Browsing: Europe

Somewhere between Iceland and Scotland, the Faroe Islands rise from the North Atlantic. Of the eighteen islands that make up this Danish autonomous territory, Vágar is the one most travelers encounter first, its airport the sole entry point for everyone arriving by air. Vágar happens to be among the most scenically dramatic islands in the archipelago, and its most famous attraction, a vast freshwater lake that appears to hover in mid-air above the ocean, is …

Stonehenge is perhaps the most instantly recognizable prehistoric structure on Earth. Its massive standing stones, arranged in concentric rings and crowned with horizontal lintels, have drawn pilgrims, scholars, romantics, and tourists for millennia. Yet despite centuries of inquiry, Stonehenge continues to resist complete understanding, a monument defined as much by what we do not know about it as by what we do.

The construction of Stonehenge was not a single event but a long process …

Sweden’s second city opens onto 2,000 islands, most of them car-free, all of them within reach of a tram ticket. On Sweden’s west coast, the city of Gothenburg gives way to water. Trams run to their final stops. Industrial docks thin into marinas. Then granite replaces asphalt.

Beyond the harbor lies an archipelago scattered along the Bohuslän coastline, more than 2,000 islands, islets, and skerries, many only minutes from the mainland. Unlike much of Europe’s …

Belfast had never been on my agenda, but it was the lure of the award-winning museum, Titanic Belfast, which initially captured my attention. I’m so glad it did, or I would never have discovered what a captivating city Belfast is. When I subsequently found out that it’s possible to take an easy day trip from the city to the natural wonder of the Giant’s Causeway, it clinched the deal.

Often overlooked by visitors who flock …

Budapest is one of the largest and most well-known cities on the Danube River in Hungary. It’s a town of many faces as it’s actually divided between “Buda” and “Pest.” You could easily fill a week in this city, but if you’re short on time, make sure you hit the highlights. You’ll quickly find out how this city played a big part in World War II and has come to be known as the “Jewel …

Wrapped by the sea on three sides and claiming three millennia of continuous habitation, Cádiz stands as Western Europe’s oldest city—yet it remains one of Spain’s most underappreciated destinations. While masses descend upon Barcelona and Seville, this Andalusian port city maintains an authenticity that has become increasingly rare along heavily touristed Mediterranean coasts. Here, the Atlantic crashes against Phoenician foundations, baroque churches rise above faded colonial facades, and the smell of fried fish drifts through …

Situated in Norway, 217 miles above the Arctic Circle, the charming city of Tromso is the gateway to a captivating land of mountains, fjords, and legends. Whether you visit to observe the breathtaking phenomenon of the northern lights, spot magnificent killer whales in the fjords or hang out with huskies, Tromso immediately captures the heart.

I visited during the polar night – the period of time between late November and mid-January when the sun doesn’t …

The Dolomites are no doubt one of Europe’s most dramatic mountain landscapes. Beyond their UNESCO-recognized geological splendor, however, lies an equally fascinating cultural story—one in which Austrian Gemütlichkeit (snugness) meets Italian dolce vita, and an ancient Romance language you may never have known about persists in five high valleys.

The Dolomites sprawl across five provinces—Bolzano, Trento, Belluno, Udine, and Pordenone—covering approximately 350,000 acres of vertical walls, narrow valleys, and jagged peaks that reach above …

How would you “measure” a city many believe to be the world’s smallest? Population? Surface area? While the metrics for the distinction are open to debate, the fact is that sitting quietly in the hills of Croatia’s Istrian Peninsula is the village of Hum, widely regarded as the smallest town in the world. With a population that rarely exceeds two dozen residents, Hum is less a bustling destination and more a living artifact that rewards …

In a country packed with Alpine delights, four languages, and the world’s topmost producers of watches, sights are of an epic scale, but distances between them are short. Thus, against a backdrop of immense forested mountains, lush meadows, azure lakes, and cobalt-blue skies, I travelled across just a small part of the immaculate alpine passes and ravines and saw Switzerland as it’s meant to be seen – from the road driving a Porsche 911 Carrera …

Let’s get a few things straight. First off, Oxford University is not in London. Oxford is in Oxford, approximately 60 miles northwest of the United Kingdom’s capital city. Secondly, there is no “campus”; the University is comprised of over three dozen colleges and private halls which are spread across the aptly named “city of dreaming spires.” Finally, the University was conceived as an institution of higher learning—one of the world’s most prestigious, in fact—and …

Upon arriving in Lyon, France’s third-largest city and textile capital, it took me all of twenty minutes to figure out how French women maintain their slim figures.

They walk everywhere. And in a city like Lyon, where the topography rivals that of San Francisco, there’s nothing even remotely simple about a “simple stroll” through the boutiques of the Côte de Grande.

Fortunately, the city boasts a surprising number of alternatives—nine to be exact—thus proving that …

Istria lies on the Adriatic Sea in Croatia. This region has actually belonged to a handful of other countries, including Italy and Yugoslavia, and has withstood the perils of war. The one thing that has never changed is the breathtaking views from Istria’s seaside cities. Those towns have now been modernized, but have retained their European charm and individual personalities.

Pula
If you thought all the Imperial Roman artifacts were in Rome, you’re wrong. From …