Plaça del Poble

Andorra

　　Occupying the roof of a modern government office building, this square affords splendid views of the valley and mountains, and is a popular local gathering place, especially in the evening. 　　The lift in the southeastern corner whisks you down to the car park below on Carrer del Prat de la...

Església de Sant Esteve

Andorra

　　These days aligned north–south, Andorra la Vella's parish church dates from the 12th century. Apart from some wonderfully warm, glowing stained-glass windows and the Romanesque apse on its eastern side (some of whose frescoes now lie in Barcelona's Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya), it has little of interest, as it...

Barri Antic

Andorra

　　The small Barri Antic (intrusively and artificially bisected by Avinguda del Príncep Benlloch) was the heart of Andorra la Vella back when the principality's capital was little more than a village. The narrow cobbled streets around the historic Casa de la Vall are flanked by attractive stone houses. ...

Museu Nacional de l'Automòbil

Andorra

　　A trip to Andorra's National Automobile Museum will have classic revheads wishing they could take one of the 80 vintage cars or numerous antique motorcycles for a spin around the Pyrenees. Also on display are over 100 bicycles, from old bone-rattlers to sleek racers. It's 6.5km northeast of Andorra la...

Església de Santa Coloma

Andorra

　　Mentioned in documents from the 9th century, this elegant pre-Romanesque church is Andorra's oldest. The slender 12th-century Lombard bell tower still stands intact, though most of the remainder has been modified over the centuries. Free guided visits operate in summer. It's 2.5km southwest of Andorra la Vella, off the CG1....

Casa de la Vall

Andorra

　　Constructed in 1580 as a home for a wealthy family, this graceful stone mansion served as Andorra's parliament building from 1702 until as recently as 2011. The Sala del Consell, upstairs, must have been one of the world's cosiest parliament chambers; it's now used only very occasionally. Its Armari de...

Walsermuseum

Liechtenstein

　　High up in Triesenberg, this museum recounts the intriguing story of the Walsers and contains curious carvings out of twisted tree trunks and branches. The Walsers were a German-speaking ‘tribe’ from the Valais that emigrated across Europe in the 13th century and settled in many places, including Liechtenstein, where they...

Burg Gutenberg

Liechtenstein

　　Balzers’ most visible icon is this state-owned, hilltop 13th-century castle, open only for concerts. Restored in the 20th century, the castle cuts a striking figure on the horizon and boasts nice strolls in the vicinity. The area was settled as early as the Neolithic period and Roman elements have been...

Cathédrale de Monaco

Monaco

　　An adoring crowd continually shuffles past Prince Rainier’s and Princess Grace’s flower-adorned graves, located inside the cathedral choir of Monaco's 1875 Romanesque-Byzantine cathedral. ...

Roseraie Princesse Grace

Monaco

　　Thoroughly revamped in 2014, this exuberant collection of over 4000 rose bushes – along with the adjacent Parc Fontvieille – stands out in dramatic contrast to the otherwise sterile high-rise environment of Fontvieille. The garden bursts with colour in springtime, with multihued roses climbing up arbours and encircling the trunks...

Collection de Voitures Anciennes

Monaco

　　Starting in the early 1950s, car-mad Prince Rainier amassed an impressive array of over 100 classic automobiles, which he opened to the public in 1993. His haul includes various Ferraris, Maseratis, Lamborghinis, Rolls-Royces and several F1 and rally cars, along with the Lexus which carried the current prince to his...

Palais Princier de Monaco

Monaco

　　Built as a fortress atop Le Rocher in the 13th century, this palace is the private residence of the Grimaldi family. It is protected by the blue-helmeted, white-socked Carabiniers du Prince; changing of the guard takes place daily at 11.55am, when crowds gather outside the gates to watch. 　　Most of...

Le Rocher

Monaco

　　Monaco Ville, also called Le Rocher, is the only part of Monaco to have retained its original old town, complete with small, windy medieval lanes. The old town thrusts skywards on a pistol-shaped rock, its strategic location overlooking the sea that became the stronghold of the Grimaldi dynasty. There are...

Jardin Exotique

Monaco

　　Home to the world’s largest succulent and cactus collection, from small echinocereus to 10m-tall African candelabras, the gardens tumble down the slopes of Moneghetti through a maze of paths, stairs and bridges. Views of the principality are spectacular. Admission includes the Musée d'Anthropologie, which displays prehistoric remains unearthed in Monaco,...

Musée Océanographique de Monaco

Monaco

　　Stuck dramatically to the edge of a cliff since 1910, the world-renowned Musée Océanographique de Monaco, founded by Prince Albert I (1848–1922), is a stunner. Its centrepiece is its aquarium with a 6m-deep lagoon where sharks and marine predators are separated from colourful tropical fish by a coral reef. Upstairs,...

Casino de Monte Carlo

Monaco

　　Peeping inside Monte Carlo’s legendary marble-and-gold casino is a Monaco essential. The building, open to visitors every morning, including the exclusive salons privés, is Europe's most lavish example of belle époque architecture. Prince Charles III spearheaded the casino's development and in 1866, three years after its inauguration, the name 'Monte...

Gračanica Monastery

Kosovo

　　Southeast of Pristina in the Serbian town of Gračanica is the ancient Gračanica Monastery, completed in 1321 by Serbian king Milutin. The monastery, which is set on large, grassy grounds, is one of the most attractive in Kosovo. You will first enter the monastery chapel through the main doors. The...

Prizren Fortress

Kosovo

　　It's well worth making the steep 15-minute hike up from Prizren's old town (follow the road past the Orthodox Church on the hillside; it's well signed and pretty obvious) for the superb views over the city and on into the distance. The fortress itself is a little tumble-down but restoration...

Patriarchate of Peć

Kosovo

　　This church and nunnery complex on the outskirts of Peja are a raw slice of Serbian Orthodoxy that has existed here since the late 13th century. Outside in the landscaped grounds, all is bright and colourful, but once inside the church it feels more like you're within a dark cave...

Bear Sanctuary

Kosovo

　　In a remote, forested spot beyond the village of Mramor, this sanctuary houses European brown bears that were rescued from captivity by the charity Four Paws. All the bears here were once kept in tiny cages as restaurant mascots, so although they're hardly out free in the wilderness, the spacious,...

Visoki Dečani Monastery

Kosovo

　　Built in the early 14th century by Serbian king Stefan Dečanski, this monastery is in a beautiful spot beneath the mountains and surrounded by pine and chestnut trees. If you think the setting is attractive then you'll gasp in wonder as you push open the wooden doors of the church...

Cave Monastery

Moldova

　　The most impressive sight at Orheiul Vechi is the Cave Monastery, built inside a cliff high above the gently meandering Răut river. It is marked by a small bell tower and a cross standing on the rocks. It was dug by Orthodox monks in the 13th century and remained inhabited...

Soroca Fortress

Moldova

　　This gloriously solid behemoth on the Dniestr dates to the late 15th century and the reign of Moldavian Prince Ştefan cel Mare. It was built on the remains of a wooden fortress in the shape of a circle, with five bastions. Today those bastions contain medieval-themed exhibits, with a few...

Bendery Fortress

Moldova

　　This impressive Ottoman fortress, outside the centre near the Bendery–Tiraspol bridge, was built in the 16th century and saw keen fighting between Turkish and Russian forces before falling to Tsarist Russia permanently in the early 19th century. You can walk along the ramparts taking in the fine views of the...

Tipova Cave Monastery

Moldova

　　The fantastic Tipova Cave Monastery is built into cliffs that tower some 200m above the Dniestr River's right (west) bank, in the tiny village of Tipova some 95km northeast of Chişinău. The monastery consists of three religious chambers and monastic cells linked by precarious steps built into the rock face....

Orheiul Vechi

Moldova

　　The archaeological and ecclesiastical complex at Orheiul Vechi (Old Orhei), about 50km north of Chişinău, is an important historical site and a place of stark natural beauty. Occupying a remote, rocky ridge over the Răut River, the complex is known for its Cave Monastery, but also includes ruins ranging from...

Ramborn Cider Company

Luxembourg

　　Over 100 varieties of apples and pears are used by Ramborn to make its unique ciders and perries, found at cafes, bars and restaurants throughout Luxembourg, and sold in wine shops as well as here at its HQ. Tours lasting 90 minutes take you behind the scenes of the factory...

Beaufort Castles

Luxembourg

　　Beaufort's two castles sit across a wooded valley on the town's western edge. Built from sandstone on the site of a Roman camp, the five-storey medieval castle expanded from 11th-century origins but never recovered from WWII bombing during the Battle of the Ardennes. You're free to explore its many levels....

Château de Clervaux

Luxembourg

　　The standout attraction at Clervaux' reconstructed 12th-century castle is Edward Steichen's Unesco World Heritage-listed photography exhibition Family of Man. Gifted to Clervaux in 1964, this ‘mirror of the essential oneness of mankind’ comprises 503 black-and-white, mid-20th-century photos by 273 photographers from 68 countries interspersed with thought-provoking quotations. Free 90-minute tours...

Château de Vianden

Luxembourg

　　This château's extraordinary outline is the result of an almost-total 20th-century restoration after the original, built from the 11th to 14th centuries, had fallen into complete ruin. Walkways in the lower levels display different layers of occupation, from the Roman era onwards. The open-air Byzantine Hall is a marvellous space,...

Belavezhskaya Pushcha National Park

Belarus

　　Unesco World Heritage Site Belavezhskaya Pushcha National Park is the oldest wildlife refuge in Europe and the pride of Belarus. At the National Park headquarters in Kamyanyuki, 55km north of Brest, you can arrange to tour the park by bus, bicycle or private car, and you can spend the night...

Homel Palace

Belarus

　　Homel's signature attraction was built by Field Marshal Pyotr Rumyantsev in the late 19th century, soon after Homel became part of the Russian Empire. He couldn't have picked a more beautiful spot, high above the Sozh River in the middle of what today is Belarus' prettiest park. The palace is...

Mir Castle

Belarus

　　The 16th-century Mir Castle, reflected magnificently in an adjoining pond, resembles something straight out of Disney. A recent renovation has the place looking simply lovely, with gorgeous grounds and impressively restored interiors that have been converted into a museum with beautifully done displays on the life and times of the...

Nyasvizh Castle

Belarus

　　Over a causeway leading away from the town with lovely lakes on either side lies this palace-like castle and park complex. Erected by the Radziwill family in 1583, it has been rebuilt and restored often over the centuries and encompasses many styles. In Soviet times it was turned into a...

Lyberth Charter

Greenland

　　The cute 1859 cottage housing Lyberth Charter was the former Fortanderkabshuset (elders' council chamber). Red with green stairs, it retains the bronze 'colony bell' that once announced the start of work each morning. The copper ship's lantern is a more recent addition, like the fake saloon doors. The present shop...

Qaqortoq Museum

Greenland

　　Qaqortoq Museum is housed in a tar-blackened 1804 building that was once the Julianehåb colony manager's house. Today its most unique features are right up on the top floor. Beautifully restored, with churchlike décor and curious 1930s swing-out sink stands, these were once the town's guestrooms. The red room was...

Emanuel A Petersen Art Museum

Greenland

　　Greenlandic landscapes are on view at the Emanuel A Petersen Art Museum, where most of the works are by the eponymous Danish artist. Petersen (1894-1948) was a prolific painter, and during his career he made several trips to Greenland to paint its extraordinary landscape and light. Through numerous exhibitions around...

Tele-Museum

Greenland

　　On weekend afternoons it's well worth visiting the Tele-Museum. It traces Greenland's role in the development of transatlantic communications and has such mechanical curiosities as 1900 telephone switching table which, although already archaic in Denmark, was sent for use in Nuuk in the 1950s. Most interesting are the timelines, which...

Paamiut Museum

Greenland

　　A circle of five historic stone-and-timber buildings around a turf-ringed former wellhouse constitute Paamiut Museum. The 1839 former governor's residence contains the main museum exhibition hall and tourist office. The old trading post has bubble-tar doors, a cooperage and a geological collection upstairs. Downstairs the whaling exhibits include a very...

Greenland National Museum

Greenland

　　The spacious, well-presented Greenland National Museum is based in an extended 1936 warehouse. Its better exhibits include an interesting section on 1950s social change and a geological room emphasising that the world's oldest rocks (3.8 billion years old) come from the Nuuk region. However, the unmissable climax is the mummy...

Ilulissat Kangerlua

Greenland

　　The greatest tourist attraction in all of Greenland is the astonishing Ilulissat Kangerlua (Ilulissat Icefjord), a berg-packed bay fed by the 5km (3mi) wide and 1100m (3608ft) thick glacier Sermeq Kujalleq. The glacier flows an average of 25m (82ft) daily and is the world's most prolific outside Antarctica. 　　A Unesco...

The Southern Fjords

Greenland

　　Astonishingly grand spires of granite soar straight out of Greenland's southernmost fjords like the teeth of an interplanetary crocodile. Climbers rate the rock faces of peaks like Uiluit Qaaqa (Ketil), Ulamertorsuaq (Uli) and The Baroness as among the world's finest challenges. 　　For the less active it's easy to put your...

Burial Mound of the Unbeaten

North Macedonia

　　This magnificent monument to Prilep's Partisan soldiers who died in WWII is the 1961 work of one of the former Yugoslavia's most brilliant architects, Bogdan Bogdanović, who specialised in mixing up the historical with the antic and celestial. The eight marble monoliths, each between 3m and 5m tall, depict what...

Treskavec Monastery

North Macedonia

　　The 13th-century Treskavec Monastery rises from Mt Zlato (1422m), a bare massif replete with imposing twisted rock formations. One doesn't know which is more impressive – the bare granite boulder mountainside or the half-ruined monastery. Vivid frescoes, including a rare depiction of Christ as a boy, line the 14th-century Church...

Kokino Observatory

North Macedonia

　　A Bronze Age, archaeo-astronomical site, this megalithic observatory sits atop a volcanic hill, at an elevation of 1013m; it's a truly marvellous place. The cracked volcanic rocks were easily shaped for marking the points of the rising sun at the summer and winter solstice, and the spring and autumn equinox....