Best Highlights Destinations in Europe

120 city guides · 3-day highlights itineraries

3-day city guides covering the essential highlights every visitor should experience.

Europe
🇳🇱 Netherlands

Amsterdam

Rembrandt's Night Watch, Anne Frank's annex, jenever from a tulip glass and a canal at golden hour…

Europe
🇦🇩 Andorra

Andorra La Vella

Europe's highest capital (1,023m) and its most unusual sovereign state: co-ruled by the French Presi…

Europe
🇹🇷 Turkey

Ankara

Turkey's underrated capital: the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations (the world's finest Hittite colle…

Europe
🇹🇷 Turkey

Antalya

The Turkish Riviera capital with 5,000 years of history: Hadrian's triumphal arch (130 CE, the most …

Europe
🇧🇪 Belgium

Antwerp

The city that ran 16th-century global trade: four Rubens altarpieces in the Cathedral, 80% of the wo…

Europe
🇬🇷 Greece

Athens

The Parthenon at 8am, the Acropolis Museum's missing Elgin Marbles gap and souvlaki with French frie…

Europe
🇫🇷 France

Avignon

The medieval capital of Christendom: the largest Gothic building in the world (the Palais des Papes,…

Europe
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

Baku

Azerbaijan's fire city on the Caspian — Zaha Hadid, medieval oil barons, and the world's mud volcano…

Europe
🇪🇸 Spain

Barcelona

The world's greatest unfinished church, Gaudí's mosaic dragon park, pintxos in Gothic lanes and pael…

Europe
🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Bath

England's only entirely UNESCO-listed city: the Roman Baths (70 CE, 1.17 million litres/day of 45°C …

Europe
🇬🇪 Georgia

Batumi

Ali & Nino statue, Adjaran khachapuri, Botanical Garden and Black Sea sunsets…

Europe
🇬🇧 Northern Ireland

Belfast

From the most dangerous city in Western Europe during the Troubles (1969–1998: 3,500 dead, 99 concre…

Europe
🇷🇸 Serbia

Belgrade

The "White City" destroyed and rebuilt by the Celts, Romans, Ottomans, Habsburgs, Luftwaffe (1941) a…

Europe
🇳🇴 Norway

Bergen

Gateway to the Fjords: the UNESCO Hanseatic Bryggen wharf, the Norway in a Nutshell fjord circuit (N…

Europe
🇩🇪 Germany

Berlin

The Wall, Pergamon Museum, Reichstag dome and the world's best nightlife…

Europe
🇨🇭 Switzerland

Bern

The UNESCO-arcaded Swiss capital where Einstein wrote E=mc²: 6km of covered medieval walkways, a gla…

Europe
🇪🇸 Spain

Bilbao

The "Bilbao Effect": how Frank Gehry's titanium museum transformed a flooded steel city into a world…

Europe
🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Birmingham

The city that industrialized the world (James Watt's steam engine, commercialized at Matthew Boulton…

Europe
🇸🇮 Slovenia

Bled

The most photographed lake in Europe (the Pletna boat to the island church with its wishing bell, th…

Europe
🇮🇹 Italy

Bologna

"La Grassa, La Dotta, La Rossa": the real Bolognese ragù (tagliatelle, not spaghetti), tortellini mo…

Europe
🇫🇷 France

Bourges

The UNESCO Cathédrale Saint-Étienne (the only five-aisled Gothic cathedral in France after Notre-Dam…

Europe
🇸🇰 Slovakia

Bratislava

The only capital in the world that borders two other countries (Austria (10km) and Hungary (30km)). …

Europe
🇩🇪 Germany

Bremen

The UNESCO Rathaus and Roland (the most important Hanseatic civic monument in Germany: the Roland St…

Europe
🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Bristol

Banksy's hometown (the most internationally recognized anonymous street artist in the world: the "Mi…

Europe
🇨🇿 Czech Republic

Brno

Czech Moravia's capital — Mies van der Rohe, mummies, medieval prisons, and Moravian wine…

Europe
🇧🇪 Belgium

Brussels

The birthplace of Art Nouveau, the world's most complex chocolate, 3,000 beers at Delirium and the G…

Europe
🇷🇴 Romania

Bucharest

The city of violent contrasts: Belle Époque "Little Paris" boulevards beside Ceaușescu's 1,100-room …

Europe
🇭🇺 Hungary

Budapest

The city divided by the Danube: Buda (the thermal springs, the royal castle, the Fisherman's Bastion…

Europe
🇹🇷 Turkey

Bursa

The first Ottoman capital (1326–1365): the Green Mosque (1419 — the finest early Ottoman architectur…

Europe
🇬🇧 England

Cambridge

King's College Chapel (the finest Perpendicular Gothic building in existence: 101 years to build (14…

Europe
🇬🇧 England

Canterbury

Canterbury Cathedral (UNESCO: the murder of Thomas Becket on December 29 1170 — the most powerful me…

Europe
🇫🇷 France

Carcassonne

The Cité (UNESCO: 3km of double walls, 53 towers — the most spectacular medieval fortified city in w…

Europe
🇬🇧 Wales

Cardiff

Cardiff Castle (the most extraordinary Victorian Gothic fantasy in Wales: William Burges's Arab Room…

Europe
🇮🇹 Italy

Catania

Mount Etna (Europe's most active volcano, 3,357m — the most dramatic volcanic landscape in Europe), …

Europe
🇷🇴 Romania

Cluj-Napoca

The cultural capital of Transylvania: St. Michael's Gothic Church (1349–1487 CE — the most important…

Europe
🇵🇹 Portugal

Coimbra

The ancient capital of Portugal (1131–1255 CE), the oldest university in the Portuguese-speaking wor…

Europe
🇩🇪 Germany

Cologne

The city of three obsessions: the Cathedral (begun 1248, paused 632 years, completed 1880 — the worl…

Europe
🇩🇰 Denmark

Copenhagen

The world's happiest city: 62% cycle to work on 390km of dedicated tracks, the Noma legacy transform…

Europe
🇪🇸 Spain

Cordoba

The most historically layered city in Spain: the Mezquita-Catedral (UNESCO — the most extraordinary …

Europe
🇬🇷 Greece

Corfu

The most beautiful Greek island: UNESCO Venetian Old Town (2007 — the most perfectly preserved Venet…

Europe
🇬🇷 Greece

Corinth

One of the most strategically important cities in the ancient world: the Temple of Apollo (550 BCE —…

Europe
🇮🇪 Ireland

Cork

The Rebel City — Ireland's most food-obsessed city: the English Market (est. 1610 — Ireland's most c…

Europe
🇷🇴 Romania

Craiova

Oltenia's cultural capital: the Jean Mihail Palace Art Museum (Brancusi collection — the most import…

Europe
🇧🇪 Belgium

Dinant

Belgium's most dramatically cliff-perched city: the Dinant Citadel (100m limestone cliff above the M…

Europe
🇮🇪 Ireland

Dublin

The city of Guinness, the Book of Kells, Bloomsday and trad sessions: four Nobel Prize winners in li…

Europe
🇭🇷 Croatia

Dubrovnik

The most perfectly preserved medieval walled city in the Mediterranean: the 1,940m City Walls (the m…

Europe
🇩🇪 Germany

Dusseldorf

The fashion capital of Germany and "Little Tokyo on the Rhine": the Altstadt (the most bar-dense dis…

Europe
🇬🇧 Scotland

Edinburgh

Edinburgh Castle, Arthur's Seat at sunrise, whisky tasting and haggis by candlelight…

Europe
🇳🇱 Netherlands

Eindhoven

The design capital of the Netherlands and home of Philips: the Dutch Design Week (350,000 visitors —…

Europe
🇵🇹 Portugal

Faro

The most underrated gateway city of the Algarve: the Ria Formosa Natural Park (60km of barrier islan…

Europe
🇮🇹 Italy

Florence

Where the Renaissance was born: Botticelli's Venus (Uffizi), Michelangelo's David (5.17m, the oversi…

Europe
🇩🇪 Germany

Frankfurt

The financial capital of Continental Europe and the birthplace of Goethe: the Römerberg (most iconic…

Europe
🇵🇹 Portugal

Funchal

Madeira's subtropical capital — wicker toboggans, laurel forest levadas, and 200-year-old wine lodge…

Europe
🇮🇪 Ireland

Galway

The cultural heart of the Irish West and most vibrant traditional music city in Ireland: Shop Street…

Europe
🇹🇷 Turkey

Gaziantep

The world's baklava capital and UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy: the Zeugma Mosaic Museum (world'…

Europe
🇵🇱 Poland

Gdansk

Where WWII began and Solidarity was born: the Long Market (most magnificent merchant-house-lined Pol…

Europe
🇨🇭 Switzerland

Geneva

The world's most international city and birthplace of humanitarian law: the Jet d'Eau (140m lake fou…

Europe
🇮🇹 Italy

Genoa

Europe's largest medieval city centre and birthplace of Columbus and pesto: the caruggi (medieval la…

Europe
🇧🇪 Belgium

Ghent

The Belgian city that outshines Bruges (and knows it): the Ghent Altarpiece (most stolen painting in…

Europe
🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Gibraltar

The Rock at the edge of two continents and two seas: the Barbary macaques (Europe's only wild primat…

Europe
🇬🇧 Scotland

Glasgow

Scotland's most vibrant city and birthplace of Charles Rennie Mackintosh: Kelvingrove Art Gallery (D…

Europe
🇹🇷 Turkey

Goreme

The world's most otherworldly landscape and most famous hot-air balloon destination: the fairy chimn…

Europe
🇸🇪 Sweden

Gothenburg

Seafood, trams, and the archipelago just 30 minutes from the city…

Europe
🇪🇸 Spain

Granada

The Alhambra, Albaicín, Sacromonte flamenco caves and free tapas with every drink…

Europe
🇦🇹 Austria

Graz

Austria's UNESCO old town — castle hills, the Friendly Alien, and Styrian wine…

Europe
🇩🇪 Germany

Hamburg

Port city, Elbphilharmonie, and the canals of the Speicherstadt — Germany's most cosmopolitan city…

Europe
🇫🇮 Finland

Helsinki

Finland's design capital — sauna nation, UNESCO sea fortress, and the world's greatest silence…

Europe
🇬🇷 Greece

Heraklion

Minoan civilisation's capital — Knossos palace, Snake Goddess frescoes, and Venetian harbour fortres…

Europe
🇷🇴 Romania

Iasi

Romania's intellectual capital — Eminescu's linden tree, carved monastery facades, and Cotnari desse…

Europe
🇦🇹 Austria

Innsbruck

Tyrol's alpine imperial city — the Golden Roof, Nordkette cable car to 2,334m, and Zaha Hadid's ski …

Europe
🇬🇧 Scotland

Inverness

Scottish Highlands capital — Loch Ness, Culloden Battlefield, Cawdor Castle, and whisky tasting…

Europe
🇹🇷 Turkey

Istanbul

Hagia Sophia at dawn, the Grand Bazaar, a Bosphorus cruise between two continents and raki with mezz…

Europe
🇹🇷 Turkey

Izmir

Turkey's Aegean liberal city — Kemeraltı bazaar, Ephesus Library of Celsus, and boyoz pastries on th…

Europe
🇵🇱 Poland

Katowice

Poland's Silesian coal city reborn — museum in a mine, 1908 workers' estate, and the Spodek flying s…

Europe
🇱🇹 Lithuania

Kaunas

Lithuania's interwar capital — Čiurlionis abstract paintings, the Ninth Fort, and cepelinai potato d…

Europe
🇷🇺 Russia

Kazan

Russia's Tatar capital — UNESCO kremlin with mosque and cathedral, chak-chak honey sweets, and the V…

Europe
🇺🇦 Ukraine

Kharkiv

Ukraine's second city — Freedom Square, Derzhprom Soviet constructivism, and Ukrainian cultural resi…

Europe
🇺🇦 Ukraine

Kiev

Ukraine's golden-domed capital — Pechersk Lavra caves, Saint Sophia Byzantine mosaics, and Chernobyl…

Europe
🇸🇰 Slovakia

Kosice

Slovakia's eastern capital — Gothic cathedral, 3,000-coin gold treasure, and Slovak Paradise gorge l…

Europe
🇲🇪 Montenegro

Kotor

Montenegro's UNESCO Venetian treasure — 1,350-step fortress, man-made island church, and Adriatic fj…

Europe
🇵🇱 Poland

Krakow

The best-preserved medieval city in Poland: the Wawel Royal Castle, the Kazimierz Jewish quarter, th…

Europe
🇷🇺 Russia

Krasnodar

Russia's Kuban agricultural capital — Galitsky Park, Cossack heritage, and Black Sea wine country…

Europe
🇨🇭 Switzerland

Lausanne

Switzerland's Olympic capital — Gothic cathedral Night Watch, UNESCO Lavaux vineyards, Château de Ch…

Europe
🇬🇧 England

Leeds

Yorkshire's cultural capital — Royal Armouries, Victorian market halls, Lavaux-like Headingley crick…

Europe
🇫🇷 France

Lille

France's Flemish capital — Vieux-Lille baroque streets, La Piscine art deco pool museum, Braderie fl…

Europe
🇦🇹 Austria

Linz

Austria's digital arts capital — Ars Electronica, Bruckner organ at St. Florian, Mauthausen memorial…

Europe
🇵🇹 Portugal

Lisbon

Alfama fado, Jerónimos cloisters, pastel de nata from 1837 and the westernmost point of Europe…

Europe
🇬🇧 England

Liverpool

Britain's music capital — Beatles Cavern Club, Three Graces waterfront, Slavery Museum, Anfield, and…

Europe
🇸🇮 Slovenia

Ljubljana

Slovenia's green capital — Plečnik riverfront, Lake Bled island church, Dragon Bridge, and Rebula or…

Europe
🇵🇱 Poland

Lodz

Poland's factory city reborn — Manufaktura palace-factory, Piotrkowska street, Ghetto Radegast memor…

Europe
🇬🇧 United Kingdom

London

The world's most-visited city — British Museum, Tower of London, free Tate Modern, Borough Market, a…

Europe
🇵🇱 Poland

Lublin

Poland's eastern city — Majdanek Holocaust memorial, Union of Lublin 1569, Byzantine castle frescoes…

Europe
🇨🇭 Switzerland

Lucerne

Switzerland's alpine lake city — Chapel Bridge 1333, Mount Pilatus world's steepest cogwheel, Rigi f…

Europe
🇱🇺 Luxembourg

Luxembourg

World's wealthiest capital — UNESCO fortress casemates, Moselle Riesling, Vianden Castle, Philharmon…

Europe
🇫🇷 France

Lyon

France's gastronomic capital — Vieux-Lyon traboules, Roman theatre 43 BCE, Jacquard loom ancestor of…

Europe
🇳🇱 Netherlands

Maastricht

Birthplace of the EU — Treaty of Maastricht 1992, Sint-Servaas oldest church in Netherlands, world's…

Europe
🇪🇸 Spain

Madrid

Las Meninas at the Prado, Guernica at the Reina Sofía, free tapas in La Latina and the world's oldes…

Europe
🇪🇸 Spain

Malaga

Picasso's birthplace — Moorish Alcazaba, one-armed cathedral, Pompidou Centre, espeto sardines on th…

Europe
🇸🇪 Sweden

Malmo

Sustainable Design & Öresund Gateway…

Europe
🇬🇧 England

Manchester

Industrial Revolution, Football & Northern Soul…

Europe
🇫🇷 France

Marseille

France's Oldest City & Calanques…

Europe
🇮🇹 Italy

Milan

Last Supper, Fashion & La Scala…

Europe
🇧🇾 Belarus

Minsk

Europe's Finest Stalinist Capital…

Europe
🇲🇨 Monaco

Monaco

Casino, F1 Circuit & Cliff-Top Principality…

Europe
🇫🇷 France

Montpellier

Medieval University City & Mediterranean Gateway…

Europe
🇷🇺 Russia

Moscow

The Kremlin, Red Square, the world's most beautiful metro and pelmeni with vodka…

Europe
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mostar

Ottoman Bridge & Post-War Reconciliation…

Europe
🇩🇪 Germany

Munich

Bavaria's Capital: Beer, Art & Alps…

Europe
🇫🇷 France

Nancy

UNESCO Royal Square & Art Nouveau Capital…

Europe
🇫🇷 France

Nantes

The Giant Mechanical Elephant, Château des Ducs, Jules Verne museum and Muscadet wine…

Europe
🇮🇹 Italy

Naples

Pizza, Pompeii & Volcanic Bay…

Europe
🇫🇷 France

Nice

Côte d'Azur, Matisse Light & Italian Old Town…

Europe
🇨🇾 Cyprus

Nicosia

Last Divided Capital & Venetian Mediterranean Walls…

Europe
🇷🇺 Russia

Nizhny Novgorod

Volga-Oka Confluence & Russia's 19th-Century Fair Capital…

Europe
🇷🇸 Serbia

Novi Sad

EXIT Festival Fortress & Serbian Cultural Capital…

Europe
🇷🇺 Russia

Novosibirsk

Siberia's Capital: Opera, Science City & Ob Sea…

Europe
🇩🇪 Germany

Nuremberg

Imperial City, Dürer, Nazi Trials & Christmas Market…

Europe
🇬🇱 Greenland

Nuuk

World's Smallest Capital: Ice Sheet, Mummies & Northern Lights…

Europe
🇺🇦 Ukraine

Odessa

Catherine's Black Sea Pearl: Potemkin Stairs & Catacombs…

Europe
🇬🇷 Greece

Oia

Earth's Most Photographed Sunset & Bronze Age Pompeii…