Transylvania
Commonly paired with Bran Castle on day trips from Braşov, Râşnov Fortress might just be the more enchanting of the two. The medieval citadel, built by…
Must-see attractions in Europe
Brussels
The archers' guildhall features a golden phoenix rising from the ashes, which signifies the rebirth of the Grand Place after its bombardment by the French…
Slovakia
Gazing at fairy-tale Bojnice Castle stirs fantasies of knights and maidens in even the world-weariest travellers. Blushing sandstone towers and…
Zürich
This hands-on university museum reveals the treasures of the earth, explaining what makes volcanoes erupt, where gems come from and what fossils tell us…
Santuario di Santa Maria della Vita
Bologna
In the heart of the Quadrilatero, this 17th-century shrine is one of Bologna's most beautiful and important, not only for its 13th-century foundation by…
Benedictine Monastery of Holy Cross
Małopolska
This hilltop monastery got its name from the segment of Jesus’ cross that was supposedly kept here. The abbey is at the top of Łysa Góra (595m). It has a…
Basilica dei SS Quattro Coronati
San Giovanni & Testaccio
This brooding fortified church harbours some lovely 13th-century frescoes and a delightful hidden cloister, accessible from the left-hand aisle. The…
Bergen & the Southwestern Fjords
This 13th-century stave church's wooden cross, according to local legend, sweats every midsummer's eve; the sweat is said to have healing powers. The…
Brussels
The lovely butchers' guildhall, featuring a carved swan above the door, hosted Karl Marx in 1847. Ironically, it’s now home to the Grand Place's finest…
Mazovia & Podlasie
The stunning, late-17th-century Nieborów Palace is a classic example of baroque architecture. It was designed by Tylman van Gameren for Cardinal…
Modica
The high point of a trip to Modica – quite literally as it's up in Modica Alta – is the Duomo di San Giorgio, one of Sicily's most extraordinary baroque…
Modena
Construction began in 1634 on this massive palace, a baroque masterpiece that absolutely dominates the northeast end of Modena's historic centre. Today,…
Bavarian Alps
Located in the village of Wies, just off the B17 between Füssen and Schongau, the Wieskirche is one of Bavaria's best-known baroque churches and a Unesco…
Western Estonia & the Islands
Haapsalu’s crumbling heart is its bishop’s castle, which was western Estonia’s centre of command from the 13th to the 16th centuries but now stands in…
Spain
The Royal Palace started as one of Felipe II’s modest summer palaces but took on a life of its own as a succession of royals, inspired by the palace at…
Palma de Mallorca
One of Palma’s oldest churches, the Franciscan Basílica de Sant Francesc was begun in 1281 in Gothic style, while the baroque facade, with its carved…
Keswick
Set on a hilltop a mile east of town, this jaw-dropping stone circle consists of 48 stones that are between 3000 and 4000 years old, surrounded by a…
Bergen
KODE 3 is all about Edvard Munch: overall, the collection here is arguably even better than Oslo's Munch Museum. The rooms are fabulously intimate:…
Budapest
The top of Basilica of St Stephen dome offers some of the best views in Budapest. It can be reached via a lift and 42 steps (or 302 steps if you want to…
Madrid
The area that unfurls down the hill east of Plaza de Santa Ana is referred to as the Barrio de las Letras because of the writers who lived here during…
Eastern Slovenia
The journey to the top of Velika Planina unfolds in two stages: first a dramatic cable-car ride, and then a choice of either a 15-minute chairlift or…
Budapest
This vantage point lookout to the northwest of the Citadella along Citadella sétány offers one of the best panoramic views of Budapest, the Danube and its…
Bulgaria
The concrete UFO looming over Shipka Pass is central Bulgaria's most peculiar sight. This former assembly hall slid into disrepair after the fall of…
Málaga Province
Twenty kilometres southwest of Ronda la Vieja are some of Andalucía’s most ancient and fascinating caves. Torchlit guided tours into the dark belly of the…
Bodø
At Kjerringøy, some 40km north of Bodø, the entrepreneurial Zahl family established an important trading station in the 19th century. The trading post…
Latin Quarter
The National Museum of the Middle Ages is undergoing renovations through at least mid-2021. It will close completely for a minimum six months starting in…
Brussels
The city's striking modern library is a beautifully designed space, containing a small museum about books and printing, and a top-floor cafeteria.
Saxony
An impossibly romantic vision in yellow and white surrounded by an enormous moat-like lake and a park that is at turns wild and formal, baroque Schloss…
Salerno & the Cilento
A giant among monasteries, even by Italian standards, the Certosa di San Lorenzo dates from 1306 and covers 250,000 sq metres. Numerologists can get a…
Munich
The Neue Pinakothek harbours a well-respected collection of 19th- and early-20th-century paintings and sculpture, from rococo to Jugendstil (art nouveau)…
Kraków
The State Rooms constitute the largest and most impressive exhibition in the castle; the entrance is in the southeastern corner of the courtyard, from…
Bilbao
One of Spain's best museums devoted to Basque culture takes visitors on a journey from Palaeolithic days to the 21st century, giving an overview of life…
Eastern Slovenia
This glacial valley, hidden between the grandiose peaks of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, is a paradise for nature fans and those seeking out hiking and biking…
Oxford & the Cotswolds
A remarkable French Renaissance chateau-style fairy-tale palace, Waddesdon Manor was completed in 1889 for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, who wanted to…
Centro Storico
The plain white facade of this early Renaissance church, built in the 15th century and renovated in the late 1700s, gives no indication of the impressive…
Mosteiro de São Vicente de Fora
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
Graça’s Mosteiro de São Vicente de Fora was founded in 1147 and revamped by Italian architect Felipe Terzi in the late 16th century. Since the adjacent…
Abbaye de St-Savin sur Gartempe
Atlantic Coast
Nicknamed the 'Romanesque Sistine Chapel', this Romanesque abbey-church – a Unesco World Heritage Site – showcases extraordinarily fine frescoes from the…
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
From bougainvillea-clad Miradouro de Santa Luzia, your gaze drifts over a mosaic of rooftops and spires to the river below.
Madrid
Of all the grand roundabouts that punctuate the Paseo del Prado, Plaza de la Cibeles most evokes the splendour of imperial Madrid. The jewel in the crown…
Zagreb
This very short, and steep, funicular railway line, constructed in 1888, connects the Lower and Upper Towns of Zagreb.
