tree-lined area features a monument to Poland’s heroic World War II pilots, a children’s playground, and the Stanisław Lem Science Garden, which boasts interactive science models.

Formerly known as Kunstforeningen, GL Strand is a contemporary exhibition space that showcases the best of established and upcoming Danish and international art. It’s housed in a townhouse from 1750 but has undergone plenty of redesigns to transform it into an ideal exhibition space.

Cupped into a bay on Samos’ northeastern coast, Livadaki Beach combines a tucked-away location with plenty of amenities, making it perfect for escaping the main resort beaches without cutting yourself off from the world. Hit a sun lounger on the sands, bathe in the shallows, and enjoy the fun vibe and food at the popular beach bar.

Sturdy 15th-century walls designed to withstand Ottoman sieges encircle this 13th-century church. Inside the fortifications, a 184-foot (56-meter bell tower looms over the main church, where a Baroque-style altar and centuries-old benches—the backless ones in the middle for women and those at the outer edges for men—can be seen.

In many cities, there's an establishment so widely loved that it becomes intertwined with urban culture. Madrid's Sobrino de Botín is one such place. This restaurant's name is synonymous with Spanish cuisine, which isn't surprising, since the kitchen has been serving culinary gems since 1725. The traditional dishes here are spectacular.

One of the oldest zoos in France, Zoo de la Flèche today has a modern vibe with a well-laid out park—plus sizable enclosures with 1,500 animals from five continents. Besides its commitment to conservation and animal welfare, the zoo is also famous for its luxury overnight lodges, which look out over lions and polar bears.

Alesund’s Storhaugen—“Big hill” in Norwegian—is a little-known town park with a fabulous view over the city and across the fjord. Not far from Alesund Church, this small park makes for a nice evening stroll—or first stop on your Alesund trip to get your bearings. Those who wander here will find plenty of benches, well-maintained paths, and views that rarely disappoint.

The massive Ilulissat Icefjord on the west coast of Greenland is among the northernmost UNESCO World Heritage sites. The fjord is formed by an immense collection of icebergs that have calved from Jakobshavn Glacier (Sermeq Kujalleq in Greenlandic), one of the fastest-moving and most active glaciers in the world. The glacier is said to produce 10 percent of icebergs in Greenland.

Dominating Rothenburg's bustling Market Square, St. George’s Fountain is a Renaissance masterpiece. Built in 1608, the fountain offers grandeur and symbolism with its bronze statue of St. George defeating the dragon—and draws worldwide visitors. As Rothenburg's largest fountain, it's a great photo opportunity, and there’s a replica of it at EPCOT at the Walt Disney® World Resort in Orlando.

One of only two surviving gates in the historic Old Town of Alcúdia, Porta del Moll is a striking sight with its crenelated towers and the distinctive palm trees that sit before it. It serves as the poster child for this town in northern Mallorca, hailed as one of the island’s most beautiful places.

For the ultimate Turkish bath experience, head to the 16th-century Hurrem Sultan Hamami in Istanbul’s historic center. Designed by iconic Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan, this perfectly preserved bathhouse enables you to enjoy a variety of centuries-old rejuvenation traditions in one of Istanbul’s most historic buildings.

Alloa Tower, in the Clackmannanshire town of Alloa, is one of Scotland’s oldest and biggest medieval tower houses. An ancestral home of the Erskine family and Earls of Mar—the building dates back around 700 years. Visitors come to see opulent interiors, historical artifacts, artwork, and well-preserved architecture.

Lining the scenic Bastione di Capo Marchiafava, the Chiesa dell’Itria (officially the Chiesa di Santa Maria dell'Odigitria e San Giovanni Evangelista) is a modest church laden with history. Visit its unique interior, formed by joining two neighboring 16th-century churches via an internal arch in the mid-20th century, before continuing on to the panoramic overlook just beyond.

Housed in a revamped 19th-century warehouse that once played an important role in Marseille’s bustling port, Les Docks Village brings together the city’s maritime past and its dynamic present. Designed to resemble a Mediterranean agora, with its airy courtyards and shopping arcades, this vibrant creative and retail center is home to a range of boutiques, restaurants, and pop-ups.

The Church of St. Severin is one of the most famous landmarks on the island of Sylt. Dating back to the 13th century, this Lutheran parish church displays Romanesque and Gothic architectural features such as a baptismal font that dates back 1,000 years and a 15th-century altar. Along with coming here for worship, visitors flock for the regular organ concerts.

Birmingham’s West Midlands Police Museum provides an educational and entertaining insight into local policing history through interactive exhibits. Dress up in police uniforms, enter a forensics lab, and see what life was like for inmates in the Victorian-era cell block, operational until 2016. Fans of Peaky Blinders will especially enjoy seeing where the characters may have ended up.

The former base of the Panacea Society, a 20th-century religious community, the Panacea Museum offers a glimpse into this remarkable—and almost exclusively female—society. Spread between two homes, the museum highlights the life of the society’s founder Mabel Barltrop in one building, and examines the community’s beliefs in the other.

Little, low-key, and lovely, the Alatsee is a gem of a Bavarian lake that offers a tranquil respite for locals and castle-weary sightseers from nearby Füssen. You can walk around it on a leisurely half-hour stroll, stop for a summer cool-down dip near the shore, and take a twirl on one of the rope swings.

Follow the stories of Cheshire’s soldiers from Roman times to the current day at the Cheshire Military Museum. The exhibits offer a walk through time, showcasing the different conflicts around the world that have involved the Cheshire regiment. Must-see displays include a medal collection and a replica World War I trench with a periscope for a peek at “no man’s land.”

One of London’s most popular seasonal events, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland has delighted the capital’s residents and visitors since 2007. The biggest festival of its kind in the city, Winter Wonderland comprises a huge range of attractions, including an open-air ice rink, a soaring ferris wheel, ice bars, carnival games, Christmas markets, Santa meet-and-greets, and more.

Spread out across 57 acres in Belgium near the border with Germany, the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial is the final resting place of 7,987 service people who perished while fighting on behalf of the Allies. Along with thousands of graves, there's a memorial bearing the names of 450 soldiers who went missing during the war.

The Józef Czapski Pavilion (Pawilon Józefa Czapskiego) commemorates the life of the Polish painter, writer, and intellectual who witnessed and recorded many of the most significant moments of 20th-century Polish history. The small pavilion contains examples of the artist’s work and offers an engaging look at his life.

Roughly translated as “shapely mountain,” Moel Siabod offers some of the finest views in Snowdonia (Eryri) National Park. The mountain is lesser-known than its Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) neighbor—and this is no bad thing—meaning it entices walkers instead with solitude and sweeping views over the surrounding Moelwynion massif peaks.