0Must See Europe

There are lots of “must see” lists for Europe, but they all seem to fol­low one or anoth­er stand­ard for­mula: either selling hol­i­day links, or a blog­ger pick­ing out their favour­ites in their own coun­try.  Many of the longer lists tar­get US read­ers and include lots of loc­a­tions in the UK, which those of us in the UK can vis­it at a week­end without the time or expense of a more sig­ni­fic­ant break.  Below I will try to bring togeth­er a healthy list of the places I’ve loved and still want to see in Europe, exclud­ing the Brit­ish Isles.

If you are plan­ning a jour­ney to vis­it sev­er­al of the fol­low­ing places you might find a map of them useful.

Amalfi Coast, Italy

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What’s it all about
A UNESCO world her­it­age site, the Amalfi Coast is an area of nat­ur­al beauty on the Medi­ter­ranean coast of Italy with stun­ning views and won­der­ful food.

See and do
Relax on the coast, vis­it the coastal towns of Pos­it­ano, Amalfi, Scala and Rav­ello, take a trip across to the nearby Island of Capri the home of Roman emper­or Tiberi­us, vis­it the bet­ter parts of Naples for an unbeat­able pizza, climb the act­ive vol­cano Vesuvi­us, and vis­it the ruins of the Roman towns it des­troyed Pom­peii & Herculaneum.

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Nearby Naples is the home of pizza, with the fresh ingredi­ents enriched by the good weath­er and vol­can­ic soils.  Sea­food and pasta are also loc­al spe­ci­al­it­ies.  Italy more gen­er­ally is also renowned for ice cream.

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Itali­an wines and pro­secco are the order of the day, don’t be fooled by the cheap pro­secco often found in the UK as the Itali­ans clearly keep the best for them­selves.  If you fancy some­thing stronger try the loc­al lem­on-based liqueurs, e.g. limoncello.

When to go
As with much of Europe the weath­er is at it’s best in the sum­mer months, but the crowds are biggest too.  Most guides recom­mend spring­time, around May, as the best pos­sible time to vis­it, but be warned the sea will be cold at this time.  If you like to swim and aren’t espe­cially hardy then Septem­ber may be the time for you.  Winter is also worth con­sid­er­ing as the weath­er is gen­er­ally pleas­ant with warm tem­per­at­ures and reas­on­ably low rainfall.

Amiens, France

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What’s it all about
The cap­it­al of the Somme region of France, home to one of the largest cathed­rals in the world, and not too far from Par­is.  One of Lonely Plan­et’s hid­den gems of Europe.

See and do
The 13^th cen­tury cathed­ral is a world her­it­age site, and there are numer­ous his­tor­ic­al sites, ran­ging from the world wars back to pre-Roman times.  In Decem­ber there is a large Christ­mas market.

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France is of course known for it’s cuisine, and Ami­ens is no dif­fer­ent.  The area spe­cial­ises in sweets, for example the macar­oon which has been made here for over 5 cen­tur­ies.  Duck pate is anoth­er loc­al speciality.

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Wine is without a doubt the drink in France, and every area has it’s own loc­al favour­ites.  If you’re feel­ing flush then you can always splash out on some Cham­pagne or region­al spark­ling equivalent.

When to go
As a north­ern European city, Ami­ens has the best weath­er in the sum­mer months, and does­n’t tend to be too over-crowded even in peak sea­son.  Don’t for­get the Decem­ber winter mar­kets as an altern­at­ive time to visit

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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What’s it all about
A city of canals, his­tory, and lib­er­al-minded people, famed for it’s red light dis­trict, can­nabis cafes, and the work of paint­er Vin­cent van Gogh.

See and do
Vis­it the home of Anne Frank, the Rijks­mu­seum, and the Van Gogh museum.  Take a trip along the canals, and a stroll through the red light dis­trict.  Beer afi­cion­ados can vis­it the Heinek­en experience.

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Ams­ter­dam has a won­der­fully rich range of cuisines from around the world.  As a con­sequence, loc­al spe­ci­al­it­ies aren’t as prom­in­ent as in some des­tin­a­tions but look for her­ring sand­wiches sold on the street, and the range of pastries on offer.

Liquid refresh­ment
Ams­ter­dam is the home of Heinek­en so lager is the main con­tender for a loc­al drink.  Heinek­en also make some dark beers which are well worth a try.  If you’d like some­thing a little stronger try Jenev­er which is fla­voured with juni­per ber­ries and is closely related to gin.

When to go
The weath­er is of course best in sum­mer, but sum­mer (espe­cially July and August) tend to be over-crowded so the best time to go is May or September.

Annecy, France

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What’s it all about
Attract­ive town in the foot­hills of the French Alps, with cobbled streets, canals, and col­our­ful houses.  The his­tor­ic home of the counts of Geneva.

See and do
Annecy is a town in which to relax and enjoy the scenery and good com­pany and as such does­n’t have the big tick­et attrac­tions that major cit­ies like Par­is have to offer.  Stroll along the canals, vis­it cafes and shops, and appre­ci­ate the archi­tec­ture.  Vis­it the lake and the moun­tains for unspoiled outdoors.

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Like every­where in France Annecy is proud of it’s cuisine, which is known as Haute Savoie.  Try the Fon­due, Tar­tiflette, and Racletteall of which are rich and involve sig­ni­fic­ant quant­it­ies of loc­al cheese.

Liquid refresh­ment
The region is par­tic­u­larly known for white wines, and there are also excel­lent reds and craft beers available.

When to go
Many people vis­it Annecy in winter thanks to the prox­im­ity of the Alps.  The south of France has reas­on­able weath­er year round with the sum­mer months warmest but also some­what rainy.  Spring­time offers the best com­prom­ise of warm and dry weather.

Ardennes, Belgium

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What’s it all about
The big beau­ti­ful out­doors with mean­der­ing rivers, rolling hills, pretty vil­lages, and large forests which is also full of his­tory from both world wars.

See and do
The Ardennes are mostly vis­ited by people want­ing to spend time in the great out­doors with forests, rivers, and hills as well as the Ardenne moun­tain range.  There are also lots of his­tor­ic­al sites from the world wars, in par­tic­u­lar the battle of the bulge from the second world war.  The town of Bas­togne fam­ously fea­tured in Band of Broth­ers.  The car­ni­vals in Stavelot, Malm­edy and Eupen are rightly famed.

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Game is the major loc­al spe­ci­al­ity along with oth­er meats like ven­ison, wild boar and smoked hams.  The region is also famed for it’s paté.

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Bel­gi­um is famed for it’s Trap­pist beers, those from Chi­may and Orval are made in the region, with Rochefort just north of the regions bound­ary.  The French part of the Ardennes is in the Cham­pagne region which speaks for itself.

When to go
Spring and sum­mer have the best weath­er and attract­ive flora.  The moun­tains offer oppor­tun­it­ies for ski­ing in winter.

Arezzo, Italy

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What’s it all about
A smal­ler quieter altern­at­ive to Florence with great food, his­tory and culture.

See and do
Enjoy tra­di­tion­al Tuscan food, vis­it the his­tor­ic churches and piaz­zas and relax in the fresh air of out­doors.  Enjoy the museums and art gal­ler­ies, or get out on hik­ing trips in the sur­round­ing coun­tryside.  Day trips to Florence are entirely pos­sible, and longer out­ings to Pisa or even the Cinque Terre could be done at a stretch.

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Tuscan cuisine is some of the best in the world, with large rare steaks being a par­tic­u­lar spe­ci­al­ity.  Breads and any­thing with olive oil is highly recom­men­ded, and soups are more pop­u­lar than pas­tas.  Also famed is a meat stew called scottiglia

Liquid refresh­ment
Chi­anti is one of best known loc­al types of wine, but there are lots of oth­er excel­lent vari­et­ies on offer.

When to go
As with so many oth­er des­tin­a­tions the weath­er is best in the sum­mer months.  Arezzo isn’t too crowded at these times, but if you are plan­ning to make day trips to busier places like Florence you may want to con­sider May and Septem­ber to beat the crowds.

Athens, Greece

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What’s it all about
The cap­it­al of Greece the birth­place of west­ern civil­isa­tion.  Once heav­ily pol­luted, Athens is now a pleas­ant out­door city with numer­ous ancient monu­ments, won­der­ful food and reli­ably glor­i­ous weather.

See and do
Vis­it the fam­ous monu­ments, relax in street-side cafes with fresh food, explore the museums and take boat trips to nearby islands from Pir­aeus.  For a break from the his­tory take a hike up Mt Lyca­bettus or see a show at the ancient out­door Odeon of Herodes Atticus.

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Greek food is some of the best in the world, espe­cially if you prefer fresh and simple food to com­plex rich more com­monly asso­ci­ated with places like France.  If you can find a cafe that serves mezze with drinks you can get a range of great food effect­ively for free.  Also try the grilled meats and clas­sics like mous­saka, greek salad, pies and stuffed vegetables.

Liquid refresh­ment
It’s hard to beat a cold beer in the height of sum­mer, but there are a good range of great loc­al drinks.  For wine drink­ers there are a range of loc­al options as well as the unique retsina.  The loc­als can also be found drink­ing the ani­seed-fla­voured ouzo, and tsikoud­ia which is also often called raki which is sim­il­ar to Itali­an grappa.  The Greeks also pro­duce metaxa which is a good brandy.

When to go
As a south­ern European city Athens has good weath­er for the major­ity of the year.  The biggest crowds come in July and August, even though the heat is often so intense that it is more suited to beach time than explor­ing monu­ments.  May and Octo­ber offer an ideal balance.

Barcelona, Spain

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What’s it all about
One of the top “must vis­it” places on any list for Europe, Bar­celona is a vibrant city with a great mix of bars, res­taur­ants and architecture.

See and do
Vis­it the enorm­ous Nou Camp foot­ball sta­di­um, take a stroll down the famed Las Ramblas, and explore the works of Gaudi includ­ing the Sagrada Familia.

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As the cap­it­al of Cata­lonia, Bar­celona is a major home to Cata­loni­an food which is based on fresh loc­al veget­ables sim­il­ar to oth­er west­ern Medi­ter­ranean cuisines. Sea­food and fish dishes make up a major­ity of the loc­al specialities.

Liquid refresh­ment
Beer is the main drink in Bar­celona, although there are good loc­al red wines which are also pop­u­lar.  San­gria is not a par­tic­u­lar spe­ci­al­ity of Bar­celona, but as in all Spain it is widely avail­able.  For some­thing a little stronger, try the loc­al brandy called mas­caró or a green apple liqueur called man­zana verde.

When to go
Bar­celona can be good to vis­it year round although the chance of rain in the win­ters months is sig­ni­fic­ant.  The best time for warmth without huge crowds is May or June.  Altern­at­ively try mid Septem­ber which is also dry and not too busy.

Belgrade, Serbia

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What’s it all about
Ground zero for some of the most seis­mic events in European his­tory, Bel­grade has been involved in the wax and wane of every major empire since the Romans.  Des­pite a good num­ber of attrac­tions, lim­it­less his­tory, and good weath­er, Bel­grade isn’t flooded by tourists.

See and do
Vis­it the impos­ing Roman built Kale­meg­dan fort­ress, churches and chapels, sail on the mighty Danube, vis­it the museums and explore the rich his­tory of the Roman, Byz­antine, Otto­man, Ser­bi­an and Aus­tro-Hun­gari­an empires.

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Grilled meats and pastries are pop­u­lar in Ser­bia with a mix of east­ern and west­ern foods.  Try the saus­age-based cevapi, and giban­ica which is a type of cheese-pie made with filo pastry.

Liquid refresh­ment
Beer is prob­ably the most pop­u­lar drink in Ser­bia, but there is not a rich his­tory of brew­ing so most loc­al beers are rel­at­ively recent and small scale.  These are well worth try­ing.  The oth­er con­tender for top drink in Ser­bia is Rakiya which is a type of fruit brandy.  The pop­u­lar balkan drink slivovitz is also pop­u­lar in Serbia.

When to go
Ser­bia cur­rently is not a huge draw for tour­ists so you can vis­it year round without worry­ng about crowds.  Whilst the weath­er is reas­on­ably mild in winter, the best time to vis­it is from May to October.

Berat, Albania

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What’s it all about
Built on the side of a hill over­look­ing the river Osum Berat is an 2400 year old Albani­an town on the UNESCO world her­it­age list.

See and do
Exper­i­ence the his­tory of the ancient sites, try the wines from one of the loc­al winer­ies, and enjoy the relaxed clean out­door scenery

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Albani­an cuisine is still emer­ging from the com­mun­ist peri­od and the loc­al food is still heav­ily influ­enced by neigh­bours such as Greece.  The most com­mon loc­al meat dishes are lamb, and pies are also pop­u­lar.  Veget­ables are usu­ally loc­ally grown and fresh.

Liquid refresh­ment
Try the wine that is loc­al to the region, or if you’re in need of some­thing stronger then the loc­al Raki is pop­u­lar with the locals.

When to go
.Albania is still mostly undis­covered by tour­ists and as such any time can be a good time to go.  The hot­test driest weath­er is in mid sum­mer, but if you really prefer to avoid any crowds then June is bet­ter than July or August.

Bergen, Norway

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Berlin, Germany

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Brasov, Romania

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Bucharest, Romania

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Budapest, Hungary

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Bucovina, Romania

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Cappadocia, Turkey

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Carnac, France

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Český Krumlov, Czech Republic

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Cinque Terre, Italy

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Coimbra, Portugal

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Colmar, France

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Cologne, Germany

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Copenhagen, Denmark

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Corfu, Greece

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Côte d’Azur, France

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Crete, Greece

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Danube Delta, Romania

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Delphi, Greece

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Dijon, France

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Dubrovnik, Croatia

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Flanders, Belgium

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Florence, Italy

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Fontainebleau, France

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Hallstatt, Austria

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Helsinki, Finland

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Hvar, Croatia

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Istanbul, Turkey

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Julian Alps, Slovenia

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Kotor, Montenegro

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Krakow, Poland

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La Roque-Gageac, France

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Lecce, Italy

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Lisse, Netherlands

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Lofoten, Norway

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Ljubljana, Slovenia

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Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

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Lviv, Ukraine

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Madrid, Spain

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Malta

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Mariánské Lázně, Czech Republic

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Meteora, Greece

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Mostar, Bosnia

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Munich, Germany

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Odense, Denmark

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Olomouc, Czech Republic

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Oslo, Norway

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Paris, France

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Prague, Czech Republic

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Rhine Valley, Germany

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Riga, Latvia

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Rocamadour, France

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Rome, Italy

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Ronda, Spain

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Rothenburg, Germany

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Rovinj, Croatia

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Samos, Greece

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San Marino

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Santorini, Greece

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Sarajevo, Bosnia

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Seville, Spain

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Sintra, Portugal

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Keuken
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Liquid refresh­ment
.

When to go
.

Skopje, F.Y.R.O. Macedonia

Hid­den gem scale

What’s it all about
.

See and do
.

Keuken
.

Liquid refresh­ment
.

When to go
.

Sofia, Bulgaria

Hid­den gem scale

What’s it all about
.

See and do
.

Keuken
.

Liquid refresh­ment
.

When to go
.

Sveti Stefan, Montenegro

Hid­den gem scale

What’s it all about
.

See and do
.

Keuken
.

Liquid refresh­ment
.

When to go
.

Tallinn, Estonia

Hid­den gem scale

What’s it all about
.

See and do
.

Keuken
.

Liquid refresh­ment
.

When to go
.

Transylvania, Romania

Hid­den gem scale

What’s it all about
.

See and do
.

Keuken
.

Liquid refresh­ment
.

When to go
.

Trieste, Italy

Hid­den gem scale

What’s it all about
.

See and do
.

Keuken
.

Liquid refresh­ment
.

When to go
.

Vienna, Austria

Hid­den gem scale

What’s it all about
.

See and do
.

Keuken
.

Liquid refresh­ment
.

When to go
.