Europe

Classic landmarkParis, France

Eiffel Tower

The 'Iron Lady' on the Seine, Paris's irreplaceable city totem

Classic landmarkAthens, Greece

The Acropolis of Athens

Sunrise over the Parthenon, where Western civilisation caught its first light

Classic landmarkAegean Sea, Greece

Santorini

Blue-domed churches and white cave houses: the ultimate Aegean romance on a cliff

Classic landmarkZaandam, Netherlands

Zaanse Schans

Turning windmills three centuries old: an open-air museum of the Dutch Golden Age

Classic landmarkLisse, Netherlands

Keukenhof

A spring of 7 million bulbs: the 'Garden of Europe' in its once-a-year bloom

Classic landmarkInterlaken, Switzerland

Jungfrau

The 'Top of Europe' at 3,454 m: a fairy-tale world of ice palace and snowfields

Classic landmarkVienna, Austria

Schönbrunn Palace

The Habsburgs' summer palace: an imperial dream of 1,441 rooms

Classic landmarkSalzkammergut, Austria

Hallstatt

A lakeside salt-mining village, the postcard model for 'the world's most beautiful village'

Classic landmarkLisbon, Portugal

Belém Tower

A Manueline jewel at the mouth of the Tagus, watchman of the Age of Discovery

Classic landmarkSintra, Portugal

Cabo da Roca

'Where the land ends and the sea begins': the westernmost point of mainland Europe

Classic landmarkMøre og Romsdal, Norway

Geirangerfjord

A World Heritage fjord, the soul of Norway where the 'Seven Sisters' falls cascade

Classic landmarkParis, France

Louvre

A medieval palace turned into the world's largest temple of art, where 'the Mona Lisa's smile' awaits you

Classic landmarkStockholm, Sweden

Vasa Museum

A warship that sank in 1628 sees daylight again: a time capsule of Sweden's age of empire

Classic landmarkRome, Italy

Colosseum

The heart of the empire, where gladiators' cries still seem to echo among the arches

Classic landmarkVatican City, Rome

St Peter's Basilica

The centre of the Catholic world: a monument of faith beneath Michelangelo's dome

Classic landmarkBarcelona, Spain

Sagrada Família

Gaudí's lifelong 'Bible in stone', a church that is still growing

Classic landmarkLondon, UK

Tower Bridge

A Victorian gentleman in blue on the Thames, the afterglow of empire in every opening

Classic landmarkLondon, UK

Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster

The Gothic Houses of Parliament on the Thames, keeper of the world's 'standard time'

Classic landmarkBavaria, Germany

Neuschwanstein Castle

The dream castle of the 'Fairy-Tale King' Ludwig II, inspiration for the Disney castle

Classic landmarkBerlin, Germany

Brandenburg Gate

From division to unity: the 'triumphal arch' of modern German history

FoodVienna, Austria

Sachertorte

Vienna's most famous chocolate cake, over which two old houses fought legal battles for decades.

FoodLisbon (Belém), Portugal

Pastel de nata (pastel de Belém)

Invented by the monks of the Jerónimos Monastery; the recipe is still locked in a secret room.

FoodLondon, UK

Fish and chips

Jewish immigrants in London's East End opened the first shops in the 1860s, once wrapping it in old newspaper.

FoodValencia, Spain

Paella valenciana

Named after its pan; Valencians say only the version with rabbit and chicken is the real thing.

FoodNaples, Italy

Neapolitan pizza

The original soft, thin pizza with a puffy rim — though the Margherita story may have been made up later.

FoodParis, France

Baguette

A long loaf whose recipe is set by law, added to UNESCO's intangible heritage list in 2022.

Classic landmarkAmsterdam, Netherlands (Prinsengracht 263)

Anne Frank House

The secret annexe behind a bookcase where Anne Frank's family hid for two years and she wrote her diary.

Classic landmarkAmsterdam, Netherlands (Museumplein)

Rijksmuseum

Treasure house of the Dutch Golden Age: Rembrandt's Night Watch and masterpieces by Vermeer and Hals are all here.

Classic landmarkAmsterdam (old city), Netherlands

Amsterdam canal ring

Concentric half-rings of canals planned in the 17th-century Golden Age: the Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht, lined with gabled hous…

Classic landmarkAthens (south slope of the Acropolis), Greece

Acropolis Museum

Ancient ruins beneath glass floors, and a glass gallery on the top floor facing the Parthenon.

Classic landmarkLisbon (Belém), Portugal

Jerónimos Monastery

A Manueline masterpiece built with the riches of the spice trade, where Vasco da Gama is buried.

Classic landmarkVenice, Italy (Piazzetta San Marco)

Doge's Palace

The seat of power of the Venetian Republic: the doge's residence, council chambers, courts and prisons were all in this Gothic palace.

Classic landmarkVenice (St Mark's Square), Italy

St Mark's Basilica

The Venetian Republic's 'state chapel': golden mosaic domes and four bronze horses brought back from Constantinople.

Classic landmarkMunich, Germany (Neuhausen-Nymphenburg)

Nymphenburg Palace

The Wittelsbachs' summer palace: its façade is wider than Versailles', and it was the birthplace of Ludwig II, the 'Fairy-Tale King'.

Classic landmarkMunich (old town centre), Germany

Marienplatz and the New Town Hall

Munich's central square since 1158: the Glockenspiel in the New Town Hall tower re-enacts a 16th-century wedding and the coopers' dance.

CaféVienna, Austria (Café Central and other old cafés)

Viennese coffee houses

One coffee buys you an afternoon: marble tables, Thonet chairs, newspaper racks and a glass of water served with your coffee.

Classic landmarkVienna (Stephansplatz), Austria

St Stephen's Cathedral

A Viennese landmark with a coloured tiled roof, witness to many great events in Habsburg and Austrian history.

Classic landmarkLondon (north bank of the Thames), UK

Tower of London

William the Conqueror's White Tower: royal palace, prison, armoury and Crown Jewels, all in one castle.

Classic landmarkBarcelona, Spain (Gràcia)

Park Güell

Gaudí's naturalist work: a mosaic lizard, a serpentine bench and a hillside view over the whole city.

Classic landmarkRome (Piazza della Rotonda), Italy

Pantheon

A concrete dome almost two thousand years old, still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world, with sunlight pouring in through the o…

Classic landmarkParis (Île de la Cité), France

Notre-Dame de Paris

The epitome of French Gothic: flying buttresses, rose windows and a nave reopened after the fire of 2019.

CaféItaly (nationwide) (Rome)

Italian coffee bars

An espresso knocked back standing at the bar is how Italians start the day.

Christmas marketNuremberg (Hauptmarkt), Germany

Nuremberg Christmas Market

November 27 – December 24, 2026

One of Germany's most famous Christmas markets: wooden huts on the old-town square, finger-length grilled sausages and the scent of gingerbread.

Folk festivalMunich (Theresienwiese), Germany

Munich Oktoberfest

September 18 – October 3, 2027

The world's largest folk festival: giant beer tents on the Theresienwiese, Bavarian brass bands and a cry of 'O'zapft is!'

CarnivalVenice, Italy

Carnival of Venice

January 23 – February 9, 2027

Put on a mask and a cloak, and step into the old Venetian Republic in St Mark's Square.