{"generated":"build","licence":{"terms":"https://europedoor.com/terms","use":"Free to read, cache and build on, with attribution to EuropeDoor. Estimates are planning arithmetic, not quotes. Nothing here is entry, visa or safety advice.","attribution":"EuropeDoor — europedoor.com"},"note":"One flat index of everything findable, filtered in the browser. `t` is the pre-lowercased haystack; `ct` is the kind of place; `la`/`lo` are coordinates. No ranking is precomputed — the weight `w` is a kind weight, not a relevance score.","rows":[{"k":"Region of Europe","n":"The Nordics","s":"5 countries","u":"/discover/nordic","t":"the nordics long light in summer, long dark in winter, and a coastline that keeps folding back on itself.","w":1.4},{"k":"Region of Europe","n":"The Baltic States","s":"3 countries","u":"/discover/baltic","t":"the baltic states three small countries with three unrelated languages, hanseatic old towns and a shared, recent memory of leaving.","w":1.4},{"k":"Region of Europe","n":"Britain & Ireland","s":"2 countries","u":"/discover/british-isles","t":"britain & ireland two islands, four nations, and a weather system that makes the landscape green and the pubs necessary.","w":1.4},{"k":"Region of Europe","n":"Western Europe","s":"5 countries","u":"/discover/western","t":"western europe where the rail network is densest and the distance between a cathedral and a beach is measured in hours.","w":1.4},{"k":"Region of Europe","n":"Alpine & Central Europe","s":"9 countries","u":"/discover/alpine-central","t":"alpine & central europe the high middle of the continent — mountain passes above, imperial capitals below, and trains through both.","w":1.4},{"k":"Region of Europe","n":"The Mediterranean","s":"9 countries","u":"/discover/mediterranean","t":"the mediterranean three peninsulas and a scatter of islands that have been trading, arguing and cooking with each other for three thousand years.","w":1.4},{"k":"Region of Europe","n":"The Adriatic & Balkans","s":"9 countries","u":"/discover/adriatic-balkans","t":"the adriatic & balkans mountains that end in a clear sea, ottoman and habsburg layers in the same street, and europe's least crowded coast.","w":1.4},{"k":"Region of Europe","n":"Eastern Europe","s":"4 countries","u":"/discover/eastern","t":"eastern europe the wide flat east — forest, steppe and river — where travel advice matters more than a guidebook.","w":1.4},{"k":"Region of Europe","n":"The Caucasus & the Bosphorus","s":"4 countries","u":"/discover/caucasus-bosphorus","t":"the caucasus & the bosphorus europe's contested eastern edge: wine older than the alphabet, mountains higher than the alps, and a city on two continents.","w":1.4},{"k":"Country","n":"Albania","s":"The Adriatic & Balkans","u":"/europe/albania","t":"albania republic of albania tirana closed to the world until 1991, and now the least developed and least expensive coast on the mediterranean. albania spent forty years as the most isolated country in europe, and the 173,000 concrete bunkers built during it are still in the fields. since opening it has become the balkans' fastest-changing destination: an ionian coast with genuinely empty beaches, an alpine north with a working blood-feud memory and hospitality codes older than the state, and a capital painted in primary colours. coast mountains history food nature coast & beaches mountains history & ruins food wild nature","w":2.0,"b":"low","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"i":["coast","mountains","history","food","nature"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Tirana, the Riviera & the South","s":"Albania","u":"/europe/albania/tirana-and-the-south","t":"tirana, the riviera & the south the painted capital, two ottoman museum-towns, and the ionian coast. coast history food architecture","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Tirana","s":"Tirana, the Riviera & the South, Albania","u":"/europe/albania/tirana-and-the-south/tirana","t":"tirana a capital whose mayor painted the grey communist blocks in primary colours, and where a nuclear bunker is now a museum. bunk'art: hoxha's nuclear bunker, 106 rooms, as a museum the pyramid, a dictator's mausoleum turned tech centre blloku, once closed to all but the party elite, now the bar district history food cities art history & ruins food big cities art & museums albania tirana, the riviera & the south","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":41.33,"lo":19.82,"cs":"albania","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","art","cities","coast","food","history"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Bunk'Art, underground","s":"Tirana, Albania","u":"/europe/albania/tirana-and-the-south/tirana","t":"bunk'art, underground a five-storey bunker built for a leadership expecting invasion that never came; the exhibition does not soften the regime. museum","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Gjirokastër","s":"Tirana, the Riviera & the South, Albania","u":"/europe/albania/tirana-and-the-south/gjirokaster","t":"gjirokastër a unesco-listed ottoman town of stone-roofed tower houses on a steep hillside under a castle. slate-roofed houses built as fortified homes the castle, and the american spy plane parked in it skënduli house, still owned and shown by the family history architecture food history & ruins architecture food albania tirana, the riviera & the south","w":1.6,"b":"low","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":40.08,"lo":20.14,"cs":"albania","ct":"city","i":["architecture","coast","food","history"]},{"k":"City","n":"Himarë & the Riviera","s":"Tirana, the Riviera & the South, Albania","u":"/europe/albania/tirana-and-the-south/himare","t":"himarë & the riviera ionian villages between mountain and sea, with beaches that were empty ten years ago and are filling fast. gjipe beach, at the mouth of a canyon, reached on foot the llogara pass, dropping 1,000 metres to the sea fish, olive oil and citrus from the villages behind coast food nature coast & beaches food wild nature albania tirana, the riviera & the south","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":40.1,"lo":19.75,"cs":"albania","ct":"village","i":["architecture","coast","food","history","nature"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The Albanian Alps","s":"Albania","u":"/europe/albania/the-albanian-alps","t":"the albanian alps the 'accursed mountains': stone villages, a ferry through a gorge, and a pass between two valleys. mountains nature wild","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Theth","s":"The Albanian Alps, Albania","u":"/europe/albania/the-albanian-alps/theth","t":"theth a valley village of stone houses with no road in until recently, a lock-in tower, and a waterfall above it. the valbona-theth pass, a six-hour crossing on foot the kulla, a tower where men under blood feud could shelter the blue eye of theth, up the river mountains nature history mountains wild nature history & ruins albania the albanian alps","w":1.6,"b":"low","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":42.39,"lo":19.77,"cs":"albania","ct":"village","i":["history","mountains","nature","wild"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The Valbona to Theth pass","s":"Theth, Albania","u":"/europe/albania/the-albanian-alps/theth","t":"the valbona to theth pass six to eight hours over 1,800 metres between two valleys, with guesthouses at both ends and mules for bags. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"The Koman Lake ferry","s":"Theth, Albania","u":"/europe/albania/the-albanian-alps/theth","t":"the koman lake ferry three hours through a flooded gorge on a working passenger boat that carries villagers, goats and the occasional car. water","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Andorra","s":"The Mediterranean","u":"/europe/andorra","t":"andorra principality of andorra andorra la vella a pyrenean co-principality with two heads of state, no airport, and the highest capital in europe. andorra is 468 square kilometres of pyrenean valley, jointly headed by the president of france and a spanish bishop — an arrangement running since 1278. catalan is the official language. it is best known for duty-free shopping and skiing, and least known for romanesque chapels and a genuinely wild high valley on the unesco list. mountains winter nature sacred mountains snow & winter wild nature sacred places","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["jan","feb","mar","jul","aug","jun","sep"],"i":["mountains","winter","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The Valleys","s":"Andorra","u":"/europe/andorra/the-valleys","t":"the valleys the capital in the deepest valley, ski country above, and a roadless unesco valley to the southeast. mountains winter nature sacred","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Andorra la Vella","s":"The Valleys, Andorra","u":"/europe/andorra/the-valleys/andorra-la-vella","t":"andorra la vella europe's highest capital at 1,023 metres, in a narrow valley, mostly shops with mountains directly behind them. casa de la vall, the 16th-century parliament house caldea thermal spa, fed by hot springs ski areas twenty minutes up the valley in either direction mountains winter mountains snow & winter andorra the valleys","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jan","feb","mar","jul","aug","jun","sep"],"la":42.51,"lo":1.52,"cs":"andorra","ct":"capital","i":["mountains","nature","sacred","winter"]},{"k":"City","n":"Madriu-Perafita-Claror","s":"The Valleys, Andorra","u":"/europe/andorra/the-valleys/madriu-valley","t":"madriu-perafita-claror a glacial valley with no road into it, on the unesco list for a cultural landscape of summer pasture and stone huts. nine per cent of the country, entered only on foot shepherds' bordes and dry-stone terraces still standing refuges with no booking and no warden mountains nature wild mountains wild nature wildlife watching andorra the valleys","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jan","feb","mar","jul","aug","jun","sep"],"la":42.47,"lo":1.58,"cs":"andorra","ct":"valley","i":["mountains","nature","sacred","wild","winter"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Into the roadless valley","s":"Madriu-Perafita-Claror, Andorra","u":"/europe/andorra/the-valleys/madriu-valley","t":"into the roadless valley six hours in from escaldes; the only sounds are water and cowbells, and the huts are open and free. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Armenia","s":"The Caucasus & the Bosphorus","u":"/europe/armenia","t":"armenia republic of armenia yerevan the first state to adopt christianity, in 301, with monasteries in gorges and a mountain it can see but not reach. armenia is high, dry and volcanic, with an alphabet invented in 405 and a monastic architecture of grey tufa that sits in landscapes chosen for isolation. mount ararat dominates the skyline from yerevan and stands across the closed turkish border. the country is landlocked with two of its four borders shut, which shapes everything about how you get in and out. sacred history mountains food wine sacred places history & ruins mountains food wine & drink","w":2.0,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","jul","aug"],"i":["sacred","history","mountains","food","wine"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Yerevan & the Ararat Plain","s":"Armenia","u":"/europe/armenia/yerevan-and-ararat","t":"yerevan & the ararat plain the pink tufa capital, the cathedral that founded a church, and the temple that predates it. sacred history food cities","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Yerevan","s":"Yerevan & the Ararat Plain, Armenia","u":"/europe/armenia/yerevan-and-ararat/yerevan","t":"yerevan a capital rebuilt in pink volcanic stone to a 1924 plan, with ararat filling the southern horizon. the cascade, a stairway of terraces and sculpture matenadaran, a library of 17,000 medieval manuscripts the vernissage market at weekends echmiadzin cathedral, from 301, twenty minutes west history food art cities history & ruins food art & museums big cities armenia yerevan & the ararat plain","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","jul","aug"],"la":40.18,"lo":44.51,"cs":"armenia","ct":"capital","i":["art","cities","food","history","sacred"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The manuscript library","s":"Yerevan, Armenia","u":"/europe/armenia/yerevan-and-ararat/yerevan","t":"the manuscript library illuminated books rescued repeatedly over centuries, some buried during massacres and dug up afterwards. museum","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Garni & Geghard","s":"Yerevan & the Ararat Plain, Armenia","u":"/europe/armenia/yerevan-and-ararat/garni","t":"garni & geghard a hellenistic temple on a gorge, and a monastery partly carved out of the rock face next door. garni: the only greco-roman colonnaded temple left in the former soviet union geghard's rock-cut chambers and their acoustics the basalt 'symphony of stones' columns in the gorge below history sacred nature history & ruins sacred places wild nature armenia yerevan & the ararat plain","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","jul","aug"],"la":40.11,"lo":44.73,"cs":"armenia","ct":"site","i":["cities","food","history","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Chant in a rock-cut chamber","s":"Garni & Geghard, Armenia","u":"/europe/armenia/yerevan-and-ararat/garni","t":"chant in a rock-cut chamber singers perform in the carved chambers because the acoustics are extraordinary; the sound arrives from the stone itself. sacred","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"The North & South","s":"Armenia","u":"/europe/armenia/north-and-south","t":"the north & south forested monasteries in the north, lake sevan in the middle, and a cable car to a monastery in the south. sacred mountains nature wine","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Dilijan","s":"The North & South, Armenia","u":"/europe/armenia/north-and-south/dilijan","t":"dilijan a forested spa town called 'armenian switzerland', with two of the country's finest monasteries in the woods nearby. haghartsin and goshavank monasteries in deep forest the transcaucasian trail through the national park lake sevan, thirty minutes away at 1,900 metres nature sacred mountains wild nature sacred places mountains armenia the north & south","w":1.6,"b":"low","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","jul","aug"],"la":40.74,"lo":44.87,"cs":"armenia","ct":"town","i":["mountains","nature","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"City","n":"Tatev","s":"The North & South, Armenia","u":"/europe/armenia/north-and-south/tatev","t":"tatev a 9th-century monastery on a cliff in the far south, reached by the world's longest reversible cable car. the wings of tatev cable car, 5.7 km over a gorge the monastery's swinging pillar, an early seismograph the vorotan gorge below sacred mountains history sacred places mountains history & ruins armenia the north & south","w":1.6,"b":"low","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","jul","aug"],"la":39.38,"lo":46.25,"cs":"armenia","ct":"site","i":["history","mountains","nature","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Country","n":"Austria","s":"Alpine & Central Europe","u":"/europe/austria","t":"austria republic of austria vienna an imperial capital with a small country attached, most of it vertical. austria spent six centuries as the seat of an empire and then lost it in an afternoon, which is why vienna is a capital built for twice the country. everything west of it is mountain: ski resorts in winter, high pasture in summer, and lakes cold enough to hurt. the coffee house, the opera and the sunday hike are all still institutions rather than attractions. music art mountains winter architecture food music & nightlife art & museums mountains snow & winter architecture food","w":2.0,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","dec","jan","feb","may","sep","oct"],"i":["music","art","mountains","winter","architecture","food"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Vienna & the East","s":"Austria","u":"/europe/austria/vienna-and-the-east","t":"vienna & the east the imperial capital, the danube valley's vineyards, and hungary's old border country. music art architecture wine cities","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Vienna","s":"Vienna & the East, Austria","u":"/europe/austria/vienna-and-the-east/vienna","t":"vienna habsburg on the outside, freud and klimt and social housing on the inside, with the world's best-funded music scene. klimt's kiss at the belvedere and the secession's beethoven frieze standing tickets at the staatsoper for the price of a sandwich the naschmarkt, and a coffee house afternoon with a newspaper on a stick red vienna's 1920s housing — karl-marx-hof is a kilometre long music art architecture food cities music & nightlife art & museums architecture food big cities austria vienna & the east","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","dec","jan","feb","may","sep","oct"],"la":48.21,"lo":16.37,"cs":"austria","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","art","cities","food","music","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Schönbrunn Palace","s":"Vienna, Austria","u":"/europe/austria/vienna-and-the-east/vienna/place/schonbrunn","t":"schönbrunn palace 1,441 rooms, a park that is free to walk, and a zoo founded in 1752 that is the oldest still operating anywhere. castle vienna austria","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":48.185,"lo":16.312,"cs":"austria"},{"k":"Place","n":"Kunsthistorisches Museum","s":"Vienna, Austria","u":"/europe/austria/vienna-and-the-east/vienna/place/kunsthistorisches","t":"kunsthistorisches museum the habsburg collection, which means the largest group of bruegels in existence and a room of vermeer, velázquez and caravaggio that would be a national museum anywhere else. museum vienna austria","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":48.204,"lo":16.362,"cs":"austria"},{"k":"Place","n":"Stephansdom","s":"Vienna, Austria","u":"/europe/austria/vienna-and-the-east/vienna/place/stephansdom","t":"stephansdom the tiled roof is the thing: 230,000 glazed tiles in a chevron pattern, laid as a double eagle on one side and the city arms on the other. church vienna austria","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":48.209,"lo":16.373,"cs":"austria"},{"k":"Place","n":"Naschmarkt","s":"Vienna, Austria","u":"/europe/austria/vienna-and-the-east/vienna/place/naschmarkt","t":"naschmarkt a kilometre and a half of stalls that began as a milk market in the 1770s. cheaper and less performed at the far end from the underground station. market vienna austria","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":48.198,"lo":16.363,"cs":"austria"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Standing room at the Staatsoper","s":"Vienna, Austria","u":"/europe/austria/vienna-and-the-east/vienna","t":"standing room at the staatsoper a few euros, queued for on the night, in one of the great opera houses. bring a scarf to tie to the rail and hold your place. stage","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"A heuriger on the city edge","s":"Vienna, Austria","u":"/europe/austria/vienna-and-the-east/vienna","t":"a heuriger on the city edge wine taverns in vienna's own vineyards, open only when the grower has wine to sell — a pine branch over the door means open. cellar","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Dürnstein & the Wachau","s":"Vienna & the East, Austria","u":"/europe/austria/vienna-and-the-east/durnstein","t":"dürnstein & the wachau a blue baroque tower over the danube, terraced vineyards behind, and the castle where richard the lionheart was held. grüner veltliner and riesling from terraces built by monks the danube cycle path, flat and shaded melk abbey upriver, gold from floor to ceiling wine nature history wine & drink wild nature history & ruins austria vienna & the east","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","dec","jan","feb","may","sep","oct"],"la":48.4,"lo":15.52,"cs":"austria","ct":"village","i":["architecture","art","cities","history","music","nature","wine"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Salzburg & the Salzkammergut","s":"Austria","u":"/europe/austria/salzburg-and-the-lakes","t":"salzburg & the salzkammergut a prince-archbishop's baroque city, and a district of seventy-six lakes behind it. music nature history mountains","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Salzburg","s":"Salzburg & the Salzkammergut, Austria","u":"/europe/austria/salzburg-and-the-lakes/salzburg","t":"salzburg baroque built on salt money, under a fortress, with mozart born in the middle of it. hohensalzburg fortress, never taken in a thousand years mozart's birthplace and the concerts in the residenz hellbrunn's trick fountains, designed in 1615 to soak guests music architecture history music & nightlife architecture history & ruins austria salzburg & the salzkammergut","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","dec","jan","feb","may","sep","oct"],"la":47.8,"lo":13.05,"cs":"austria","ct":"city","i":["architecture","history","mountains","music","nature"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Hohensalzburg Fortress","s":"Salzburg, Austria","u":"/europe/austria/salzburg-and-the-lakes/salzburg/place/hohensalzburg","t":"hohensalzburg fortress never taken in nine hundred years, largely because nobody seriously tried. the funicular up is the oldest still running in the world. castle salzburg austria","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":47.795,"lo":13.047,"cs":"austria"},{"k":"Place","n":"Mirabell Gardens","s":"Salzburg, Austria","u":"/europe/austria/salzburg-and-the-lakes/salzburg/place/mirabell-gardens","t":"mirabell gardens baroque parterre laid out in 1690, and the steps every visitor recognises without being able to say why until somebody mentions the film. garden salzburg austria","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":47.806,"lo":13.042,"cs":"austria"},{"k":"City","n":"Hallstatt","s":"Salzburg & the Salzkammergut, Austria","u":"/europe/austria/salzburg-and-the-lakes/hallstatt","t":"hallstatt a lakeside village under a salt mountain, with 7,000 years of continuous mining and more visitors than it can hold. the oldest salt mine in the world, and a wooden staircase from 1344 inside it the bone house, with painted skulls stacked by family early morning or evening — the day-trip window is 10 to 4 and it is unbearable nature history wild nature history & ruins austria salzburg & the salzkammergut","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","dec","jan","feb","may","sep","oct"],"la":47.56,"lo":13.65,"cs":"austria","ct":"village","i":["history","mountains","music","nature"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Into the salt mountain","s":"Hallstatt, Austria","u":"/europe/austria/salzburg-and-the-lakes/hallstatt","t":"into the salt mountain miners' slides, a salt lake underground, and the bronze age tools that came out of the same shafts. museum","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"Tyrol & the West","s":"Austria","u":"/europe/austria/tyrol","t":"tyrol & the west the alpine heart: innsbruck between two ranges, and valleys of huts and high paths. mountains winter nature","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Innsbruck","s":"Tyrol & the West, Austria","u":"/europe/austria/tyrol/innsbruck","t":"innsbruck a university city at 574 metres with a 2,300-metre mountain reachable from the centre in twenty minutes. the nordkette funicular, zaha hadid stations from town to summit the golden roof and the old town beneath it ski jumping at bergisel, and the view from the tower mountains winter architecture cities mountains snow & winter architecture big cities austria tyrol & the west","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","dec","jan","feb","may","sep","oct"],"la":47.27,"lo":11.39,"cs":"austria","ct":"city","i":["architecture","cities","mountains","nature","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Nordkette","s":"Innsbruck, Austria","u":"/europe/austria/tyrol/innsbruck/place/nordkette","t":"nordkette a cable railway from the middle of the city to 2,300 m in twenty minutes. few places let you go from a coffee to an alpine ridge that fast. mountain innsbruck austria","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":47.311,"lo":11.384,"cs":"austria"},{"k":"Place","n":"Goldenes Dachl","s":"Innsbruck, Austria","u":"/europe/austria/tyrol/innsbruck/place/goldenes-dachl","t":"goldenes dachl a balcony roofed with 2,657 fire-gilded copper tiles, built in 1500 so maximilian i could watch tournaments in the square below. monument innsbruck austria","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":47.269,"lo":11.394,"cs":"austria"},{"k":"Experience","n":"City to summit in twenty minutes","s":"Innsbruck, Austria","u":"/europe/austria/tyrol/innsbruck","t":"city to summit in twenty minutes tram, funicular and two cable cars take you from a café table to 2,256 metres of exposed ridge; take a jacket you would not think you needed. ride","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Azerbaijan","s":"The Caucasus & the Bosphorus","u":"/europe/azerbaijan","t":"azerbaijan republic of azerbaijan baku fire that comes out of the ground, a walled medieval city, and oil money spent on architecture. azerbaijan sits on the caspian, on gas reserves that have been burning at the surface for millennia — the zoroastrian fire temples were built around them. baku pairs a walled old city with a skyline of flame-shaped towers. beyond the capital the greater caucasus rises to 4,000 metres with mountain villages that kept their own languages, and mud volcanoes cover the semi-desert south. history architecture mountains food nature history & ruins architecture mountains food wild nature","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["apr","may","sep","oct","jun","nov"],"i":["history","architecture","mountains","food","nature"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Baku & the Caspian","s":"Azerbaijan","u":"/europe/azerbaijan/baku-and-the-caspian","t":"baku & the caspian the walled city, the flame towers, the fire temple and the petroglyphs south of town. history architecture nature","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Baku","s":"Baku & the Caspian, Azerbaijan","u":"/europe/azerbaijan/baku-and-the-caspian/baku","t":"baku a unesco-listed walled city with a mysterious stone tower, ringed by oil-boom mansions and three flame-shaped skyscrapers. icherisheher, the walled old city, and the maiden tower nobody can fully explain the heydar aliyev centre, zaha hadid's curved white building ateshgah, the fire temple, and yanar dag, a hillside that has burned for centuries gobustan's 6,000 petroglyphs and the mud volcanoes beside them architecture history food cities architecture history & ruins food big cities azerbaijan baku & the caspian","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["apr","may","sep","oct","jun","nov"],"la":40.41,"lo":49.87,"cs":"azerbaijan","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","cities","food","history","nature"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Petroglyphs and mud volcanoes","s":"Baku, Azerbaijan","u":"/europe/azerbaijan/baku-and-the-caspian/baku","t":"petroglyphs and mud volcanoes rock carvings of boats and dancers from 10,000 years ago, then a field of cold mud volcanoes burping methane a few kilometres on. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"The Northwest & the Mountains","s":"Azerbaijan","u":"/europe/azerbaijan/the-north-west","t":"the northwest & the mountains sheki's caravanserai and stained glass, and villages high in the greater caucasus. history mountains food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Sheki","s":"The Northwest & the Mountains, Azerbaijan","u":"/europe/azerbaijan/the-north-west/sheki","t":"sheki a silk road town under wooded mountains, with a khan's summer palace whose windows are built without glue or nails. the palace of sheki khans, with shebeke lattice windows of 5,000 pieces each the caravanserai, still taking guests sheki halva, layered and made only here history architecture food history & ruins architecture food azerbaijan the northwest & the mountains","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["apr","may","sep","oct","jun","nov"],"la":41.19,"lo":47.17,"cs":"azerbaijan","ct":"town","i":["architecture","food","history","mountains"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Shebeke: glass without glue","s":"Sheki, Azerbaijan","u":"/europe/azerbaijan/the-north-west/sheki","t":"shebeke: glass without glue wooden lattice and coloured glass assembled entirely by friction; the workshops still make them and will show you the joints. workshop","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Xınalıq","s":"The Northwest & the Mountains, Azerbaijan","u":"/europe/azerbaijan/the-north-west/xinaliq","t":"xınalıq a village at 2,300 metres whose people speak a language related to nothing else, reached by a single mountain road. flat-roofed stone houses stacked up the slope the ketsh language, spoken by a few thousand people and nobody else shepherd routes into the high caucasus mountains nature history mountains wild nature history & ruins azerbaijan the northwest & the mountains","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["apr","may","sep","oct","jun","nov"],"la":41.18,"lo":48.3,"cs":"azerbaijan","ct":"village","i":["food","history","mountains","nature"]},{"k":"Country","n":"Belarus","s":"Eastern Europe","u":"/europe/belarus","t":"belarus republic of belarus minsk half forest, with the last primeval woodland in europe and a capital rebuilt entirely in stalinist stone. belarus is flat, forested and thinly populated, with the belarusian half of białowieża — the last primeval lowland forest on the continent — along its southwestern border. minsk was almost completely destroyed in the second world war and rebuilt as a planned socialist city, which makes it one of the most coherent examples of that architecture anywhere. nature wild history architecture wild nature wildlife watching history & ruins architecture","w":2.0,"b":"low","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"i":["nature","wild","history","architecture"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Minsk & the Centre","s":"Belarus","u":"/europe/belarus/minsk-and-the-centre","t":"minsk & the centre the rebuilt capital and the castles west of it. architecture history","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Minsk","s":"Minsk & the Centre, Belarus","u":"/europe/belarus/minsk-and-the-centre/minsk","t":"minsk a city rebuilt from almost nothing after 1944 along one monumental avenue, and unusually complete as a piece of urban design. independence avenue, 15 kilometres of stalinist ensemble the great patriotic war museum mir and nesvizh castles, both unesco-listed, west of the city architecture history cities architecture history & ruins big cities belarus minsk & the centre","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":53.9,"lo":27.57,"cs":"belarus","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","cities","history"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The Forests","s":"Belarus","u":"/europe/belarus/the-forests","t":"the forests the belarusian side of the primeval forest, and the lake district in the north. nature wild","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Belovezhskaya Pushcha","s":"The Forests, Belarus","u":"/europe/belarus/the-forests/belovezhskaya","t":"belovezhskaya pushcha the belarusian half of europe's last primeval lowland forest, with bison and trees that have never been cut. european bison, reintroduced from captive stock after the species died out here oaks over 500 years old a unesco site shared across the polish border wild nature wildlife watching wild nature belarus the forests","w":1.6,"b":"low","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":52.7,"lo":23.85,"cs":"belarus","ct":"park","i":["nature","wild"]},{"k":"Country","n":"Belgium","s":"Western Europe","u":"/europe/belgium","t":"belgium kingdom of belgium brussels three languages, six governments, the best beer in the world and a genuine talent for not explaining itself. belgium is small, divided and quietly excellent at the things that matter daily: bread, beer, chips, painting and comics. the medieval cloth towns of flanders — bruges, ghent, antwerp — got rich early and kept the buildings. brussels is the accidental capital of a continent and much better company than its reputation. food wine art architecture history cities food wine & drink art & museums architecture history & ruins big cities","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"i":["food","wine","art","architecture","history","cities"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Flanders","s":"Belgium","u":"/europe/belgium/flanders","t":"flanders the rich medieval north: cloth halls, belfries, flemish primitives and a port that runs on diamonds. art architecture history food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Bruges","s":"Flanders, Belgium","u":"/europe/belgium/flanders/bruges","t":"bruges a trading city frozen when its river silted up in the 1500s, which is why it looks like this. the belfry's 366 steps and the carillon at the top michelangelo's madonna, the only sculpture he sold abroad in his lifetime the city at seven in the morning, which is a different city architecture history art food architecture history & ruins art & museums food belgium flanders","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":51.21,"lo":3.22,"cs":"belgium","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","food","history"]},{"k":"Place","n":"The Belfry","s":"Bruges, Belgium","u":"/europe/belgium/flanders/bruges/place/markt-belfry","t":"the belfry 366 steps to a carillon of 47 bells. the climb is single-file and timed, and the view is the only way to understand how small the medieval city actually is. monument bruges belgium","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":51.208,"lo":3.225,"cs":"belgium"},{"k":"Place","n":"Groeningemuseum","s":"Bruges, Belgium","u":"/europe/belgium/flanders/bruges/place/groeningemuseum","t":"groeningemuseum six centuries of flemish painting in a building you can cross in twenty minutes, including van eyck's madonna with canon van der paele. museum bruges belgium","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":51.204,"lo":3.226,"cs":"belgium"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Bruges before the coaches","s":"Bruges, Belgium","u":"/europe/belgium/flanders/bruges","t":"bruges before the coaches day-trippers arrive from ten. between six and nine the canals belong to you and the swans. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Ghent","s":"Flanders, Belgium","u":"/europe/belgium/flanders/ghent","t":"ghent bruges's rival, larger, younger and still a working student city rather than a museum of itself. the ghent altarpiece, restored, in the cathedral it was painted for the graslei quays at dusk vegetarian thursdays, a city policy since 2009 art history food music art & museums history & ruins food music & nightlife belgium flanders","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":51.05,"lo":3.72,"cs":"belgium","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","food","history","music"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Saint Bavo's Cathedral","s":"Ghent, Belgium","u":"/europe/belgium/flanders/ghent/place/st-bavo","t":"saint bavo's cathedral holds the ghent altarpiece — the van eyck brothers, 1432, twelve panels, stolen thirteen times and still missing one. it is shown behind glass in a climate-controlled chapel. church ghent belgium","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":51.053,"lo":3.727,"cs":"belgium"},{"k":"Place","n":"Gravensteen","s":"Ghent, Belgium","u":"/europe/belgium/flanders/ghent/place/gravensteen","t":"gravensteen a moated twelfth-century castle in the middle of the city, complete with the counts' quarters and a distinctly unsentimental collection of judicial instruments. castle ghent belgium","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":51.057,"lo":3.721,"cs":"belgium"},{"k":"City","n":"Antwerp","s":"Flanders, Belgium","u":"/europe/belgium/flanders/antwerp","t":"antwerp rubens's city and the world's diamond exchange, with a fashion school that reset the industry in the 1980s. rubens's own house and studio the station, which is a cathedral pretending to be a station momu and the antwerp six's continuing influence art design food cities art & museums design & making food big cities belgium flanders","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":51.22,"lo":4.4,"cs":"belgium","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","cities","design","food","history"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Cathedral of Our Lady","s":"Antwerp, Belgium","u":"/europe/belgium/flanders/antwerp/place/cathedral-of-our-lady","t":"cathedral of our lady the tallest gothic church in the low countries, holding four rubens altarpieces in the positions he painted them for. church antwerp belgium","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":51.22,"lo":4.402,"cs":"belgium"},{"k":"Place","n":"MAS","s":"Antwerp, Belgium","u":"/europe/belgium/flanders/antwerp/place/mas","t":"mas a stack of red sandstone boxes on the old docks. the spiral escalator to the roof is free and gives the best view of the port. museum antwerp belgium","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":51.229,"lo":4.406,"cs":"belgium"},{"k":"Region","n":"Brussels & Wallonia","s":"Belgium","u":"/europe/belgium/brussels-and-wallonia","t":"brussels & wallonia the capital of europe, and the french-speaking south of forest, castle and old industry. art food history nature","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Brussels","s":"Brussels & Wallonia, Belgium","u":"/europe/belgium/brussels-and-wallonia/brussels","t":"brussels art nouveau streets, comic-strip walls, a gilded square, and the machinery of a continent in the eastern quarter. the grand-place, best at night when it is lit and empty horta's houses, four of them unesco-listed the comic strip route: fifty painted gables across the centre lambic breweries in anderlecht, fermenting on wild yeast art architecture food cities art & museums architecture food big cities belgium brussels & wallonia","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":50.85,"lo":4.35,"cs":"belgium","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","art","cities","food","history","nature"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Grand-Place","s":"Brussels, Belgium","u":"/europe/belgium/brussels-and-wallonia/brussels/place/grand-place","t":"grand-place rebuilt in five years after a french bombardment flattened it in 1695, which is why a medieval square is uniformly late baroque. square brussels belgium","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":50.847,"lo":4.352,"cs":"belgium"},{"k":"Place","n":"Royal Museums of Fine Arts","s":"Brussels, Belgium","u":"/europe/belgium/brussels-and-wallonia/brussels/place/royal-museums","t":"royal museums of fine arts four museums in one, and the magritte collection is the largest anywhere — 200-odd works, which is enough to see him stop being a joke and start being a painter. museum brussels belgium","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":50.842,"lo":4.358,"cs":"belgium"},{"k":"Experience","n":"A lambic brewery, spontaneously fermented","s":"Brussels, Belgium","u":"/europe/belgium/brussels-and-wallonia/brussels","t":"a lambic brewery, spontaneously fermented beer left open to the air of one valley, aged three years in barrel — the last place in the world doing this at scale. cellar","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Dinant","s":"Brussels & Wallonia, Belgium","u":"/europe/belgium/brussels-and-wallonia/dinant","t":"dinant a citadel on a cliff over the meuse, a bulbous cathedral below, and the birthplace of the saxophone. 408 steps or a cable car to the citadel kayaking the lesse down to the river adolphe sax's house, and saxophones on every bridge nature history music wild nature history & ruins music & nightlife belgium brussels & wallonia","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":50.26,"lo":4.91,"cs":"belgium","ct":"town","i":["art","food","history","music","nature"]},{"k":"Country","n":"Bosnia and Herzegovina","s":"The Adriatic & Balkans","u":"/europe/bosnia-and-herzegovina","t":"bosnia and herzegovina bosnia and herzegovina sarajevo where the ottoman and austro-hungarian worlds meet in one street, and the 1990s are still within touching distance. bosnia is mountainous, green and river-cut, with a capital where a mosque, a synagogue, an orthodox and a catholic church stand within a few hundred metres. the war of 1992–95 is visible in the buildings and unavoidable in conversation, and bosnians discuss it more openly than visitors expect. it is one of the cheapest and most hospitable countries in europe. history sacred mountains food nature history & ruins sacred places mountains food wild nature","w":2.0,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"i":["history","sacred","mountains","food","nature"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Sarajevo & Central Bosnia","s":"Bosnia and Herzegovina","u":"/europe/bosnia-and-herzegovina/sarajevo-and-central-bosnia","t":"sarajevo & central bosnia the capital in its valley, the olympic mountains above, and the ottoman towns north of it. history sacred food mountains","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Sarajevo","s":"Sarajevo & Central Bosnia, Bosnia and Herzegovina","u":"/europe/bosnia-and-herzegovina/sarajevo-and-central-bosnia/sarajevo","t":"sarajevo an ottoman bazaar at one end of a street and habsburg apartment blocks at the other, in a valley ringed by mountains. baščaršija's coppersmiths, still hammering the tunnel of hope, dug under the airport runway during the siege the line marking east and west on ferhadija street trebević, the olympic bobsleigh track, abandoned in the forest history sacred food cities history & ruins sacred places food big cities bosnia and herzegovina sarajevo & central bosnia","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":43.86,"lo":18.41,"cs":"bosnia-and-herzegovina","ct":"capital","i":["cities","food","history","mountains","sacred"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The Tunnel of Hope","s":"Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina","u":"/europe/bosnia-and-herzegovina/sarajevo-and-central-bosnia/sarajevo","t":"the tunnel of hope 800 metres dug by hand under the runway; it kept the city alive for three years and is explained by people who used it. museum","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"Bosnian coffee, properly","s":"Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina","u":"/europe/bosnia-and-herzegovina/sarajevo-and-central-bosnia/sarajevo","t":"bosnian coffee, properly džezva, fildžan, a sugar cube held in the teeth, and an hour of not being in a hurry. table","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Travnik","s":"Sarajevo & Central Bosnia, Bosnia and Herzegovina","u":"/europe/bosnia-and-herzegovina/sarajevo-and-central-bosnia/travnik","t":"travnik the ottoman viziers' capital for 150 years, under a fortress, with a coloured mosque and a spring beneath it. the many-coloured mosque, painted rather than tiled ivo andrić's birthplace, and the novel he set here vlašić cheese from the mountain above history sacred food history & ruins sacred places food bosnia and herzegovina sarajevo & central bosnia","w":1.6,"b":"low","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":44.23,"lo":17.67,"cs":"bosnia-and-herzegovina","ct":"town","i":["food","history","mountains","sacred"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Herzegovina","s":"Bosnia and Herzegovina","u":"/europe/bosnia-and-herzegovina/herzegovina","t":"herzegovina the dry south: mostar's bridge, a dervish house at a spring, and karst rivers. history sacred nature wine","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Mostar","s":"Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina","u":"/europe/bosnia-and-herzegovina/herzegovina/mostar","t":"mostar a 16th-century ottoman bridge, destroyed in 1993 and rebuilt from the river stones, over a green-blue river. stari most, and the divers who jump 24 metres from it the old bazaar, at seven in the morning before the day trips the front line street, still ruined, one block back history architecture sacred history & ruins architecture sacred places bosnia and herzegovina herzegovina","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":43.34,"lo":17.81,"cs":"bosnia-and-herzegovina","ct":"city","i":["architecture","history","nature","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The bridge before the buses","s":"Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina","u":"/europe/bosnia-and-herzegovina/herzegovina/mostar","t":"the bridge before the buses between six and nine the bazaar is a town rather than a market, and the bridge is a bridge. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Blagaj","s":"Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina","u":"/europe/bosnia-and-herzegovina/herzegovina/blagaj","t":"blagaj a dervish monastery built against a cliff at the source of the buna, where a river comes out of a cave at full size. the tekke, a sufi lodge from around 1520, still in use the spring, one of europe's largest karst sources trout restaurants over the water below it sacred nature sacred places wild nature bosnia and herzegovina herzegovina","w":1.6,"b":"low","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":43.26,"lo":17.89,"cs":"bosnia-and-herzegovina","ct":"site","i":["history","nature","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Country","n":"Bulgaria","s":"The Adriatic & Balkans","u":"/europe/bulgaria","t":"bulgaria republic of bulgaria sofia thracian gold, orthodox monasteries, rose fields and the cheapest good skiing in europe. bulgaria has been continuously inhabited since the neolithic and holds the oldest processed gold in the world, from a grave at varna. it is mountainous — two ranges cross it — with a black sea coast, a valley that supplies most of the world's rose oil, and a monastery tradition that kept the language alive under five centuries of ottoman rule. it is one of the best-value countries in the eu. sacred history mountains coast wine winter sacred places history & ruins mountains coast & beaches wine & drink snow & winter","w":2.0,"b":"low","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"i":["sacred","history","mountains","coast","wine","winter"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Sofia & the Mountains","s":"Bulgaria","u":"/europe/bulgaria/sofia-and-the-mountains","t":"sofia & the mountains the capital under a 2,290-metre peak, and the rila and pirin ranges south of it. sacred mountains history winter","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Sofia","s":"Sofia & the Mountains, Bulgaria","u":"/europe/bulgaria/sofia-and-the-mountains/sofia","t":"sofia a capital with roman ruins under the metro stations and a mountain at the end of the tram line. alexander nevsky cathedral and its icon crypt the roman serdica ruins, excavated and left open in the middle of the city vitosha mountain, 2,290 metres, reached by public transport history sacred food cities history & ruins sacred places food big cities bulgaria sofia & the mountains","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":42.7,"lo":23.32,"cs":"bulgaria","ct":"capital","i":["cities","food","history","mountains","sacred","winter"]},{"k":"City","n":"Rila Monastery","s":"Sofia & the Mountains, Bulgaria","u":"/europe/bulgaria/sofia-and-the-mountains/rila-monastery","t":"rila monastery a fortified monastery in a forested valley, founded in the 10th century, with striped arcades and frescoes over every surface. the painted porch, with 1,200 scenes and no blank stone hrelyo's tower, from 1335, the only medieval part left staying overnight in a monastery cell after the day visitors leave sacred mountains history sacred places mountains history & ruins bulgaria sofia & the mountains","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":42.13,"lo":23.34,"cs":"bulgaria","ct":"site","i":["history","mountains","sacred","winter"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"A night in a monastery cell","s":"Rila Monastery, Bulgaria","u":"/europe/bulgaria/sofia-and-the-mountains/rila-monastery","t":"a night in a monastery cell simple rooms, an early curfew, and the courtyard entirely to yourself at dawn. sacred","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Bansko","s":"Sofia & the Mountains, Bulgaria","u":"/europe/bulgaria/sofia-and-the-mountains/bansko","t":"bansko a stone-built mountain town under pirin, with cheap skiing in winter and hut-to-hut walking in summer. pirin national park's glacial lakes and the vihren summit mehanas serving bansko sausage and heavy red wine lift passes at a fraction of alpine prices winter mountains food nature snow & winter mountains food wild nature bulgaria sofia & the mountains","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":41.83,"lo":23.49,"cs":"bulgaria","ct":"town","i":["food","history","mountains","nature","sacred","winter"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Thrace & the Black Sea","s":"Bulgaria","u":"/europe/bulgaria/thrace-and-the-black-sea","t":"thrace & the black sea the rose valley, thracian tombs, an old-town on a hill, and the coast. history wine coast food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Plovdiv","s":"Thrace & the Black Sea, Bulgaria","u":"/europe/bulgaria/thrace-and-the-black-sea/plovdiv","t":"plovdiv one of europe's oldest continuously inhabited cities, on six hills, with a roman theatre still in use. the roman theatre, hosting opera and rock concerts since restoration the old town's 19th-century merchant houses with overhanging upper floors kapana, a craft district in the old artisans' quarter history art food architecture history & ruins art & museums food architecture bulgaria thrace & the black sea","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":42.14,"lo":24.75,"cs":"bulgaria","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","coast","food","history","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"A concert in a Roman theatre","s":"Plovdiv, Bulgaria","u":"/europe/bulgaria/thrace-and-the-black-sea/plovdiv","t":"a concert in a roman theatre built for 6,000 in the 2nd century, rediscovered by a landslide in 1972, and used most summer evenings. stage","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Nessebar","s":"Thrace & the Black Sea, Bulgaria","u":"/europe/bulgaria/thrace-and-the-black-sea/nessebar","t":"nessebar a rocky peninsula joined by a causeway, with more medieval churches per square metre than anywhere on the black sea. forty churches in a town of a few hundred metres across wooden ottoman-era houses on stone bases out of season, when it stops being a beach resort annexe history coast sacred history & ruins coast & beaches sacred places bulgaria thrace & the black sea","w":1.6,"b":"low","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":42.66,"lo":27.73,"cs":"bulgaria","ct":"town","i":["coast","food","history","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Country","n":"Croatia","s":"The Adriatic & Balkans","u":"/europe/croatia","t":"croatia republic of croatia zagreb a thousand islands, a roman emperor's palace still lived in, and lakes that fall into each other. croatia is shaped like a pair of tongs around bosnia, with a long limestone coast and a flat continental interior that visitors skip. the adriatic islands — 1,244 of them, 48 inhabited — are the draw, along with two roman-founded cities that never stopped being used. it joined schengen and the euro in 2023, which changed the practicalities considerably. coast islands history nature food wine coast & beaches islands history & ruins wild nature food wine & drink","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"i":["coast","islands","history","nature","food","wine"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Dalmatia","s":"Croatia","u":"/europe/croatia/dalmatia","t":"dalmatia the southern coast: split's palace, dubrovnik's walls, and the islands between them. coast islands history food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Split","s":"Dalmatia, Croatia","u":"/europe/croatia/dalmatia/split","t":"split a roman emperor's retirement palace that became a town — people live inside the walls and always have. diocletian's palace, occupied continuously since 305 ad the riva at passeggiata hour marjan hill's pine woods and swimming coves, walkable from the centre ferries to hvar, brač and vis from the door history coast food cities history & ruins coast & beaches food big cities croatia dalmatia","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":43.51,"lo":16.44,"cs":"croatia","ct":"city","i":["cities","coast","food","history","islands"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Diocletian's Palace","s":"Split, Croatia","u":"/europe/croatia/dalmatia/split/place/diocletians-palace","t":"diocletian's palace not a ruin: a roman emperor's retirement palace that three thousand people still live inside. the cathedral is his mausoleum, repurposed by the people he persecuted. archaeological site split croatia","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":43.508,"lo":16.44,"cs":"croatia"},{"k":"Place","n":"Marjan Hill","s":"Split, Croatia","u":"/europe/croatia/dalmatia/split/place/marjan","t":"marjan hill a pine-covered headland walked by everyone in split at some point on a sunday, with swimming coves on the south side and the whole coast from the top. park split croatia","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":43.509,"lo":16.418,"cs":"croatia"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The palace substructures","s":"Split, Croatia","u":"/europe/croatia/dalmatia/split","t":"the palace substructures the cellars survive because they were filled with rubbish for centuries; they map the imperial floor plan above exactly. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Dubrovnik","s":"Dalmatia, Croatia","u":"/europe/croatia/dalmatia/dubrovnik","t":"dubrovnik a maritime republic in near-perfect limestone, walled, car-free, and under real pressure from its own popularity. the walls, walked at opening or in the last hour lokrum island, ten minutes by boat, with a monastery and peacocks the rector's palace and the 1317 pharmacy still trading history coast architecture history & ruins coast & beaches architecture croatia dalmatia","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":42.65,"lo":18.09,"cs":"croatia","ct":"city","i":["architecture","coast","food","history","islands"]},{"k":"Place","n":"The City Walls","s":"Dubrovnik, Croatia","u":"/europe/croatia/dalmatia/dubrovnik/place/city-walls","t":"the city walls two kilometres of unbroken circuit, up to 25 m high, walked in one direction only. go at opening or an hour before closing; the middle of the day is a queue with a view. monument dubrovnik croatia","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":42.641,"lo":18.107,"cs":"croatia"},{"k":"Place","n":"Rector's Palace","s":"Dubrovnik, Croatia","u":"/europe/croatia/dalmatia/dubrovnik/place/rectors-palace","t":"rector's palace where the elected head of the ragusan republic lived for exactly one month at a time, forbidden to leave the building — a constitution designed around distrust of power. monument dubrovnik croatia","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":42.64,"lo":18.111,"cs":"croatia"},{"k":"City","n":"Vis","s":"Dalmatia, Croatia","u":"/europe/croatia/dalmatia/vis","t":"vis the furthest inhabited dalmatian island, closed to foreigners as a military base until 1989 and undeveloped because of it. stiniva cove, reached down a scree gully or by boat komiža's fishing harbour and the blue cave on biševo vugava and plavac from vines behind the town islands coast food wine islands coast & beaches food wine & drink croatia dalmatia","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":43.06,"lo":16.18,"cs":"croatia","ct":"island","i":["coast","food","history","islands","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Peka in a village konoba","s":"Vis, Croatia","u":"/europe/croatia/dalmatia/vis","t":"peka in a village konoba ordered by phone that morning: octopus and potatoes under an iron bell buried in embers for three hours. table","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"Istria & Kvarner","s":"Croatia","u":"/europe/croatia/istria-and-kvarner","t":"istria & kvarner a truffle-and-olive peninsula with venetian hill towns, and the islands of the northern gulf. food wine coast history","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Rovinj","s":"Istria & Kvarner, Croatia","u":"/europe/croatia/istria-and-kvarner/rovinj","t":"rovinj a venetian fishing town on a former island, with a campanile copied from san marco and houses straight into the sea. the old town's stepped lanes, all of them ending at water golden cape forest park, cycled or walked istrian tables — truffle, prosciutto, malvazija — at half italian prices coast food architecture coast & beaches food architecture croatia istria & kvarner","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":45.08,"lo":13.64,"cs":"croatia","ct":"town","i":["architecture","coast","food","history","wine"]},{"k":"City","n":"Motovun","s":"Istria & Kvarner, Croatia","u":"/europe/croatia/istria-and-kvarner/motovun","t":"motovun a walled hill town over a truffle forest, with a walkable rampart and a view of the whole mirna valley. truffle hunting in the motovun forest with dogs, october and november the parenzana, a disused railway turned cycle path istrian malvazija from cellars in the villages below food wine history food wine & drink history & ruins croatia istria & kvarner","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":45.34,"lo":13.83,"cs":"croatia","ct":"town","i":["coast","food","history","wine"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Inland Croatia","s":"Croatia","u":"/europe/croatia/inland-croatia","t":"inland croatia zagreb's austro-hungarian centre, and the lakes and waterfalls of the karst interior. nature cities architecture","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Zagreb","s":"Inland Croatia, Croatia","u":"/europe/croatia/inland-croatia/zagreb","t":"zagreb a central european capital of coffee terraces and museums, with almost nothing mediterranean about it. the museum of broken relationships, which is much better than the joke dolac market above the main square the upper town, and the gas lamps still lit by hand each evening cities art food architecture big cities art & museums food architecture croatia inland croatia","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":45.81,"lo":15.98,"cs":"croatia","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","art","cities","food","nature"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Gornji Grad","s":"Zagreb, Croatia","u":"/europe/croatia/inland-croatia/zagreb/place/upper-town","t":"gornji grad the medieval hill town, with a cannon fired at noon every day since 1877 and a tiled church roof carrying the arms of croatia, dalmatia and slavonia. quarter zagreb croatia","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":45.815,"lo":15.974,"cs":"croatia"},{"k":"City","n":"Plitvice Lakes","s":"Inland Croatia, Croatia","u":"/europe/croatia/inland-croatia/plitvice","t":"plitvice lakes sixteen terraced lakes falling into each other over travertine barriers that are still growing. boardwalks directly over the water — swimming is banned and enforced the upper lakes, which most day visitors miss first entry of the day, in autumn, with the mist on the water nature mountains wild nature mountains croatia inland croatia","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":44.88,"lo":15.62,"cs":"croatia","ct":"park","i":["architecture","cities","mountains","nature"]},{"k":"Place","n":"The Upper Lakes","s":"Plitvice Lakes, Croatia","u":"/europe/croatia/inland-croatia/plitvice/place/upper-lakes","t":"the upper lakes twelve terraced lakes joined by travertine barriers that are still growing about a centimetre a year. the boardwalks have no railings, which is part of it. waterfall plitvice lakes croatia","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":44.891,"lo":15.611,"cs":"croatia"},{"k":"Place","n":"Veliki Slap","s":"Plitvice Lakes, Croatia","u":"/europe/croatia/inland-croatia/plitvice/place/veliki-slap","t":"veliki slap 78 m, the tallest in croatia, at the foot of the lower canyon. heaviest after the snowmelt and reduced to a thread by late august. waterfall plitvice lakes croatia","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":44.867,"lo":15.601,"cs":"croatia"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Plitvice at opening","s":"Plitvice Lakes, Croatia","u":"/europe/croatia/inland-croatia/plitvice","t":"plitvice at opening timed entry tickets sell out; the 7 am slot gives you an hour of empty boardwalk before the coaches from the coast arrive. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Cyprus","s":"The Mediterranean","u":"/europe/cyprus","t":"cyprus republic of cyprus nicosia the last divided capital in europe, on an island of byzantine churches and mountain wine. cyprus is the third-largest mediterranean island and has been divided since 1974, with a un buffer zone running through the middle of nicosia. the republic controls the south; the north is administered separately and recognised only by türkiye. beyond the politics, it holds painted byzantine churches in the troodos mountains, roman mosaics at paphos, and one of the oldest wine traditions in the world. history coast sacred wine mountains food history & ruins coast & beaches sacred places wine & drink mountains food","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["apr","may","jun","sep","oct","mar","nov"],"i":["history","coast","sacred","wine","mountains","food"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Nicosia & the South Coast","s":"Cyprus","u":"/europe/cyprus/south-coast-and-nicosia","t":"nicosia & the south coast the divided capital inland, and the roman and hellenistic coast west of limassol. history coast food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Nicosia","s":"Nicosia & the South Coast, Cyprus","u":"/europe/cyprus/south-coast-and-nicosia/nicosia","t":"nicosia a venetian star-shaped fortress city with a un buffer zone through the middle and a crossing on the main shopping street. the venetian walls, eleven bastions, still tracing the city the cyprus museum's neolithic and bronze age collections the ledra street crossing, and the shuttered street either side of it history food cities history & ruins food big cities cyprus nicosia & the south coast","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["apr","may","jun","sep","oct","mar","nov"],"la":35.17,"lo":33.36,"cs":"cyprus","ct":"capital","i":["cities","coast","food","history"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The Green Line, walked","s":"Nicosia, Cyprus","u":"/europe/cyprus/south-coast-and-nicosia/nicosia","t":"the green line, walked sandbags, oil drums and 1974 shopfronts, visible from the streets that dead-end into them. sobering and entirely ordinary to residents. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Paphos","s":"Nicosia & the South Coast, Cyprus","u":"/europe/cyprus/south-coast-and-nicosia/paphos","t":"paphos a harbour town with roman villa floors that are among the finest mosaics anywhere, and royal tombs cut into the rock. the house of dionysos and its mosaic floors tombs of the kings, hellenistic and underground the akamas peninsula's empty beaches, north history coast art history & ruins coast & beaches art & museums cyprus nicosia & the south coast","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["apr","may","jun","sep","oct","mar","nov"],"la":34.78,"lo":32.42,"cs":"cyprus","ct":"city","i":["art","coast","food","history"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The Troodos Mountains","s":"Cyprus","u":"/europe/cyprus/troodos","t":"the troodos mountains painted churches under wooden roofs, vineyards at 1,000 metres, and forest above them. sacred wine mountains nature","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Omodos & the wine villages","s":"The Troodos Mountains, Cyprus","u":"/europe/cyprus/troodos/omodos","t":"omodos & the wine villages cobbled mountain villages growing indigenous grapes nobody else has, around a 12th-century monastery. xynisteri and mavro, grape varieties grown almost nowhere else the painted churches of the troodos, ten of them unesco-listed commandaria, documented since the crusades wine sacred mountains food wine & drink sacred places mountains food cyprus the troodos mountains","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["apr","may","jun","sep","oct","mar","nov"],"la":34.85,"lo":32.79,"cs":"cyprus","ct":"village","i":["food","mountains","nature","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The barn-roofed painted churches","s":"Omodos & the wine villages, Cyprus","u":"/europe/cyprus/troodos/omodos","t":"the barn-roofed painted churches small stone chapels under enormous pitched roofs, frescoed inside floor to ceiling; several need a key fetched from a village house. sacred","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Czechia","s":"Alpine & Central Europe","u":"/europe/czechia","t":"czechia czech republic prague the most beautiful city in central europe, and a country that drinks more beer per head than any other. bohemia and moravia were the industrial heart of the habsburg empire and came through the twentieth century with their architecture largely intact — prague was not bombed. outside it, spa towns, sandstone rock cities, moravian vineyards and a chateau in every second valley go almost unvisited. beer is a food group here and has been brewed in plzeň since 1842. architecture history food music nature wine architecture history & ruins food music & nightlife wild nature wine & drink","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"i":["architecture","history","food","music","nature","wine"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Prague & Bohemia","s":"Czechia","u":"/europe/czechia/prague-and-bohemia","t":"prague & bohemia the capital on its river, spa towns to the west, and sandstone rock towns to the north. architecture history music nature","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Prague","s":"Prague & Bohemia, Czechia","u":"/europe/czechia/prague-and-bohemia/prague","t":"prague romanesque, gothic, baroque and cubist stacked on top of each other, with a castle above and a bridge in between. charles bridge at six in the morning — genuinely worth the alarm the castle complex and st vitus's stained glass by mucha vyšehrad, the other castle, with almost nobody on it a pub where they draw a mlíko, a glass of pure foam, and mean it architecture history music food cities architecture history & ruins music & nightlife food big cities czechia prague & bohemia","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":50.09,"lo":14.42,"cs":"czechia","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","cities","food","history","music","nature"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Charles Bridge","s":"Prague, Czechia","u":"/europe/czechia/prague-and-bohemia/prague/place/charles-bridge","t":"charles bridge fourteenth-century, thirty baroque statues, and so crowded by ten in the morning that the only honest advice is to walk it at dawn or after midnight. bridge prague czechia","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":50.086,"lo":14.412,"cs":"czechia"},{"k":"Place","n":"Prague Castle","s":"Prague, Czechia","u":"/europe/czechia/prague-and-bohemia/prague/place/prague-castle","t":"prague castle not a castle so much as a walled hill town that has been the seat of bohemian kings, holy roman emperors and czech presidents in turn. st vitus cathedral is inside it. castle prague czechia","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":50.09,"lo":14.4,"cs":"czechia"},{"k":"Place","n":"Josefov, the Jewish Quarter","s":"Prague, Czechia","u":"/europe/czechia/prague-and-bohemia/prague/place/old-jewish-quarter","t":"josefov, the jewish quarter six synagogues and a cemetery where twelve thousand headstones lean against each other because the ground was reused for three hundred years and there was nowhere else to bury. quarter prague czechia","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":50.09,"lo":14.418,"cs":"czechia"},{"k":"Place","n":"Vyšehrad and the river bend","s":"Prague, Czechia","u":"/europe/czechia/prague-and-bohemia/prague/place/vysehrad","t":"vyšehrad and the river bend the other castle rock, south along the vltava, with a neo-gothic basilica and the national cemetery. locals come here to avoid the crowds at the first one. ruin prague czechia","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":50.064,"lo":14.418,"cs":"czechia"},{"k":"Experience","n":"A pub with a tapster, not a menu","s":"Prague, Czechia","u":"/europe/czechia/prague-and-bohemia/prague","t":"a pub with a tapster, not a menu the good places pour continuously and mark your tab in pencil; you say when to stop, and the pour type is a real choice. table","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"Vyšehrad and the river bend","s":"Prague, Czechia","u":"/europe/czechia/prague-and-bohemia/prague","t":"vyšehrad and the river bend the city's first castle, a cemetery of composers, and the whole of prague from the ramparts without a crowd. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Český Krumlov","s":"Prague & Bohemia, Czechia","u":"/europe/czechia/prague-and-bohemia/cesky-krumlov","t":"český krumlov a castle town in a tight loop of the vltava, essentially unchanged since the 18th century. the baroque theatre, with original 1766 machinery still working the bear moat, which has had bears since the 1700s canoeing the river loop around the town architecture history nature architecture history & ruins wild nature czechia prague & bohemia","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":48.81,"lo":14.32,"cs":"czechia","ct":"town","i":["architecture","history","music","nature"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Český Krumlov Castle","s":"Český Krumlov, Czechia","u":"/europe/czechia/prague-and-bohemia/cesky-krumlov/place/krumlov-castle","t":"český krumlov castle the second-largest castle complex in the country, wrapped in a river meander, with a baroque theatre that still has its original stage machinery and painted scenery. castle český krumlov czechia","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":48.813,"lo":14.315,"cs":"czechia"},{"k":"Place","n":"The Cloak Bridge","s":"Český Krumlov, Czechia","u":"/europe/czechia/prague-and-bohemia/cesky-krumlov/place/cloak-bridge","t":"the cloak bridge a three-tiered covered viaduct joining the castle to its theatre across a ravine, built so the household could reach a performance without going outside. bridge český krumlov czechia","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":48.812,"lo":14.313,"cs":"czechia"},{"k":"City","n":"Český ráj (Turnov)","s":"Prague & Bohemia, Czechia","u":"/europe/czechia/prague-and-bohemia/cesky-raj","t":"český ráj (turnov) 'bohemian paradise': sandstone towers, rock cities and castles on pinnacles, ninety minutes from prague. prachovské skály's maze of rock corridors trosky castle on two volcanic plugs sandstone climbing where the rules ban metal protection nature mountains history wild nature mountains history & ruins czechia prague & bohemia","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":50.59,"lo":15.16,"cs":"czechia","ct":"park","i":["architecture","history","mountains","music","nature"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Moravia","s":"Czechia","u":"/europe/czechia/moravia","t":"moravia the eastern half: vineyards, an astronomical clock nobody queues for, and a functionalist villa that changed architecture. wine architecture food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Brno","s":"Moravia, Czechia","u":"/europe/czechia/moravia/brno","t":"brno czechia's second city: student, modernist and self-deprecating, with an ossuary of 50,000 under the square. villa tugendhat, mies van der rohe, 1930, bookable in advance only the second-largest ossuary in europe, found in 2001 a cannonball fired at 11 am, which is why the cathedral rings noon an hour early architecture food history music architecture food history & ruins music & nightlife czechia moravia","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":49.2,"lo":16.61,"cs":"czechia","ct":"city","i":["architecture","food","history","music","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Villa Tugendhat","s":"Brno, Czechia","u":"/europe/czechia/moravia/brno/place/villa-tugendhat","t":"villa tugendhat mies van der rohe, 1930, and the building where modernism stopped being a manifesto and became a house somebody lived in. entry is by timed tour and books out weeks ahead. monument brno czechia","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":49.207,"lo":16.616,"cs":"czechia"},{"k":"Place","n":"Špilberk Castle","s":"Brno, Czechia","u":"/europe/czechia/moravia/brno/place/spilberk","t":"špilberk castle a hilltop fortress that spent the nineteenth century as the habsburg empire's most feared prison, and now holds the city museum and the best view over the roofs. castle brno czechia","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":49.194,"lo":16.599,"cs":"czechia"},{"k":"City","n":"Mikulov","s":"Moravia, Czechia","u":"/europe/czechia/moravia/mikulov","t":"mikulov a chateau town on the austrian border, surrounded by the country's best vineyards and a limestone ridge. wine cellars cut into the rock, open at harvest the jewish quarter and cemetery, one of central europe's most important pálava's limestone hills and their orchids wine nature history wine & drink wild nature history & ruins czechia moravia","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":48.81,"lo":16.64,"cs":"czechia","ct":"town","i":["architecture","food","history","nature","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"A Moravian cellar at harvest","s":"Mikulov, Czechia","u":"/europe/czechia/moravia/mikulov","t":"a moravian cellar at harvest burčák — half-fermented, cloudy and briefly available each september — is drunk cold from the barrel and does not travel. cellar","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Denmark","s":"The Nordics","u":"/europe/denmark","t":"denmark kingdom of denmark copenhagen small, flat, bicycled, and disproportionately good at deciding how things should look. denmark is a peninsula and four hundred islands, none of them far from the sea and none of them high. what it lacks in landscape it returns in design, food and a kind of practised ease — the country invented a word for it and then exported the word. everything is close: you can cross the whole country by train in four hours. design food coast cities history islands design & making food coast & beaches big cities history & ruins islands","w":2.0,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"i":["design","food","coast","cities","history","islands"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Zealand & Copenhagen","s":"Denmark","u":"/europe/denmark/zealand","t":"zealand & copenhagen the eastern island: the capital, the royal castles, and a coast of white cliffs. cities design history coast","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Copenhagen","s":"Zealand & Copenhagen, Denmark","u":"/europe/denmark/zealand/copenhagen","t":"copenhagen a harbour city clean enough to swim in the middle of, with the densest good eating in the nordics. harbour baths at islands brygge — municipal swimming in the harbour designmuseum danmark and the chairs everyone else copied torvehallerne and the bakeries of nørrebro tivoli after dark, which is better than its reputation design food cities architecture music design & making food big cities architecture music & nightlife denmark zealand & copenhagen","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":55.68,"lo":12.57,"cs":"denmark","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","cities","coast","design","food","history","music"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Tivoli Gardens","s":"Copenhagen, Denmark","u":"/europe/denmark/zealand/copenhagen/place/tivoli","t":"tivoli gardens opened 1843 and the second-oldest amusement park still running. walt disney visited twice and took notes; the wooden roller coaster still has a brakeman riding in it. park copenhagen denmark","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":55.674,"lo":12.568,"cs":"denmark"},{"k":"Place","n":"Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek","s":"Copenhagen, Denmark","u":"/europe/denmark/zealand/copenhagen/place/ny-carlsberg","t":"ny carlsberg glyptotek a brewer's collection: mediterranean antiquity downstairs, french impressionism upstairs, and a winter garden with a palm house in the middle of both. museum copenhagen denmark","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":55.673,"lo":12.573,"cs":"denmark"},{"k":"Place","n":"Rosenborg Castle","s":"Copenhagen, Denmark","u":"/europe/denmark/zealand/copenhagen/place/rosenborg","t":"rosenborg castle a renaissance summer house in the middle of town, holding the crown jewels in a basement that feels far too casual for what is in it. castle copenhagen denmark","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":55.686,"lo":12.577,"cs":"denmark"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Swim in the harbour","s":"Copenhagen, Denmark","u":"/europe/denmark/zealand/copenhagen","t":"swim in the harbour free, supervised in summer, and the result of thirty years of cleaning up a working port. water","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"Smørrebrød in the correct order","s":"Copenhagen, Denmark","u":"/europe/denmark/zealand/copenhagen","t":"smørrebrød in the correct order herring first, then fish, then meat, then cheese, with aquavit between — a lunch that takes three hours and is meant to. table","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Roskilde","s":"Zealand & Copenhagen, Denmark","u":"/europe/denmark/zealand/roskilde","t":"roskilde viking ships raised from the fjord, thirty-nine danish monarchs in one cathedral, and a festival in a field. five 11th-century ships, scuttled to block the fjord and dug out in 1962 the cathedral: denmark's royal burial church since 1413 reconstructed longships you can row on the fjord history sacred music history & ruins sacred places music & nightlife denmark zealand & copenhagen","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":55.64,"lo":12.08,"cs":"denmark","ct":"town","i":["cities","coast","design","history","music","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Viking Ship Museum","s":"Roskilde, Denmark","u":"/europe/denmark/zealand/roskilde/place/viking-ship-museum","t":"viking ship museum five ships deliberately sunk in 1070 to block the fjord, raised in 1962 and reassembled from fragments. reconstructions are sailed from the harbour outside. museum roskilde denmark","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":55.65,"lo":12.081,"cs":"denmark"},{"k":"Place","n":"Roskilde Cathedral","s":"Roskilde, Denmark","u":"/europe/denmark/zealand/roskilde/place/roskilde-cathedral","t":"roskilde cathedral the burial place of forty danish kings and queens across nine hundred years, so the building is also a walk through changing ideas about how to be remembered. church roskilde denmark","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":55.643,"lo":12.081,"cs":"denmark"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Row a reconstructed longship","s":"Roskilde, Denmark","u":"/europe/denmark/zealand/roskilde","t":"row a reconstructed longship built with period tools from the excavated hulls; you supply the arms and learn quickly why vikings were fit. water","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"Jutland","s":"Denmark","u":"/europe/denmark/jutland","t":"jutland the mainland: dunes, a moving desert, denmark's second city, and the oldest bog bodies in europe. coast nature history design","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Aarhus","s":"Jutland, Denmark","u":"/europe/denmark/jutland/aarhus","t":"aarhus a student city with a rainbow walkway on its art museum and a reconstructed old town beneath it. aros and olafur eliasson's circular rainbow panorama den gamle by: 75 relocated buildings staged in three different decades moesgaard's grauballe man, 2,300 years old and still recognisably a person art design cities food art & museums design & making big cities food denmark jutland","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":56.16,"lo":10.2,"cs":"denmark","ct":"city","i":["art","cities","coast","design","food","history","nature"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Walk the rainbow","s":"Aarhus, Denmark","u":"/europe/denmark/jutland/aarhus","t":"walk the rainbow 150 metres of coloured glass on the roof; the city changes hue as you walk, which is the entire idea. museum","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Skagen","s":"Jutland, Denmark","u":"/europe/denmark/jutland/skagen","t":"skagen the country's northern tip, where two seas meet visibly and a school of painters came for the light. grenen: stand with one foot in the skagerrak and one in the kattegat the skagen painters' museum and anchers' house råbjerg mile, a migrating dune moving 15 metres a year coast art nature coast & beaches art & museums wild nature denmark jutland","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":57.72,"lo":10.58,"cs":"denmark","ct":"town","i":["art","coast","design","history","nature"]},{"k":"Country","n":"Estonia","s":"The Baltic States","u":"/europe/estonia","t":"estonia republic of estonia tallinn a medieval hanseatic capital run by the most digital state in europe. estonia is closer to finland than to its baltic neighbours in language and temperament, and closer to nobody at all in how thoroughly it moved government online. half the country is forest, a fifth is bog, and the whole coast is shallow, islanded and quiet. it sang its way out of occupation in 1988, and the choral festival that did it still fills a stadium every five years. history architecture nature design music history & ruins architecture wild nature design & making music & nightlife","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"i":["history","architecture","nature","design","music"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Tallinn & the North Coast","s":"Estonia","u":"/europe/estonia/tallinn-and-the-north","t":"tallinn & the north coast the best-preserved medieval town in northern europe, with limestone cliffs and soviet ruins along the shore. history architecture cities coast","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Tallinn","s":"Tallinn & the North Coast, Estonia","u":"/europe/estonia/tallinn-and-the-north/tallinn","t":"tallinn a walled hanseatic town where the merchants' houses, the guild halls and the city wall all survived, and a startup district grew up beside them. the intact town wall and twenty of its towers telliskivi's converted rail yards, where the country's design lives now kadriorg palace and the kumu art museum behind it the seaplane harbour, a 1917 concrete hangar full of ships history architecture cities design food history & ruins architecture big cities design & making food estonia tallinn & the north coast","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":59.44,"lo":24.75,"cs":"estonia","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","cities","coast","design","food","history"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Toompea and the old town","s":"Tallinn, Estonia","u":"/europe/estonia/tallinn-and-the-north/tallinn/place/toompea","t":"toompea and the old town one of the most complete medieval town cores in northern europe, still walled, with the upper town of the nobility and the lower town of the merchants kept deliberately separate. quarter tallinn estonia","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":59.436,"lo":24.739,"cs":"estonia"},{"k":"Place","n":"Kumu Art Museum","s":"Tallinn, Estonia","u":"/europe/estonia/tallinn-and-the-north/tallinn/place/kumu","t":"kumu art museum estonian art from the eighteenth century to now, including the soviet decades presented without either nostalgia or dismissal — which is rarer than it should be. museum tallinn estonia","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":59.437,"lo":24.792,"cs":"estonia"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Walk the wall, tower to tower","s":"Tallinn, Estonia","u":"/europe/estonia/tallinn-and-the-north/tallinn","t":"walk the wall, tower to tower two kilometres of it still stand; the sections you can climb give the roofline the postcards use. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"Bog shoes in Lahemaa","s":"Tallinn, Estonia","u":"/europe/estonia/tallinn-and-the-north/tallinn","t":"bog shoes in lahemaa snowshoe-like frames let you cross raised bog off the boardwalk — an hour from the capital and utterly silent. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Lahemaa","s":"Tallinn & the North Coast, Estonia","u":"/europe/estonia/tallinn-and-the-north/lahemaa","t":"lahemaa a national park of bog, forest, manor houses and abandoned soviet submarine bases, an hour east of the capital. viru bog boardwalk at dawn palmse and sagadi manors, restored hara's derelict submarine base, slowly returning to the sea nature history coast wild nature history & ruins coast & beaches estonia tallinn & the north coast","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":59.55,"lo":25.9,"cs":"estonia","ct":"park","i":["architecture","cities","coast","history","nature"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The Islands & the South","s":"Estonia","u":"/europe/estonia/islands-and-south","t":"the islands & the south saaremaa's windmills and juniper, and tartu's university town intelligence. islands history nature","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Tartu","s":"The Islands & the South, Estonia","u":"/europe/estonia/islands-and-south/tartu","t":"tartu estonia's intellectual capital since 1632, small, brick and argumentative. the university's neoclassical main building and its student lock-up estonian national museum, built on a soviet runway supilinn — 'soup town' — of wooden houses on streets named after vegetables history cities art history & ruins big cities art & museums estonia the islands & the south","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":58.38,"lo":26.72,"cs":"estonia","ct":"city","i":["art","cities","history","islands","nature"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Estonian National Museum","s":"Tartu, Estonia","u":"/europe/estonia/islands-and-south/tartu/place/estonian-national-museum","t":"estonian national museum built on a soviet military airfield, with the roof line running out along the old runway. the permanent exhibition is a thousand years of ordinary estonian life. museum tartu estonia","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":58.395,"lo":26.741,"cs":"estonia"},{"k":"City","n":"Kuressaare, Saaremaa","s":"The Islands & the South, Estonia","u":"/europe/estonia/islands-and-south/kuressaare","t":"kuressaare, saaremaa an island town around a moated bishop's castle, on estonia's largest and slowest island. the 14th-century castle, complete with its moat kaali meteorite crater, formed within human memory juniper, windmills, and roads with no traffic on them islands history nature islands history & ruins wild nature estonia the islands & the south","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":58.25,"lo":22.49,"cs":"estonia","ct":"town","i":["history","islands","nature"]},{"k":"Country","n":"Finland","s":"The Nordics","u":"/europe/finland","t":"finland republic of finland helsinki forest, lake, sauna, silence — and a design tradition that came out of all four. finland is 188,000 lakes and more forest per person than anywhere in europe, arranged around a habit of not talking unnecessarily. the sauna is not a spa treatment here; it is where the country conducts its private life, and there are more saunas than cars. lapland in winter is the reason most people come, and the lake district in july is the reason some come back. nature design winter islands food wild nature design & making snow & winter islands food","w":2.0,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","feb","mar","sep"],"i":["nature","design","winter","islands","food"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Helsinki & the Southern Coast","s":"Finland","u":"/europe/finland/helsinki-and-the-coast","t":"helsinki & the southern coast a young capital of granite and sea, with a sea fortress and an archipelago at the end of the tram line. design cities islands architecture","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Helsinki","s":"Helsinki & the Southern Coast, Finland","u":"/europe/finland/helsinki-and-the-coast/helsinki","t":"helsinki neoclassical centre, brutal-modern edges, and a design district you can walk in an afternoon. suomenlinna: a unesco sea fortress on six islands, twenty minutes by ferry temppeliaukio, a church blasted into bedrock löyly and the return of the public sauna to the waterfront the oodi library, which lends power tools design architecture cities food islands design & making architecture big cities food islands finland helsinki & the southern coast","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","feb","mar","sep"],"la":60.17,"lo":24.94,"cs":"finland","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","cities","design","food","islands"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"A public sauna on the sea","s":"Helsinki, Finland","u":"/europe/finland/helsinki-and-the-coast/helsinki","t":"a public sauna on the sea hot, then the baltic, then hot again. the rule is that nobody performs and nobody talks much. water","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"The Design District on foot","s":"Helsinki, Finland","u":"/europe/finland/helsinki-and-the-coast/helsinki","t":"the design district on foot twenty-five streets, two hundred shops and studios, and the through-line from aalto to whoever graduated last year. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Porvoo","s":"Helsinki & the Southern Coast, Finland","u":"/europe/finland/helsinki-and-the-coast/porvoo","t":"porvoo red ochre warehouses on a river, and finland's second-oldest town an hour from the capital. the riverfront shore houses, painted for a royal visit in 1809 cobbled old town with working chocolate and glass makers wooden church on the hill above it history food coast history & ruins food coast & beaches finland helsinki & the southern coast","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","feb","mar","sep"],"la":60.39,"lo":25.66,"cs":"finland","ct":"town","i":["architecture","cities","coast","design","food","history","islands"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The Lakeland","s":"Finland","u":"/europe/finland/lakeland","t":"the lakeland the blue middle of the country: 188,000 lakes, wooden cottages, and a castle in the water. nature islands food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Savonlinna","s":"The Lakeland, Finland","u":"/europe/finland/lakeland/savonlinna","t":"savonlinna a 15th-century castle on an island in the middle of saimaa, which hosts opera in its courtyard each july. olavinlinna castle, built to face east and never taken by storm opera in the courtyard, one month a year saimaa ringed seals — a freshwater seal found nowhere else history nature music history & ruins wild nature music & nightlife finland the lakeland","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","feb","mar","sep"],"la":61.87,"lo":28.88,"cs":"finland","ct":"town","i":["food","history","islands","music","nature"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Looking for the Saimaa seal","s":"Savonlinna, Finland","u":"/europe/finland/lakeland/savonlinna","t":"looking for the saimaa seal fewer than four hundred exist. a quiet boat, an early morning, and no promises — which is how it should be sold. wild","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"Finnish Lapland","s":"Finland","u":"/europe/finland/finnish-lapland","t":"finnish lapland above the circle: fells rather than mountains, reindeer husbandry, and two months without a sunrise. winter nature wild","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Rovaniemi","s":"Finnish Lapland, Finland","u":"/europe/finland/finnish-lapland/rovaniemi","t":"rovaniemi the gateway to lapland, rebuilt after 1944 to an alvar aalto plan shaped like reindeer antlers. arktikum, the best museum on arctic life anywhere husky and reindeer trails from december to march the arctic circle, marked and unavoidable winter design wild snow & winter design & making wildlife watching finland finnish lapland","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","feb","mar","sep"],"la":66.5,"lo":25.73,"cs":"finland","ct":"city","i":["design","nature","wild","winter"]},{"k":"City","n":"Inari","s":"Finnish Lapland, Finland","u":"/europe/finland/finnish-lapland/inari","t":"inari the centre of sámi finland, on a lake with three thousand islands. siida: the sámi museum, written by sámi people ukonsaari, a sacred island out on the lake aurora with almost no light pollution in any direction winter nature history snow & winter wild nature history & ruins finland finnish lapland","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","feb","mar","sep"],"la":68.91,"lo":27.03,"cs":"finland","ct":"village","i":["history","nature","wild","winter"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Siida, on Sámi terms","s":"Inari, Finland","u":"/europe/finland/finnish-lapland/inari","t":"siida, on sámi terms a national minority telling its own story, including the parts about the finnish state — worth an afternoon rather than an hour. museum","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"France","s":"Western Europe","u":"/europe/france","t":"france french republic paris the most visited country on earth, and still mostly empty fifty kilometres from anywhere famous. france is the size of texas with every landscape europe offers: atlantic surf, alpine glacier, mediterranean cliff, volcanic upland and four hundred kilometres of vineyard between them. it receives more visitors than any country in the world, and almost all of them go to the same six places — which leaves the auvergne, the jura, the aveyron and half of brittany to whoever bothers. food and wine are not a sector here; they are the organising principle. food wine art history architecture mountains coast sacred food wine & drink art & museums history & ruins architecture mountains coast & beaches sacred places","w":2.0,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"i":["food","wine","art","history","architecture","mountains","coast","sacred"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Paris & Île-de-France","s":"France","u":"/europe/france/paris-and-ile-de-france","t":"paris & île-de-france the capital and the palaces and cathedrals within an hour of it. art architecture food cities sacred","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Paris","s":"Paris & Île-de-France, France","u":"/europe/france/paris-and-ile-de-france/paris","t":"paris nineteenth-century town planning at monumental scale, with the world's densest concentration of art inside it. the musée d'orsay in a railway station, better than the louvre for a single visit père lachaise, a walled city of the dead with its own map the covered passages of the 2nd, from the 1820s a market street — rue mouffetard, rue des martyrs — early on a sunday art architecture food cities wine art & museums architecture food big cities wine & drink france paris & île-de-france","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":48.86,"lo":2.35,"cs":"france","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","art","cities","food","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Musée d'Orsay","s":"Paris, France","u":"/europe/france/paris-and-ile-de-france/paris/place/musee-dorsay","t":"musée d'orsay impressionism in a beaux-arts railway station, and a better single visit than the louvre. museum paris france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":48.86,"lo":2.327,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Place","n":"Père Lachaise","s":"Paris, France","u":"/europe/france/paris-and-ile-de-france/paris/place/pere-lachaise","t":"père lachaise a walled city of the dead with its own map, 44 hectares, and better company than most parks. park paris france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":48.861,"lo":2.393,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Place","n":"Sainte-Chapelle","s":"Paris, France","u":"/europe/france/paris-and-ile-de-france/paris/place/sainte-chapelle","t":"sainte-chapelle fifteen windows of 13th-century glass holding 1,113 scenes, in a chapel built as a reliquary. church paris france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":48.855,"lo":2.345,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Place","n":"The Covered Passages","s":"Paris, France","u":"/europe/france/paris-and-ile-de-france/paris/place/passages-couverts","t":"the covered passages glass-roofed arcades from the 1820s, built before the department store and mostly forgotten since. street paris france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":48.869,"lo":2.342,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Place","n":"Musée Rodin","s":"Paris, France","u":"/europe/france/paris-and-ile-de-france/paris/place/rodin-museum","t":"musée rodin the sculptor's own house and garden, where the thinker sits outside and the queue does not exist. museum paris france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":48.855,"lo":2.316,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Experience","n":"A market street before ten","s":"Paris, France","u":"/europe/france/paris-and-ile-de-france/paris","t":"a market street before ten cheese, bread, a rotisserie chicken and a bottle, then eat it in a park; the most parisian thing available and it costs almost nothing. table","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"The covered passages","s":"Paris, France","u":"/europe/france/paris-and-ile-de-france/paris","t":"the covered passages glass-roofed arcades built before the department store and mostly forgotten since — a two-hour walk in the dry. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Chartres","s":"Paris & Île-de-France, France","u":"/europe/france/paris-and-ile-de-france/chartres","t":"chartres the most complete gothic cathedral in france, with 172 windows of 12th-century glass that survived two wars in boxes. the blue of the notre-dame de la belle-verrière window the labyrinth in the nave floor, walkable on fridays in summer the old town below, on the river sacred architecture history sacred places architecture history & ruins france paris & île-de-france","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":48.45,"lo":1.49,"cs":"france","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","cities","food","history","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Chartres Cathedral","s":"Chartres, France","u":"/europe/france/paris-and-ile-de-france/chartres/place/chartres-cathedral","t":"chartres cathedral 172 windows of 12th-century glass that survived two wars in boxes, and a labyrinth in the nave floor. church chartres france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":48.448,"lo":1.488,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Region","n":"Champagne & the North","s":"France","u":"/europe/france/champagne-and-the-north","t":"champagne & the north chalk cellars under a coronation city, a flemish-belgian border culture, and the battlefields of two wars. wine history architecture food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Reims","s":"Champagne & the North, France","u":"/europe/france/champagne-and-the-north/reims","t":"reims where thirty-three french kings were crowned, above twenty kilometres of roman chalk cellars full of champagne. the cathedral's smiling angel, and chagall's windows behind the altar crayères: gallo-roman chalk pits, now cellars, at 10°c year-round the montagne de reims villages, where the grapes actually come from wine sacred history architecture wine & drink sacred places history & ruins architecture france champagne & the north","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":49.26,"lo":4.03,"cs":"france","ct":"city","i":["architecture","food","history","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Reims Cathedral","s":"Reims, France","u":"/europe/france/champagne-and-the-north/reims/place/reims-cathedral","t":"reims cathedral where thirty-three french kings were crowned, with a smiling angel outside and chagall windows within. church reims france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":49.254,"lo":4.034,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Down into the crayères","s":"Reims, France","u":"/europe/france/champagne-and-the-north/reims","t":"down into the crayères chalk quarried by romans, thirty metres down, holding millions of bottles at a constant temperature nobody has to pay for. cellar","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Lille","s":"Champagne & the North, France","u":"/europe/france/champagne-and-the-north/lille","t":"lille flemish in its architecture and french in its administration, with the best food market north of lyon. vieux lille's flemish brick and the grand'place palais des beaux-arts, the second-largest collection in france la braderie in september: europe's largest flea market, and mussels everywhere architecture food art cities architecture food art & museums big cities france champagne & the north","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":50.63,"lo":3.06,"cs":"france","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","cities","food","history","wine"]},{"k":"City","n":"Amiens","s":"Champagne & the North, France","u":"/europe/france/champagne-and-the-north/amiens","t":"amiens the largest gothic cathedral in france by volume, and market gardens on canals behind it. the cathedral, twice the volume of notre-dame de paris hortillonnages: 300 hectares of floating market gardens, seen from a punt jules verne's house, where he wrote most of it sacred architecture food nature sacred places architecture food wild nature france champagne & the north","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":49.89,"lo":2.3,"cs":"france","ct":"city","i":["architecture","food","history","nature","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Normandy & Brittany","s":"France","u":"/europe/france/normandy-brittany","t":"normandy & brittany tidal islands, invasion beaches, cider country and a celtic peninsula that faces the atlantic. coast history sacred food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Mont-Saint-Michel","s":"Normandy & Brittany, France","u":"/europe/france/normandy-brittany/mont-saint-michel","t":"mont-saint-michel an abbey on a rock in a bay with the fastest tides in europe, and a village winding up to it. the abbey at opening or on a night visit, not at noon walking the bay barefoot with a guide, which is the only safe way the tide, which moves faster than a person walks on spring highs sacred coast history architecture sacred places coast & beaches history & ruins architecture france normandy & brittany","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":48.64,"lo":-1.51,"cs":"france","ct":"site","i":["architecture","coast","food","history","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"The Abbey","s":"Mont-Saint-Michel, France","u":"/europe/france/normandy-brittany/mont-saint-michel/place/mont-saint-michel-abbey","t":"the abbey a romanesque and gothic abbey stacked on a granite rock, best at opening or on a night visit. monastery mont-saint-michel france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":48.636,"lo":-1.511,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Cross the bay on foot","s":"Mont-Saint-Michel, France","u":"/europe/france/normandy-brittany/mont-saint-michel","t":"cross the bay on foot guided, barefoot, over quicksand and channels; the mount is a different thing entirely when you arrive the medieval way. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Bayeux & the Landing Beaches","s":"Normandy & Brittany, France","u":"/europe/france/normandy-brittany/bayeux","t":"bayeux & the landing beaches a town that kept its cathedral, its 70-metre embroidery of 1066, and the beaches of 1944 twenty minutes away. the bayeux tapestry, seen slowly with the audio guide omaha and the american cemetery above it arromanches, where the concrete harbour is still in the sea history sacred coast history & ruins sacred places coast & beaches france normandy & brittany","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":49.28,"lo":-0.7,"cs":"france","ct":"town","i":["coast","food","history","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Bayeux Tapestry","s":"Bayeux & the Landing Beaches, France","u":"/europe/france/normandy-brittany/bayeux/place/bayeux-tapestry","t":"bayeux tapestry seventy metres of embroidery telling 1066 from the winning side, seen slowly with the audio guide. museum bayeux & the landing beaches france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":49.276,"lo":-0.703,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Place","n":"Omaha Beach & the American Cemetery","s":"Bayeux & the Landing Beaches, France","u":"/europe/france/normandy-brittany/bayeux/place/omaha-beach","t":"omaha beach & the american cemetery five kilometres of sand and 9,388 graves on the bluff above it. monument bayeux & the landing beaches france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":49.359,"lo":-0.856,"cs":"france"},{"k":"City","n":"Saint-Malo","s":"Normandy & Brittany, France","u":"/europe/france/normandy-brittany/saint-malo","t":"saint-malo a corsair city inside granite ramparts, rebuilt stone by stone after 1944, with a tidal range of twelve metres. the ramparts circuit at high tide, when spray comes over walking to the grand bé island at low water — and watching the clock oysters at cancale, ten kilometres east coast history food coast & beaches history & ruins food france normandy & brittany","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":48.65,"lo":-2.03,"cs":"france","ct":"city","i":["coast","food","history","sacred"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The Loire & the Southwest","s":"France","u":"/europe/france/loire-and-the-southwest","t":"the loire & the southwest renaissance châteaux on a wide slow river, then bordeaux, the dunes and the basque coast. wine history architecture coast food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Amboise & the Loire châteaux","s":"The Loire & the Southwest, France","u":"/europe/france/loire-and-the-southwest/amboise","t":"amboise & the loire châteaux a royal town on the loire, with leonardo's last house at the top of it and chenonceau downstream. chenonceau, built across the river itself clos lucé, where leonardo died in 1519 cycling the loire à vélo between châteaux, all of it flat history architecture wine history & ruins architecture wine & drink france the loire & the southwest","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":47.41,"lo":0.98,"cs":"france","ct":"town","i":["architecture","coast","food","history","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Château de Chenonceau","s":"Amboise & the Loire châteaux, France","u":"/europe/france/loire-and-the-southwest/amboise/place/chenonceau","t":"château de chenonceau built across the river itself, and run by a succession of women who each rebuilt part of it. castle amboise & the loire châteaux france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":47.325,"lo":1.07,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Place","n":"Clos Lucé","s":"Amboise & the Loire châteaux, France","u":"/europe/france/loire-and-the-southwest/amboise/place/clos-luce","t":"clos lucé leonardo's last house, connected to the royal château by a tunnel he probably never used. museum amboise & the loire châteaux france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":47.41,"lo":0.989,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Château to château by bicycle","s":"Amboise & the Loire châteaux, France","u":"/europe/france/loire-and-the-southwest/amboise","t":"château to château by bicycle 900 km of signed, flat riverside route; two days of it between blois and tours is the best introduction. ride","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Bordeaux","s":"The Loire & the Southwest, France","u":"/europe/france/loire-and-the-southwest/bordeaux","t":"bordeaux an 18th-century stone city on a river bend, cleaned in the 2000s, with the world's most famous vineyards at the gates. the place de la bourse and its mirror of water saint-émilion, a monolithic church cut into rock, forty minutes east the cité du vin, which is better than it sounds wine architecture food cities wine & drink architecture food big cities france the loire & the southwest","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":44.84,"lo":-0.58,"cs":"france","ct":"city","i":["architecture","cities","coast","food","history","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Place de la Bourse & Miroir d'eau","s":"Bordeaux, France","u":"/europe/france/loire-and-the-southwest/bordeaux/place/place-de-la-bourse","t":"place de la bourse & miroir d'eau an 18th-century facade and the world's largest reflecting pool, two centimetres deep. square bordeaux france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":44.841,"lo":-0.57,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Place","n":"Saint-Émilion","s":"Bordeaux, France","u":"/europe/france/loire-and-the-southwest/bordeaux/place/saint-emilion","t":"saint-émilion a monolithic church cut down into the rock, in a village that is the whole appellation's shopfront. monument bordeaux france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":44.894,"lo":-0.156,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Experience","n":"A small Saint-Émilion cellar","s":"Bordeaux, France","u":"/europe/france/loire-and-the-southwest/bordeaux","t":"a small saint-émilion cellar skip the classified growths and visit a family making 20,000 bottles; you will taste from the barrel and be told the truth about the vintage. cellar","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Biarritz & the Basque Coast","s":"The Loire & the Southwest, France","u":"/europe/france/loire-and-the-southwest/biarritz","t":"biarritz & the basque coast atlantic surf, a napoleonic resort, and a food culture that belongs to a nation without a state. surf at the côte des basques, where european surfing started in 1957 pintxos across the border in san sebastián, an hour away espelette peppers drying on house fronts in september coast food wine coast & beaches food wine & drink france the loire & the southwest","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":43.48,"lo":-1.56,"cs":"france","ct":"city","i":["architecture","coast","food","history","wine"]},{"k":"City","n":"Sarlat & the Dordogne","s":"The Loire & the Southwest, France","u":"/europe/france/loire-and-the-southwest/sarlat","t":"sarlat & the dordogne a honey-coloured medieval town in a valley of castles, walnut groves and the oldest painted caves in europe. lascaux iv, an exact facsimile because the original is closed for its own survival castles facing each other across the river from the hundred years' war saturday market: walnuts, foie gras, and truffles in winter history food nature architecture history & ruins food wild nature architecture france the loire & the southwest","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":44.89,"lo":1.22,"cs":"france","ct":"town","i":["architecture","coast","food","history","nature","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Lascaux IV","s":"Sarlat & the Dordogne, France","u":"/europe/france/loire-and-the-southwest/sarlat/place/lascaux-iv","t":"lascaux iv an exact facsimile of a cave closed since 1963 because human breath was destroying the paintings. museum sarlat & the dordogne france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":45.053,"lo":1.174,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Place","n":"Château de Beynac","s":"Sarlat & the Dordogne, France","u":"/europe/france/loire-and-the-southwest/sarlat/place/chateau-de-beynac","t":"château de beynac a cliff-top fortress facing its enemy across the river, essentially unchanged since the 1300s. castle sarlat & the dordogne france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":44.842,"lo":1.145,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The painted caves, original and copy","s":"Sarlat & the Dordogne, France","u":"/europe/france/loire-and-the-southwest/sarlat","t":"the painted caves, original and copy font-de-gaume still admits a few dozen people a day to originals; lascaux is a facsimile because breath destroyed the real one within fifteen years of opening. museum","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Toulouse","s":"The Loire & the Southwest, France","u":"/europe/france/loire-and-the-southwest/toulouse","t":"toulouse the pink city: brick everything, a romanesque basilica, aerospace money and a canal to the mediterranean. saint-sernin, the largest romanesque church still standing canal du midi, walked or cycled towards the sea cassoulet, which is argued over with castelnaudary and carcassonne architecture food sacred cities architecture food sacred places big cities france the loire & the southwest","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":43.6,"lo":1.44,"cs":"france","ct":"city","i":["architecture","cities","coast","food","history","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Basilique Saint-Sernin","s":"Toulouse, France","u":"/europe/france/loire-and-the-southwest/toulouse/place/basilique-saint-sernin","t":"basilique saint-sernin the largest romanesque church still standing, built in brick for pilgrims on the way to santiago. church toulouse france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":43.608,"lo":1.442,"cs":"france"},{"k":"City","n":"La Rochelle","s":"The Loire & the Southwest, France","u":"/europe/france/loire-and-the-southwest/la-rochelle","t":"la rochelle a protestant merchant port behind three medieval towers, with an island of white houses across a bridge. the harbour towers, which held a chain across the entrance île de ré: hollyhocks, salt marshes and 100 km of cycle path oysters from marennes-oléron, eaten at the quayside coast history food islands coast & beaches history & ruins food islands france the loire & the southwest","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":46.16,"lo":-1.15,"cs":"france","ct":"town","i":["architecture","coast","food","history","islands","wine"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The Alps & the East","s":"France","u":"/europe/france/alps-and-east","t":"the alps & the east mont blanc, the jura, burgundy's slope of vineyards and alsace's timbered villages. mountains wine winter food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Chamonix","s":"The Alps & the East, France","u":"/europe/france/alps-and-east/chamonix","t":"chamonix a valley town under the highest mountain in western europe, where alpinism was invented. aiguille du midi by cable car to 3,842 metres, in twenty minutes the mer de glace, and the ladders marking where the ice used to be the tour du mont blanc, which starts and finishes here mountains winter nature mountains snow & winter wild nature france the alps & the east","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":45.92,"lo":6.87,"cs":"france","ct":"town","i":["food","mountains","nature","wine","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Aiguille du Midi","s":"Chamonix, France","u":"/europe/france/alps-and-east/chamonix/place/aiguille-du-midi","t":"aiguille du midi 3,842 metres in twenty minutes by cable car, with mont blanc across the glacier. mountain chamonix france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":45.879,"lo":6.887,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Place","n":"Mer de Glace","s":"Chamonix, France","u":"/europe/france/alps-and-east/chamonix/place/mer-de-glace","t":"mer de glace france's largest glacier, reached by rack railway, with the steps down signed by the year the ice reached them. mountain chamonix france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":45.897,"lo":6.921,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Down to the Mer de Glace","s":"Chamonix, France","u":"/europe/france/alps-and-east/chamonix","t":"down to the mer de glace the steps to the ice are signed with the year the glacier reached each level; the descent is a chronology as much as a walk. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Beaune","s":"The Alps & the East, France","u":"/europe/france/alps-and-east/beaune","t":"beaune the wine capital of burgundy, inside its own walls, on the most valuable agricultural land on earth. the hôtel-dieu's glazed tile roof and 15th-century wards walking or cycling the côte de beaune between named vineyards the hospices auction in november wine food history wine & drink food history & ruins france the alps & the east","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":47.02,"lo":4.84,"cs":"france","ct":"town","i":["food","history","mountains","wine","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Hôtel-Dieu","s":"Beaune, France","u":"/europe/france/alps-and-east/beaune/place/hotel-dieu","t":"hôtel-dieu a 15th-century charity hospital under a glazed tile roof, with the wards left as they were. museum beaune france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":47.022,"lo":4.838,"cs":"france"},{"k":"City","n":"Colmar & the Alsace wine road","s":"The Alps & the East, France","u":"/europe/france/alps-and-east/colmar","t":"colmar & the alsace wine road half-timbered, geranium-hung, and german four times in a century — the food and the wine still say so. the isenheim altarpiece at the unterlinden, which stops people mid-sentence the wine road south through eguisheim and riquewihr christmas markets, which here are the real thing wine architecture food wine & drink architecture food france the alps & the east","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":48.08,"lo":7.36,"cs":"france","ct":"town","i":["architecture","food","mountains","wine","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Musée Unterlinden","s":"Colmar & the Alsace wine road, France","u":"/europe/france/alps-and-east/colmar/place/unterlinden","t":"musée unterlinden the isenheim altarpiece, which stops people mid-sentence, in a dominican convent. museum colmar & the alsace wine road france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":48.079,"lo":7.355,"cs":"france"},{"k":"City","n":"Annecy","s":"The Alps & the East, France","u":"/europe/france/alps-and-east/annecy","t":"annecy a canal town on the cleanest large lake in europe, with the alps standing straight up behind it. swimming in the lake from public beaches all summer the 40 km lakeside cycle path on a former railway paragliding off col de la forclaz onto the shore mountains nature coast food mountains wild nature coast & beaches food france the alps & the east","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":45.9,"lo":6.13,"cs":"france","ct":"city","i":["coast","food","mountains","nature","wine","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Lake Annecy","s":"Annecy, France","u":"/europe/france/alps-and-east/annecy/place/lake-annecy","t":"lake annecy the cleanest large lake in europe, swimmable from public beaches, with the alps standing behind it. beach annecy france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":45.855,"lo":6.163,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Swim in Lake Annecy","s":"Annecy, France","u":"/europe/france/alps-and-east/annecy","t":"swim in lake annecy fed by mountain springs and cleaned up by a 1960s sewer scheme that is now the textbook example; you can see the bottom at four metres. water","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Strasbourg","s":"The Alps & the East, France","u":"/europe/france/alps-and-east/strasbourg","t":"strasbourg a cathedral of pink sandstone over a half-timbered island, and the european parliament twenty minutes away. the cathedral's astronomical clock, which performs at half past twelve la petite france's canals and tanners' houses winstubs: alsatian taverns serving choucroute and dry riesling architecture food wine sacred cities architecture food wine & drink sacred places big cities france the alps & the east","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":48.58,"lo":7.75,"cs":"france","ct":"city","i":["architecture","cities","food","mountains","sacred","wine","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Strasbourg Cathedral","s":"Strasbourg, France","u":"/europe/france/alps-and-east/strasbourg/place/strasbourg-cathedral","t":"strasbourg cathedral pink sandstone, a single spire, and an astronomical clock that performs at half past twelve. church strasbourg france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":48.582,"lo":7.751,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Place","n":"La Petite France","s":"Strasbourg, France","u":"/europe/france/alps-and-east/strasbourg/place/petite-france","t":"la petite france tanners' houses on canals with drying lofts in the roofs, on an island in the ill. quarter strasbourg france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":48.58,"lo":7.741,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Region","n":"Provence & the Mediterranean","s":"France","u":"/europe/france/provence-and-the-south","t":"provence & the mediterranean roman engineering, lavender, the light the painters came for, and a coast that invented the summer holiday. coast art history food wine","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Arles","s":"Provence & the Mediterranean, France","u":"/europe/france/provence-and-the-south/arles","t":"arles a roman arena still in use, the rhône delta at the door, and the year van gogh painted two hundred canvases here. the amphitheatre, built in 90 ad and still hosting events the camargue: salt, white horses, flamingos, and a rice crop les rencontres, europe's oldest photography festival, in july history art food history & ruins art & museums food france provence & the mediterranean","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":43.68,"lo":4.63,"cs":"france","ct":"town","i":["art","coast","food","history","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Arles Amphitheatre","s":"Arles, France","u":"/europe/france/provence-and-the-south/arles/place/arles-amphitheatre","t":"arles amphitheatre built around 90 ad for 20,000 people and still used for events, which is the point. theatre arles france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":43.678,"lo":4.631,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Place","n":"The Van Gogh sites","s":"Arles, France","u":"/europe/france/provence-and-the-south/arles/place/van-gogh-sites","t":"the van gogh sites the café terrace, the hospital courtyard and the yellow house's corner, in the year he painted 200 canvases. street arles france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":43.677,"lo":4.628,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The Camargue from a horse","s":"Arles, France","u":"/europe/france/provence-and-the-south/arles","t":"the camargue from a horse the local white horses are bred to work in water; a half-day gets you into marsh no vehicle reaches. ride","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Marseille","s":"Provence & the Mediterranean, France","u":"/europe/france/provence-and-the-south/marseille","t":"marseille france's oldest city, founded by greeks in 600 bc, mediterranean rather than french in almost every respect. the calanques: white limestone inlets, reachable on foot from the edge of town mucem and the footbridge to the fort bouillabaisse where the fishermen eat, not on the vieux-port strip food coast cities art food coast & beaches big cities art & museums france provence & the mediterranean","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":43.3,"lo":5.37,"cs":"france","ct":"city","i":["art","cities","coast","food","history","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Calanques de Sugiton","s":"Marseille, France","u":"/europe/france/provence-and-the-south/marseille/place/calanques","t":"calanques de sugiton white limestone inlets reached on foot from the edge of the city, with access capped in summer. beach marseille france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":43.211,"lo":5.451,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Place","n":"MuCEM","s":"Marseille, France","u":"/europe/france/provence-and-the-south/marseille/place/mucem","t":"mucem a black concrete lattice on the harbour, joined to a 17th-century fort by a footbridge. museum marseille france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":43.296,"lo":5.361,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Walk into the Calanques","s":"Marseille, France","u":"/europe/france/provence-and-the-south/marseille","t":"walk into the calanques from luminy to sugiton in ninety minutes; in summer access is capped and booked, which is why the water is still clear. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Nice","s":"Provence & the Mediterranean, France","u":"/europe/france/provence-and-the-south/nice","t":"nice an italian city until 1860, with an old town that still cooks like one and a pebble bay that never closes. the cours saleya market, and socca eaten standing up matisse and chagall museums up the hill in cimiez the train east to menton along the coast, for the price of a coffee coast art food coast & beaches art & museums food france provence & the mediterranean","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":43.7,"lo":7.27,"cs":"france","ct":"city","i":["art","coast","food","history","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Cours Saleya","s":"Nice, France","u":"/europe/france/provence-and-the-south/nice/place/cours-saleya","t":"cours saleya flowers, produce and socca eaten standing up, in the old town's one wide street. market nice france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":43.695,"lo":7.275,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Place","n":"Musée Matisse","s":"Nice, France","u":"/europe/france/provence-and-the-south/nice/place/matisse-museum","t":"musée matisse a red villa in the olive groves of cimiez holding the artist's own bequest. museum nice france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":43.719,"lo":7.276,"cs":"france"},{"k":"City","n":"Avignon","s":"Provence & the Mediterranean, France","u":"/europe/france/provence-and-the-south/avignon","t":"avignon seven popes ruled from here in the 14th century and left the largest gothic palace in the world behind them. the palais des papes, more fortress than palace the famous half-bridge, which stops in the rhône the july festival, when the whole city becomes a stage history sacred architecture festivals wine history & ruins sacred places architecture festivals wine & drink france provence & the mediterranean","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":43.95,"lo":4.81,"cs":"france","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","coast","festivals","food","history","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Palais des Papes","s":"Avignon, France","u":"/europe/france/provence-and-the-south/avignon/place/palais-des-papes","t":"palais des papes the largest gothic palace in the world, built by seven popes in fourteen years and stripped bare afterwards. castle avignon france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":43.951,"lo":4.808,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Châteauneuf-du-Pape, in the village","s":"Avignon, France","u":"/europe/france/provence-and-the-south/avignon","t":"châteauneuf-du-pape, in the village thirteen permitted grape varieties and stones the size of fists that hold the day's heat into the night; the growers pour in their own cellars. cellar","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Carcassonne","s":"Provence & the Mediterranean, France","u":"/europe/france/provence-and-the-south/carcassonne","t":"carcassonne a double-walled citadel of 52 towers, heavily restored in the 1850s and argued about ever since. the walls at night, when the day visitors have gone and it is floodlit viollet-le-duc's restoration, and the debate about whether it invented as much as it saved corbières and minervois wine in the plain below history architecture wine history & ruins architecture wine & drink france provence & the mediterranean","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":43.21,"lo":2.35,"cs":"france","ct":"town","i":["architecture","art","coast","food","history","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"La Cité","s":"Carcassonne, France","u":"/europe/france/provence-and-the-south/carcassonne/place/cite-de-carcassonne","t":"la cité two rings of wall and 52 towers, heavily restored in the 1850s and argued about ever since. castle carcassonne france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":43.206,"lo":2.364,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Region","n":"Corsica","s":"France","u":"/europe/france/corsica","t":"corsica a mountain in the sea: 2,700-metre peaks, an interior of maquis and stone villages, and a language that is not french. mountains coast islands food nature","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Bonifacio","s":"Corsica, France","u":"/europe/france/corsica/bonifacio","t":"bonifacio a citadel on white limestone cliffs undercut by the sea, with sardinia visible across twelve kilometres of strait. the king of aragon's staircase, 187 steps cut into the cliff face boat trips into the sea caves under the town lavezzi islands, granite and empty, half an hour offshore coast history islands coast & beaches history & ruins islands france corsica","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":41.39,"lo":9.16,"cs":"france","ct":"town","i":["coast","food","history","islands","mountains","nature"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Escalier du Roi d'Aragon","s":"Bonifacio, France","u":"/europe/france/corsica/bonifacio/place/escalier-du-roi-daragon","t":"escalier du roi d'aragon 187 steps cut into a limestone cliff, reputedly in a single night, and certainly not. monument bonifacio france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":41.384,"lo":9.158,"cs":"france"},{"k":"City","n":"Corte","s":"Corsica, France","u":"/europe/france/corsica/corte","t":"corte the old corsican capital in the mountainous centre, with the university that keeps the language alive and the gr20 above it. the citadel on a rock, and the museum of corsica inside it restonica gorge, and the glacial lakes at the top of it the gr20, often called europe's hardest waymarked trail mountains history nature food mountains history & ruins wild nature food france corsica","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":42.31,"lo":9.15,"cs":"france","ct":"town","i":["coast","food","history","islands","mountains","nature"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"One stage of the GR20","s":"Corte, France","u":"/europe/france/corsica/corte","t":"one stage of the gr20 180 km and 15 days for the whole thing; a single stage out of vizzavona gives you the granite and the exposure without the fortnight. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"The Auvergne & the Massif Central","s":"France","u":"/europe/france/auvergne","t":"the auvergne & the massif central extinct volcanoes, romanesque churches, mineral water and the emptiest quarter of france. mountains nature sacred food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Le Puy-en-Velay","s":"The Auvergne & the Massif Central, France","u":"/europe/france/auvergne/le-puy-en-velay","t":"le puy-en-velay chapels on top of volcanic plugs, green lentils with their own appellation, and the start of the oldest road to santiago. saint-michel d'aiguilhe: 268 steps up a volcanic needle to a 10th-century chapel the cathedral, and the pilgrim mass each morning before departure puy lentils, which are grown nowhere else and taste of it sacred history food nature sacred places history & ruins food wild nature france the auvergne & the massif central","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":45.04,"lo":3.88,"cs":"france","ct":"town","i":["food","history","mountains","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Saint-Michel d'Aiguilhe","s":"Le Puy-en-Velay, France","u":"/europe/france/auvergne/le-puy-en-velay/place/saint-michel-aiguilhe","t":"saint-michel d'aiguilhe 268 steps up a volcanic needle to a chapel consecrated in 962. church le puy-en-velay france","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":45.048,"lo":3.883,"cs":"france"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The first day of the Via Podiensis","s":"Le Puy-en-Velay, France","u":"/europe/france/auvergne/le-puy-en-velay","t":"the first day of the via podiensis the oldest of the santiago routes leaves from the cathedral steps after the 7 am pilgrim mass. the first day to saint-privat is twenty-three kilometres and sets the tone. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Clermont-Ferrand","s":"The Auvergne & the Massif Central, France","u":"/europe/france/auvergne/clermont-ferrand","t":"clermont-ferrand a city built in black volcanic stone under a chain of eighty dormant volcanoes. the black lava cathedral, which looks like nothing else in france puy de dôme, 1,465 metres, by rack railway or on foot the chaîne des puys, on the unesco list as a geological site nature architecture mountains wild nature architecture mountains france the auvergne & the massif central","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","may","oct"],"la":45.78,"lo":3.08,"cs":"france","ct":"city","i":["architecture","food","mountains","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Country","n":"Georgia","s":"The Caucasus & the Bosphorus","u":"/europe/georgia","t":"georgia georgia tbilisi eight thousand years of winemaking, its own alphabet, and mountains higher than the alps. georgia has been making wine in buried clay qvevri for eight millennia — the oldest evidence anywhere — and has an alphabet used by no other language. it sits on the southern side of the greater caucasus, with 5,000-metre peaks, and its supra feasting tradition, presided over by a tamada, is a formal institution rather than a party. a council of europe member, and european by most political definitions. wine food mountains sacred history wild wine & drink food mountains sacred places history & ruins wildlife watching","w":2.0,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","jul","aug"],"i":["wine","food","mountains","sacred","history","wild"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Tbilisi & Kakheti","s":"Georgia","u":"/europe/georgia/tbilisi-and-kakheti","t":"tbilisi & kakheti the capital in its gorge, and the wine country east of it. wine food history sacred","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Tbilisi","s":"Tbilisi & Kakheti, Georgia","u":"/europe/georgia/tbilisi-and-kakheti/tbilisi","t":"tbilisi wooden balconies, a fortress above, sulphur baths below, and persian, russian and soviet layers in the same street. the sulphur bath district, with domed brick roofs at ground level narikala fortress and the cable car to it the dry bridge flea market, selling soviet everything wine bars pouring qvevri wines by the glass food wine history architecture cities food wine & drink history & ruins architecture big cities georgia tbilisi & kakheti","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","jul","aug"],"la":41.72,"lo":44.79,"cs":"georgia","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","cities","food","history","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"A private room at the sulphur baths","s":"Tbilisi, Georgia","u":"/europe/georgia/tbilisi-and-kakheti/tbilisi","t":"a private room at the sulphur baths hot spring water at 40°c, a hard scrub if you want one, and an hour that costs less than a meal. water","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Sighnaghi & Kakheti","s":"Tbilisi & Kakheti, Georgia","u":"/europe/georgia/tbilisi-and-kakheti/sighnaghi","t":"sighnaghi & kakheti a walled hill town over the alazani valley, with the caucasus on the horizon and vineyards to the foot of them. family cellars fermenting in buried qvevri the town walls, 4 km with 23 towers bodbe monastery, and the valley view from below it wine food history wine & drink food history & ruins georgia tbilisi & kakheti","w":1.6,"b":"low","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","jul","aug"],"la":41.62,"lo":45.92,"cs":"georgia","ct":"town","i":["food","history","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"A qvevri cellar and a supra","s":"Sighnaghi & Kakheti, Georgia","u":"/europe/georgia/tbilisi-and-kakheti/sighnaghi","t":"a qvevri cellar and a supra wine fermented in clay buried to the neck, then a table that goes on for hours with a tamada running it. cellar","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"The Greater Caucasus","s":"Georgia","u":"/europe/georgia/the-caucasus","t":"the greater caucasus svaneti's stone towers, kazbegi's church on a ridge, and roads that close with the snow. mountains history wild nature","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Mestia, Svaneti","s":"The Greater Caucasus, Georgia","u":"/europe/georgia/the-caucasus/mestia","t":"mestia, svaneti a mountain region of defensive stone towers built by families against each other, under 5,000-metre peaks. koshki towers, 9th to 13th century, one per family ushguli, among the highest permanently inhabited villages in europe the four-day mestia to ushguli trek mountains history wild mountains history & ruins wildlife watching georgia the greater caucasus","w":1.6,"b":"low","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","jul","aug"],"la":43.04,"lo":42.73,"cs":"georgia","ct":"valley","i":["history","mountains","nature","wild"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Mestia to Ushguli on foot","s":"Mestia, Svaneti, Georgia","u":"/europe/georgia/the-caucasus/mestia","t":"mestia to ushguli on foot four days between villages with guesthouses each night, no need to carry a tent, and glaciers in view most of the way. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Stepantsminda (Kazbegi)","s":"The Greater Caucasus, Georgia","u":"/europe/georgia/the-caucasus/kazbegi","t":"stepantsminda (kazbegi) a village under a 5,047-metre volcano, with a 14th-century church on a spur above it. gergeti trinity church, walked up in two hours the georgian military highway through the jvari pass glacier views from the trail above the church mountains sacred nature mountains sacred places wild nature georgia the greater caucasus","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","jul","aug"],"la":42.66,"lo":44.64,"cs":"georgia","ct":"village","i":["history","mountains","nature","sacred","wild"]},{"k":"Country","n":"Germany","s":"Alpine & Central Europe","u":"/europe/germany","t":"germany federal republic of germany berlin sixteen states that were separate countries within living memory, and still behave like it. germany has no single centre because it was assembled from kingdoms and free cities in 1871, and every one of them kept its own capital, cathedral and beer. that is the country's real pleasure: bavaria and hamburg have less in common than france and spain. berlin is a city of the twentieth century, still visibly working through it; the rhine, the black forest and the baltic coast are all quieter than they deserve. history music art food mountains cities rail architecture history & ruins music & nightlife art & museums food mountains big cities slow travel by rail architecture","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"i":["history","music","art","food","mountains","cities","rail","architecture"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Berlin & the East","s":"Germany","u":"/europe/germany/berlin-and-the-east","t":"berlin & the east the capital, saxony's baroque cities, and the landscape of a country that was two countries. history art music architecture","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Berlin","s":"Berlin & the East, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/berlin-and-the-east/berlin","t":"berlin poor, sexy, enormous and unfinished — five museums on one island and a wall memorial that refuses to be comfortable. museum island, especially the pergamon's scale and the neues museum's nefertiti the berlin wall memorial at bernauer straße — the honest one, not checkpoint charlie tempelhof: an airport turned into the largest urban park in the world the stasi museum, in the ministry's own offices history art music cities architecture history & ruins art & museums music & nightlife big cities architecture germany berlin & the east","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":52.52,"lo":13.4,"cs":"germany","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","art","cities","history","music"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Museumsinsel","s":"Berlin, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/berlin-and-the-east/berlin/place/museum-island","t":"museumsinsel five museums on one island in the spree, holding the pergamon altar, the bust of nefertiti and enough classical sculpture to make a day feel short. museum berlin germany","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":52.52,"lo":13.398,"cs":"germany"},{"k":"Place","n":"East Side Gallery","s":"Berlin, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/berlin-and-the-east/berlin/place/east-side-gallery","t":"east side gallery the longest surviving stretch of the wall, 1.3 km of it, painted by artists from twenty-one countries in 1990 and repainted since as the originals weathered. monument berlin germany","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":52.505,"lo":13.44,"cs":"germany"},{"k":"Place","n":"Brandenburg Gate","s":"Berlin, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/berlin-and-the-east/berlin/place/brandenburg-gate","t":"brandenburg gate prussian triumphal arch, then a gate nobody could pass through for twenty-eight years, and now the place every photograph of the city is taken from. monument berlin germany","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":52.516,"lo":13.378,"cs":"germany"},{"k":"Place","n":"Tempelhofer Feld","s":"Berlin, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/berlin-and-the-east/berlin/place/tempelhof","t":"tempelhofer feld a closed airport turned into a park, and the runways were left. berliners cycle, skate and barbecue on a 300-hectare field where planes landed until 2008. park berlin germany","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":52.473,"lo":13.404,"cs":"germany"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The Wall, where it stood","s":"Berlin, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/berlin-and-the-east/berlin","t":"the wall, where it stood bernauer straße preserves the death strip, the tunnels and the names — an hour that does what no film manages. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"Cycle the runways at Tempelhof","s":"Berlin, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/berlin-and-the-east/berlin","t":"cycle the runways at tempelhof two 2,000-metre runways, open to anyone, kept deliberately empty by referendum. ride","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Dresden","s":"Berlin & the East, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/berlin-and-the-east/dresden","t":"dresden a baroque royal capital burned in 1945 and rebuilt stone by numbered stone, on a river bend. the frauenkirche, reassembled from the rubble and finished in 2005 the green vault's treasury, booked in timed slots saxon switzerland's sandstone towers, forty minutes upriver architecture art history music architecture art & museums history & ruins music & nightlife germany berlin & the east","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":51.05,"lo":13.74,"cs":"germany","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","history","music"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Frauenkirche","s":"Dresden, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/berlin-and-the-east/dresden/place/frauenkirche","t":"frauenkirche rebuilt from its own rubble between 1994 and 2005, with the blackened original stones set back where they were found. the dark blocks in the pale facade are the point. church dresden germany","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":51.052,"lo":13.742,"cs":"germany"},{"k":"Place","n":"The Zwinger","s":"Dresden, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/berlin-and-the-east/dresden/place/zwinger","t":"the zwinger a baroque pleasure palace built around a courtyard, now holding the old masters gallery and raphael's sistine madonna — the one with the two bored cherubs at the bottom. monument dresden germany","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":51.053,"lo":13.734,"cs":"germany"},{"k":"City","n":"Leipzig","s":"Berlin & the East, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/berlin-and-the-east/leipzig","t":"leipzig bach's church, a peaceful revolution that started in it, and a cotton mill full of painters. bach's thomaskirche, where he was cantor for 27 years the nikolaikirche and the monday demonstrations of 1989 spinnerei: a vast mill turned gallery quarter music art history music & nightlife art & museums history & ruins germany berlin & the east","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":51.34,"lo":12.37,"cs":"germany","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","history","music"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Bavaria & the Alps","s":"Germany","u":"/europe/germany/bavaria-and-the-alps","t":"bavaria & the alps beer halls, baroque churches, mountain lakes and a mad king's castles. mountains food history winter sacred","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Munich","s":"Bavaria & the Alps, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/bavaria-and-the-alps/munich","t":"munich a wealthy southern capital with the alps an hour away and a river you can surf in the middle of a park. the eisbach standing wave, surfed year-round in the english garden the alte pinakothek's rubens and dürer a beer garden where you may legally bring your own food day trains to the mountains and the lakes food art cities mountains food art & museums big cities mountains germany bavaria & the alps","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":48.14,"lo":11.58,"cs":"germany","ct":"city","i":["art","cities","food","history","mountains","sacred","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Englischer Garten","s":"Munich, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/bavaria-and-the-alps/munich/place/englischer-garten","t":"englischer garten larger than central park, with a standing wave on the eisbach where surfers queue in wetsuits all year, and beer gardens under chestnut trees at the far end. park munich germany","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":48.164,"lo":11.605,"cs":"germany"},{"k":"Place","n":"The Residenz","s":"Munich, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/bavaria-and-the-alps/munich/place/residenz","t":"the residenz the wittelsbach city palace: ten courtyards, 130 rooms open, and a treasury holding crowns from the tenth century onward. castle munich germany","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":48.141,"lo":11.578,"cs":"germany"},{"k":"Experience","n":"A beer garden, done correctly","s":"Munich, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/bavaria-and-the-alps/munich","t":"a beer garden, done correctly buy the beer, bring the food, sit at the unmarked communal tables — the marked ones are for served customers and the distinction matters. table","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Berchtesgaden","s":"Bavaria & the Alps, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/bavaria-and-the-alps/berchtesgaden","t":"berchtesgaden an alpine corner surrounded on three sides by austria, with a fjord-green lake below the watzmann. königssee, crossed by electric boats since 1909 so the echo carries the salt mine, worked since 1517, entered on a wooden slide steep, serious walking on the watzmann mountains nature winter mountains wild nature snow & winter germany bavaria & the alps","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":47.63,"lo":13.0,"cs":"germany","ct":"town","i":["food","history","mountains","nature","sacred","winter"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The trumpet on the Königssee","s":"Berchtesgaden, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/bavaria-and-the-alps/berchtesgaden","t":"the trumpet on the königssee the boatman stops mid-lake and plays into the cliff; the echo comes back a full phrase later. water","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"The Rhine & the West","s":"Germany","u":"/europe/germany/rhine-and-the-west","t":"the rhine & the west castles on a gorge, riesling on impossible slopes, and cathedral cities strung along the river. wine sacred history rail","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Cologne","s":"The Rhine & the West, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/rhine-and-the-west/cologne","t":"cologne a roman city with a gothic cathedral that took 632 years and dominates everything. the dom, and 533 steps up the south tower kölsch served in 200 ml glasses, replaced until you cover it with the mat the roman-germanic museum's mosaic, found while digging an air-raid shelter sacred history food cities sacred places history & ruins food big cities germany the rhine & the west","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":50.94,"lo":6.96,"cs":"germany","ct":"city","i":["cities","food","history","rail","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Kölner Dom","s":"Cologne, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/rhine-and-the-west/cologne/place/cologne-cathedral","t":"kölner dom begun in 1248, abandoned for three centuries, finished in 1880 to the original plans. it survived the war standing in a flattened city because bomber crews used it to navigate. church cologne germany","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":50.941,"lo":6.958,"cs":"germany"},{"k":"Place","n":"Roman-Germanic Museum","s":"Cologne, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/rhine-and-the-west/cologne/place/roman-germanic-museum","t":"roman-germanic museum built over the dionysus mosaic where it was found, which is the correct way to display a floor. cologne was a roman colony and this is what is left of it. museum cologne germany","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":50.941,"lo":6.96,"cs":"germany"},{"k":"City","n":"Bacharach & the Rhine Gorge","s":"The Rhine & the West, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/rhine-and-the-west/bacharach","t":"bacharach & the rhine gorge half-timbered wine village under a ruined chapel, in the 65-kilometre unesco stretch of castles. forty castles in sixty-five kilometres of river riesling from slate slopes at 60 degrees the rheinsteig path along the eastern rim wine history rail nature wine & drink history & ruins slow travel by rail wild nature germany the rhine & the west","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":50.06,"lo":7.77,"cs":"germany","ct":"village","i":["history","nature","rail","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Above the vineyards on the Rheinsteig","s":"Bacharach & the Rhine Gorge, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/rhine-and-the-west/bacharach","t":"above the vineyards on the rheinsteig the high path gives you the whole gorge; the trains and boats below give you the way back. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"The North","s":"Germany","u":"/europe/germany/north-germany","t":"the north hanseatic brick, harbour cities and a baltic coast of white cliffs and beach chairs. coast architecture music food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Hamburg","s":"The North, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/north-germany/hamburg","t":"hamburg a merchant republic and europe's third port, with more bridges than venice and amsterdam together. the elbphilharmonie, and its free public plaza at 37 metres speicherstadt's brick warehouse city on oak piles fischmarkt at 5 am on a sunday, with a band architecture music food cities architecture music & nightlife food big cities germany the north","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":53.55,"lo":9.99,"cs":"germany","ct":"city","i":["architecture","cities","coast","food","music"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Speicherstadt","s":"Hamburg, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/north-germany/hamburg/place/speicherstadt","t":"speicherstadt the largest warehouse district in the world, red brick on oak piles, built in the 1880s for coffee, tea, spices and carpets. best walked at dusk when the canals go still. quarter hamburg germany","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":53.543,"lo":9.988,"cs":"germany"},{"k":"Place","n":"Elbphilharmonie","s":"Hamburg, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/north-germany/hamburg/place/elbphilharmonie","t":"elbphilharmonie a glass wave on top of a 1960s cocoa warehouse. the public plaza between the two is free and gives the best view of the harbour in the city. theatre hamburg germany","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":53.541,"lo":9.984,"cs":"germany"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The 62 ferry, not the tour boat","s":"Hamburg, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/north-germany/hamburg","t":"the 62 ferry, not the tour boat a public transport ferry down the elbe past the container terminals; same view, a fraction of the price. water","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Lübeck","s":"The North, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/north-germany/lubeck","t":"lübeck the queen of the hanseatic league, on an island, in brick gothic, and the home of marzipan. the holstentor, leaning and famous and on the old fifty-mark note seven towers on the island skyline thomas mann's family house, and buddenbrooks written in it history architecture food history & ruins architecture food germany the north","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":53.87,"lo":10.69,"cs":"germany","ct":"city","i":["architecture","coast","food","history","music"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Holstentor","s":"Lübeck, Germany","u":"/europe/germany/north-germany/lubeck/place/holstentor","t":"holstentor the city gate that leans, because it was built on marshy ground in 1464 and has been settling ever since. it is on the back of the old fifty-mark note. monument lübeck germany","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":53.866,"lo":10.68,"cs":"germany"},{"k":"Country","n":"Greece","s":"The Mediterranean","u":"/europe/greece","t":"greece hellenic republic athens six thousand islands, of which two hundred and twenty-seven are inhabited, and a mainland almost nobody visits. greece is more mountain than island by area, and the mainland — epirus, the pindus, the peloponnese — is emptier and greener than the postcards suggest. the islands divide into groups with different architecture, food and weather; the cyclades are white and windy, the ionians green, the dodecanese medieval. everything closes down in the afternoon heat and reopens at six, which is not laziness but sense. islands coast history sacred food mountains wine islands coast & beaches history & ruins sacred places food mountains wine & drink","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"i":["islands","coast","history","sacred","food","mountains","wine"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Athens & the Peloponnese","s":"Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese","t":"athens & the peloponnese the classical core: the acropolis, mycenae, olympia and a peninsula of castles and empty coast. history sacred food coast","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Athens","s":"Athens & the Peloponnese, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/athens","t":"athens a sprawling modern capital with a 2,500-year-old temple on a rock in the middle and a food scene that got very good, quietly. the acropolis at opening, and the acropolis museum afterwards, in that order the national archaeological museum, which is the real prize rooftop bars looking at a floodlit parthenon anafiotika, a cycladic village accidentally inside the city history food art cities music history & ruins food art & museums big cities music & nightlife greece athens & the peloponnese","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":37.98,"lo":23.73,"cs":"greece","ct":"capital","i":["art","cities","coast","food","history","music","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"The Acropolis","s":"Athens, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/athens/place/acropolis","t":"the acropolis the parthenon, the erechtheion and the propylaea on one rock, best at opening or in the last hour. archaeological site athens greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.971,"lo":23.726,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Place","n":"Acropolis Museum","s":"Athens, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/athens/place/acropolis-museum","t":"acropolis museum the parthenon frieze laid out at actual scale and orientation, with casts where the originals are in london. museum athens greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.968,"lo":23.729,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Place","n":"National Archaeological Museum","s":"Athens, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/athens/place/national-archaeological-museum","t":"national archaeological museum the mask of agamemnon, the antikythera mechanism, and the best classical collection anywhere. museum athens greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.989,"lo":23.732,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Place","n":"Anafiotika","s":"Athens, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/athens/place/anafiotika","t":"anafiotika a cycladic village built inside athens by island masons in the 1840s, and still lived in. quarter athens greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.972,"lo":23.728,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The Acropolis Museum, third floor","s":"Athens, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/athens","t":"the acropolis museum, third floor the parthenon frieze laid out at actual scale and orientation, with plaster casts where the british museum holds the originals — the gaps are the argument. museum","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Nafplio","s":"Athens & the Peloponnese, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/nafplio","t":"nafplio greece's first capital: venetian, neoclassical, under two fortresses, on a gulf in the peloponnese. palamidi fortress and its 999 steps epidaurus's theatre, where a coin dropped on stage is audible in the back row mycenae's lion gate, forty minutes north history coast food history & ruins coast & beaches food greece athens & the peloponnese","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":37.57,"lo":22.8,"cs":"greece","ct":"town","i":["coast","food","history","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Palamidi","s":"Nafplio, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/nafplio/place/palamidi","t":"palamidi a venetian fortress of eight bastions above the town, reached by 999 steps or a road. castle nafplio greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.564,"lo":22.803,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Place","n":"Epidaurus Theatre","s":"Nafplio, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/nafplio/place/epidaurus","t":"epidaurus theatre a 4th-century bc theatre whose acoustics carry a whisper to the back row, and still nobody fully knows why. theatre nafplio greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.596,"lo":23.079,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Place","n":"Mycenae","s":"Nafplio, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/nafplio/place/mycenae","t":"mycenae the lion gate and the shaft graves of a civilisation that collapsed three thousand years ago. archaeological site nafplio greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.731,"lo":22.756,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The acoustics at Epidaurus","s":"Nafplio, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/nafplio","t":"the acoustics at epidaurus sit in the top row and have someone whisper on the orchestra floor. built in the 4th century bc and still unexplained in full. sacred","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Monemvasia","s":"Athens & the Peloponnese, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/monemvasia","t":"monemvasia a byzantine town hidden on the seaward side of a rock island, invisible from the mainland. a single gate, and no cars inside the walls the upper town's ruins and hagia sophia on the summit swimming off the rocks below the walls history coast sacred history & ruins coast & beaches sacred places greece athens & the peloponnese","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":36.69,"lo":23.05,"cs":"greece","ct":"town","i":["coast","food","history","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"The Upper Town","s":"Monemvasia, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/monemvasia/place/monemvasia-upper-town","t":"the upper town a byzantine town on top of the rock, with hagia sophia on the edge and almost nobody up there. ruin monemvasia greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":36.687,"lo":23.055,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"City","n":"Delphi","s":"Athens & the Peloponnese, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/delphi","t":"delphi the navel of the ancient world, on a terrace of mount parnassus above a sea of olive trees. the sacred way up to the temple of apollo, where the oracle spoke the bronze charioteer, which survived because an earthquake buried it the stadium at the top, above everything, and usually empty history sacred mountains nature history & ruins sacred places mountains wild nature greece athens & the peloponnese","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":38.48,"lo":22.5,"cs":"greece","ct":"site","i":["coast","food","history","mountains","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Sanctuary of Apollo","s":"Delphi, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/delphi/place/delphi-sanctuary","t":"sanctuary of apollo the sacred way, the temple, the treasuries and the stadium above them all, on a terrace of parnassus. archaeological site delphi greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":38.482,"lo":22.501,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Place","n":"Delphi Museum","s":"Delphi, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/delphi/place/delphi-museum","t":"delphi museum the bronze charioteer, which survived because an earthquake buried it. museum delphi greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":38.481,"lo":22.502,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The sacred way at opening","s":"Delphi, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/delphi","t":"the sacred way at opening the site opens at eight and the coaches arrive at ten. two hours of delphi alone is a different place from delphi at noon. sacred","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Olympia","s":"Athens & the Peloponnese, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/olympia","t":"olympia where the games were held every four years for a millennium, in a wooded valley between two rivers. the original stadium, entered through its vaulted tunnel the workshop of pheidias, identified by a cup with his name on it hermes of praxiteles in the museum, found where it fell history sacred nature history & ruins sacred places wild nature greece athens & the peloponnese","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":37.64,"lo":21.63,"cs":"greece","ct":"site","i":["coast","food","history","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"The Stadium","s":"Olympia, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/olympia/place/olympia-stadium","t":"the stadium entered through a vaulted tunnel, with the original start line still in place. archaeological site olympia greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.639,"lo":21.632,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"City","n":"Mystras","s":"Athens & the Peloponnese, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/mystras","t":"mystras a byzantine city on a spur of taygetos, abandoned in the 1950s and left standing: palaces, churches and frescoes. a whole late-byzantine city, walked from the castle down frescoes in six churches, most of them unrestored sparta below, which has almost nothing left history sacred architecture mountains history & ruins sacred places architecture mountains greece athens & the peloponnese","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":37.07,"lo":22.37,"cs":"greece","ct":"site","i":["architecture","coast","food","history","mountains","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Mystras","s":"Mystras, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/mystras/place/mystras-site","t":"mystras a whole late-byzantine city on a spur of taygetos: palaces, churches, frescoes, walked downhill. archaeological site mystras greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.073,"lo":22.367,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"City","n":"Kardamyli & the Mani","s":"Athens & the Peloponnese, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/kardamyli","t":"kardamyli & the mani stone tower houses on a wild peninsula where blood feuds ran into the 20th century, above a clear sea. tower villages built for feuding families, still standing empty the viros gorge, walked from the sea up into taygetos patrick leigh fermor's house, now open by appointment coast history mountains food coast & beaches history & ruins mountains food greece athens & the peloponnese","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":36.89,"lo":22.23,"cs":"greece","ct":"village","i":["coast","food","history","mountains","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Viros Gorge","s":"Kardamyli & the Mani, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/kardamyli/place/viros-gorge","t":"viros gorge a dry riverbed walked from the sea up into taygetos, past chapels cut into the rock. mountain kardamyli & the mani greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":36.9,"lo":22.24,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"City","n":"Hydra","s":"Athens & the Peloponnese, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/hydra","t":"hydra an island two hours from athens with no cars and no bicycles at all — mules, boats and feet. shipowners' mansions round a stone harbour, from the 1790s no wheeled traffic of any kind, by law swimming off the rocks at spilia, straight from the town islands coast history art islands coast & beaches history & ruins art & museums greece athens & the peloponnese","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":37.35,"lo":23.47,"cs":"greece","ct":"island","i":["art","coast","food","history","islands","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Hydra Harbour","s":"Hydra, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/athens-and-the-peloponnese/hydra/place/hydra-harbour","t":"hydra harbour shipowners' stone mansions round a working port with no cars, no bicycles and mules on the quay. monument hydra greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.35,"lo":23.466,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Region","n":"The Islands","s":"Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands","t":"the islands cyclades, dodecanese, ionian and crete — related, and not remotely the same. islands coast food wine","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Naxos","s":"The Islands, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/naxos","t":"naxos the largest cycladic island: mountain villages, marble quarries, a working agricultural interior and long sandy beaches. the portara, a temple doorway on an islet at the harbour halki and the mountain villages, with citron distilleries an unfinished 6th-century bc kouros lying in a field where it cracked islands coast food mountains islands coast & beaches food mountains greece the islands","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":37.1,"lo":25.38,"cs":"greece","ct":"island","i":["coast","food","islands","mountains","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Portara","s":"Naxos, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/naxos/place/portara","t":"portara a temple doorway on an islet at the harbour, left standing because the marble was too big to steal. monument naxos greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.11,"lo":25.373,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Place","n":"The unfinished kouros","s":"Naxos, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/naxos/place/naxos-kouros","t":"the unfinished kouros a ten-metre marble figure lying where it cracked in the quarry 2,600 years ago. archaeological site naxos greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.14,"lo":25.52,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The interior, not the beach","s":"Naxos, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/naxos","t":"the interior, not the beach half the island is farmland at altitude — cheese, potatoes and venetian towers, twenty minutes from the sand. ride","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Santorini","s":"The Islands, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/santorini","t":"santorini the rim of a drowned volcano, with villages on the edge of a 300-metre cliff and vines grown in baskets on the ground. akrotiri: a bronze age town buried in ash and preserved whole assyrtiko from vines trained into wreaths against the wind the caldera path from fira to oia — walked early, not at sunset islands wine coast history islands wine & drink coast & beaches history & ruins greece the islands","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":36.42,"lo":25.43,"cs":"greece","ct":"island","i":["coast","food","history","islands","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Akrotiri","s":"Santorini, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/santorini/place/akrotiri","t":"akrotiri a bronze age town buried in ash and preserved whole, with two-storey houses and drains that still work. archaeological site santorini greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":36.351,"lo":25.403,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Place","n":"The caldera path","s":"Santorini, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/santorini/place/fira-oia-path","t":"the caldera path ten kilometres along the rim from fira to oia, walked early rather than at sunset. mountain santorini greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":36.43,"lo":25.427,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Vines grown in baskets","s":"Santorini, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/santorini","t":"vines grown in baskets no trellises: the vines are woven into circles on the ground to shelter the fruit from wind and catch night moisture. cellar","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Chania, Crete","s":"The Islands, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/chania","t":"chania, crete a venetian harbour with an ottoman quarter behind it, on an island large enough to be its own country. the venetian lighthouse and the harbour arc samaria gorge: 16 km down through the white mountains to the sea cretan food — the diet the research is about — in mountain villages coast food history mountains coast & beaches food history & ruins mountains greece the islands","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":35.51,"lo":24.02,"cs":"greece","ct":"city","i":["coast","food","history","islands","mountains","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Samaria Gorge","s":"Chania, Crete, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/chania/place/samaria-gorge","t":"samaria gorge sixteen kilometres downhill through the white mountains to a village with no road out. mountain chania, crete greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":35.29,"lo":23.958,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Place","n":"Venetian Harbour","s":"Chania, Crete, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/chania/place/chania-harbour","t":"venetian harbour a curved quay, a lighthouse rebuilt by egyptians in the 1830s, and a mosque at the near end. monument chania, crete greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":35.518,"lo":24.019,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Down the Samaria gorge","s":"Chania, Crete, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/chania","t":"down the samaria gorge sixteen kilometres, one direction only, ending at a boat because there is no road out. open may to october. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Rhodes","s":"The Islands, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/rhodes","t":"rhodes a walled medieval city built by crusader knights, on an island of ottoman villages and butterfly valleys. the largest inhabited medieval town in europe, inside four kilometres of wall lindos's acropolis above a white village and a bay ottoman baths and mosques the guidebooks skip history coast architecture history & ruins coast & beaches architecture greece the islands","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":36.44,"lo":28.22,"cs":"greece","ct":"city","i":["architecture","coast","food","history","islands","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Palace of the Grand Master","s":"Rhodes, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/rhodes/place/palace-grand-master","t":"palace of the grand master a crusader fortress rebuilt by italy in the 1930s as a holiday residence for mussolini, who never used it. castle rhodes greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":36.446,"lo":28.226,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Place","n":"Lindos Acropolis","s":"Rhodes, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/rhodes/place/lindos-acropolis","t":"lindos acropolis a doric stoa on a rock above a white village and a bay, climbed on foot or by donkey. archaeological site rhodes greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":36.091,"lo":28.087,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"City","n":"Milos","s":"The Islands, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/milos","t":"milos a volcanic island of white rock formations, coloured mining beaches and boat-only coves. sarakiniko: white pumice worn into a moonscape by the sea kleftiko's sea caves, reachable only by boat fishermen's syrmata: garages cut into the rock, painted, now let out islands coast nature islands coast & beaches wild nature greece the islands","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":36.72,"lo":24.44,"cs":"greece","ct":"island","i":["coast","food","islands","nature","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Sarakiniko","s":"Milos, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/milos/place/sarakiniko","t":"sarakiniko white pumice worn by the sea into something that looks like nowhere else in the mediterranean. beach milos greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":36.744,"lo":24.463,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Place","n":"Kleftiko","s":"Milos, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/milos/place/kleftiko","t":"kleftiko sea caves and stacks on a coast with no road to it, reached only by boat. beach milos greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":36.66,"lo":24.363,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Round the island by boat","s":"Milos, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/milos","t":"round the island by boat half the coast has no road to it. a day boat from adamas is the only way to see kleftiko and the southern coves. water","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Paros","s":"The Islands, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/paros","t":"paros cycladic in the way people imagine the cyclades, with marble quarries that supplied the ancient world and a working town behind the beaches. naoussa's small harbour, before the evening crowd the byzantine road, a marble path over the hills to lefkes parian marble, which the venus de milo is made of islands coast food history islands coast & beaches food history & ruins greece the islands","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":37.08,"lo":25.15,"cs":"greece","ct":"island","i":["coast","food","history","islands","wine"]},{"k":"City","n":"Symi","s":"The Islands, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/symi","t":"symi neoclassical mansions in ochre and blue stacked round a horseshoe harbour, an hour from rhodes. the harbour at gialos, which is the reason to come panormitis monastery at the southern end, reached by boat sponge diving history, and the shops that still sell them islands coast architecture sacred islands coast & beaches architecture sacred places greece the islands","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":36.61,"lo":27.84,"cs":"greece","ct":"island","i":["architecture","coast","food","islands","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"City","n":"Corfu","s":"The Islands, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/corfu","t":"corfu venetian for four centuries and british for fifty, green all year, with an old town that looks nothing like the aegean. the unesco old town, venetian streets and two fortresses cricket on the spianada, a british hangover mount pantokrator, and albania visible across the strait islands architecture history food islands architecture history & ruins food greece the islands","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":39.62,"lo":19.92,"cs":"greece","ct":"city","i":["architecture","coast","food","history","islands","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Old Fortress","s":"Corfu, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/corfu/place/old-fortress-corfu","t":"old fortress a venetian fort on a rock islet, with a georgian garrison church inside it. castle corfu greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":39.624,"lo":19.928,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"City","n":"Kefalonia","s":"The Islands, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/kefalonia","t":"kefalonia the largest ionian island: an underground lake, a mountain of black fir, and the loggerhead turtles offshore. melissani cave, where the roof collapsed and the light comes straight down mount ainos, black fir found nowhere else robola wine, grown on limestone at altitude islands coast nature wild wine islands coast & beaches wild nature wildlife watching wine & drink greece the islands","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":38.25,"lo":20.49,"cs":"greece","ct":"island","i":["coast","food","islands","nature","wild","wine"]},{"k":"City","n":"Ikaria","s":"The Islands, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/ikaria","t":"ikaria a steep island where people routinely live past ninety, festivals start at midnight and shops open when they open. panigiria: village festivals that run until dawn and are not for tourists radioactive hot springs at therma, used since antiquity nas and the west coast, which is nearly roadless islands food nature music islands food wild nature music & nightlife greece the islands","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":37.6,"lo":26.17,"cs":"greece","ct":"island","i":["coast","food","islands","music","nature","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"A panigiri that ends at dawn","s":"Ikaria, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/ikaria","t":"a panigiri that ends at dawn a village saint's day: one long table, live violin and lute, dancing in a circle, and food priced to cover the church roof. stage","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Heraklion & Knossos","s":"The Islands, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/heraklion","t":"heraklion & knossos crete's capital and the minoan palace beside it — europe's oldest city, and a reconstruction people still argue about. knossos, and evans's concrete reconstructions, which are the argument the archaeological museum, which holds what knossos actually yielded venetian walls, and kazantzakis buried on top of them history food architecture history & ruins food architecture greece the islands","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":35.34,"lo":25.13,"cs":"greece","ct":"city","i":["architecture","coast","food","history","islands","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Knossos","s":"Heraklion & Knossos, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/heraklion/place/knossos","t":"knossos the minoan palace, and evans's concrete reconstructions, which are the argument as much as the site. archaeological site heraklion & knossos greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":35.298,"lo":25.163,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Place","n":"Heraklion Archaeological Museum","s":"Heraklion & Knossos, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/the-islands/heraklion/place/heraklion-museum","t":"heraklion archaeological museum what knossos actually yielded — the frescoes, the bull-leaping, the undeciphered discs. museum heraklion & knossos greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":35.339,"lo":25.136,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Region","n":"Northern Greece","s":"Greece","u":"/europe/greece/northern-greece","t":"northern greece meteora's monasteries on rock pillars, epirus's stone villages, and thessaloniki's food. sacred mountains food history","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Meteora (Kalambaka)","s":"Northern Greece, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/northern-greece/meteora","t":"meteora (kalambaka) six working monasteries on top of sandstone pillars, reached for centuries by rope ladder and net. the footpaths between monasteries, which almost every visitor drives instead frescoes inside varlaam and great meteoron sunset from the rocks, not from the coach park sacred mountains history sacred places mountains history & ruins greece northern greece","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":39.71,"lo":21.63,"cs":"greece","ct":"site","i":["food","history","mountains","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Great Meteoron","s":"Meteora (Kalambaka), Greece","u":"/europe/greece/northern-greece/meteora/place/great-meteoron","t":"great meteoron the largest of the six working monasteries, on the highest pillar, reached now by steps rather than net. monastery meteora (kalambaka) greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":39.723,"lo":21.63,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Place","n":"Varlaam","s":"Meteora (Kalambaka), Greece","u":"/europe/greece/northern-greece/meteora/place/varlaam","t":"varlaam frescoed throughout, with the windlass tower that hauled everything up for four hundred years. monastery meteora (kalambaka) greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":39.721,"lo":21.628,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The old monks' paths","s":"Meteora (Kalambaka), Greece","u":"/europe/greece/northern-greece/meteora","t":"the old monks' paths stone-cut trails link the pillars through the woods; three hours on foot beats a whole day by road. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Thessaloniki","s":"Northern Greece, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/northern-greece/thessaloniki","t":"thessaloniki greece's second city: byzantine, ottoman and sephardic layers, and the country's most confident food. the rotunda and the byzantine churches on the unesco list modiano and kapani markets, then bougatsa for breakfast the waterfront walk to the umbrellas at dusk food history music sacred food history & ruins music & nightlife sacred places greece northern greece","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":40.64,"lo":22.94,"cs":"greece","ct":"city","i":["food","history","mountains","music","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"The Rotunda","s":"Thessaloniki, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/northern-greece/thessaloniki/place/rotunda","t":"the rotunda a 4th-century roman rotunda that has been a mausoleum, a church and a mosque, and keeps its minaret. monument thessaloniki greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":40.633,"lo":22.953,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Place","n":"Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki","s":"Thessaloniki, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/northern-greece/thessaloniki/place/jewish-museum-thessaloniki","t":"jewish museum of thessaloniki four centuries of a majority-sephardic city, and 1943, told without flinching. museum thessaloniki greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":40.634,"lo":22.94,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"City","n":"Zagori (Monodendri)","s":"Northern Greece, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/northern-greece/zagori","t":"zagori (monodendri) forty-six stone villages in the pindus mountains, linked by packhorse bridges over the deepest gorge in the world by ratio. the vikos gorge, from the oxya viewpoint or from inside it arched stone bridges built by 18th-century merchant guilds bears, wolves and 1,800 plant species in the national park mountains nature food wild mountains wild nature food wildlife watching greece northern greece","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":39.88,"lo":20.75,"cs":"greece","ct":"village","i":["food","history","mountains","nature","sacred","wild"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Vikos Gorge","s":"Zagori (Monodendri), Greece","u":"/europe/greece/northern-greece/zagori/place/vikos-gorge","t":"vikos gorge the deepest gorge in the world by width-to-depth ratio, seen from oxya or walked from inside. mountain zagori (monodendri) greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":39.951,"lo":20.74,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"Place","n":"The stone bridges","s":"Zagori (Monodendri), Greece","u":"/europe/greece/northern-greece/zagori/place/zagori-bridges","t":"the stone bridges single- and triple-arched packhorse bridges built by 18th-century merchant guilds, still crossed on foot. bridge zagori (monodendri) greece","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":39.9,"lo":20.76,"cs":"greece"},{"k":"City","n":"Pelion (Makrinitsa)","s":"Northern Greece, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/northern-greece/pelion","t":"pelion (makrinitsa) stone villages with slate roofs on a wooded mountain that drops to beaches on both sides. kalderimia: cobbled mule paths between villages, still the best way around the narrow-gauge moutzouris railway, built by evaristo de chirico apples, chestnuts and firs on one side of the ridge, the aegean on the other mountains coast nature food mountains coast & beaches wild nature food greece northern greece","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":39.4,"lo":22.99,"cs":"greece","ct":"village","i":["coast","food","history","mountains","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"City","n":"Kavala","s":"Northern Greece, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/northern-greece/kavala","t":"kavala an ottoman aqueduct over a harbour town, with philippi's ruins inland and thasos across the water. the kamares aqueduct, striding across the middle of town philippi: a roman city, a battlefield, and where paul first preached in europe ferries to thasos, which is green and largely undeveloped history coast food sacred history & ruins coast & beaches food sacred places greece northern greece","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":40.94,"lo":24.41,"cs":"greece","ct":"city","i":["coast","food","history","mountains","sacred"]},{"k":"City","n":"Ioannina","s":"Northern Greece, Greece","u":"/europe/greece/northern-greece/ioannina","t":"ioannina an ottoman lake city with an island in it, a silversmithing tradition and the gateway to zagori. the walled kastro, and two mosques still standing inside it the island, reached in ten minutes, with five monasteries and no cars silverwork, which the city has done for four centuries history food sacred nature history & ruins food sacred places wild nature greece northern greece","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":39.67,"lo":20.85,"cs":"greece","ct":"city","i":["food","history","mountains","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Country","n":"Hungary","s":"Alpine & Central Europe","u":"/europe/hungary","t":"hungary hungary budapest a thermal-water capital on the danube, a language related to almost nothing, and sweet wine that outlived empires. hungary sits on a plain of hot springs — budapest alone has over a hundred, and the bathing culture runs from roman to ottoman to imperial. the language is finno-ugric and unrelated to any neighbour, which has shaped a certain separateness. beyond the capital there is lake balaton, the volcanic wine hills above it, and tokaj, where botrytised wine was made a century before sauternes. architecture food wine music history cities architecture food wine & drink music & nightlife history & ruins big cities","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"i":["architecture","food","wine","music","history","cities"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Budapest & the Danube Bend","s":"Hungary","u":"/europe/hungary/budapest-and-the-danube-bend","t":"budapest & the danube bend two cities on either bank, and the river's sharp turn north of them. architecture music food cities","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Budapest","s":"Budapest & the Danube Bend, Hungary","u":"/europe/hungary/budapest-and-the-danube-bend/budapest","t":"budapest hilly buda and flat pest, joined by bridges, with a parliament on the water and a hundred hot springs underneath. széchenyi and gellért baths — one grand and outdoor, one art nouveau and indoor the parliament, seen from the buda side at night the great market hall, and lángos on the upper floor the house of terror, in the building both secret polices used architecture food music cities history architecture food music & nightlife big cities history & ruins hungary budapest & the danube bend","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":47.5,"lo":19.04,"cs":"hungary","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","cities","food","history","music"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Széchenyi Baths","s":"Budapest, Hungary","u":"/europe/hungary/budapest-and-the-danube-bend/budapest/place/szechenyi-baths","t":"széchenyi baths eighteen pools fed from a well 1,246 m down. the outdoor pools stay at 38°c, which is why the photographs of people playing chess in the steam are all taken in winter. baths budapest hungary","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":47.519,"lo":19.082,"cs":"hungary"},{"k":"Place","n":"Fisherman's Bastion","s":"Budapest, Hungary","u":"/europe/hungary/budapest-and-the-danube-bend/budapest/place/fishermans-bastion","t":"fisherman's bastion seven neo-romanesque turrets for the seven magyar tribes, built in 1902 purely as a viewing terrace. the upper levels charge; the lower ones are free and nearly as good. viewpoint budapest hungary","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":47.502,"lo":19.035,"cs":"hungary"},{"k":"Place","n":"Great Market Hall","s":"Budapest, Hungary","u":"/europe/hungary/budapest-and-the-danube-bend/budapest/place/great-market-hall","t":"great market hall three floors under a zsolnay tiled roof: paprika and salami on the ground, cooked food and a great deal of embroidery above. market budapest hungary","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":47.487,"lo":19.058,"cs":"hungary"},{"k":"Place","n":"House of Terror","s":"Budapest, Hungary","u":"/europe/hungary/budapest-and-the-danube-bend/budapest/place/house-of-terror","t":"house of terror the headquarters of first the arrow cross and then the state security police, kept as a museum of both occupations. the basement cells are as they were found. museum budapest hungary","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":47.506,"lo":19.064,"cs":"hungary"},{"k":"Experience","n":"An outdoor thermal bath in winter","s":"Budapest, Hungary","u":"/europe/hungary/budapest-and-the-danube-bend/budapest","t":"an outdoor thermal bath in winter 38°c water, snow on the stone, and old men playing chess on floating boards. go early; go on a weekday. water","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"A ruin bar, before it fills","s":"Budapest, Hungary","u":"/europe/hungary/budapest-and-the-danube-bend/budapest","t":"a ruin bar, before it fills derelict courtyard buildings filled with salvaged furniture; szimpla was the first and is still worth an early evening. stage","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Szentendre","s":"Budapest & the Danube Bend, Hungary","u":"/europe/hungary/budapest-and-the-danube-bend/szentendre","t":"szentendre a serbian orthodox artists' town on the river, forty minutes from the capital by suburban rail. orthodox churches from the 18th-century serb migration the open-air ethnographic museum outside town marzipan, oddly, and a museum of it art sacred history art & museums sacred places history & ruins hungary budapest & the danube bend","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":47.67,"lo":19.08,"cs":"hungary","ct":"town","i":["architecture","art","cities","food","history","music","sacred"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Balaton & the Wine Country","s":"Hungary","u":"/europe/hungary/balaton-and-the-wine-country","t":"balaton & the wine country central europe's largest lake, volcanic hills above it, and tokaj to the northeast. wine coast food nature","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Tihany, Lake Balaton","s":"Balaton & the Wine Country, Hungary","u":"/europe/hungary/balaton-and-the-wine-country/tihany","t":"tihany, lake balaton a lavender peninsula with an abbey on a cliff, sticking into a shallow warm lake. the abbey and its 1055 founding charter — the oldest written hungarian lavender fields in late june water warm enough to stand in for hours, and rarely deeper than four metres coast wine sacred nature coast & beaches wine & drink sacred places wild nature hungary balaton & the wine country","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":46.91,"lo":17.89,"cs":"hungary","ct":"village","i":["coast","food","nature","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"City","n":"Tokaj","s":"Balaton & the Wine Country, Hungary","u":"/europe/hungary/balaton-and-the-wine-country/tokaj","t":"tokaj the world's first classified wine region, from 1737, on volcanic slopes at a river confluence. aszú berries picked individually, one shrivelled grape at a time cellars cut into rock and furred with black mould dry furmint, which is the region's current argument wine history food wine & drink history & ruins food hungary balaton & the wine country","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":48.12,"lo":21.41,"cs":"hungary","ct":"town","i":["coast","food","history","nature","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"A mouldy cellar in Tokaj","s":"Tokaj, Hungary","u":"/europe/hungary/balaton-and-the-wine-country/tokaj","t":"a mouldy cellar in tokaj the black fungus on the walls regulates humidity and is left alone deliberately; taste dry furmint first and six-puttonyos last. cellar","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Iceland","s":"The Nordics","u":"/europe/iceland","t":"iceland republic of iceland reykjavík a geological work in progress, with a literary tradition older than most european states. iceland sits on the seam between two continental plates, which is why it steams, erupts and rearranges itself. three hundred and eighty thousand people live around the edge; the interior is uninhabited and closed by snow for most of the year. the sagas were written here in the 13th century and the language has changed so little that schoolchildren still read them. nature mountains coast wild history wild nature mountains coast & beaches wildlife watching history & ruins","w":2.0,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"i":["nature","mountains","coast","wild","history"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Reykjavík & the Southwest","s":"Iceland","u":"/europe/iceland/reykjavik-and-the-southwest","t":"reykjavík & the southwest the capital, the tectonic rift you can walk into, and the geysers everyone drives to on day one. cities nature history","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Reykjavík","s":"Reykjavík & the Southwest, Iceland","u":"/europe/iceland/reykjavik-and-the-southwest/reykjavik","t":"reykjavík the northernmost capital of a sovereign state, small enough to cross on foot and loud on friday nights. hallgrímskirkja's basalt-column tower, and the view from the top the settlement exhibition, built around a 10th-century longhouse found under the street neighbourhood geothermal pools — where reykjavík actually socialises cities music design food big cities music & nightlife design & making food iceland reykjavík & the southwest","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":64.15,"lo":-21.94,"cs":"iceland","ct":"capital","i":["cities","design","food","history","music","nature"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The local pool, not the lagoon","s":"Reykjavík, Iceland","u":"/europe/iceland/reykjavik-and-the-southwest/reykjavik","t":"the local pool, not the lagoon every district has one: hot pots at different temperatures, a strict pre-shower rule, and the day's arguments happening in them. water","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Þingvellir","s":"Reykjavík & the Southwest, Iceland","u":"/europe/iceland/reykjavik-and-the-southwest/thingvellir","t":"þingvellir a rift valley where the atlantic plates pull apart, and where iceland's parliament met in the open air from 930. walk the almannagjá fissure between two continents the law rock, where the althing was proclaimed for eight centuries silfra: snorkelling in glacial meltwater with 100-metre visibility history nature history & ruins wild nature iceland reykjavík & the southwest","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":64.26,"lo":-21.13,"cs":"iceland","ct":"park","i":["cities","history","nature"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Almannagjá","s":"Þingvellir, Iceland","u":"/europe/iceland/reykjavik-and-the-southwest/thingvellir/place/almannagja","t":"almannagjá a rift where the north american and eurasian plates pull apart about 2 cm a year, and the site of the alþingi — a parliament that met here from 930. viewpoint þingvellir iceland","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":64.256,"lo":-21.129,"cs":"iceland"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Snorkel the Silfra fissure","s":"Þingvellir, Iceland","u":"/europe/iceland/reykjavik-and-the-southwest/thingvellir","t":"snorkel the silfra fissure two degrees, a dry suit, and water filtered through lava for decades — the clearest you will ever swim in. water","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"The South Coast & East","s":"Iceland","u":"/europe/iceland/south-coast-and-east","t":"the south coast & east waterfalls, black beaches, a glacier lagoon, and fjords that most ring road drivers rush. nature coast mountains wild","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Vík í Mýrdal","s":"The South Coast & East, Iceland","u":"/europe/iceland/south-coast-and-east/vik","t":"vík í mýrdal a village of three hundred under a glacier, with black sand and dangerous surf. reynisfjara's basalt columns — and the sneaker waves that kill people who turn their backs dyrhólaey's arch and puffin colony in early summer katla under the ice, overdue and monitored coast nature coast & beaches wild nature iceland the south coast & east","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":63.42,"lo":-19.01,"cs":"iceland","ct":"village","i":["coast","mountains","nature","wild"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Reynisfjara","s":"Vík í Mýrdal, Iceland","u":"/europe/iceland/south-coast-and-east/vik/place/reynisfjara","t":"reynisfjara black sand, basalt columns and sneaker waves that have killed people who turned their backs on the sea. watch the water; it is not a beach for paddling. beach vík í mýrdal iceland","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":63.406,"lo":-19.045,"cs":"iceland"},{"k":"City","n":"Höfn & Jökulsárlón","s":"The South Coast & East, Iceland","u":"/europe/iceland/south-coast-and-east/hofn","t":"höfn & jökulsárlón a langoustine port beside europe's largest ice cap, where icebergs float out to sea past a car park. jökulsárlón lagoon and the diamond beach opposite vatnajökull: 8% of the country, under ice langoustine, landed here and cooked simply nature food mountains wild nature food mountains iceland the south coast & east","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":64.25,"lo":-15.21,"cs":"iceland","ct":"village","i":["coast","food","mountains","nature","wild"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Jökulsárlón","s":"Höfn & Jökulsárlón, Iceland","u":"/europe/iceland/south-coast-and-east/hofn/place/jokulsarlon","t":"jökulsárlón a lagoon where the glacier calves icebergs that drift out to sea and wash back onto the black beach opposite, which is why it is called diamond beach. viewpoint höfn & jökulsárlón iceland","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":64.048,"lo":-16.179,"cs":"iceland"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Into a glacier, in winter only","s":"Höfn & Jökulsárlón, Iceland","u":"/europe/iceland/south-coast-and-east/hofn","t":"into a glacier, in winter only the blue caves form and collapse each year; go with a guide who checks them that morning, and only from november to march. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"The Westfjords & North","s":"Iceland","u":"/europe/iceland/westfjords-and-north","t":"the westfjords & north the part almost nobody drives: bird cliffs, hot pots on empty shores, and whales off skjálfandi. wild coast nature","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Ísafjörður","s":"The Westfjords & North, Iceland","u":"/europe/iceland/westfjords-and-north/isafjordur","t":"ísafjörður the westfjords' capital: 2,700 people at the end of a fjord under a flat-topped mountain. hornstrandir, a roadless nature reserve reached by boat dynjandi, the waterfall that falls in seven tiers arctic foxes, which were here before anything else coast nature wild coast & beaches wild nature wildlife watching iceland the westfjords & north","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":66.07,"lo":-23.13,"cs":"iceland","ct":"city","i":["coast","nature","wild"]},{"k":"City","n":"Húsavík","s":"The Westfjords & North, Iceland","u":"/europe/iceland/westfjords-and-north/husavik","t":"húsavík a wooden church, a whale museum, and the most reliable whale watching in europe. humpbacks in skjálfandi bay, april to october the whale museum, built by the people who stopped hunting them geosea's cliff-top seawater baths wild coast wildlife watching coast & beaches iceland the westfjords & north","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":66.05,"lo":-17.34,"cs":"iceland","ct":"town","i":["coast","nature","wild"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Whales from an old oak boat","s":"Húsavík, Iceland","u":"/europe/iceland/westfjords-and-north/husavik","t":"whales from an old oak boat the refitted fishing schooners cut their engines and drift; the silence is half of what you came for. wild","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Ireland","s":"Britain & Ireland","u":"/europe/ireland","t":"ireland ireland dublin a small wet island that exported its writers, its music and a third of its people, and kept the landscape. ireland is green because it rains, and the rain arrives from the atlantic in bands with sun between them. the west is the draw: limestone pavement, sea cliffs, a language still spoken daily, and traditional music played in pubs for the players rather than the audience. dublin is small for a capital and dense with literary ghosts. coast music history nature sacred coast & beaches music & nightlife history & ruins wild nature sacred places","w":2.0,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"i":["coast","music","history","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Dublin & the East","s":"Ireland","u":"/europe/ireland/dublin-and-the-east","t":"dublin & the east the capital, its literature, and a monastic valley in the mountains behind it. cities history music sacred","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Dublin","s":"Dublin & the East, Ireland","u":"/europe/ireland/dublin-and-the-east/dublin","t":"dublin georgian squares, a 1,200-year-old river crossing, and four nobel laureates in literature from one small city. the book of kells and the long room at trinity kilmainham gaol, where the 1916 leaders were executed the national gallery and the hugh lane, both free a session in the cobblestone rather than temple bar cities history music food art big cities history & ruins music & nightlife food art & museums ireland dublin & the east","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":53.35,"lo":-6.26,"cs":"ireland","ct":"capital","i":["art","cities","food","history","music","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"The Long Room, Trinity College","s":"Dublin, Ireland","u":"/europe/ireland/dublin-and-the-east/dublin/place/trinity-library","t":"the long room, trinity college sixty-five metres of oak barrel vault holding 200,000 of the library's oldest books, with the book of kells shown below it a page at a time. library dublin ireland","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":53.344,"lo":-6.257,"cs":"ireland"},{"k":"Place","n":"Kilmainham Gaol","s":"Dublin, Ireland","u":"/europe/ireland/dublin-and-the-east/dublin/place/kilmainham-gaol","t":"kilmainham gaol where the leaders of the 1916 rising were held and shot. guided entry only, and the tours sell out days ahead — which is the single most useful thing to know about visiting dublin. monument dublin ireland","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":53.342,"lo":-6.31,"cs":"ireland"},{"k":"Experience","n":"A real session, not a show","s":"Dublin, Ireland","u":"/europe/ireland/dublin-and-the-east/dublin","t":"a real session, not a show musicians sit in a circle facing each other, not the room; the etiquette is quiet during tunes and buy the round. stage","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Glendalough","s":"Dublin & the East, Ireland","u":"/europe/ireland/dublin-and-the-east/glendalough","t":"glendalough a 6th-century monastic city in a glacial valley with two lakes, an hour from dublin. the round tower, 30 metres, built as a bell tower and a refuge the spinc ridge walk above the upper lake early morning, before the coaches from dublin sacred nature history sacred places wild nature history & ruins ireland dublin & the east","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":53.01,"lo":-6.33,"cs":"ireland","ct":"site","i":["cities","history","music","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"The Round Tower and monastic city","s":"Glendalough, Ireland","u":"/europe/ireland/dublin-and-the-east/glendalough/place/round-tower","t":"the round tower and monastic city a sixth-century monastic settlement in a glacial valley, with a 30 m round tower whose door is four metres off the ground for reasons nobody has to explain twice. monastery glendalough ireland","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":53.011,"lo":-6.327,"cs":"ireland"},{"k":"Region","n":"The West & the Atlantic","s":"Ireland","u":"/europe/ireland/the-west","t":"the west & the atlantic galway, the burren's limestone, the aran islands and the cliffs. coast music nature islands","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Galway","s":"The West & the Atlantic, Ireland","u":"/europe/ireland/the-west/galway","t":"galway a small port city that plays music every night of the week and treats a festival as its natural state. music in the latin quarter, from about nine oysters and guinness at a bar that shucks them in front of you the salthill prom walk, and kicking the wall at the end music food coast cities music & nightlife food coast & beaches big cities ireland the west & the atlantic","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":53.27,"lo":-9.06,"cs":"ireland","ct":"city","i":["cities","coast","food","islands","music","nature"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Oysters at the counter","s":"Galway, Ireland","u":"/europe/ireland/the-west/galway","t":"oysters at the counter native flat oysters from the bay outside, september to april; a dozen, brown bread, and no ceremony. table","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"The Aran Islands (Inis Mór)","s":"The West & the Atlantic, Ireland","u":"/europe/ireland/the-west/aran-islands","t":"the aran islands (inis mór) three limestone islands where irish is the daily language and stone walls divide fields the size of rooms. dún aonghasa, a prehistoric fort on an 87-metre cliff with no railing 1,600 km of dry stone wall on an island 14 km long bicycles, because there is almost nothing else islands history nature coast islands history & ruins wild nature coast & beaches ireland the west & the atlantic","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":53.11,"lo":-9.75,"cs":"ireland","ct":"island","i":["coast","history","islands","music","nature"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The island by bicycle","s":"The Aran Islands (Inis Mór), Ireland","u":"/europe/ireland/the-west/aran-islands","t":"the island by bicycle hire at the pier, ride the length of it, and be back for the last ferry — the island's whole scale in one day. ride","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Dingle","s":"The West & the Atlantic, Ireland","u":"/europe/ireland/the-west/dingle","t":"dingle a fishing town on a peninsula of beehive huts, empty beaches and the westernmost point of europe's mainland fringe. the slea head drive, and stopping at the clocháin gallarus oratory, dry-stone and watertight after 1,200 years music in pubs that are also hardware shops coast music food sacred coast & beaches music & nightlife food sacred places ireland the west & the atlantic","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":52.14,"lo":-10.27,"cs":"ireland","ct":"town","i":["coast","food","islands","music","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Slea Head","s":"Dingle, Ireland","u":"/europe/ireland/the-west/dingle/place/slea-head","t":"slea head the western end of the peninsula, looking at the blasket islands, with beehive huts and an oratory built without mortar that has stayed dry for twelve hundred years. viewpoint dingle ireland","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":52.104,"lo":-10.457,"cs":"ireland"},{"k":"Country","n":"Italy","s":"The Mediterranean","u":"/europe/italy","t":"italy italian republic rome a country invented in 1861 out of places that still think of themselves first. italy holds more unesco world heritage sites than any other country and treats most of them as ordinary streets. it became one state only in 1861, and the food, dialect and civic pride still change every forty kilometres — the pasta shape tells you where you are. the alps in the north are as serious as switzerland's; the south is greek, arab and norman by turns. food wine art architecture history coast mountains sacred food wine & drink art & museums architecture history & ruins coast & beaches mountains sacred places","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"i":["food","wine","art","architecture","history","coast","mountains","sacred"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Rome & Lazio","s":"Italy","u":"/europe/italy/rome-and-lazio","t":"rome & lazio three thousand years stacked vertically, and the hill towns and lakes around it. history sacred art food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Rome","s":"Rome & Lazio, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/rome-and-lazio/rome","t":"rome a city where an insurance office sits on a temple and nobody comments, with the best street-level food in italy. the pantheon, entered free, still roofed by the largest unreinforced concrete dome ever built the forum and palatine early, before the heat and the groups testaccio market and the quinto quarto cooking around it borghese gallery, two hours, booked, and worth restructuring a day for history sacred art food cities history & ruins sacred places art & museums food big cities italy rome & lazio","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":41.9,"lo":12.5,"cs":"italy","ct":"capital","i":["art","cities","food","history","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Pantheon","s":"Rome, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/rome-and-lazio/rome/place/pantheon","t":"pantheon the largest unreinforced concrete dome ever built, finished around 126 ad and still holding up a working church. monument rome italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":41.899,"lo":12.477,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Roman Forum & Palatine","s":"Rome, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/rome-and-lazio/rome/place/roman-forum","t":"roman forum & palatine the civic centre of an empire, walked at ground level, with the hill the emperors lived on above it. archaeological site rome italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":41.892,"lo":12.485,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Galleria Borghese","s":"Rome, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/rome-and-lazio/rome/place/borghese-gallery","t":"galleria borghese bernini's marble that behaves like flesh, in a villa that admits 360 people at a time by booking. museum rome italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":41.914,"lo":12.492,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Via Appia Antica","s":"Rome, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/rome-and-lazio/rome/place/appian-way","t":"via appia antica basalt paving from 312 bc, closed to traffic on sundays, with catacombs and aqueducts either side. street rome italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":41.851,"lo":12.545,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Mercato Testaccio","s":"Rome, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/rome-and-lazio/rome/place/testaccio-market","t":"mercato testaccio where roman offal cooking survives, in a purpose-built modern hall the traders actually wanted. market rome italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":41.876,"lo":12.475,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Testaccio, where Rome eats","s":"Rome, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/rome-and-lazio/rome","t":"testaccio, where rome eats the market and the streets around it are where roman offal cooking survives; go at one, order what the sign says. table","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"The Appian Way on a Sunday","s":"Rome, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/rome-and-lazio/rome","t":"the appian way on a sunday the road is closed to traffic on sundays: basalt paving from 312 bc, catacombs, aqueducts and countryside, inside the city. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Orvieto","s":"Rome & Lazio, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/rome-and-lazio/orvieto","t":"orvieto a town on a plug of volcanic rock with a striped cathedral and an etruscan city tunnelled underneath it. the cathedral facade, and signorelli's apocalypse frescoes inside st patrick's well: a double-helix staircase 54 metres down 1,200 caves cut into the tufa beneath the streets architecture wine history sacred architecture wine & drink history & ruins sacred places italy rome & lazio","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":42.72,"lo":12.11,"cs":"italy","ct":"town","i":["architecture","art","food","history","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Orvieto Cathedral","s":"Orvieto, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/rome-and-lazio/orvieto/place/orvieto-cathedral","t":"orvieto cathedral a striped facade of mosaic and marble, with signorelli's apocalypse frescoes in the chapel inside. church orvieto italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":42.717,"lo":12.113,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Pozzo di San Patrizio","s":"Orvieto, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/rome-and-lazio/orvieto/place/pozzo-di-san-patrizio","t":"pozzo di san patrizio a 54-metre well with two spiral staircases that never meet, so mules could descend and climb without passing. monument orvieto italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":42.719,"lo":12.121,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"City","n":"Civita di Bagnoregio","s":"Rome & Lazio, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/rome-and-lazio/civita-di-bagnoregio","t":"civita di bagnoregio a village on an eroding tufa pillar, reached by a footbridge, with about a dozen permanent residents left. the bridge, which is the only way in and takes ten minutes etruscan tunnels cut under the rock watching the cliff edge, which loses a little every winter — the town is called 'the dying city' locally history architecture nature history & ruins architecture wild nature italy rome & lazio","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":42.63,"lo":12.11,"cs":"italy","ct":"village","i":["architecture","art","food","history","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Tuscany & the Centre","s":"Italy","u":"/europe/italy/tuscany-and-the-centre","t":"tuscany & the centre the renaissance where it happened, plus siena's rivalry and the hill towns between. art wine architecture food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Florence","s":"Tuscany & the Centre, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/tuscany-and-the-centre/florence","t":"florence a banking city that funded the renaissance and kept nearly all of it inside a twenty-minute walk. brunelleschi's dome, climbed at opening the uffizi, booked, and the bargello, which is empty and holds the sculpture san miniato al monte at vespers, with the monks singing bistecca alla fiorentina, which is a cut and a thickness, not a doneness art architecture food wine art & museums architecture food wine & drink italy tuscany & the centre","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":43.77,"lo":11.26,"cs":"italy","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","food","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Brunelleschi's Dome","s":"Florence, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/tuscany-and-the-centre/florence/place/duomo-dome","t":"brunelleschi's dome four million bricks laid without a centring frame, climbed between its two shells by 463 steps. church florence italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":43.773,"lo":11.256,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Uffizi","s":"Florence, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/tuscany-and-the-centre/florence/place/uffizi","t":"uffizi the medici collection in the offices vasari built for them, and the reason people book florence months ahead. museum florence italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":43.768,"lo":11.255,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Bargello","s":"Florence, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/tuscany-and-the-centre/florence/place/bargello","t":"bargello donatello, michelangelo and the sculpture the uffizi queue never sees, in a 13th-century prison. museum florence italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":43.77,"lo":11.258,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"San Miniato al Monte","s":"Florence, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/tuscany-and-the-centre/florence/place/san-miniato","t":"san miniato al monte an 11th-century facade above the city, with gregorian chant at vespers and almost no crowd. church florence italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":43.759,"lo":11.265,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Vespers at San Miniato","s":"Florence, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/tuscany-and-the-centre/florence","t":"vespers at san miniato gregorian chant in an 11th-century church above the city, at 17:30, free, and almost always uncrowded. sacred","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Siena","s":"Tuscany & the Centre, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/tuscany-and-the-centre/siena","t":"siena a medieval city that lost to florence and was preserved by losing, arranged around a shell-shaped square. the campo, and the palio run around it twice each summer the cathedral's inlaid marble floor, uncovered a few weeks a year the contrade — seventeen districts with their own churches, museums and feuds history architecture art food history & ruins architecture art & museums food italy tuscany & the centre","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":43.32,"lo":11.33,"cs":"italy","ct":"town","i":["architecture","art","food","history","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Piazza del Campo","s":"Siena, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/tuscany-and-the-centre/siena/place/piazza-del-campo","t":"piazza del campo a shell-shaped square sloping to the town hall, with the palio run round its edge twice each summer. square siena italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":43.318,"lo":11.332,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Siena Cathedral","s":"Siena, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/tuscany-and-the-centre/siena/place/siena-cathedral","t":"siena cathedral striped marble inside and out, over an inlaid floor uncovered only a few weeks a year. church siena italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":43.317,"lo":11.329,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"City","n":"Bologna","s":"Tuscany & the Centre, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/tuscany-and-the-centre/bologna","t":"bologna forty kilometres of porticoes, the oldest university in the world, and the best eating in italy. the quadrilatero's food shops, unchanged in layout since the middle ages portico di san luca: 666 arches uphill to a basilica tagliatelle al ragù, which is what the world calls bolognese and is not the same thing food history architecture music food history & ruins architecture music & nightlife italy tuscany & the centre","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":44.49,"lo":11.34,"cs":"italy","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","food","history","music","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Portico di San Luca","s":"Bologna, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/tuscany-and-the-centre/bologna/place/portico-san-luca","t":"portico di san luca 666 arches climbing four kilometres out of the city so a procession would never get wet. monument bologna italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":44.48,"lo":11.298,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Il Quadrilatero","s":"Bologna, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/tuscany-and-the-centre/bologna/place/quadrilatero","t":"il quadrilatero the medieval trades quarter, still laid out by guild, still selling food at seven in the morning. market bologna italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":44.493,"lo":11.345,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The 666 arches to San Luca","s":"Bologna, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/tuscany-and-the-centre/bologna","t":"the 666 arches to san luca four kilometres of covered walkway climbing out of the city, built so a procession would never get wet. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Lucca","s":"Tuscany & the Centre, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/tuscany-and-the-centre/lucca","t":"lucca an intact renaissance wall, four kilometres round, wide enough on top to be a park, with a roman amphitheatre turned into a square inside it. cycling the walls, which is what the whole city does at six piazza dell'anfiteatro: the amphitheatre's oval, built over in houses puccini's birthplace, and concerts most evenings architecture history food cities architecture history & ruins food big cities italy tuscany & the centre","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":43.84,"lo":10.5,"cs":"italy","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","cities","food","history","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"The Walls","s":"Lucca, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/tuscany-and-the-centre/lucca/place/lucca-walls","t":"the walls four kilometres of intact renaissance rampart, planted with plane trees in 1818 and used as a park ever since. monument lucca italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":43.844,"lo":10.502,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Piazza dell'Anfiteatro","s":"Lucca, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/tuscany-and-the-centre/lucca/place/piazza-anfiteatro","t":"piazza dell'anfiteatro the oval of a roman amphitheatre, built over in houses, which is why the square is that shape. square lucca italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":43.845,"lo":10.507,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Round the walls on a bicycle","s":"Lucca, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/tuscany-and-the-centre/lucca","t":"round the walls on a bicycle four kilometres of renaissance rampart, planted with plane trees in 1818 and used as a promenade ever since. ride","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Arezzo","s":"Tuscany & the Centre, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/tuscany-and-the-centre/arezzo","t":"arezzo a hill town with piero della francesca's greatest fresco cycle and none of florence's queue. the legend of the true cross in san francesco, booked in slots of twenty-five the sloping piazza grande, and the joust held on it twice a year an antiques fair on the first weekend of every month art history architecture art & museums history & ruins architecture italy tuscany & the centre","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":43.46,"lo":11.88,"cs":"italy","ct":"town","i":["architecture","art","food","history","wine"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The North & the Dolomites","s":"Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy","t":"the north & the dolomites venice and its lagoon, milan's money, the lakes, and limestone towers on the austrian border. architecture mountains design wine winter","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Venice","s":"The North & the Dolomites, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/venice","t":"venice a city on wooden piles in a lagoon, with no roads, fewer than 50,000 residents left, and no equivalent anywhere. cannaregio and castello, where people still live the accademia and the punta della dogana at opposite ends of taste a traghetto across the grand canal, standing, for two euros torcello and the mosaics that predate the city architecture art history coast architecture art & museums history & ruins coast & beaches italy the north & the dolomites","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":45.44,"lo":12.34,"cs":"italy","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","coast","design","history","mountains","wine","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Basilica di San Marco","s":"Venice, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/venice/place/basilica-san-marco","t":"basilica di san marco eight thousand square metres of gold mosaic over a byzantine plan, on a floor that undulates with the subsidence. church venice italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":45.434,"lo":12.34,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Gallerie dell'Accademia","s":"Venice, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/venice/place/accademia","t":"gallerie dell'accademia five centuries of venetian painting where it was painted, including giorgione's tempest. museum venice italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":45.431,"lo":12.328,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Torcello","s":"Venice, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/venice/place/torcello","t":"torcello the lagoon's first settlement, now nine residents and a cathedral with mosaics older than venice itself. island venice italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":45.497,"lo":12.417,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Cicchetti and an ombra","s":"Venice, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/venice","t":"cicchetti and an ombra small plates and a small glass of wine at a bàcaro, standing, moving on after one — the venetian version of an aperitivo. table","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Ortisei & the Dolomites","s":"The North & the Dolomites, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/ortisei","t":"ortisei & the dolomites pale limestone towers over alpine meadows, in a valley where ladin is still the first language. alpe di siusi, the largest high-altitude meadow in europe via ferrata routes built by soldiers in 1915–18 rifugi serving south tyrolean food at 2,000 metres mountains winter nature food mountains snow & winter wild nature food italy the north & the dolomites","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":46.57,"lo":11.67,"cs":"italy","ct":"valley","i":["architecture","design","food","mountains","nature","wine","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Alpe di Siusi","s":"Ortisei & the Dolomites, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/ortisei/place/alpe-di-siusi","t":"alpe di siusi the largest high-altitude alpine meadow in europe, 57 square kilometres at 1,800 metres. park ortisei & the dolomites italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":46.54,"lo":11.62,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Seceda","s":"Ortisei & the Dolomites, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/ortisei/place/seceda","t":"seceda a tilted limestone ridge above val gardena, reached by cable car and walked along the top. mountain ortisei & the dolomites italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":46.605,"lo":11.69,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Experience","n":"A night in a rifugio","s":"Ortisei & the Dolomites, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/ortisei","t":"a night in a rifugio dinner at seven, lights out at ten, and the enrosadira — the pink glow on the rock at dawn — from the door. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Milan","s":"The North & the Dolomites, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/milan","t":"milan italy's working city: fashion, design, finance, and a last supper that has to be booked months ahead. the duomo roof terraces, walked among the spires leonardo's last supper, fifteen minutes, booked in advance navigli canals at aperitivo hour design art food cities design & making art & museums food big cities italy the north & the dolomites","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":45.46,"lo":9.19,"cs":"italy","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","cities","design","food","mountains","wine","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"The Last Supper","s":"Milan, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/milan/place/last-supper","t":"the last supper fifteen minutes with leonardo's wall, twenty-five people at a time, booked months ahead. monument milan italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":45.466,"lo":9.171,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Duomo di Milano","s":"Milan, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/milan/place/duomo-milan","t":"duomo di milano six centuries in the building, with roof terraces you walk among the spires and statues. church milan italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":45.464,"lo":9.192,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"City","n":"Turin","s":"The North & the Dolomites, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/turin","t":"turin the first capital of italy: baroque arcades, an egyptian museum second only to cairo's, and vermouth invented in a bar here. the museo egizio, which has more than most egyptian cities eighteen kilometres of arcades, so the court could walk in the rain aperitivo, which turin claims and milan monetised architecture art food wine cities architecture art & museums food wine & drink big cities italy the north & the dolomites","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":45.07,"lo":7.69,"cs":"italy","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","cities","design","food","mountains","wine","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Museo Egizio","s":"Turin, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/turin/place/museo-egizio","t":"museo egizio the oldest egyptian museum in the world and, by collection, second only to cairo. museum turin italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":45.068,"lo":7.684,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Mole Antonelliana","s":"Turin, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/turin/place/mole-antonelliana","t":"mole antonelliana a 167-metre brick tower holding the national cinema museum, with a glass lift up the middle. monument turin italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":45.069,"lo":7.693,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Vermouth where it was invented","s":"Turin, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/turin","t":"vermouth where it was invented carpano started here in 1786. the historic cafés still serve it the way it was drunk: cold, alone, with a small plate. cellar","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Verona","s":"The North & the Dolomites, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/verona","t":"verona a roman arena still used for opera, a river bend of pink marble streets, and valpolicella in the hills above. opera in the 1st-century arena, on cushions, in summer san zeno's bronze doors and mantegna altarpiece amarone from valpolicella, made from dried grapes history music wine architecture history & ruins music & nightlife wine & drink architecture italy the north & the dolomites","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":45.44,"lo":10.99,"cs":"italy","ct":"city","i":["architecture","design","history","mountains","music","wine","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Arena di Verona","s":"Verona, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/verona/place/verona-arena","t":"arena di verona a 1st-century amphitheatre seating 15,000, hosting opera without amplification since 1913. theatre verona italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":45.439,"lo":10.994,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Basilica di San Zeno","s":"Verona, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/verona/place/basilica-san-zeno","t":"basilica di san zeno bronze doors of 48 panels and a mantegna altarpiece, in the quietest great church in the city. church verona italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":45.442,"lo":10.978,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Opera in a Roman arena","s":"Verona, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/verona","t":"opera in a roman arena fifteen thousand people, no amplification, and the cheap seats on the stone steps are the ones with the acoustics. stage","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Vernazza & the Cinque Terre","s":"The North & the Dolomites, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/vernazza","t":"vernazza & the cinque terre five fishing villages on a cliff coast, joined by terraced footpaths and a railway in a tunnel. the sentiero azzurro between villages, ticketed and sometimes closed by landslip dry-stone terraces holding the vineyards up — 6,700 km of wall in total anchovies from monterosso, salted here for centuries coast nature food wine coast & beaches wild nature food wine & drink italy the north & the dolomites","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":44.14,"lo":9.68,"cs":"italy","ct":"village","i":["architecture","coast","design","food","mountains","nature","wine","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Sentiero Azzurro","s":"Vernazza & the Cinque Terre, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/vernazza/place/sentiero-azzurro","t":"sentiero azzurro the blue path between the five villages, ticketed, and closed in sections after each landslip. monument vernazza & the cinque terre italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":44.135,"lo":9.686,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The terraces, from above","s":"Vernazza & the Cinque Terre, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/vernazza","t":"the terraces, from above the high paths behind the villages are free, empty and better; the coastal one is the queue. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Bellagio & Lake Como","s":"The North & the Dolomites, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/bellagio","t":"bellagio & lake como a village on the point where the lake divides, with villa gardens on both arms and ferries between them. villa melzi and villa carlotta's gardens, best in may for the azaleas the car ferry across to varenna and menaggio, used as transport walking up out of the villages into terraced chestnut woods nature architecture coast food wild nature architecture coast & beaches food italy the north & the dolomites","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":45.98,"lo":9.26,"cs":"italy","ct":"village","i":["architecture","coast","design","food","mountains","nature","wine","winter"]},{"k":"City","n":"Trieste","s":"The North & the Dolomites, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/trieste","t":"trieste austro-hungarian, italian, slovene and jewish at once, on a limestone edge above the adriatic, with the best coffee culture in italy. piazza unità d'italia, the largest sea-facing square in europe the risiera di san sabba, the only nazi camp with a crematorium on italian soil coffee ordered in a local dialect that confuses every other italian architecture food history coast architecture food history & ruins coast & beaches italy the north & the dolomites","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":45.65,"lo":13.78,"cs":"italy","ct":"city","i":["architecture","coast","design","food","history","mountains","wine","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Risiera di San Sabba","s":"Trieste, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/trieste/place/risiera-di-san-sabba","t":"risiera di san sabba a rice mill used as a nazi camp with a crematorium — the only one on italian soil — kept as a memorial. monument trieste italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":45.632,"lo":13.786,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Piazza Unità d'Italia","s":"Trieste, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/north-italy/trieste/place/piazza-unita","t":"piazza unità d'italia the largest sea-facing square in europe, habsburg on three sides and open on the fourth. square trieste italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":45.65,"lo":13.769,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Region","n":"Umbria & the Marches","s":"Italy","u":"/europe/italy/umbria-and-the-marches","t":"umbria & the marches the green middle: hill towns without tuscany's traffic, a saint who changed the church, and the best-preserved renaissance court in italy. sacred art architecture food nature","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Assisi","s":"Umbria & the Marches, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/umbria-and-the-marches/assisi","t":"assisi a pink stone town on monte subasio, built around the basilica of a man who rejected everything it is made of. giotto's fresco cycle in the upper basilica, restored after the 1997 earthquake the eremo delle carceri, the hermitage in the woods above town evening, when the day pilgrims leave and the town is a town sacred art architecture history sacred places art & museums architecture history & ruins italy umbria & the marches","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":43.07,"lo":12.62,"cs":"italy","ct":"town","i":["architecture","art","food","history","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Basilica of St Francis","s":"Assisi, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/umbria-and-the-marches/assisi/place/basilica-san-francesco","t":"basilica of st francis giotto's fresco cycle in the upper church, restored after the 1997 earthquake brought the vault down. church assisi italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":43.075,"lo":12.605,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Eremo delle Carceri","s":"Assisi, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/umbria-and-the-marches/assisi/place/eremo-delle-carceri","t":"eremo delle carceri the caves francis actually used, in holm oak woods an hour above the town on foot. monastery assisi italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":43.066,"lo":12.634,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Up to the hermitage on foot","s":"Assisi, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/umbria-and-the-marches/assisi","t":"up to the hermitage on foot an hour uphill through holm oak to the caves francis actually used, which are quieter and more convincing than the basilica. sacred","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Urbino","s":"Umbria & the Marches, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/umbria-and-the-marches/urbino","t":"urbino a hilltop ducal palace that was the model renaissance court, in a town that has been a university since 1506. piero della francesca's flagellation, a small painting people travel for the duke's studiolo, panelled in trompe-l'œil marquetry raphael's birthplace, on a steep street art architecture history art & museums architecture history & ruins italy umbria & the marches","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":43.72,"lo":12.64,"cs":"italy","ct":"town","i":["architecture","art","food","history","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The South & the Islands","s":"Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands","t":"the south & the islands naples, pompeii, the puglian heel, and sicily's greek temples under an active volcano. food history coast islands wine","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Naples","s":"The South & the Islands, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/naples","t":"naples loud, dense, greek in origin, with the best pizza and the best archaeological museum in the world. the archaeological museum, which holds everything good from pompeii pizza in a room with a wood oven and four tables naples underground: greek quarries, aqueducts and war shelters pompeii and herculaneum, twenty minutes by local train food history art coast food history & ruins art & museums coast & beaches italy the south & the islands","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":40.85,"lo":14.27,"cs":"italy","ct":"city","i":["art","coast","food","history","islands","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"National Archaeological Museum","s":"Naples, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/naples/place/naples-archaeological","t":"national archaeological museum everything good from pompeii and herculaneum, including the farnese marbles and the secret cabinet. museum naples italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":40.853,"lo":14.25,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Pompeii","s":"Naples, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/naples/place/pompeii","t":"pompeii a roman town stopped in 79 ad: streets, bakeries, election graffiti and the casts of people who did not leave. archaeological site naples italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":40.75,"lo":14.485,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Napoli Sotterranea","s":"Naples, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/naples/place/napoli-sotterranea","t":"napoli sotterranea greek quarries turned aqueduct turned air-raid shelter, forty metres under the old town. cave naples italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":40.85,"lo":14.256,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Fried pizza on the street","s":"Naples, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/naples","t":"fried pizza on the street older and poorer than the baked kind, folded into a wallet and eaten walking; the sign to look for is a queue of locals. table","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Matera","s":"The South & the Islands, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/matera","t":"matera cave dwellings inhabited for nine thousand years, evacuated in 1952 as a national disgrace, now a unesco site. the sassi, and rock churches with byzantine frescoes a restored cave house showing how families and animals shared one room the gorge opposite, and the view back at night history architecture food history & ruins architecture food italy the south & the islands","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":40.67,"lo":16.61,"cs":"italy","ct":"city","i":["architecture","coast","food","history","islands","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"The Sassi","s":"Matera, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/matera/place/sassi","t":"the sassi cave dwellings inhabited for nine thousand years, evacuated in 1952 as a national disgrace and now unesco-listed. quarter matera italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":40.666,"lo":16.611,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Santa Maria de Idris","s":"Matera, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/matera/place/santa-maria-de-idris","t":"santa maria de idris a rock church cut into a spur above the ravine, frescoed inside and reached by steps. church matera italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":40.665,"lo":16.612,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"City","n":"Palermo","s":"The South & the Islands, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/palermo","t":"palermo norman, arab and byzantine in the same building, with the best street food in italy underneath. the cappella palatina: islamic ceiling, byzantine mosaics, norman king ballarò and capo markets, shouted rather than sold monreale's mosaics, twenty minutes uphill food history architecture sacred food history & ruins architecture sacred places italy the south & the islands","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":38.12,"lo":13.36,"cs":"italy","ct":"city","i":["architecture","coast","food","history","islands","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Cappella Palatina","s":"Palermo, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/palermo/place/cappella-palatina","t":"cappella palatina an islamic muqarnas ceiling over byzantine mosaics, commissioned by a norman king, in one room. church palermo italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":38.111,"lo":13.353,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Ballarò","s":"Palermo, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/palermo/place/ballaro-market","t":"ballarò a thousand years of shouted commerce, and the best street food in italy under the awnings. market palermo italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":38.111,"lo":13.36,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Monreale","s":"Palermo, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/palermo/place/monreale","t":"monreale 6,500 square metres of gold mosaic twenty minutes uphill, which most palermo visitors skip. church palermo italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":38.082,"lo":13.292,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Palermo by street food","s":"Palermo, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/palermo","t":"palermo by street food panelle, arancine, sfincione, and — if you are brave — pani ca meusa. a thousand years of occupation in six snacks. table","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Syracuse & Ortigia","s":"The South & the Islands, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/syracuse","t":"syracuse & ortigia once the most powerful greek city in the world, now an island old town with a doric temple inside the cathedral. the cathedral, built inside a 5th-century bc temple, columns and all the greek theatre, still used for classical drama each summer swimming off the rocks at the tip of ortigia at sunset history coast food sacred history & ruins coast & beaches food sacred places italy the south & the islands","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":37.07,"lo":15.29,"cs":"italy","ct":"city","i":["coast","food","history","islands","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Duomo di Siracusa","s":"Syracuse & Ortigia, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/syracuse/place/ortigia-cathedral","t":"duomo di siracusa a 5th-century bc doric temple with a cathedral built around it; the columns are in the walls. church syracuse & ortigia italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.059,"lo":15.293,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Place","n":"Greek Theatre","s":"Syracuse & Ortigia, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/syracuse/place/greek-theatre-syracuse","t":"greek theatre carved into the rock in the 5th century bc and still staging aeschylus each summer. theatre syracuse & ortigia italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.075,"lo":15.276,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"City","n":"Lecce","s":"The South & the Islands, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/lecce","t":"lecce baroque carved in soft golden limestone, in the heel of italy, an hour from two seas. santa croce's facade, which took a century and shows it a roman amphitheatre found under the main square in 1901 orecchiette, and the salento coast on both sides architecture food coast history architecture food coast & beaches history & ruins italy the south & the islands","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":40.35,"lo":18.17,"cs":"italy","ct":"city","i":["architecture","coast","food","history","islands","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Basilica di Santa Croce","s":"Lecce, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/lecce/place/santa-croce-lecce","t":"basilica di santa croce a century of carving in soft golden limestone, which is why the facade looks like it is melting upward. church lecce italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":40.353,"lo":18.174,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"City","n":"Alghero, Sardinia","s":"The South & the Islands, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/alghero","t":"alghero, sardinia a catalan-speaking walled port on sardinia's northwest coast, with sea caves and bronze age towers inland. catalan street signs, and a dialect spoken since the 14th century neptune's grotto, reached by 654 steps down a cliff nuraghi: 7,000 stone towers across the island, from 1800 bc coast history food islands coast & beaches history & ruins food islands italy the south & the islands","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":40.56,"lo":8.32,"cs":"italy","ct":"town","i":["coast","food","history","islands","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Grotta di Nettuno","s":"Alghero, Sardinia, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/alghero/place/neptunes-grotto","t":"grotta di nettuno a sea cave under a 110-metre cliff, entered by 654 steps down or by boat in calm weather. cave alghero, sardinia italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":40.56,"lo":8.161,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Inside a nuraghe","s":"Alghero, Sardinia, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/alghero","t":"inside a nuraghe su nuraxi at barumini is the unesco one, but there are seven thousand of these dry-stone towers and you can walk into many of them alone. museum","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Lipari & the Aeolians","s":"The South & the Islands, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/lipari","t":"lipari & the aeolians seven volcanic islands off sicily, one of them erupting every twenty minutes, all of them on the unesco list. stromboli's explosions, watched from a boat at dusk pumice and obsidian quarries on lipari, white against black hydrofoils between islands as ordinary transport islands nature coast wild islands wild nature coast & beaches wildlife watching italy the south & the islands","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":38.47,"lo":14.95,"cs":"italy","ct":"island","i":["coast","food","history","islands","nature","wild","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Stromboli","s":"Lipari & the Aeolians, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/lipari/place/stromboli","t":"stromboli a volcano that has erupted every twenty minutes or so for two thousand years, watched from the water at dusk. mountain lipari & the aeolians italy","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":38.789,"lo":15.213,"cs":"italy"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Stromboli, from the water","s":"Lipari & the Aeolians, Italy","u":"/europe/italy/south-italy-and-islands/lipari","t":"stromboli, from the water the volcano has erupted more or less continuously for two thousand years. boats hold position off the sciara del fuoco after dark. wild","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Kosovo","s":"The Adriatic & Balkans","u":"/europe/kosovo","t":"kosovo republic of kosovo pristina europe's youngest country by both age and population, with medieval monasteries and a mountain trail into two neighbours. kosovo declared independence in 2008 and is recognised by around half the world's states, not including serbia — a fact that shapes travel logistics more than daily experience. it is the youngest population in europe, with an energetic café culture in pristina, four unesco-listed serbian orthodox monasteries, and a share of the peaks of the balkans trail through the accursed mountains. history sacred mountains food nature history & ruins sacred places mountains food wild nature","w":2.0,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"i":["history","sacred","mountains","food","nature"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Pristina & the Plain","s":"Kosovo","u":"/europe/kosovo/pristina-and-the-plain","t":"pristina & the plain the young capital and the historic battlefield plain around it. history food cities","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Pristina","s":"Pristina & the Plain, Kosovo","u":"/europe/kosovo/pristina-and-the-plain/pristina","t":"pristina a capital of cafés, brutalist landmarks and a median age under thirty. the national library, which everyone has an opinion about newborn, the typographic monument repainted every year gračanica monastery, 14th-century frescoes, ten minutes out history food cities art history & ruins food big cities art & museums kosovo pristina & the plain","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":42.66,"lo":21.17,"cs":"kosovo","ct":"capital","i":["art","cities","food","history"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Prizren & the Mountains","s":"Kosovo","u":"/europe/kosovo/prizren-and-the-mountains","t":"prizren & the mountains the ottoman city under a fortress, and the rugova valley into the accursed mountains. history sacred mountains nature","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Prizren","s":"Prizren & the Mountains, Kosovo","u":"/europe/kosovo/prizren-and-the-mountains/prizren","t":"prizren a river town of mosques, orthodox churches and a stone bridge, under a fortress with the whole valley below it. sinan pasha mosque and the church of our lady of ljeviš, on the same street the fortress at sunset, walked up in twenty minutes dokufest, when films are screened on the river and in the castle history sacred architecture food history & ruins sacred places architecture food kosovo prizren & the mountains","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":42.21,"lo":20.74,"cs":"kosovo","ct":"town","i":["architecture","food","history","mountains","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Up to Kaljaja at sunset","s":"Prizren, Kosovo","u":"/europe/kosovo/prizren-and-the-mountains/prizren","t":"up to kaljaja at sunset twenty minutes of steps for the whole town, its minarets and its bell towers in one frame. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Peja & Rugova","s":"Prizren & the Mountains, Kosovo","u":"/europe/kosovo/prizren-and-the-mountains/peja","t":"peja & rugova a bazaar town at the mouth of a limestone gorge, with a patriarchate monastery and the accursed mountains behind. the patriarchate of peć, a unesco site and the seat of the serbian church rugova canyon, and via ferrata routes in it the peaks of the balkans trail, crossing into montenegro and albania mountains sacred nature wild mountains sacred places wild nature wildlife watching kosovo prizren & the mountains","w":1.6,"b":"low","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":42.66,"lo":20.29,"cs":"kosovo","ct":"town","i":["history","mountains","nature","sacred","wild"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The Peaks of the Balkans trail","s":"Peja & Rugova, Kosovo","u":"/europe/kosovo/prizren-and-the-mountains/peja","t":"the peaks of the balkans trail 192 km across three countries in ten days, with village guesthouses and border permits arranged in advance. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Latvia","s":"The Baltic States","u":"/europe/latvia","t":"latvia republic of latvia riga the largest collection of art nouveau in europe, on the edge of a great pine forest. latvia's capital was one of the baltic's richest ports in 1900, and it spent the money on facades — whole streets of them, with faces and peacocks and screaming stone masks. outside riga the country is forest, river and a long white beach, and the folk song tradition is enormous: over a million texts collected, and a festival that fills a stadium to sing them. architecture art nature music coast architecture art & museums wild nature music & nightlife coast & beaches","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"i":["architecture","art","nature","music","coast"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Riga & Around","s":"Latvia","u":"/europe/latvia/riga-and-around","t":"riga & around the capital, its art nouveau quarter, a beach resort down the line and a castle valley up it. architecture art coast cities","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Riga","s":"Riga & Around, Latvia","u":"/europe/latvia/riga-and-around/riga","t":"riga a hanseatic old town wrapped in a boulevard ring, wrapped in the best art nouveau streets in europe. alberta iela, where mikhail eisenstein put faces on every facade the central market in five zeppelin hangars the wooden architecture of kalnciema across the river the latvian national museum of art, sharp and well-lit architecture art cities food music architecture art & museums big cities food music & nightlife latvia riga & around","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":56.95,"lo":24.11,"cs":"latvia","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","art","cities","coast","food","music"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The facades of Alberta iela","s":"Riga, Latvia","u":"/europe/latvia/riga-and-around/riga","t":"the facades of alberta iela ninety minutes and a raised chin: everything worth seeing here is above the first floor. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"Lunch in the Zeppelin hangars","s":"Riga, Latvia","u":"/europe/latvia/riga-and-around/riga","t":"lunch in the zeppelin hangars smoked fish, black bread, curd and pickles bought from four different counters and eaten standing up. table","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Sigulda","s":"Riga & Around, Latvia","u":"/europe/latvia/riga-and-around/sigulda","t":"sigulda three castles above a sandstone river gorge, an hour from riga by train. turaida's red brick castle above the gauja gūtmanis cave, carved with visitors' names since the 1600s the bobsleigh track, open to the public in winter nature history wild nature history & ruins latvia riga & around","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":57.15,"lo":24.86,"cs":"latvia","ct":"town","i":["architecture","art","cities","coast","history","nature"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Kurzeme & the Coast","s":"Latvia","u":"/europe/latvia/kurzeme","t":"kurzeme & the coast the western province: empty white beaches, a soviet ghost town, and liepāja's wind. coast history music","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Liepāja","s":"Kurzeme & the Coast, Latvia","u":"/europe/latvia/kurzeme/liepaja","t":"liepāja a wind-blown port with a derelict tsarist naval town at its northern end and a rock music habit. karosta: a russian imperial naval base, half-ruined, still lived in the northern forts collapsing into the sea seven kilometres of empty beach coast history music coast & beaches history & ruins music & nightlife latvia kurzeme & the coast","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":56.51,"lo":21.01,"cs":"latvia","ct":"town","i":["coast","history","music"]},{"k":"City","n":"Kuldīga","s":"Kurzeme & the Coast, Latvia","u":"/europe/latvia/kurzeme/kuldiga","t":"kuldīga a wooden town on europe's widest waterfall, which is only two metres high but 249 metres across. ventas rumba, where fish jump the falls in spring latvia's longest brick bridge, from 1874 timber streets almost untouched since the 18th century history nature history & ruins wild nature latvia kurzeme & the coast","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":56.97,"lo":21.97,"cs":"latvia","ct":"town","i":["coast","history","music","nature"]},{"k":"Country","n":"Liechtenstein","s":"Alpine & Central Europe","u":"/europe/liechtenstein","t":"liechtenstein principality of liechtenstein vaduz twenty-five kilometres long, ruled from a castle on the hill, and walkable end to end in a day. liechtenstein has 40,000 people, no airport, no army, and more registered companies than citizens. it uses the swiss franc, shares switzerland's customs and is in the eea but not the eu. for a visitor it is a mountain principality with an excellent modern art museum, a princely wine cellar, and a hiking trail that crosses the whole country. mountains art wine nature mountains art & museums wine & drink wild nature","w":2.0,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"i":["mountains","art","wine","nature"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The Rhine Valley & the Mountains","s":"Liechtenstein","u":"/europe/liechtenstein/rhine-valley-and-mountains","t":"the rhine valley & the mountains vaduz on the valley floor, and the ski village of malbun in a bowl above it. art mountains wine nature","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Vaduz","s":"The Rhine Valley & the Mountains, Liechtenstein","u":"/europe/liechtenstein/rhine-valley-and-mountains/vaduz","t":"vaduz a capital of 5,700 people under a castle the prince actually lives in, with a black concrete art museum on the main street. kunstmuseum liechtenstein and the princely collections the vineyard walk below the castle walking up to the castle gate, which is as close as anyone gets art wine mountains art & museums wine & drink mountains liechtenstein the rhine valley & the mountains","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":47.14,"lo":9.52,"cs":"liechtenstein","ct":"capital","i":["art","mountains","nature","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"A day on the Liechtenstein Trail","s":"Vaduz, Liechtenstein","u":"/europe/liechtenstein/rhine-valley-and-mountains/vaduz","t":"a day on the liechtenstein trail 75 km through all eleven municipalities; the vaduz-to-balzers section takes an afternoon and crosses a quarter of the country. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Malbun","s":"The Rhine Valley & the Mountains, Liechtenstein","u":"/europe/liechtenstein/rhine-valley-and-mountains/malbun","t":"malbun the country's only ski area, in a high bowl at 1,600 metres, with marmots and a chairlift. the fürstensteig, a wired cliff path with real exposure small, cheap, uncrowded skiing in winter ibex on the ridges above sareis mountains winter nature mountains snow & winter wild nature liechtenstein the rhine valley & the mountains","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":47.1,"lo":9.61,"cs":"liechtenstein","ct":"village","i":["art","mountains","nature","wine","winter"]},{"k":"Country","n":"Lithuania","s":"The Baltic States","u":"/europe/lithuania","t":"lithuania republic of lithuania vilnius a baroque capital, a sand spit shared with russia, and a hill of a hundred thousand crosses. lithuania was once the largest state in europe, and the memory of it sits oddly on a country of under three million. vilnius has the biggest baroque old town in the region, full of courtyards you walk into by accident. the curonian spit is a 98-kilometre dune of shifting sand, and the hill of crosses is one of the strangest and most moving places on the continent. history sacred architecture coast nature history & ruins sacred places architecture coast & beaches wild nature","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"i":["history","sacred","architecture","coast","nature"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Vilnius & the East","s":"Lithuania","u":"/europe/lithuania/vilnius-and-the-east","t":"vilnius & the east the baroque capital, an artists' republic across a bridge, and a lake castle an hour away. history architecture sacred cities","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Vilnius","s":"Vilnius & the East, Lithuania","u":"/europe/lithuania/vilnius-and-the-east/vilnius","t":"vilnius forty churches, endless courtyards, and a self-declared republic of artists over the river. st anne's, which napoleon reportedly wanted to carry to paris the gate of dawn and its silver icon, still a pilgrimage užupis, its constitution and its angel the kgb museum in the building where it happened architecture sacred history cities art architecture sacred places history & ruins big cities art & museums lithuania vilnius & the east","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":54.69,"lo":25.28,"cs":"lithuania","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","art","cities","history","sacred"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The courtyards nobody signposts","s":"Vilnius, Lithuania","u":"/europe/lithuania/vilnius-and-the-east/vilnius","t":"the courtyards nobody signposts the old town's real geography is behind the street doors; push the unlocked ones and keep going. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"Read the Užupis constitution","s":"Vilnius, Lithuania","u":"/europe/lithuania/vilnius-and-the-east/vilnius","t":"read the užupis constitution forty-one articles on mirrored plaques, including a dog's right to be a dog and everyone's right to be happy — and not to be. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Trakai","s":"Vilnius & the East, Lithuania","u":"/europe/lithuania/vilnius-and-the-east/trakai","t":"trakai a red brick island castle in a lake, and the karaim community that has lived beside it since the 14th century. the island castle, reachable by footbridge kibinai pastries in karaim wooden houses rowing boats and swimming in the same lake history nature food history & ruins wild nature food lithuania vilnius & the east","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":54.64,"lo":24.93,"cs":"lithuania","ct":"town","i":["architecture","cities","food","history","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The Coast & Centre","s":"Lithuania","u":"/europe/lithuania/coast-and-centre","t":"the coast & centre the curonian dunes, the port at klaipėda, and the hill outside šiauliai. coast sacred nature","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Nida, Curonian Spit","s":"The Coast & Centre, Lithuania","u":"/europe/lithuania/coast-and-centre/nida","t":"nida, curonian spit wooden fishermen's houses under a moving dune, on a sand spit between lagoon and sea. parnidis dune and its sundial, with the russian border visible south thomas mann's summer house, where he wrote in 1930–32 amber, smoked fish, and no cars to speak of coast nature islands coast & beaches wild nature islands lithuania the coast & centre","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":55.3,"lo":21.01,"cs":"lithuania","ct":"village","i":["coast","islands","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The grey dunes at first light","s":"Nida, Curonian Spit, Lithuania","u":"/europe/lithuania/coast-and-centre/nida","t":"the grey dunes at first light sand that buried four villages in the 19th century; the boardwalk exists because walking on it directly would start it moving again. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Šiauliai","s":"The Coast & Centre, Lithuania","u":"/europe/lithuania/coast-and-centre/siauliai","t":"šiauliai an industrial town whose reason to visit stands in a field twelve kilometres north. the hill of crosses: over 100,000 crosses, bulldozed three times by the soviets and rebuilt each night the sound the small crosses make in wind a cathedral with a sundial column sacred history sacred places history & ruins lithuania the coast & centre","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":55.93,"lo":23.32,"cs":"lithuania","ct":"city","i":["coast","history","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The Hill of Crosses","s":"Šiauliai, Lithuania","u":"/europe/lithuania/coast-and-centre/siauliai","t":"the hill of crosses not a monument — an act repeated by hundreds of thousands of people, most of them anonymous, over two centuries. sacred","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Luxembourg","s":"Western Europe","u":"/europe/luxembourg","t":"luxembourg grand duchy of luxembourg luxembourg city a fortress city on a gorge, a wine river, and free public transport across the whole country. luxembourg is 2,586 square kilometres, trilingual by default, and richer per head than almost anywhere. the capital sits on a rock split by two river valleys, with casemates tunnelled through it. in 2020 it made all public transport free nationwide, which turns out to be the single best reason to travel around it slowly. history wine nature architecture history & ruins wine & drink wild nature architecture","w":2.0,"b":"high","m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"i":["history","wine","nature","architecture"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The Capital & the Moselle","s":"Luxembourg","u":"/europe/luxembourg/capital-and-moselle","t":"the capital & the moselle the fortress city, and the vineyard river that forms the german border. history wine architecture","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Luxembourg City","s":"The Capital & the Moselle, Luxembourg","u":"/europe/luxembourg/capital-and-moselle/luxembourg-city","t":"luxembourg city a unesco-listed fortress on cliffs, with 17 kilometres of tunnels underneath and a modern quarter on the plateau above. the bock casemates, cut into the rock from 1644 the chemin de la corniche, called europe's most beautiful balcony the grund at the bottom of the gorge, reached by a free lift history architecture cities history & ruins architecture big cities luxembourg the capital & the moselle","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":49.61,"lo":6.13,"cs":"luxembourg","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","cities","history","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Into the Bock casemates","s":"Luxembourg City, Luxembourg","u":"/europe/luxembourg/capital-and-moselle/luxembourg-city","t":"into the bock casemates kilometres of gun galleries in the cliff; they sheltered 35,000 people in 1944 and are cold in any weather. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Remich & the Moselle","s":"The Capital & the Moselle, Luxembourg","u":"/europe/luxembourg/capital-and-moselle/remich","t":"remich & the moselle terraced vineyards on a slow river, with germany on the far bank and crémant cellars on this one. crémant tasting where it is bottled the riverside cycle path along both banks harvest weekends in late september wine nature food wine & drink wild nature food luxembourg the capital & the moselle","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":49.55,"lo":6.37,"cs":"luxembourg","ct":"town","i":["architecture","food","history","nature","wine"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Mullerthal & the Ardennes","s":"Luxembourg","u":"/europe/luxembourg/mullerthal-and-ardennes","t":"mullerthal & the ardennes sandstone ravines in the east, and castle country in the wooded north. nature history mountains","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Echternach","s":"Mullerthal & the Ardennes, Luxembourg","u":"/europe/luxembourg/mullerthal-and-ardennes/echternach","t":"echternach the country's oldest town, with a 7th-century abbey and a hopping procession on the unesco list. the mullerthal trail through sandstone clefts and moss the basilica and its crypt the dancing procession, every whit tuesday since the middle ages sacred nature history sacred places wild nature history & ruins luxembourg mullerthal & the ardennes","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":49.81,"lo":6.42,"cs":"luxembourg","ct":"town","i":["history","mountains","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Little Switzerland on foot","s":"Echternach, Luxembourg","u":"/europe/luxembourg/mullerthal-and-ardennes/echternach","t":"little switzerland on foot 112 km of waymarked trail through gorges narrow enough to touch both walls; a day section is easy and free. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Vianden","s":"Mullerthal & the Ardennes, Luxembourg","u":"/europe/luxembourg/mullerthal-and-ardennes/vianden","t":"vianden a restored hilltop castle above a river village, where victor hugo spent his exile. the castle, one of the largest west of the rhine hugo's house on the bridge, kept as it was the chairlift up for the view back history nature history & ruins wild nature luxembourg mullerthal & the ardennes","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":49.93,"lo":6.21,"cs":"luxembourg","ct":"village","i":["history","mountains","nature"]},{"k":"Country","n":"Malta","s":"The Mediterranean","u":"/europe/malta","t":"malta republic of malta valletta three inhabited islands of limestone, holding temples older than the pyramids and a city built by knights. malta is 316 square kilometres, the most densely populated country in the eu, and has been fought over by everyone with a navy since the bronze age. its megalithic temples predate stonehenge and giza. valletta was built from scratch in the 1560s as a fortress city and is still walkable in twenty minutes. english is an official language, which makes it unusually easy going. history coast architecture sacred islands history & ruins coast & beaches architecture sacred places islands","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"i":["history","coast","architecture","sacred","islands"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Malta","s":"Malta","u":"/europe/malta/malta-island","t":"malta the main island: the fortress capital, the old silent city, and the temples on the southern cliffs. history architecture sacred coast","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Valletta","s":"Malta, Malta","u":"/europe/malta/malta-island/valletta","t":"valletta a planned fortress city of 1566, on a peninsula between two harbours, with caravaggio's largest painting in its cathedral. st john's co-cathedral, plain outside and overwhelming inside caravaggio's beheading of st john, the only work he signed the upper barrakka gardens and the noon gun over the grand harbour the three cities across the water, by traditional dgħajsa boat history architecture art coast history & ruins architecture art & museums coast & beaches malta malta","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":35.9,"lo":14.51,"cs":"malta","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","art","coast","history","sacred"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Across the Grand Harbour by dgħajsa","s":"Valletta, Malta","u":"/europe/malta/malta-island/valletta","t":"across the grand harbour by dgħajsa a rowed and now motorised water taxi in the old harbour shape; the cheapest and best view of the bastions. water","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Mdina & Rabat","s":"Malta, Malta","u":"/europe/malta/malta-island/mdina","t":"mdina & rabat the old walled capital on a hill, with about 250 residents and no traffic — called the silent city for a reason. the bastion walls over the whole island at dusk st paul's catacombs, cut in the 3rd century evening, when the day visitors leave and it earns its name history architecture sacred history & ruins architecture sacred places malta malta","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":35.89,"lo":14.4,"cs":"malta","ct":"town","i":["architecture","coast","history","sacred"]},{"k":"City","n":"Ħaġar Qim & the South Cliffs","s":"Malta, Malta","u":"/europe/malta/malta-island/hagar-qim","t":"ħaġar qim & the south cliffs megalithic temples on a cliff over the sea, built between 3600 and 3200 bc. some of the oldest free-standing structures on earth the solstice alignment through a small oval port the blue grotto below, by boat in calm weather history sacred coast history & ruins sacred places coast & beaches malta malta","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":35.83,"lo":14.44,"cs":"malta","ct":"site","i":["architecture","coast","history","sacred"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Gozo & Comino","s":"Malta","u":"/europe/malta/gozo","t":"gozo & comino the green sister island, slower and more agricultural, with a neolithic temple and a lagoon. islands coast history nature","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Victoria, Gozo","s":"Gozo & Comino, Malta","u":"/europe/malta/gozo/victoria-gozo","t":"victoria, gozo a citadel town in the middle of an island where the pace drops noticeably the moment the ferry docks. the ċittadella walls, and the whole island visible from them ġgantija: temples older than ħaġar qim, and older than the pyramids salt pans at xwejni, cut into the rock and still worked by one family islands history coast food islands history & ruins coast & beaches food malta gozo & comino","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":36.04,"lo":14.24,"cs":"malta","ct":"town","i":["coast","food","history","islands","nature"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The Xwejni salt pans","s":"Victoria, Gozo, Malta","u":"/europe/malta/gozo/victoria-gozo","t":"the xwejni salt pans rock-cut pans worked by the same family for five generations; they harvest by hand in summer and will explain it if you ask. workshop","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Moldova","s":"Eastern Europe","u":"/europe/moldova","t":"moldova republic of moldova chișinău the world's largest wine cellar, measured in kilometres, under one of europe's least visited countries. moldova is small, agricultural and almost entirely overlooked, which is precisely the argument for going. it has been making wine for five thousand years and stores it in limestone mines: mileștii mici holds two million bottles in 200 kilometres of tunnel. a cave monastery is cut into a cliff over the răut, and rural guesthouse tourism is genuinely community-run. wine food sacred nature history wine & drink food sacred places wild nature history & ruins","w":2.0,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","jul","aug"],"i":["wine","food","sacred","nature","history"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Chișinău & the Cellars","s":"Moldova","u":"/europe/moldova/chisinau-and-the-cellars","t":"chișinău & the cellars the capital, and the underground wine cities within an hour of it. wine food cities","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Chișinău","s":"Chișinău & the Cellars, Moldova","u":"/europe/moldova/chisinau-and-the-cellars/chisinau","t":"chișinău a green, low-rise capital of parks and soviet-era planning, with the wine country immediately outside it. cricova and mileștii mici, driven through by car the central market, and the produce of a country that mostly farms soviet mosaics and modernist buildings on the edges wine food cities wine & drink food big cities moldova chișinău & the cellars","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","jul","aug"],"la":47.01,"lo":28.86,"cs":"moldova","ct":"capital","i":["cities","food","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Driving through a wine cellar","s":"Chișinău, Moldova","u":"/europe/moldova/chisinau-and-the-cellars/chisinau","t":"driving through a wine cellar 200 km of limestone galleries with street names, and two million bottles. visitors go in by vehicle because walking would take days. cellar","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"Orheiul Vechi & the North","s":"Moldova","u":"/europe/moldova/orheiul-vechi","t":"orheiul vechi & the north a cave monastery above a river meander, and the villages around it. sacred nature history","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Orheiul Vechi","s":"Orheiul Vechi & the North, Moldova","u":"/europe/moldova/orheiul-vechi/orheiul-vechi","t":"orheiul vechi a monastery dug into a limestone cliff over a loop of the răut, inhabited on and off since the 13th century. the cave church, reached along the cliff edge butuceni village below, with guesthouses in stone houses getic and tatar remains in the same valley sacred nature history sacred places wild nature history & ruins moldova orheiul vechi & the north","w":1.6,"b":"low","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","jul","aug"],"la":47.31,"lo":28.98,"cs":"moldova","ct":"site","i":["history","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Country","n":"Monaco","s":"Western Europe","u":"/europe/monaco","t":"monaco principality of monaco monaco two square kilometres of rock, casino and grand prix circuit, wedged between france and the sea. monaco is the second-smallest country in the world and the most densely populated, built vertically up a cliff because there is nowhere else to go. it is not in the eu or schengen in its own right, though you enter through france and will not notice a border. for a visitor it is a half-day: the old town on the rock, the casino, the harbour, and the fact that a formula one circuit runs through all three. coast architecture cities art coast & beaches architecture big cities art & museums","w":2.0,"b":"high","m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"i":["coast","architecture","cities","art"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The Rock & the Harbour","s":"Monaco","u":"/europe/monaco/the-rock-and-the-harbour","t":"the rock & the harbour the old town on its promontory, the port below, and monte-carlo along the bay. coast architecture art cities","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Monaco-Ville","s":"The Rock & the Harbour, Monaco","u":"/europe/monaco/the-rock-and-the-harbour/monaco-ville","t":"monaco-ville the medieval quarter on the rock: palace, cathedral, and an oceanographic museum built into the cliff face. the oceanographic museum, founded by a prince who was a serious scientist the changing of the guard at 11:55, briskly the exotic garden and the cave beneath it history coast architecture history & ruins coast & beaches architecture monaco the rock & the harbour","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["may","jun","jul","aug","sep","apr","oct"],"la":43.73,"lo":7.42,"cs":"monaco","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","art","cities","coast","history"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Walk the Grand Prix circuit","s":"Monaco-Ville, Monaco","u":"/europe/monaco/the-rock-and-the-harbour/monaco-ville","t":"walk the grand prix circuit 3.3 km of ordinary public road: the tunnel, the hairpin, the harbour chicane. it takes forty minutes and recalibrates what you think those cars are doing. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Montenegro","s":"The Adriatic & Balkans","u":"/europe/montenegro","t":"montenegro montenegro podgorica a drowned river canyon that looks like a fjord, with black mountains straight up behind it. montenegro is smaller than wales and rises from sea level to 2,500 metres within twenty kilometres. the bay of kotor is a ria — a flooded river valley — walled by cliffs, with venetian towns around its edge. behind it, durmitor's plateau and the tara canyon are properly wild. it uses the euro without being in the eu or the eurozone formally. coast mountains history nature coast & beaches mountains history & ruins wild nature","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"i":["coast","mountains","history","nature"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The Bay of Kotor & the Coast","s":"Montenegro","u":"/europe/montenegro/bay-of-kotor","t":"the bay of kotor & the coast a flooded canyon with venetian towns around it, and beaches south of the mouth. coast history architecture","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Kotor","s":"The Bay of Kotor & the Coast, Montenegro","u":"/europe/montenegro/bay-of-kotor/kotor","t":"kotor a walled venetian town at the head of the bay, with fortifications climbing 260 metres up the cliff behind it. the 1,350 steps up the fortress walls, at dawn before the heat the old town's cats, which have their own museum our lady of the rocks, an artificial island built by sailors dropping stones coast history mountains architecture coast & beaches history & ruins mountains architecture montenegro the bay of kotor & the coast","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":42.42,"lo":18.77,"cs":"montenegro","ct":"town","i":["architecture","coast","history","mountains"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The city walls at dawn","s":"Kotor, Montenegro","u":"/europe/montenegro/bay-of-kotor/kotor","t":"the city walls at dawn ninety minutes up, the whole bay below, and a small church halfway. go before eight or don't go in july. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Perast","s":"The Bay of Kotor & the Coast, Montenegro","u":"/europe/montenegro/bay-of-kotor/perast","t":"perast one street, sixteen baroque palaces, two islands offshore, and no room for a car. the boat to our lady of the rocks, five minutes offshore palaces built by sea captains who served venice swimming off the town steps at seven in the morning coast history sacred coast & beaches history & ruins sacred places montenegro the bay of kotor & the coast","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":42.49,"lo":18.7,"cs":"montenegro","ct":"village","i":["architecture","coast","history","sacred"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Durmitor & the North","s":"Montenegro","u":"/europe/montenegro/durmitor-and-the-north","t":"durmitor & the north a high limestone plateau, glacial lakes, and the second-deepest canyon in the world. mountains nature wild","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Žabljak","s":"Durmitor & the North, Montenegro","u":"/europe/montenegro/durmitor-and-the-north/zabljak","t":"žabljak the highest town in the balkans at 1,450 metres, at the edge of durmitor national park. the black lake, twenty minutes' walk from the town bobotov kuk, 2,523 metres, a long day on rock the tara canyon, 1,300 metres deep, rafted in spring mountains nature winter wild mountains wild nature snow & winter wildlife watching montenegro durmitor & the north","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":43.15,"lo":19.12,"cs":"montenegro","ct":"town","i":["mountains","nature","wild","winter"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Rafting the Tara","s":"Žabljak, Montenegro","u":"/europe/montenegro/durmitor-and-the-north/zabljak","t":"rafting the tara the deepest canyon in europe, drinkable water the whole way, and a season from may to october. water","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Netherlands","s":"Western Europe","u":"/europe/netherlands","t":"netherlands kingdom of the netherlands amsterdam a country built on purpose, mostly below sea level, and cycled end to end. a quarter of the netherlands lies below sea level and nearly all of it was arranged by people — drained, diked, pumped and planned. that habit of design runs through the painting, the cities and the bicycle infrastructure, which is the best on earth and not close. amsterdam absorbs most visitors; utrecht, rotterdam and the northern islands absorb almost none. art design architecture cities food art & museums design & making architecture big cities food","w":2.0,"b":"high","m":["apr","may","jun","jul","aug","sep","oct"],"i":["art","design","architecture","cities","food"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The Randstad","s":"Netherlands","u":"/europe/netherlands/randstad","t":"the randstad the dense western ring: amsterdam, rotterdam, the hague, utrecht and the polder between them. art architecture cities design","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Amsterdam","s":"The Randstad, Netherlands","u":"/europe/netherlands/randstad/amsterdam","t":"amsterdam a 17th-century canal plan that still works, with two of the world's great collections inside it. the rijksmuseum, and half an hour in front of the vermeers the van gogh museum, booked ahead or not at all the jordaan and the nine streets on foot a canal at seven in the morning, before the boats art architecture cities food music art & museums architecture big cities food music & nightlife netherlands the randstad","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["apr","may","jun","jul","aug","sep","oct"],"la":52.37,"lo":4.9,"cs":"netherlands","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","art","cities","design","food","music"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The city the way it is used","s":"Amsterdam, Netherlands","u":"/europe/netherlands/randstad/amsterdam","t":"the city the way it is used rent for a day, ride out to amsterdam-noord on the free ferry, and stop thinking of the bicycle as an activity. ride","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Rotterdam","s":"The Randstad, Netherlands","u":"/europe/netherlands/randstad/rotterdam","t":"rotterdam flattened in 1940 and rebuilt as an argument for modern architecture, on europe's largest port. the markthal, a food market inside a housing block depot boijmans, the first publicly accessible art storage building anywhere harbour tours through a port that runs for forty kilometres architecture design cities food architecture design & making big cities food netherlands the randstad","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["apr","may","jun","jul","aug","sep","oct"],"la":51.92,"lo":4.48,"cs":"netherlands","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","cities","design","food"]},{"k":"City","n":"Utrecht","s":"The Randstad, Netherlands","u":"/europe/netherlands/randstad/utrecht","t":"utrecht amsterdam's canals at half the scale and a fifth of the crowd, with wharf cellars at water level. the oudegracht's two-level canals, unique in europe the dom tower, 112 metres, 465 steps rietveld's schröder house, the built manifesto of de stijl cities food architecture big cities food architecture netherlands the randstad","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["apr","may","jun","jul","aug","sep","oct"],"la":52.09,"lo":5.12,"cs":"netherlands","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","cities","design","food"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The North & the Wadden Islands","s":"Netherlands","u":"/europe/netherlands/north-and-islands","t":"the north & the wadden islands frisian country, mudflats that appear at low tide, and islands with no cars. nature coast islands wild","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Texel","s":"The North & the Wadden Islands, Netherlands","u":"/europe/netherlands/north-and-islands/texel","t":"texel the largest wadden island: dunes, sheep, seals and thirty kilometres of empty north sea beach. seal colonies on the sandbanks, seen from a boat bird reserves on the migration route, best in spring local lamb and a brewery, on an island you can cycle around in a day islands nature coast wild islands wild nature coast & beaches wildlife watching netherlands the north & the wadden islands","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["apr","may","jun","jul","aug","sep","oct"],"la":53.06,"lo":4.8,"cs":"netherlands","ct":"island","i":["coast","islands","nature","wild"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Wadlopen — walking the sea floor","s":"Texel, Netherlands","u":"/europe/netherlands/north-and-islands/texel","t":"wadlopen — walking the sea floor guided walks across the exposed seabed at low tide, thigh-deep in mud, timed against a returning sea. never attempted alone. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"North Macedonia","s":"The Adriatic & Balkans","u":"/europe/north-macedonia","t":"north macedonia republic of north macedonia skopje one of the oldest lakes on earth, a bazaar that never stopped trading, and a capital that rebuilt itself in marble. north macedonia is landlocked, mountainous, and centred on lake ohrid — between three and five million years old, with sixty endemic species and a town of churches on its shore. skopje was flattened by an earthquake in 1963, rebuilt in concrete, and then rebuilt again in the 2010s in a neoclassical style that its own citizens argue about constantly. sacred history nature food mountains sacred places history & ruins wild nature food mountains","w":2.0,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"i":["sacred","history","nature","food","mountains"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Ohrid & the Southwest","s":"North Macedonia","u":"/europe/north-macedonia/ohrid-and-the-southwest","t":"ohrid & the southwest the ancient lake, its churches, and the mountains between here and albania. sacred nature history coast","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Ohrid","s":"Ohrid & the Southwest, North Macedonia","u":"/europe/north-macedonia/ohrid-and-the-southwest/ohrid","t":"ohrid a town of byzantine churches on a cliff over one of the world's oldest lakes, with a slavic literary tradition that began here. sveti jovan kaneo, on a cliff over the water the lake itself: 3–5 million years old, 288 metres deep plaošnik, where cyrillic literacy was taught in the 9th century swimming from the town beaches in july and august sacred nature history coast sacred places wild nature history & ruins coast & beaches north macedonia ohrid & the southwest","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":41.12,"lo":20.8,"cs":"north-macedonia","ct":"town","i":["coast","history","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Across the lake to Sveti Naum","s":"Ohrid, North Macedonia","u":"/europe/north-macedonia/ohrid-and-the-southwest/ohrid","t":"across the lake to sveti naum an hour and a half by boat to a monastery at the springs on the albanian border, past cliffs with nothing else on them. water","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Bitola","s":"Ohrid & the Southwest, North Macedonia","u":"/europe/north-macedonia/ohrid-and-the-southwest/bitola","t":"bitola a former consular city with a wide pedestrian avenue, and the roman ruins of heraclea on its edge. širok sokak, built for nineteenth-century diplomats and still promenaded heraclea lyncestis's mosaic floors pelister national park's pines and glacial lakes above the town history food architecture history & ruins food architecture north macedonia ohrid & the southwest","w":1.6,"b":"low","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":41.03,"lo":21.34,"cs":"north-macedonia","ct":"city","i":["architecture","coast","food","history","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Skopje & the North","s":"North Macedonia","u":"/europe/north-macedonia/skopje-and-the-north","t":"skopje & the north the rebuilt capital, its ottoman bazaar, and the canyon at the edge of it. history food nature architecture","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Skopje","s":"Skopje & the North, North Macedonia","u":"/europe/north-macedonia/skopje-and-the-north/skopje","t":"skopje a capital with the largest ottoman bazaar in the balkans on one bank and a marble-clad neoclassical rebuild on the other. the old bazaar, trading continuously since the 12th century the stone bridge, and the argument in stone on either side of it matka canyon, twenty minutes out, with caves and a kayak club history food architecture cities history & ruins food architecture big cities north macedonia skopje & the north","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":41.99,"lo":21.43,"cs":"north-macedonia","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","cities","food","history","nature"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The Old Bazaar at working hours","s":"Skopje, North Macedonia","u":"/europe/north-macedonia/skopje-and-the-north/skopje","t":"the old bazaar at working hours coppersmiths, filigree, tea houses and mosques — a working market rather than a preserved one, best before noon. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Norway","s":"The Nordics","u":"/europe/norway","t":"norway kingdom of norway oslo a country shaped by water that had somewhere to be. norway is long — its coastline, unfolded, would wrap a good way round the world — and almost everything worth seeing sits where rock meets salt water. the interior is high plateau and slow trains; the coast is fjord, ferry and fishing town. prices are the highest in europe and the light is the strangest: midnight sun above the arctic circle in june, four-hour days in december. mountains coast nature rail winter design mountains coast & beaches wild nature slow travel by rail snow & winter design & making","w":2.0,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"i":["mountains","coast","nature","rail","winter","design"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Østlandet & the East","s":"Norway","u":"/europe/norway/ostlandet","t":"østlandet & the east the populated, farmed, forested east: the capital, the big lakes, and the valleys the ski world takes seriously. cities design winter art","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Oslo","s":"Østlandet & the East, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/ostlandet/oslo","t":"oslo a capital that spent its oil money on architecture and then put a forest and a fjord within a tram ride of the result. the munch museum and the national museum, which between them hold the versions of the scream worth arguing about the fram and kon-tiki polar ships, kept whole in bygdøy island-hopping the inner oslofjord on a standard public ferry ticket nordmarka: 1,700 km of forest trail, reached by metro art architecture design cities nature art & museums architecture design & making big cities wild nature norway østlandet & the east","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":59.91,"lo":10.75,"cs":"norway","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","art","cities","design","nature","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"MUNCH","s":"Oslo, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/ostlandet/oslo/place/munch-museum","t":"munch thirteen floors on the waterfront holding the artist's own bequest — 26,000 works, including the versions of the scream worth arguing about. museum oslo norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":59.906,"lo":10.755,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"Fram Museum","s":"Oslo, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/ostlandet/oslo/place/fram-museum","t":"fram museum the polar ship fram kept whole indoors, with her hull open so you can walk the decks that drifted across the arctic for three years. museum oslo norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":59.902,"lo":10.699,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"Vigeland Sculpture Park","s":"Oslo, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/ostlandet/oslo/place/vigeland-park","t":"vigeland sculpture park 212 bronze and granite figures by one sculptor in one park, free and open at every hour, including four in the morning. park oslo norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":59.927,"lo":10.7,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"Akershus Fortress","s":"Oslo, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/ostlandet/oslo/place/akershus-fortress","t":"akershus fortress a medieval castle on the harbour that was never taken by siege, with the government quarter and the fjord on either side of it. castle oslo norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":59.907,"lo":10.736,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"Oslo Opera House","s":"Oslo, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/ostlandet/oslo/place/oslo-opera-house","t":"oslo opera house a roof that comes down to the water so the public can walk up it, which is the building's actual argument. monument oslo norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":59.907,"lo":10.753,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The commuter ferry as a day out","s":"Oslo, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/ostlandet/oslo","t":"the commuter ferry as a day out ride the public boats to hovedøya and gressholmen with a swim towel and a bakery bag; it is a city transport ticket, not a cruise. water","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"Waterfront architecture walk","s":"Oslo, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/ostlandet/oslo","t":"waterfront architecture walk opera roof to munch to the library at bjørvika — twenty years of a city deciding what it wanted to look like, in ninety minutes. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Lillehammer","s":"Østlandet & the East, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/ostlandet/lillehammer","t":"lillehammer olympic town on a long lake, with an open-air museum that is really a village of 200 relocated buildings. maihaugen: farms, a stave church and a whole timber town, walked rather than viewed the 1994 olympic bob track, still rideable cross-country trails that start where the streets end winter history nature snow & winter history & ruins wild nature norway østlandet & the east","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":61.11,"lo":10.47,"cs":"norway","ct":"city","i":["art","cities","design","history","nature","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Maihaugen","s":"Lillehammer, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/ostlandet/lillehammer/place/maihaugen","t":"maihaugen two hundred buildings moved log by log from across gudbrandsdalen, including a stave church. museum lillehammer norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":61.114,"lo":10.474,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Maihaugen open-air museum","s":"Lillehammer, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/ostlandet/lillehammer","t":"maihaugen open-air museum two hundred buildings moved log by log from across gudbrandsdalen; the point is the carpentry, not the costumes. museum","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Fredrikstad","s":"Østlandet & the East, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/ostlandet/fredrikstad","t":"fredrikstad scandinavia's best-preserved fortress town, on an island in a river mouth, reached by a free ferry. gamlebyen: ramparts, moat and cobbles, still inhabited the free city ferry, which is public transport and runs all day hvaler's skerries, an hour south by bus and boat history coast architecture history & ruins coast & beaches architecture norway østlandet & the east","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":59.22,"lo":10.93,"cs":"norway","ct":"town","i":["architecture","art","cities","coast","design","history","winter"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The free ferry, all day","s":"Fredrikstad, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/ostlandet/fredrikstad","t":"the free ferry, all day fredrikstad runs its river crossings free of charge as ordinary transport; ride them between the old town and the new for as long as you like. water","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Rjukan","s":"Østlandet & the East, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/ostlandet/rjukan","t":"rjukan a company town in a gorge so deep the sun does not reach it for six months, so the town installed mirrors on the mountain. the sun mirrors on gvepseborg, throwing daylight into the square since 2013 vemork: the heavy water plant sabotaged in 1943, now a museum gaustatoppen, and the tram inside the mountain built for nato history mountains winter nature history & ruins mountains snow & winter wild nature norway østlandet & the east","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":59.88,"lo":8.59,"cs":"norway","ct":"town","i":["art","cities","design","history","mountains","nature","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Vemork","s":"Rjukan, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/ostlandet/rjukan/place/vemork","t":"vemork the heavy water plant sabotaged in 1943, with the pipeline the saboteurs climbed still on the cliff. museum rjukan norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":59.873,"lo":8.489,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"The Sun Mirrors","s":"Rjukan, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/ostlandet/rjukan/place/rjukan-mirrors","t":"the sun mirrors three heliostats on the mountain throwing daylight into a square the sun cannot reach for six months. monument rjukan norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":59.879,"lo":8.593,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Vemork and the heavy water raid","s":"Rjukan, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/ostlandet/rjukan","t":"vemork and the heavy water raid the plant, the pipeline the saboteurs climbed, and an account that does not tidy up how close it came to failing. museum","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"Sørlandet & the South Coast","s":"Norway","u":"/europe/norway/sorlandet","t":"sørlandet & the south coast white wooden towns on a skerry coast, where norway goes on holiday and almost no foreign visitor does. coast islands design food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Kristiansand","s":"Sørlandet & the South Coast, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/sorlandet/kristiansand","t":"kristiansand a grid-planned town on the warmest stretch of norwegian coast, with a bathing park in the middle of it. posebyen's white timber quarter, 200 years of it bystranda, a city beach that is genuinely used ferries out to the skerries all summer coast cities food coast & beaches big cities food norway sørlandet & the south coast","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":58.15,"lo":7.99,"cs":"norway","ct":"city","i":["cities","coast","design","food","islands"]},{"k":"City","n":"Risør","s":"Sørlandet & the South Coast, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/sorlandet/risor","t":"risør 'the white town by the skagerrak' — 300 wooden houses round a harbour, and a wooden boat festival each august. the wooden boat festival, the largest in the nordics stangholmen lighthouse island, twenty minutes by boat craft workshops in the old warehouses coast design islands coast & beaches design & making islands norway sørlandet & the south coast","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":58.72,"lo":9.23,"cs":"norway","ct":"town","i":["coast","design","food","islands"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The wooden boat festival","s":"Risør, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/sorlandet/risor","t":"the wooden boat festival every august the harbour fills with clinker-built boats and the people who maintain them; go for the sound of the hulls rather than the programme. water","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Lindesnes","s":"Sørlandet & the South Coast, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/sorlandet/lindesnes","t":"lindesnes norway's southernmost point, with a lighthouse on it and a restaurant five metres under the sea beside it. the lighthouse, lit since 1656 under: a dining room submerged against the seabed 2,518 km to the north cape, in a straight line north coast food nature coast & beaches food wild nature norway sørlandet & the south coast","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":57.98,"lo":7.05,"cs":"norway","ct":"site","i":["coast","design","food","islands","nature"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Fjord Norway","s":"Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway","t":"fjord norway the west coast: bergen and its rain, the deep fjord arms, and the roads that only open when the snow lets them. mountains coast nature rail","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Bergen","s":"Fjord Norway, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/bergen","t":"bergen a hanseatic trading port wedged between seven mountains, wet 200 days a year and entirely unbothered about it. bryggen's leaning wooden warehouses, and the fire history that explains their gaps the fløibanen funicular to a mountain you can walk down in an hour the fish market — better one street back, where the locals buy the bergen railway east: seven hours across a high plateau coast history food music rail coast & beaches history & ruins food music & nightlife slow travel by rail norway fjord norway","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":60.39,"lo":5.32,"cs":"norway","ct":"city","i":["coast","food","history","mountains","music","nature","rail"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Bryggen","s":"Bergen, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/bergen/place/bryggen","t":"bryggen the leaning wooden trading houses of the hanseatic wharf, rebuilt after each fire on the same foundations since the 1100s. quarter bergen norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":60.397,"lo":5.324,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"Fløyen","s":"Bergen, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/bergen/place/floyen","t":"fløyen 320 metres above the city by funicular, with a path down through the woods that most people forget to take. viewpoint bergen norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":60.396,"lo":5.351,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"Fish Market","s":"Bergen, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/bergen/place/bergen-fish-market","t":"fish market outdoor from may, indoors year-round, and better one street back where the boats actually deliver. market bergen norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":60.395,"lo":5.325,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"KODE","s":"Bergen, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/bergen/place/kode-museums","t":"kode four buildings on one street holding munch, astrup and the largest norwegian art collection outside oslo. museum bergen norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":60.392,"lo":5.328,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Fløyen to Ulriken ridge walk","s":"Bergen, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/bergen","t":"fløyen to ulriken ridge walk five hours along the tops between the two cable cars, with the city on one side and nothing but bog and rock on the other. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"Lunch at a working fish counter","s":"Bergen, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/bergen","t":"lunch at a working fish counter skip the tourist stalls; eat where the boats deliver, standing up, whatever came in that morning. table","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Flåm","s":"Fjord Norway, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/flam","t":"flåm a hamlet at the end of a fjord arm, famous for a railway that drops 865 metres in twenty kilometres. the flåm railway, best taken uphill and walked or cycled back down nærøyfjord: a unesco-listed fjord arm 250 metres wide at its narrowest aurlandsdalen, a day-long valley walk between old summer farms rail mountains nature slow travel by rail mountains wild nature norway fjord norway","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":60.86,"lo":7.11,"cs":"norway","ct":"village","i":["coast","mountains","nature","rail"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Flåm Railway","s":"Flåm, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/flam/place/flam-railway","t":"flåm railway twenty kilometres and 865 metres of descent through twenty tunnels, most of them dug by hand. monument flåm norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":60.863,"lo":7.113,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"Nærøyfjord","s":"Flåm, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/flam/place/naeroyfjord","t":"nærøyfjord a unesco fjord arm 250 metres wide at its narrowest, with waterfalls straight off the wall above the boat. waterfall flåm norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":60.9,"lo":6.9,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Ride the Rallarvegen down","s":"Flåm, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/flam","t":"ride the rallarvegen down the old navvies' road from myrdal, gravel all the way, downhill nearly all the way — a bike, a train ticket and a whole afternoon. ride","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Ålesund","s":"Fjord Norway, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/alesund","t":"ålesund burned to the ground in 1904 and rebuilt, all at once, in art nouveau — so the whole town matches. 418 steps up aksla for the archipelago laid out below the jugendstil centre, in the old pharmacy day boats to runde's puffin cliffs in early summer architecture coast design architecture coast & beaches design & making norway fjord norway","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":62.47,"lo":6.15,"cs":"norway","ct":"town","i":["architecture","coast","design","mountains","nature","rail"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Aksla","s":"Ålesund, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/alesund/place/aksla-viewpoint","t":"aksla 418 steps up from the town park, with the art nouveau roofs and the archipelago laid out below. viewpoint ålesund norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":62.474,"lo":6.161,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"Jugendstilsenteret","s":"Ålesund, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/alesund/place/jugendstilsenteret","t":"jugendstilsenteret the art nouveau centre in the old pharmacy, explaining why an entire town matches. museum ålesund norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":62.472,"lo":6.153,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The town that burned and matched","s":"Ålesund, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/alesund","t":"the town that burned and matched a short walk that only works once you know the date: every façade you pass was drawn in the same three years. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Stavanger","s":"Fjord Norway, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/stavanger","t":"stavanger oil capital with a preserved wooden old town, and the most photographed cliff in norway an hour away. gamle stavanger: 173 white wooden houses from the 18th century preikestolen, a 604-metre flat cliff, four hours there and back the norwegian petroleum museum, which is franker about the industry than you expect coast history food mountains coast & beaches history & ruins food mountains norway fjord norway","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":58.97,"lo":5.73,"cs":"norway","ct":"city","i":["coast","food","history","mountains","nature","rail"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Preikestolen","s":"Stavanger, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/stavanger/place/preikestolen","t":"preikestolen a flat slab 604 metres above the lysefjord with no railing, reached by an eight-kilometre path. mountain stavanger norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":58.986,"lo":6.19,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"Gamle Stavanger","s":"Stavanger, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/stavanger/place/gamle-stavanger","t":"gamle stavanger 173 white wooden houses from the 18th and 19th centuries, on cobbled lanes above the harbour. quarter stavanger norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":58.972,"lo":5.729,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"Norwegian Petroleum Museum","s":"Stavanger, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/stavanger/place/petroleum-museum","t":"norwegian petroleum museum the industry that paid for modern norway, explained more frankly than a national museum usually manages. museum stavanger norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":58.974,"lo":5.734,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Preikestolen, early","s":"Stavanger, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/stavanger","t":"preikestolen, early eight kilometres round on rock and boardwalk. start before seven; by eleven there is a queue for the photograph and no railing to queue behind. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Odda & Trolltunga","s":"Fjord Norway, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/odda","t":"odda & trolltunga a smelter town at the end of a fjord arm, and a slab of rock that sticks 700 metres out over a lake. trolltunga: 28 km round, ten hours, and not a stroll folgefonna glacier above the valley the smelter town itself, which is on the unesco tentative list and is not pretty mountains nature history mountains wild nature history & ruins norway fjord norway","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":60.07,"lo":6.55,"cs":"norway","ct":"town","i":["coast","history","mountains","nature","rail"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Trolltunga, with the day it needs","s":"Odda & Trolltunga, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/odda","t":"trolltunga, with the day it needs ten to twelve hours, a 1,200-metre climb, and mountain rescue callouts every season from people who read it as a viewpoint with a car park. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Voss","s":"Fjord Norway, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/voss","t":"voss a lake town between two fjords that decided to become norway's outdoor sports capital and succeeded. skydiving, paragliding and rafting, all within the town the bergen railway stops here, which is how everyone arrives ski country twenty minutes up the mountain mountains nature winter rail mountains wild nature snow & winter slow travel by rail norway fjord norway","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":60.63,"lo":6.42,"cs":"norway","ct":"city","i":["coast","mountains","nature","rail","winter"]},{"k":"City","n":"Geiranger","s":"Fjord Norway, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/geiranger","t":"geiranger a unesco fjord arm 15 km long with waterfalls falling straight into it and abandoned farms on ledges above. the seven sisters falls, and the farm ruins on shelves opposite dalsnibba, 1,500 metres, with the fjord directly below the trollstigen road north, eleven hairpins with a wall on one side nature mountains coast wild nature mountains coast & beaches norway fjord norway","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":62.1,"lo":7.21,"cs":"norway","ct":"valley","i":["coast","mountains","nature","rail"]},{"k":"Place","n":"The Seven Sisters","s":"Geiranger, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/geiranger/place/seven-sisters","t":"the seven sisters seven falls dropping 250 metres into the fjord, opposite a suitor who never got anywhere. waterfall geiranger norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":62.117,"lo":7.15,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"Skageflå","s":"Geiranger, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/geiranger/place/skageflaa","t":"skageflå a farm worked until 1918 on a ledge 250 metres above the water, reached by boat and then by climbing. ruin geiranger norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":62.106,"lo":7.106,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The farms on the ledges","s":"Geiranger, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/geiranger","t":"the farms on the ledges skageflå was farmed until 1918 on a shelf 250 metres above the water, reached by ladder. the boat drops you at the bottom and you climb. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Balestrand","s":"Fjord Norway, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/fjord-norway/balestrand","t":"balestrand a sognefjord village of dragon-style timber villas, where 19th-century painters came and then stayed. dragestil villas, a norwegian national-romantic invention the english church of st olaf, built by a homesick englishwoman in 1897 express boats along the longest fjord in norway nature architecture art coast wild nature architecture art & museums coast & beaches norway fjord norway","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":61.21,"lo":6.53,"cs":"norway","ct":"village","i":["architecture","art","coast","mountains","nature","rail"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Trøndelag","s":"Norway","u":"/europe/norway/trondelag","t":"trøndelag the old seat of norwegian kings, plus a copper town preserved by being too remote to modernise. history sacred food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Trondheim","s":"Trøndelag, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/trondelag/trondheim","t":"trondheim a student city built around the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world, and the end of a thousand-year pilgrim path. nidaros cathedral, the terminus of the st olav ways the old wharves along the nidelva, best from the gamle bybro a food scene punching far above a city of 200,000 sacred history food cities sacred places history & ruins food big cities norway trøndelag","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":63.43,"lo":10.4,"cs":"norway","ct":"city","i":["cities","food","history","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Nidaros Cathedral","s":"Trondheim, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/trondelag/trondheim/place/nidaros-cathedral","t":"nidaros cathedral the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world, the end of the st olav ways, and a stoneyard that has cut replacement blocks continuously for a century. church trondheim norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":63.427,"lo":10.397,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"Gamle Bybro","s":"Trondheim, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/trondelag/trondheim/place/gamle-bybro","t":"gamle bybro the old town bridge, red-painted, with the wooden wharves of the nidelva on both sides of it. bridge trondheim norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":63.428,"lo":10.401,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"Ringve Music Museum","s":"Trondheim, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/trondelag/trondheim/place/ringve-museum","t":"ringve music museum a national collection of musical instruments in a manor house above the fjord, played rather than displayed. museum trondheim norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":63.443,"lo":10.457,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The cathedral, from the workshop side","s":"Trondheim, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/trondelag/trondheim","t":"the cathedral, from the workshop side the stoneyard has been cutting replacement blocks continuously for a century; see that before you see the nave. sacred","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Røros","s":"Trøndelag, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/trondelag/roros","t":"røros a 17th-century copper-mining town of black timber houses, at -30°c for weeks at a stretch and listed by unesco for surviving intact. slaggveien: turf-roofed miners' cottages on slag heaps the mine at olavsgruva, 50 metres underground røros martnan, the february winter market history winter architecture history & ruins snow & winter architecture norway trøndelag","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":62.57,"lo":11.38,"cs":"norway","ct":"town","i":["architecture","food","history","sacred","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Røros Church","s":"Røros, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/trondelag/roros/place/roros-church","t":"røros church a 1784 stone church seating 1,600 in a town of 3,700, built by a copper company for its workers. church røros norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":62.575,"lo":11.383,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"Olavsgruva Mine","s":"Røros, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/trondelag/roros/place/olavsgruva","t":"olavsgruva mine fifty metres underground at five degrees year-round, in a copper mine worked from 1650. cave røros norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":62.641,"lo":11.554,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"Slaggveien","s":"Røros, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/trondelag/roros/place/slaggveien","t":"slaggveien turf-roofed miners' cottages built on the slag heaps, which is the whole social history in one lane. street røros norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":62.573,"lo":11.386,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Down the Olav mine","s":"Røros, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/trondelag/roros","t":"down the olav mine five degrees underground year-round, hard hats, and the noise a hand drill made before compressed air. museum","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"Northern Norway","s":"Norway","u":"/europe/norway/nord-norge","t":"northern norway above the arctic circle: island chains, sámi country, whales in winter and no darkness at all in june. winter nature coast islands","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Tromsø","s":"Northern Norway, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/nord-norge/tromso","t":"tromsø a university town at 69°n with more bars per head than anywhere else in norway, and the aurora directly overhead. the arctic cathedral and the cable car above the strait aurora hunting between late september and late march, inland where the sky is clearer whale watching off skjervøy in november and december winter nature music cities snow & winter wild nature music & nightlife big cities norway northern norway","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":69.65,"lo":18.96,"cs":"norway","ct":"city","i":["cities","coast","islands","music","nature","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Arctic Cathedral","s":"Tromsø, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/nord-norge/tromso/place/arctic-cathedral","t":"arctic cathedral eleven concrete triangles and a glass mosaic 23 metres high, finished in 1965 and visible from the whole city. church tromsø norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":69.669,"lo":18.998,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"Polaria","s":"Tromsø, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/nord-norge/tromso/place/polaria","t":"polaria a small aquarium and arctic research centre with bearded seals, built as five ice floes tipped against a shore. museum tromsø norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":69.646,"lo":18.951,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"Storsteinen","s":"Tromsø, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/nord-norge/tromso/place/storsteinen","t":"storsteinen 421 metres by cable car, with the island city below and the midnight sun above it from late may. viewpoint tromsø norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":69.649,"lo":18.995,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Experience","n":"An aurora night with a forecast, not a promise","s":"Tromsø, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/nord-norge/tromso","t":"an aurora night with a forecast, not a promise a guide who drives to clear sky — sometimes into finland — is worth more than one who stays put; nobody can guarantee the lights, and anyone who does is selling something. wild","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"A Sámi reindeer herding afternoon","s":"Tromsø, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/nord-norge/tromso","t":"a sámi reindeer herding afternoon book with a sámi-owned operator; the difference between a working herd and a photo backdrop is obvious within ten minutes. wild","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Lofoten (Svolvær)","s":"Northern Norway, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/nord-norge/lofoten","t":"lofoten (svolvær) granite peaks that rise straight from the sea, red fishermen's cabins below them, and cod drying on racks every spring. reine and hamnøy, the two views that put lofoten on every screen ryten and reinebringen — short, steep, and worth the calves sleeping in a rorbu, the cabins built for seasonal cod crews unstad's cold-water surf, wetsuits mandatory mountains coast islands nature mountains coast & beaches islands wild nature norway northern norway","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":68.23,"lo":14.57,"cs":"norway","ct":"island","i":["coast","islands","mountains","nature","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Reinebringen","s":"Lofoten (Svolvær), Norway","u":"/europe/norway/nord-norge/lofoten/place/reinebringen","t":"reinebringen 1,566 sherpa-built stone steps to the view of reine that appears on every poster of norway. mountain lofoten (svolvær) norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":67.93,"lo":13.088,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"Unstad","s":"Lofoten (Svolvær), Norway","u":"/europe/norway/nord-norge/lofoten/place/unstad-beach","t":"unstad a cold-water surf break inside the arctic circle, with a sauna at the top of the sand. beach lofoten (svolvær) norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":68.298,"lo":13.673,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"Lofotr Viking Museum","s":"Lofoten (Svolvær), Norway","u":"/europe/norway/nord-norge/lofoten/place/lofotr-viking-museum","t":"lofotr viking museum a reconstructed 83-metre chieftain's longhouse on the site where the original was found in a barley field. museum lofoten (svolvær) norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":68.226,"lo":13.786,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Experience","n":"A night in a working rorbu","s":"Lofoten (Svolvær), Norway","u":"/europe/norway/nord-norge/lofoten","t":"a night in a working rorbu the old cod-fishing cabins on stilts; the good ones still smell faintly of tar and are still owned by fishing families. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"Cold-water surf at Unstad","s":"Lofoten (Svolvær), Norway","u":"/europe/norway/nord-norge/lofoten","t":"cold-water surf at unstad beach break inside the arctic circle, 6mm of neoprene, and a sauna afterwards that you will remember longer than the waves. water","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Bodø","s":"Northern Norway, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/nord-norge/bodo","t":"bodø a rebuilt northern port with the strongest tidal current in the world at its door and lofoten across the water. saltstraumen: 400 million cubic metres of water through a 150-metre strait, four times a day the coastal ferry and the lofoten crossing sea eagles, which are ordinary here coast nature design music coast & beaches wild nature design & making music & nightlife norway northern norway","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":67.28,"lo":14.38,"cs":"norway","ct":"city","i":["coast","design","islands","music","nature","winter"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Saltstraumen at full flow","s":"Bodø, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/nord-norge/bodo","t":"saltstraumen at full flow check the tide table and stand on the bridge: whirlpools ten metres across, and fishermen working the edge of them. wild","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Narvik","s":"Northern Norway, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/nord-norge/narvik","t":"narvik an ice-free ore port at the end of a swedish railway, ringed by mountains that drop into the fjord. the ofoten railway to kiruna, built for iron ore in 1902 the war museum, on a town fought over for two months in 1940 a cable car from the town centre to 656 metres mountains history winter rail mountains history & ruins snow & winter slow travel by rail norway northern norway","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":68.44,"lo":17.43,"cs":"norway","ct":"town","i":["coast","history","islands","mountains","nature","rail","winter"]},{"k":"City","n":"Senja","s":"Northern Norway, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/nord-norge/senja","t":"senja norway's second-largest island — lofoten's landscape without lofoten's traffic, and almost no one on the trails. segla and hesten: short, steep, and among the best views in the country fishing villages on the outer coast with working boats a national scenic route with rest stops designed by architects mountains coast islands nature mountains coast & beaches islands wild nature norway northern norway","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":69.35,"lo":17.6,"cs":"norway","ct":"island","i":["coast","islands","mountains","nature","winter"]},{"k":"City","n":"Alta","s":"Northern Norway, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/nord-norge/alta","t":"alta finnmark's largest town, with 6,000-year-old rock carvings and a cathedral shaped like the aurora. hjemmeluft's rock art, on the unesco list, walked on boardwalks the northern lights cathedral, a titanium spiral the finnmarksløpet, europe's longest sled dog race, in march history winter nature design history & ruins snow & winter wild nature design & making norway northern norway","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":69.97,"lo":23.27,"cs":"norway","ct":"town","i":["coast","design","history","islands","nature","winter"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Six thousand years of rock carving","s":"Alta, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/nord-norge/alta","t":"six thousand years of rock carving thousands of figures — boats, reindeer, bears, people — pecked into coastal rock over five millennia, and read in order along a boardwalk. museum","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Nordkapp (Honningsvåg)","s":"Northern Norway, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/nord-norge/nordkapp","t":"nordkapp (honningsvåg) a cliff at 71°n sold as the top of europe, on an island reached by tunnel, with a fishing town below it. the plateau at midnight in june, with the sun still up gjesvær's bird cliffs: puffins, gannets and 100,000 pairs honningsvåg itself, which is a working port and better company than the cape coast nature winter coast & beaches wild nature snow & winter norway northern norway","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":70.98,"lo":25.97,"cs":"norway","ct":"site","i":["coast","islands","nature","winter"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Svalbard","s":"Norway","u":"/europe/norway/svalbard","t":"svalbard an arctic archipelago at 78°n, with more polar bears than people and a treaty that lets anyone live there. winter wild nature history","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Longyearbyen","s":"Svalbard, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/svalbard/longyearbyen","t":"longyearbyen the world's northernmost town of any size: a coal settlement turned research station, where leaving the settlement requires a rifle. polar night from late october to mid-february, and midnight sun from april the global seed vault, seen from outside only rules that are not tourism theatre: bear watch outside town is a legal requirement old mining infrastructure left where it stands, because nothing rots up here winter wild nature history snow & winter wildlife watching wild nature history & ruins norway svalbard","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":78.22,"lo":15.63,"cs":"norway","ct":"town","i":["history","nature","wild","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Svalbard Museum","s":"Longyearbyen, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/svalbard/longyearbyen/place/svalbard-museum","t":"svalbard museum whaling, mining, trapping and the ecology of an archipelago where nothing decomposes, in one well-made room. museum longyearbyen norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":78.223,"lo":15.633,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Place","n":"Global Seed Vault","s":"Longyearbyen, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/svalbard/longyearbyen/place/global-seed-vault","t":"global seed vault a concrete wedge in a mountainside holding a million seed samples. nobody goes inside; the point is that it is there. monument longyearbyen norway","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":78.236,"lo":15.491,"cs":"norway"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Out of town, legally","s":"Longyearbyen, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/svalbard/longyearbyen","t":"out of town, legally any trip beyond the settlement needs a guide carrying a rifle and trained to avoid using it. that is the law and it is also the honest reading of the risk. wild","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"Dog sledding on the glacier","s":"Longyearbyen, Norway","u":"/europe/norway/svalbard/longyearbyen","t":"dog sledding on the glacier wheeled carts in summer, runners in winter, and the same dogs that supplied the mines before snowmobiles. ride","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Poland","s":"Alpine & Central Europe","u":"/europe/poland","t":"poland republic of poland warsaw a country that was erased from the map for 123 years and rebuilt its capital from paintings. poland is large, flat in the middle, mountainous in the south and forested in the east, where europe's last primeval woodland still stands. its cities carry the twentieth century openly: warsaw was destroyed and reconstructed, kraków survived intact, gdańsk was rebuilt as a hanseatic port. it is one of the best-value countries in europe and the food has become genuinely interesting in the last decade. history food mountains nature sacred cities history & ruins food mountains wild nature sacred places big cities","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"i":["history","food","mountains","nature","sacred","cities"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Lesser Poland & the South","s":"Poland","u":"/europe/poland/lesser-poland","t":"lesser poland & the south kraków, the salt mine, the memorial at oświęcim, and the tatra mountains beyond. history sacred mountains food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Kraków","s":"Lesser Poland & the South, Poland","u":"/europe/poland/lesser-poland/krakow","t":"kraków the royal capital that survived the war, with europe's largest medieval square and a jewish quarter that is now a district again. the rynek and the hourly trumpet call that stops mid-note wawel castle and cathedral, where polish kings are buried kazimierz: synagogues, bars and schindler's factory museum wieliczka's salt mine, carved into chapels 135 metres down history architecture food sacred music history & ruins architecture food sacred places music & nightlife poland lesser poland & the south","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":50.06,"lo":19.94,"cs":"poland","ct":"city","i":["architecture","food","history","mountains","music","sacred"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Lunch in a milk bar","s":"Kraków, Poland","u":"/europe/poland/lesser-poland/krakow","t":"lunch in a milk bar a communist-era subsidised canteen, still running, still cheap; queue, point, pay, and eat what poland actually eats. table","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"The salt cathedral at Wieliczka","s":"Kraków, Poland","u":"/europe/poland/lesser-poland/krakow","t":"the salt cathedral at wieliczka a chapel 101 metres underground with chandeliers of salt crystal, carved by miners over decades in their own time. museum","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Zakopane & the Tatras","s":"Lesser Poland & the South, Poland","u":"/europe/poland/lesser-poland/zakopane","t":"zakopane & the tatras a wooden mountain town under the only alpine range in poland, with its own architectural style. morskie oko, a lake under a wall of granite the zakopane style — timber villas designed as a national architecture oscypek, smoked sheep cheese, grilled and sold from carts mountains winter nature food mountains snow & winter wild nature food poland lesser poland & the south","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":49.3,"lo":19.95,"cs":"poland","ct":"town","i":["food","history","mountains","nature","sacred","winter"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The walk to Morskie Oko","s":"Zakopane & the Tatras, Poland","u":"/europe/poland/lesser-poland/zakopane","t":"the walk to morskie oko nine kilometres of asphalt road that everyone does, then a steep hour above it that almost nobody does — take the second part. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"Masovia & the Centre","s":"Poland","u":"/europe/poland/masovia-and-the-centre","t":"masovia & the centre the rebuilt capital, and the low country of the vistula around it. history art music cities","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Warsaw","s":"Masovia & the Centre, Poland","u":"/europe/poland/masovia-and-the-centre/warsaw","t":"warsaw eighty-five per cent destroyed in 1944 and rebuilt from canaletto's paintings, with a stalinist tower and glass towers around it. polin, the museum of a thousand years of polish jews the warsaw rising museum, loud and unsparing the reconstructed old town, itself a unesco site for how it was rebuilt chopin concerts in łazienki park on summer sundays history architecture music food cities history & ruins architecture music & nightlife food big cities poland masovia & the centre","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":52.23,"lo":21.01,"cs":"poland","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","art","cities","food","history","music"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"POLIN, a thousand years","s":"Warsaw, Poland","u":"/europe/poland/masovia-and-the-centre/warsaw","t":"polin, a thousand years the museum deliberately spends most of its space on jewish life rather than its destruction, which is what makes it unlike any other. museum","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"Pomerania & the East","s":"Poland","u":"/europe/poland/pomerania-and-the-east","t":"pomerania & the east the baltic coast and gdańsk, and the primeval forest on the belarusian border. coast history nature wild","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Gdańsk","s":"Pomerania & the East, Poland","u":"/europe/poland/pomerania-and-the-east/gdansk","t":"gdańsk a hanseatic port of narrow gabled houses, where the war began and solidarity ended it. długi targ and the crane on the waterfront the european solidarity centre at the shipyard gate westerplatte, where the first shots of 1939 were fired amber, worked here for a thousand years history coast architecture food history & ruins coast & beaches architecture food poland pomerania & the east","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":54.35,"lo":18.65,"cs":"poland","ct":"city","i":["architecture","coast","food","history","nature","wild"]},{"k":"City","n":"Białowieża","s":"Pomerania & the East, Poland","u":"/europe/poland/pomerania-and-the-east/bialowieza","t":"białowieża the last primeval lowland forest in europe, with wild bison in it, on the belarusian border. the strict reserve, entered only with a licensed guide european bison — some 600 of them, wild trees that have never been felled, some 400 years old wild nature history wildlife watching wild nature history & ruins poland pomerania & the east","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":52.7,"lo":23.87,"cs":"poland","ct":"park","i":["coast","history","nature","wild"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Bison at first light","s":"Białowieża, Poland","u":"/europe/poland/pomerania-and-the-east/bialowieza","t":"bison at first light a guide, a hide and a 4 am start; the forest's edge meadows are where the herds actually come out. wild","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Portugal","s":"The Mediterranean","u":"/europe/portugal","t":"portugal portuguese republic lisbon europe's western edge, facing an ocean it once mapped, with the oldest fixed borders on the continent. portugal has looked outward for six hundred years and inward for the rest, which shows in its architecture — manueline stonework covered in ropes and sea creatures — and its food, built on cod fished off newfoundland. the atlantic keeps it cooler and wilder than spain. lisbon and porto have both been thoroughly discovered; the alentejo, the beiras and the interior have not. coast food wine history architecture music sacred coast & beaches food wine & drink history & ruins architecture music & nightlife sacred places","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"i":["coast","food","wine","history","architecture","music","sacred"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Lisbon & the West","s":"Portugal","u":"/europe/portugal/lisbon-and-the-west","t":"lisbon & the west the capital on seven hills, a romantic mountain town above it, and the surf coast beyond. cities architecture music coast food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Lisbon","s":"Lisbon & the West, Portugal","u":"/europe/portugal/lisbon-and-the-west/lisbon","t":"lisbon a tiled, hilly, sea-facing capital rebuilt on a grid after the 1755 earthquake, with trams that still climb the old parts. the gulbenkian, one of the best private collections ever assembled, in a garden jerónimos monastery's manueline cloister at belém tram 28 at seven in the morning, or not at all fado in alfama, in a room of thirty people cities architecture food music coast big cities architecture food music & nightlife coast & beaches portugal lisbon & the west","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":38.72,"lo":-9.14,"cs":"portugal","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","cities","coast","food","music"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Fado in a small house","s":"Lisbon, Portugal","u":"/europe/portugal/lisbon-and-the-west/lisbon","t":"fado in a small house lights down, conversation stops, and two guitars. the venues that ask for silence are the ones worth finding. stage","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"Azulejos, street by street","s":"Lisbon, Portugal","u":"/europe/portugal/lisbon-and-the-west/lisbon","t":"azulejos, street by street tiled facades were cheap weatherproofing before they were beautiful; the tile museum explains it and then the streets deliver it. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Sintra","s":"Lisbon & the West, Portugal","u":"/europe/portugal/lisbon-and-the-west/sintra","t":"sintra a microclimate of mist and forest on a ridge, with romantic palaces built into it by people with too much money. pena palace, painted in colours that should not work quinta da regaleira's initiation well, a spiral into the ground the moorish castle walls along the ridge architecture nature history architecture wild nature history & ruins portugal lisbon & the west","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":38.8,"lo":-9.39,"cs":"portugal","ct":"town","i":["architecture","cities","coast","food","history","music","nature"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Porto & the Douro","s":"Portugal","u":"/europe/portugal/porto-and-the-douro","t":"porto & the douro a granite river city, and the terraced valley that invented demarcated wine. wine food architecture rail","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Porto","s":"Porto & the Douro, Portugal","u":"/europe/portugal/porto-and-the-douro/porto","t":"porto steep, granite and blue-tiled, with port lodges across the river and an ocean at the end of the tram line. livraria lello, and the queue that proves it port lodges in vila nova de gaia, tasted in order são bento station's 20,000 tiles francesinha, which is not for the faint-hearted wine food architecture cities wine & drink food architecture big cities portugal porto & the douro","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":41.15,"lo":-8.61,"cs":"portugal","ct":"city","i":["architecture","cities","food","rail","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Port, tasted in the right order","s":"Porto, Portugal","u":"/europe/portugal/porto-and-the-douro/porto","t":"port, tasted in the right order white, then tawny by age, then vintage — the tawnies are where the interest is and where the guides usually rush. cellar","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Pinhão & the Douro valley","s":"Porto & the Douro, Portugal","u":"/europe/portugal/porto-and-the-douro/pinhao","t":"pinhão & the douro valley terraced schist vineyards falling into a dammed river, worked by hand because machines cannot stand up on them. the douro railway along the water from peso da régua quintas that take guests and let you pick during harvest foot-treading in granite lagares, still done for the top wines wine nature rail food wine & drink wild nature slow travel by rail food portugal porto & the douro","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":41.19,"lo":-7.54,"cs":"portugal","ct":"valley","i":["architecture","food","nature","rail","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Treading grapes at harvest","s":"Pinhão & the Douro valley, Portugal","u":"/europe/portugal/porto-and-the-douro/pinhao","t":"treading grapes at harvest knee-deep in a granite tank for two hours, in a line, to a rhythm — the least romantic and most enjoyable part of winemaking. cellar","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"The Alentejo & the South","s":"Portugal","u":"/europe/portugal/alentejo-and-the-south","t":"the alentejo & the south cork oak plains, a walled roman city, and a wilder coast west of the algarve. wine history coast food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Évora","s":"The Alentejo & the South, Portugal","u":"/europe/portugal/alentejo-and-the-south/evora","t":"évora a walled town with a roman temple in the middle, a chapel of bones, and megaliths in the fields around it. the temple of diana, standing since the 1st century the capela dos ossos and its unambiguous doorway inscription almendres cromlech, older than stonehenge, and usually empty history sacred wine food history & ruins sacred places wine & drink food portugal the alentejo & the south","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":38.57,"lo":-7.91,"cs":"portugal","ct":"city","i":["coast","food","history","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Cork oaks and Alentejo reds","s":"Évora, Portugal","u":"/europe/portugal/alentejo-and-the-south/evora","t":"cork oaks and alentejo reds the trees are stripped every nine years and the date is painted on the trunk; the wine estates between them charge a fraction of the douro. cellar","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Lagos & the Algarve","s":"The Alentejo & the South, Portugal","u":"/europe/portugal/alentejo-and-the-south/lagos","t":"lagos & the algarve golden cliffs, sea caves and the harbour that launched the age of exploration — and, less proudly, europe's first slave market. ponta da piedade's arches and grottoes by kayak the rota vicentina north into the wild west coast cataplana seafood, cooked in its own copper pot coast history food coast & beaches history & ruins food portugal the alentejo & the south","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":37.1,"lo":-8.67,"cs":"portugal","ct":"town","i":["coast","food","history","wine"]},{"k":"Country","n":"Romania","s":"The Adriatic & Balkans","u":"/europe/romania","t":"romania romania bucharest saxon fortified churches, painted monasteries, and the largest population of brown bears in europe. romania is a latin language surrounded by slavic ones, with a german-founded transylvania in the middle and an orthodox monastic north. it has europe's largest remaining virgin forest, some 6,000 brown bears, and hay meadows farmed by scythe in villages where that never stopped. bucharest carries the marks of ceaușescu's demolitions and the belle époque city he demolished. history sacred mountains nature wild architecture history & ruins sacred places mountains wild nature wildlife watching architecture","w":2.0,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"i":["history","sacred","mountains","nature","wild","architecture"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Transylvania","s":"Romania","u":"/europe/romania/transylvania","t":"transylvania saxon fortified churches, walled towns, and the carpathian ridge behind them. history architecture mountains wild","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Brașov","s":"Transylvania, Romania","u":"/europe/romania/transylvania/brasov","t":"brașov a saxon town under a wooded mountain, with the largest gothic church between vienna and istanbul. the black church, and its collection of anatolian carpets tâmpa mountain, straight up behind the square bran and râșnov castles nearby — the first has little to do with dracula history mountains architecture food history & ruins mountains architecture food romania transylvania","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":45.65,"lo":25.61,"cs":"romania","ct":"city","i":["architecture","food","history","mountains","wild"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"A bear hide in the Carpathians","s":"Brașov, Romania","u":"/europe/romania/transylvania/brasov","t":"a bear hide in the carpathians licensed hides run by biologists at dusk; romania holds most of europe's brown bears and this is the ethical way to see one. wild","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Sighișoara","s":"Transylvania, Romania","u":"/europe/romania/transylvania/sighisoara","t":"sighișoara a walled saxon citadel still lived in, with a clock tower and a covered stairway to a hilltop school. the clock tower's figures, turning since 1648 the covered stairway, 175 steps, built so children could get to school in snow painted guild houses inside the walls history architecture history & ruins architecture romania transylvania","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":46.22,"lo":24.79,"cs":"romania","ct":"town","i":["architecture","history","mountains","wild"]},{"k":"City","n":"Viscri","s":"Transylvania, Romania","u":"/europe/romania/transylvania/viscri","t":"viscri a single-street saxon village with a fortified church, horses on the road, and no through traffic. the fortified church, whitewashed, on the unesco list hay meadows with some of the richest plant diversity in europe guesthouses in restored saxon houses with blue-painted gates history nature food sacred history & ruins wild nature food sacred places romania transylvania","w":1.6,"b":"low","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":46.06,"lo":25.09,"cs":"romania","ct":"village","i":["architecture","food","history","mountains","nature","sacred","wild"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Haymaking with a scythe","s":"Viscri, Romania","u":"/europe/romania/transylvania/viscri","t":"haymaking with a scythe the meadows are cut by hand because machines would destroy them; in june the villages will show you how and it is harder than it looks. workshop","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"Bucovina & Maramureș","s":"Romania","u":"/europe/romania/bucovina-and-maramures","t":"bucovina & maramureș the painted monasteries of the north, and wooden churches with shingle spires. sacred history nature","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Gura Humorului & the painted monasteries","s":"Bucovina & Maramureș, Romania","u":"/europe/romania/bucovina-and-maramures/gura-humorului","t":"gura humorului & the painted monasteries the base for a group of 15th- and 16th-century monasteries frescoed on the outside walls and still bright. voroneț's blue, a pigment nobody has fully reproduced sucevița's ladder of virtue, thirty rungs across a wall exterior frescoes that have survived five centuries of carpathian weather sacred history art sacred places history & ruins art & museums romania bucovina & maramureș","w":1.6,"b":"low","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":47.55,"lo":25.9,"cs":"romania","ct":"town","i":["art","history","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The blue at Voroneț","s":"Gura Humorului & the painted monasteries, Romania","u":"/europe/romania/bucovina-and-maramures/gura-humorului","t":"the blue at voroneț a 1547 exterior fresco whose blue has not faded in five hundred winters, and whose recipe is still not known. sacred","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Săpânța & Maramureș","s":"Bucovina & Maramureș, Romania","u":"/europe/romania/bucovina-and-maramures/sapanta","t":"săpânța & maramureș wooden churches with tall shingled spires, and a cemetery where every headstone is painted, rhymed and often rude. the merry cemetery: 800 carved oak crosses with verses about the dead wooden churches on the unesco list, built without nails horse carts, which are transport rather than heritage sacred history food sacred places history & ruins food romania bucovina & maramureș","w":1.6,"b":"low","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":47.97,"lo":23.7,"cs":"romania","ct":"village","i":["food","history","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Bucharest & the Danube Delta","s":"Romania","u":"/europe/romania/bucharest-and-the-danube","t":"bucharest & the danube delta the capital, and europe's largest wetland where the river reaches the black sea. architecture wild nature food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Bucharest","s":"Bucharest & the Danube Delta, Romania","u":"/europe/romania/bucharest-and-the-danube/bucharest","t":"bucharest belle époque boulevards, communist megastructures, and the second-largest administrative building on earth. the palace of the parliament, which required demolishing a fifth of the old city the village museum: 300 relocated buildings in a park lipscani's bars, in the old merchant quarter architecture history food cities architecture history & ruins food big cities romania bucharest & the danube delta","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":44.43,"lo":26.1,"cs":"romania","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","cities","food","history","nature","wild"]},{"k":"City","n":"Tulcea & the Danube Delta","s":"Bucharest & the Danube Delta, Romania","u":"/europe/romania/bucharest-and-the-danube/tulcea","t":"tulcea & the danube delta the gateway to 5,800 square kilometres of reed, channel and lake, with 300 bird species and villages reachable only by boat. pelican colonies, the largest outside africa fishing villages with no road access at all fish soup cooked on the boat, in the delta, by the person who caught it wild nature food wildlife watching wild nature food romania bucharest & the danube delta","w":1.6,"b":"low","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":45.18,"lo":28.8,"cs":"romania","ct":"city","i":["architecture","food","nature","wild"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Into the delta by small boat","s":"Tulcea & the Danube Delta, Romania","u":"/europe/romania/bucharest-and-the-danube/tulcea","t":"into the delta by small boat the big tour boats stay in the main channels; a local with a small engine gets you into the reed corridors where the birds are. wild","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Russia","s":"Eastern Europe","u":"/europe/russia","t":"russia russian federation moscow the european part alone is larger than any other country on the continent, and contains two of its greatest cities. russia west of the urals is geographically european and holds moscow, st petersburg and the golden ring of medieval towns. st petersburg was built from nothing on a marsh in 1703 as a deliberate window on europe, and the hermitage is among the largest art collections in the world. this page records that; the advisory above governs whether any of it is currently reachable. art architecture history sacred music art & museums architecture history & ruins sacred places music & nightlife","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","may","sep"],"i":["art","architecture","history","sacred","music"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The Northwest","s":"Russia","u":"/europe/russia/north-west-russia","t":"the northwest st petersburg and the baltic coast around it. art architecture music","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Saint Petersburg","s":"The Northwest, Russia","u":"/europe/russia/north-west-russia/saint-petersburg","t":"saint petersburg a planned imperial capital of canals and neoclassical facades, built on piles in a delta from 1703. the hermitage, in the winter palace the church of the saviour on spilled blood and its mosaic interior white nights in june, when the bridges lift at night peterhof's fountains, which run without pumps art architecture music history art & museums architecture music & nightlife history & ruins russia the northwest","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","may","sep"],"la":59.94,"lo":30.31,"cs":"russia","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","history","music"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Moscow & the Golden Ring","s":"Russia","u":"/europe/russia/moscow-and-the-golden-ring","t":"moscow & the golden ring the capital and the medieval towns northeast of it. history sacred architecture","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Moscow","s":"Moscow & the Golden Ring, Russia","u":"/europe/russia/moscow-and-the-golden-ring/moscow","t":"moscow a fortress, a cathedral square and a metro system built as underground palaces. the kremlin's cathedral square metro stations with chandeliers and mosaics the tretyakov gallery's icons, including rublev's trinity history architecture sacred art history & ruins architecture sacred places art & museums russia moscow & the golden ring","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","may","sep"],"la":55.76,"lo":37.62,"cs":"russia","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","art","history","sacred"]},{"k":"Country","n":"San Marino","s":"The Mediterranean","u":"/europe/san-marino","t":"san marino republic of san marino city of san marino the world's oldest surviving republic, on a limestone crag with three towers on the ridge. san marino claims a founding date of 301 and has been continuously self-governing ever since, which makes it the oldest republic in existence. it sits on monte titano, entirely surrounded by italy, twenty minutes from the adriatic beaches at rimini. two heads of state are elected every six months. it is small, unashamedly touristic in the centre, and has a view over half of romagna. history architecture mountains history & ruins architecture mountains","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"i":["history","architecture","mountains"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Monte Titano","s":"San Marino","u":"/europe/san-marino/monte-titano","t":"monte titano the ridge, its three fortresses, and the republic's old town below them. history architecture mountains","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"City of San Marino","s":"Monte Titano, San Marino","u":"/europe/san-marino/monte-titano/city-of-san-marino","t":"city of san marino a walled town at 750 metres with three towers along the crest and the adriatic visible on a clear day. the passo delle streghe, the path linking the first two towers along the cliff guaita, the oldest tower, from the 11th century the view to rimini and the sea, 20 kilometres away and 750 metres down history architecture mountains history & ruins architecture mountains san marino monte titano","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":43.94,"lo":12.45,"cs":"san-marino","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","history","mountains"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The witches' path between the towers","s":"City of San Marino, San Marino","u":"/europe/san-marino/monte-titano/city-of-san-marino","t":"the witches' path between the towers a narrow ridge path with drops on both sides, linking guaita and cesta; twenty minutes, and the whole reason the republic survived. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Serbia","s":"The Adriatic & Balkans","u":"/europe/serbia","t":"serbia republic of serbia belgrade a confluence capital with the best nightlife in the balkans, and monasteries frescoed eight hundred years ago. serbia sits on the danube where central europe stops being central europe. belgrade has been destroyed and rebuilt dozens of times and behaves accordingly — unsentimental, loud and very good company. the north, vojvodina, is flat, hungarian-influenced and full of paprika; the south and west hold medieval monasteries with frescoes among the finest in orthodox europe. music food history sacred nature wine music & nightlife food history & ruins sacred places wild nature wine & drink","w":2.0,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"i":["music","food","history","sacred","nature","wine"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Belgrade & Vojvodina","s":"Serbia","u":"/europe/serbia/belgrade-and-vojvodina","t":"belgrade & vojvodina the capital at the meeting of two rivers, and the flat habsburg north above it. music food history wine","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Belgrade","s":"Belgrade & Vojvodina, Serbia","u":"/europe/serbia/belgrade-and-vojvodina/belgrade","t":"belgrade a fortress above the confluence of the sava and the danube, with floating clubs below it and brutalist new belgrade opposite. kalemegdan fortress at sunset over the two rivers splavovi — river barges that are bars and clubs, all summer skadarlija's bohemian street and the kafanas along it new belgrade's socialist modernism, taken seriously by architects music food history cities architecture music & nightlife food history & ruins big cities architecture serbia belgrade & vojvodina","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":44.79,"lo":20.45,"cs":"serbia","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","cities","food","history","music","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"A kafana with live music","s":"Belgrade, Serbia","u":"/europe/serbia/belgrade-and-vojvodina/belgrade","t":"a kafana with live music long tables, a small band moving between them, rakija, and no fixed end time. stage","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Novi Sad","s":"Belgrade & Vojvodina, Serbia","u":"/europe/serbia/belgrade-and-vojvodina/novi-sad","t":"novi sad a habsburg river city under the petrovaradin fortress, with wine hills behind it. petrovaradin's fortress and its 16 km of underground galleries fruška gora: sixteen monasteries in a wooded ridge vojvodina's hungarian and slovak food villages wine music food history wine & drink music & nightlife food history & ruins serbia belgrade & vojvodina","w":1.6,"b":"low","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":45.25,"lo":19.84,"cs":"serbia","ct":"city","i":["food","history","music","wine"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Western & Southern Serbia","s":"Serbia","u":"/europe/serbia/western-serbia","t":"western & southern serbia river canyons, a narrow-gauge railway, and the medieval monastery frescoes. nature sacred rail mountains","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Mokra Gora","s":"Western & Southern Serbia, Serbia","u":"/europe/serbia/western-serbia/mokra-gora","t":"mokra gora a mountain village on the šargan eight, a narrow-gauge line that climbs a figure of eight to gain height. the šargan eight, 22 tunnels in 15 kilometres drvengrad, a wooden village built as a film set and kept the tara national park and the drina canyon rail nature mountains slow travel by rail wild nature mountains serbia western & southern serbia","w":1.6,"b":"low","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":43.79,"lo":19.5,"cs":"serbia","ct":"village","i":["mountains","nature","rail","sacred"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The Šargan Eight","s":"Mokra Gora, Serbia","u":"/europe/serbia/western-serbia/mokra-gora","t":"the šargan eight a 760 mm gauge line that loops over itself to climb 300 metres; two and a half hours and a great deal of leaning out of windows. ride","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Studenica","s":"Western & Southern Serbia, Serbia","u":"/europe/serbia/western-serbia/studenica","t":"studenica a 12th-century monastery of white marble in a wooded valley, with frescoes from 1209 and monks still living there. the crucifixion fresco, a landmark of byzantine painting white marble churches inside a circular wall the valley, which has almost nothing else in it sacred history nature sacred places history & ruins wild nature serbia western & southern serbia","w":1.6,"b":"low","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","apr","jul","aug","oct"],"la":43.49,"lo":20.53,"cs":"serbia","ct":"site","i":["history","mountains","nature","rail","sacred"]},{"k":"Country","n":"Slovakia","s":"Alpine & Central Europe","u":"/europe/slovakia","t":"slovakia slovak republic bratislava the smallest high mountains in europe, more castles per head than anywhere, and hardly anyone looking. slovakia was half of a country until 1993 and is still routinely confused with the other half. it has the high tatras — a genuine alpine range compressed into 26 kilometres — over a hundred and eighty castles, wooden churches built without a single nail, and some of the best-value mountain travel in europe. bratislava is an hour from vienna and nothing like it. mountains history nature sacred food mountains history & ruins wild nature sacred places food","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"i":["mountains","history","nature","sacred","food"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The Tatras & the North","s":"Slovakia","u":"/europe/slovakia/tatras-and-the-north","t":"the tatras & the north a compressed alpine range, wooden churches, and the largest castle ruin in central europe. mountains nature sacred history","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Poprad & the High Tatras","s":"The Tatras & the North, Slovakia","u":"/europe/slovakia/tatras-and-the-north/poprad","t":"poprad & the high tatras the gateway town to a 26-kilometre range that reaches 2,655 metres and behaves like the alps. chata pri zelenom plese and the hut network above the tree line the electric railway from poprad to štrbské pleso aqua city's thermal water, which is what the town runs on mountains winter nature mountains snow & winter wild nature slovakia the tatras & the north","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":49.06,"lo":20.3,"cs":"slovakia","ct":"town","i":["history","mountains","nature","sacred","winter"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Hut to hut in the High Tatras","s":"Poprad & the High Tatras, Slovakia","u":"/europe/slovakia/tatras-and-the-north/poprad","t":"hut to hut in the high tatras beds, soup and beer at 1,500 metres, carried up by porters on wooden frames — a practice still going and worth watching. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Levoča & the Spiš","s":"The Tatras & the North, Slovakia","u":"/europe/slovakia/tatras-and-the-north/levoca","t":"levoča & the spiš a walled medieval town with the tallest wooden altar in the world, under the ruins of spiš castle. master pavol's altar, 18.6 metres of carved lime wood spiš castle, four hectares of ruin on a limestone hill the town walls and the wooden cage of shame in the square history sacred architecture history & ruins sacred places architecture slovakia the tatras & the north","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":49.02,"lo":20.59,"cs":"slovakia","ct":"town","i":["architecture","history","mountains","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Bratislava & the Southwest","s":"Slovakia","u":"/europe/slovakia/bratislava-and-the-southwest","t":"bratislava & the southwest the capital on the danube, the small carpathian wine road, and the austrian and hungarian borders within sight. wine cities history","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Bratislava","s":"Bratislava & the Southwest, Slovakia","u":"/europe/slovakia/bratislava-and-the-southwest/bratislava","t":"bratislava a compact old town under a white castle, with a communist-era bridge and a ufo on top of it. the castle and the view down the danube into austria the blue church, art nouveau and genuinely blue devín castle at the confluence, where the iron curtain ran history wine food cities history & ruins wine & drink food big cities slovakia bratislava & the southwest","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":48.15,"lo":17.11,"cs":"slovakia","ct":"capital","i":["cities","food","history","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The Small Carpathian wine road","s":"Bratislava, Slovakia","u":"/europe/slovakia/bratislava-and-the-southwest/bratislava","t":"the small carpathian wine road twenty minutes from the capital: family cellars in pezinok and modra that sell almost nothing beyond the region. cellar","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Slovenia","s":"Alpine & Central Europe","u":"/europe/slovenia","t":"slovenia republic of slovenia ljubljana alps, karst caves, vineyards and 46 kilometres of coast, all within two hours of each other. slovenia is the size of wales and contains a proper alpine range, one of the world's great cave systems, mediterranean coast, and more forest cover than almost any country in europe. it has been quietly excellent at sustainable tourism for a decade and the capital pedestrianised its centre in 2007 without much fuss. everything is close, which is the whole point. mountains nature coast food wine cities mountains wild nature coast & beaches food wine & drink big cities","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"i":["mountains","nature","coast","food","wine","cities"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The Julian Alps","s":"Slovenia","u":"/europe/slovenia/julian-alps","t":"the julian alps triglav, two famous lakes, and the turquoise soča river running to italy. mountains nature winter history","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Bled","s":"The Julian Alps, Slovenia","u":"/europe/slovenia/julian-alps/bled","t":"bled an island church in a glacial lake under a cliff-top castle — the most photographed thing in the country and still lovely at 7 am. rowing to the island in a pletna, and ringing the wishing bell the 6 km lakeside path, flat and swimmable at intervals vintgar gorge, on boardwalks over the water nature mountains food wild nature mountains food slovenia the julian alps","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":46.37,"lo":14.11,"cs":"slovenia","ct":"town","i":["food","history","mountains","nature","winter"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The pletna, rowed standing","s":"Bled, Slovenia","u":"/europe/slovenia/julian-alps/bled","t":"the pletna, rowed standing a boat design and a rowing licence handed down through the same families since 1740; there is no engine on the lake by law. water","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Bovec & the Soča","s":"The Julian Alps, Slovenia","u":"/europe/slovenia/julian-alps/bovec","t":"bovec & the soča an alpine valley on an unreally turquoise river, and the front line of the isonzo battles above it. rafting and kayaking on the soča in early summer the walk of peace: open-air museums along the 1915–17 front the vršič pass, 50 hairpins built by russian prisoners of war mountains nature history wild mountains wild nature history & ruins wildlife watching slovenia the julian alps","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":46.34,"lo":13.55,"cs":"slovenia","ct":"valley","i":["history","mountains","nature","wild","winter"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The Walk of Peace","s":"Bovec & the Soča, Slovenia","u":"/europe/slovenia/julian-alps/bovec","t":"the walk of peace trenches, chapels and cemeteries left in place along the mountain front where 300,000 died; the signage is unusually honest. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"Ljubljana, the Karst & the Coast","s":"Slovenia","u":"/europe/slovenia/ljubljana-karst-coast","t":"ljubljana, the karst & the coast a small green capital, the caves that gave 'karst' its name, and a venetian coastal town. cities nature coast wine food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Ljubljana","s":"Ljubljana, the Karst & the Coast, Slovenia","u":"/europe/slovenia/ljubljana-karst-coast/ljubljana","t":"ljubljana a capital of 300,000 with a car-free centre, a castle on the hill and plečnik's architecture holding it together. plečnik's bridges, market colonnade and library — one architect's whole city the riverside bars on summer evenings metelkova, a squatted former barracks turned art complex cities architecture food design big cities architecture food design & making slovenia ljubljana, the karst & the coast","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":46.06,"lo":14.51,"cs":"slovenia","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","cities","coast","design","food","nature","wine"]},{"k":"City","n":"Postojna & Škocjan","s":"Ljubljana, the Karst & the Coast, Slovenia","u":"/europe/slovenia/ljubljana-karst-coast/postojna","t":"postojna & škocjan twenty-four kilometres of cave entered by underground train, and a canyon inside a mountain nearby. the cave railway, running since 1872 olms — blind cave salamanders that live a century škocjan's underground gorge, 146 metres deep, on a footbridge nature history wild nature history & ruins slovenia ljubljana, the karst & the coast","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":45.78,"lo":14.21,"cs":"slovenia","ct":"site","i":["cities","coast","food","history","nature","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The bridge over the Škocjan gorge","s":"Postojna & Škocjan, Slovenia","u":"/europe/slovenia/ljubljana-karst-coast/postojna","t":"the bridge over the škocjan gorge a river 100 metres below you, inside a mountain, crossed on a suspended footbridge. quieter and more astonishing than its famous neighbour. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Piran","s":"Ljubljana, the Karst & the Coast, Slovenia","u":"/europe/slovenia/ljubljana-karst-coast/piran","t":"piran a venetian town on a spit, with a salt pan beside it worked the same way since the 14th century. tartini square, and the campanile modelled on san marco sečovlje salt pans, harvested by hand swimming off the rocks below the walls coast food history architecture coast & beaches food history & ruins architecture slovenia ljubljana, the karst & the coast","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","sep","may","oct"],"la":45.53,"lo":13.57,"cs":"slovenia","ct":"town","i":["architecture","cities","coast","food","history","nature","wine"]},{"k":"Country","n":"Spain","s":"The Mediterranean","u":"/europe/spain","t":"spain kingdom of spain madrid several countries wearing one flag, with the second-highest average altitude in europe. spain is a high dry plateau with green mountains at the top and a coastline everyone else visits. it carries eight centuries of islamic rule in its south, a celtic wet north, and languages that are not dialects of anything. eating happens late — lunch at two, dinner at ten — and the pace only makes sense once you accept it. the interior, extremadura, aragón, galicia's inland, is nearly empty. food wine history architecture coast art sacred mountains food wine & drink history & ruins architecture coast & beaches art & museums sacred places mountains","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"i":["food","wine","history","architecture","coast","art","sacred","mountains"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Andalusia","s":"Spain","u":"/europe/spain/andalusia","t":"andalusia the moorish south: the alhambra, three great cities, white villages and the mountains behind them. history architecture food sacred music","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Granada","s":"Andalusia, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/andalusia/granada","t":"granada the last moorish city in spain, under the sierra nevada, with the alhambra above it. the alhambra's nasrid palaces, booked months ahead and worth every minute the albaicín's white lanes and the view from san nicolás at sunset free tapas with every drink, which is a real local law of physics skiing and the beach within ninety minutes of each other in march architecture history food music mountains architecture history & ruins food music & nightlife mountains spain andalusia","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":37.18,"lo":-3.6,"cs":"spain","ct":"city","i":["architecture","food","history","mountains","music","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"The Alhambra","s":"Granada, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/andalusia/granada/place/alhambra","t":"the alhambra nasrid palaces, a fortress and a summer garden on one hill, entered in half-hour slots booked weeks ahead. castle granada spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.176,"lo":-3.588,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"Albaicín","s":"Granada, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/andalusia/granada/place/albaicin","t":"albaicín white lanes on the hill facing the alhambra, best walked upward and finished at san nicolás. quarter granada spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.18,"lo":-3.593,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"Capilla Real","s":"Granada, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/andalusia/granada/place/capilla-real","t":"capilla real where ferdinand and isabella are buried, next to the cathedral that was built to outshine it. church granada spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.176,"lo":-3.599,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The Nasrid palaces, on a timed ticket","s":"Granada, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/andalusia/granada","t":"the nasrid palaces, on a timed ticket half-hour entry slots, sold out weeks ahead. take the earliest of the day — the courtyards were designed for low light and few people. sacred","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"Tapas, the Granada way","s":"Granada, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/andalusia/granada","t":"tapas, the granada way every drink comes with a plate you did not order and cannot choose; four bars is a dinner. table","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Seville","s":"Andalusia, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/andalusia/seville","t":"seville orange trees, the world's largest gothic cathedral, and flamenco that belongs to specific families. the real alcázar, still a working royal palace the giralda, a minaret with a cathedral built round it a flamenco peña rather than a tablao — the difference is everything architecture music food sacred architecture music & nightlife food sacred places spain andalusia","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":37.39,"lo":-5.99,"cs":"spain","ct":"city","i":["architecture","food","history","music","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Real Alcázar","s":"Seville, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/andalusia/seville/place/real-alcazar","t":"real alcázar a working royal palace with mudéjar ceilings and gardens that have been continuously planted since the 1100s. castle seville spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.383,"lo":-5.991,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"Seville Cathedral & the Giralda","s":"Seville, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/andalusia/seville/place/seville-cathedral","t":"seville cathedral & the giralda the largest gothic cathedral in the world, with a minaret for a bell tower and a ramp instead of stairs. church seville spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.386,"lo":-5.993,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"Plaza de España","s":"Seville, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/andalusia/seville/place/plaza-de-espana","t":"plaza de españa a 1929 half-circle of tiled bridges and alcoves, one for each province, around a canal. square seville spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.377,"lo":-5.987,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Flamenco in a peña","s":"Seville, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/andalusia/seville","t":"flamenco in a peña members' clubs that admit visitors quietly; no castanets, no stage, and the singing is the part that matters. stage","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Córdoba","s":"Andalusia, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/andalusia/cordoba","t":"córdoba the largest city in the world in the 10th century, with a mosque-cathedral of 856 columns at its centre. the mezquita, a cathedral inserted into a mosque and both left standing patio courtyards, opened to the public each may the roman bridge at dawn history architecture sacred history & ruins architecture sacred places spain andalusia","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":37.89,"lo":-4.78,"cs":"spain","ct":"city","i":["architecture","food","history","music","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Mezquita-Catedral","s":"Córdoba, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/andalusia/cordoba/place/mezquita","t":"mezquita-catedral 856 columns of a 10th-century mosque with a cathedral inserted into the middle, and both left standing. church córdoba spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.879,"lo":-4.779,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"Roman Bridge","s":"Córdoba, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/andalusia/cordoba/place/roman-bridge-cordoba","t":"roman bridge sixteen arches across the guadalquivir, roman in origin and rebuilt many times, best at dawn. bridge córdoba spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":37.876,"lo":-4.779,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"City","n":"Ronda","s":"Andalusia, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/andalusia/ronda","t":"ronda a town split by a 120-metre gorge with an 18th-century bridge across it, in the middle of white-village country. the puente nuevo, and the path down into the gorge below it one of spain's oldest bullrings, whether or not you approve serranía de ronda wine, which nobody exports history nature wine architecture history & ruins wild nature wine & drink architecture spain andalusia","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":36.74,"lo":-5.16,"cs":"spain","ct":"town","i":["architecture","food","history","music","nature","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Puente Nuevo","s":"Ronda, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/andalusia/ronda/place/puente-nuevo","t":"puente nuevo an 18th-century bridge across a 120-metre gorge, with a path down to see it from beneath. bridge ronda spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":36.741,"lo":-5.166,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"City","n":"Cádiz","s":"Andalusia, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/andalusia/cadiz","t":"cádiz possibly the oldest continuously inhabited city in western europe, on a spit, surrounded by water on three sides. la caleta beach between two castles, in the middle of the old town carnival in february, which is the best in mainland spain fried fish sold by weight in paper cones coast history food festivals coast & beaches history & ruins food festivals spain andalusia","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":36.53,"lo":-6.3,"cs":"spain","ct":"city","i":["architecture","coast","festivals","food","history","music","sacred"]},{"k":"City","n":"Málaga","s":"Andalusia, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/andalusia/malaga","t":"málaga a port that spent a decade turning itself into a museum city, with picasso's birthplace and a moorish fortress above. the picasso museum, in the city he left at ten the alcazaba and gibralfaro, walked up in half an hour espetos: sardines grilled on a stick over a boat full of sand art coast food history art & museums coast & beaches food history & ruins spain andalusia","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":36.72,"lo":-4.42,"cs":"spain","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","coast","food","history","music","sacred"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Catalonia & the East","s":"Spain","u":"/europe/spain/catalonia-and-the-east","t":"catalonia & the east barcelona, the costa brava's coves, roman tarragona and the pyrenees behind. architecture art coast food mountains","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Barcelona","s":"Catalonia & the East, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/catalonia-and-the-east/barcelona","t":"barcelona a roman city inside a medieval city inside a 19th-century grid, with gaudí's work scattered across all three. the sagrada família's interior light, which is the actual point the eixample grid and its chamfered corners, a 19th-century plan that worked santa caterina and sant antoni markets, where the city shops montjuïc's fundació miró and the view back over the port architecture art food coast cities architecture art & museums food coast & beaches big cities spain catalonia & the east","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":41.39,"lo":2.17,"cs":"spain","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","cities","coast","food","mountains"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Sagrada Família","s":"Barcelona, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/catalonia-and-the-east/barcelona/place/sagrada-familia","t":"sagrada família the interior light is the point; the facades are the argument. under construction since 1882. church barcelona spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":41.404,"lo":2.174,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"Park Güell","s":"Barcelona, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/catalonia-and-the-east/barcelona/place/park-guell","t":"park güell a failed housing development turned public park, with the serpentine bench and the city below. park barcelona spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":41.414,"lo":2.153,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"Mercat de Santa Caterina","s":"Barcelona, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/catalonia-and-the-east/barcelona/place/santa-caterina-market","t":"mercat de santa caterina a wavy tiled roof over the market barcelona actually shops in, rather than the one on the rambla. market barcelona spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":41.386,"lo":2.177,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"Hospital de Sant Pau","s":"Barcelona, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/catalonia-and-the-east/barcelona/place/hospital-sant-pau","t":"hospital de sant pau twelve modernista pavilions built as a hospital because domènech thought patients recover faster in beauty. monument barcelona spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":41.412,"lo":2.174,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The grid, read as a plan","s":"Barcelona, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/catalonia-and-the-east/barcelona","t":"the grid, read as a plan cerdà's 1859 blocks were designed with gardens inside; a few have been reopened, and finding them changes how the city reads. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Girona & the Empordà","s":"Catalonia & the East, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/catalonia-and-the-east/girona","t":"girona & the empordà a walled river city with the widest gothic nave in the world, forty minutes from barcelona and a fraction of the crowd. the jewish quarter, one of europe's best preserved the city walls, walkable, with the pyrenees on the horizon empordà wine and the coves of the northern costa brava history food architecture wine history & ruins food architecture wine & drink spain catalonia & the east","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":41.98,"lo":2.82,"cs":"spain","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","coast","food","history","mountains","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Girona Cathedral","s":"Girona & the Empordà, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/catalonia-and-the-east/girona/place/girona-cathedral","t":"girona cathedral the widest gothic nave in the world, at the top of 91 steps, with a romanesque tapestry inside. church girona & the empordà spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":41.987,"lo":2.826,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"El Call","s":"Girona & the Empordà, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/catalonia-and-the-east/girona/place/call-jueu","t":"el call one of europe's best-preserved medieval jewish quarters, with a museum in the middle of it. quarter girona & the empordà spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":41.986,"lo":2.824,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The Camí de Ronda coastal path","s":"Girona & the Empordà, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/catalonia-and-the-east/girona","t":"the camí de ronda coastal path a smugglers' and coastguards' path linking coves between begur and palamós; it reaches beaches no road does. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Valencia","s":"Catalonia & the East, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/catalonia-and-the-east/valencia","t":"valencia a river turned into a nine-kilometre park, a gothic silk exchange, and the actual home of paella. turia gardens: a flood-diverted riverbed, now the city's spine la lonja, a gothic trading hall with twisted stone columns paella valenciana, with rabbit and beans and no seafood at all food architecture coast design food architecture coast & beaches design & making spain catalonia & the east","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":39.47,"lo":-0.38,"cs":"spain","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","coast","design","food","mountains"]},{"k":"Place","n":"La Lonja de la Seda","s":"Valencia, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/catalonia-and-the-east/valencia/place/la-lonja","t":"la lonja de la seda a gothic silk exchange with twisted stone columns, built to show that trade was worth a cathedral. monument valencia spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":39.474,"lo":-0.378,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"Jardín del Turia","s":"Valencia, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/catalonia-and-the-east/valencia/place/turia-gardens","t":"jardín del turia nine kilometres of park in a flood-diverted riverbed, which is the best civic decision valencia ever made. park valencia spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":39.472,"lo":-0.365,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Paella where the rice grows","s":"Valencia, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/catalonia-and-the-east/valencia","t":"paella where the rice grows the albufera lagoon south of the city grows the rice and cooks it over orange wood; lunchtime only, and never in the evening. table","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Tarragona","s":"Catalonia & the East, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/catalonia-and-the-east/tarragona","t":"tarragona the roman capital of hispania, with an amphitheatre on the beach and an aqueduct in the woods. the amphitheatre, looking straight out to sea les ferreres aqueduct, walkable along the top human tower competitions, on the unesco list, in the surrounding towns history coast wine history & ruins coast & beaches wine & drink spain catalonia & the east","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":41.12,"lo":1.25,"cs":"spain","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","coast","food","history","mountains","wine"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Madrid & the Centre","s":"Spain","u":"/europe/spain/madrid-and-the-centre","t":"madrid & the centre the capital on the meseta, and the walled and imperial cities within an hour of it. art food history cities","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Madrid","s":"Madrid & the Centre, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/madrid-and-the-centre/madrid","t":"madrid a high plateau capital with three of the world's great galleries in one kilometre and a nightlife that starts at midnight. the prado's velázquez and goya, and the reina sofía's guernica el rastro flea market on sunday morning retiro park, and the crystal palace in it vermouth at noon, which is a madrid institution art food cities music art & museums food big cities music & nightlife spain madrid & the centre","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":40.42,"lo":-3.7,"cs":"spain","ct":"capital","i":["art","cities","food","history","music"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Museo del Prado","s":"Madrid, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/madrid-and-the-centre/madrid/place/prado","t":"museo del prado velázquez, goya and bosch in a building designed as a natural history cabinet. museum madrid spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":40.414,"lo":-3.692,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"Reina Sofía","s":"Madrid, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/madrid-and-the-centre/madrid/place/reina-sofia","t":"reina sofía guernica, in a former hospital, with the room it needs around it. museum madrid spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":40.408,"lo":-3.694,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"Parque del Retiro","s":"Madrid, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/madrid-and-the-centre/madrid/place/retiro","t":"parque del retiro 125 hectares of former royal garden with a glass palace in the middle and rowing boats on the lake. park madrid spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":40.415,"lo":-3.683,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"El Rastro","s":"Madrid, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/madrid-and-the-centre/madrid/place/el-rastro","t":"el rastro sunday morning flea market down a hillside, unchanged in character for four centuries. market madrid spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":40.408,"lo":-3.708,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Experience","n":"La hora del vermut","s":"Madrid, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/madrid-and-the-centre/madrid","t":"la hora del vermut sunday, around one, house vermouth on tap with an olive and a siphon of soda — the most madrid ninety minutes there is. table","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Toledo","s":"Madrid & the Centre, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/madrid-and-the-centre/toledo","t":"toledo a city on a granite outcrop in a river loop, where christian, jewish and muslim spain were one place for centuries. el greco's burial of the count of orgaz, in the church it was painted for synagogues built by muslim craftsmen for jewish congregations under christian kings the city from the far bank at night history sacred architecture art history & ruins sacred places architecture art & museums spain madrid & the centre","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":39.86,"lo":-4.02,"cs":"spain","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","cities","food","history","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Toledo Cathedral","s":"Toledo, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/madrid-and-the-centre/toledo/place/toledo-cathedral","t":"toledo cathedral a gothic pile with a baroque hole cut in the roof to light the altar behind the altar. church toledo spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":39.857,"lo":-4.024,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"Santo Tomé","s":"Toledo, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/madrid-and-the-centre/toledo/place/santo-tome","t":"santo tomé el greco's burial of the count of orgaz, still in the church it was painted for in 1586. church toledo spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":39.857,"lo":-4.028,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"Sinagoga del Tránsito","s":"Toledo, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/madrid-and-the-centre/toledo/place/sinagoga-del-transito","t":"sinagoga del tránsito a 14th-century synagogue built by muslim craftsmen for a jewish congregation under a christian king. monument toledo spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":39.856,"lo":-4.031,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"City","n":"Segovia","s":"Madrid & the Centre, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/madrid-and-the-centre/segovia","t":"segovia a roman aqueduct of 167 arches, built without mortar, running straight through the middle of a working town. the aqueduct, 28 metres high, dry-stone, still standing after 2,000 years the alcázar on its rock, which disney is said to have borrowed cochinillo, roast suckling pig, carved with a plate history architecture food history & ruins architecture food spain madrid & the centre","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":40.95,"lo":-4.12,"cs":"spain","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","cities","food","history"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Roman Aqueduct","s":"Segovia, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/madrid-and-the-centre/segovia/place/segovia-aqueduct","t":"roman aqueduct 167 arches, 28 metres high, built without mortar and standing in the middle of a working town. monument segovia spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":40.948,"lo":-4.118,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"Alcázar of Segovia","s":"Segovia, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/madrid-and-the-centre/segovia/place/alcazar-segovia","t":"alcázar of segovia a castle on a rock at the confluence of two rivers, rebuilt after an 1862 fire into something even more improbable. castle segovia spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":40.953,"lo":-4.132,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"City","n":"Salamanca","s":"Madrid & the Centre, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/madrid-and-the-centre/salamanca","t":"salamanca a university city since 1218, in sandstone that turns gold at sunset, with two cathedrals joined together. the plaza mayor, the best in spain and used as a living room the frog carved on the university facade, which students must find old and new cathedrals sharing a wall, 300 years apart architecture history music cities architecture history & ruins music & nightlife big cities spain madrid & the centre","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":40.97,"lo":-5.66,"cs":"spain","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","cities","food","history","music"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Plaza Mayor","s":"Salamanca, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/madrid-and-the-centre/salamanca/place/plaza-mayor-salamanca","t":"plaza mayor the best square in spain, used as a living room, and gold at sunset because of the stone. square salamanca spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":40.965,"lo":-5.664,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"University facade","s":"Salamanca, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/madrid-and-the-centre/salamanca/place/universidad-de-salamanca","t":"university facade a plateresque wall of carving with a frog on a skull that students are required to find. monument salamanca spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":40.961,"lo":-5.667,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"City","n":"Cuenca","s":"Madrid & the Centre, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/madrid-and-the-centre/cuenca","t":"cuenca houses hanging over a gorge on two sides, with an abstract art museum inside them. the casas colgadas, cantilevered over a 100-metre drop spanish abstract art museum, in the hanging houses themselves the serranía de cuenca's rock formations behind the town architecture nature art architecture wild nature art & museums spain madrid & the centre","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":40.07,"lo":-2.13,"cs":"spain","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","cities","food","history","nature"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Casas Colgadas","s":"Cuenca, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/madrid-and-the-centre/cuenca/place/casas-colgadas","t":"casas colgadas houses cantilevered over a 100-metre gorge, holding a museum of spanish abstract art. monument cuenca spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":40.077,"lo":-2.128,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Region","n":"Green Spain","s":"Spain","u":"/europe/spain/green-spain","t":"green spain the atlantic north: basque food, cantabrian mountains, and galicia at the end of the pilgrimage. food coast mountains sacred wine","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"San Sebastián","s":"Green Spain, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/green-spain/san-sebastian","t":"san sebastián a shell-shaped bay, a belle époque town, and more michelin stars per head than anywhere on earth. pintxos bar to pintxos bar in the parte vieja, one dish each la concha beach and the walk round to ondarreta cider houses inland in astigarraga, january to april food coast cities food coast & beaches big cities spain green spain","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":43.32,"lo":-1.98,"cs":"spain","ct":"city","i":["cities","coast","food","mountains","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"La Concha","s":"San Sebastián, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/green-spain/san-sebastian/place/la-concha","t":"la concha a shell-shaped bay with a promenade the whole way round and an island in the middle of it. beach san sebastián spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":43.318,"lo":-1.987,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"Monte Igueldo","s":"San Sebastián, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/green-spain/san-sebastian/place/monte-igueldo","t":"monte igueldo a funicular from 1912 to the headland, with the bay laid out exactly as the postcards have it. viewpoint san sebastián spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":43.319,"lo":-2.008,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Experience","n":"A pintxo crawl, done properly","s":"San Sebastián, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/green-spain/san-sebastian","t":"a pintxo crawl, done properly one drink and one signature dish per bar, standing, then move. sitting down is how visitors get it wrong. table","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Santiago de Compostela","s":"Green Spain, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/green-spain/santiago-de-compostela","t":"santiago de compostela the end of the camino: a granite city that rains constantly and fills each afternoon with people who have walked there. the pilgrims' mass, and the botafumeiro when it swings arriving on foot into the praza do obradoiro galician seafood at the mercado de abastos sacred history food architecture sacred places history & ruins food architecture spain green spain","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":42.88,"lo":-8.54,"cs":"spain","ct":"city","i":["architecture","coast","food","history","mountains","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Santiago Cathedral","s":"Santiago de Compostela, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/green-spain/santiago-de-compostela/place/santiago-cathedral","t":"santiago cathedral the end of the camino, and the botafumeiro swinging across the transept when it is scheduled. church santiago de compostela spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":42.881,"lo":-8.545,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"Mercado de Abastos","s":"Santiago de Compostela, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/green-spain/santiago-de-compostela/place/mercado-de-abastos","t":"mercado de abastos galician seafood bought at one counter and cooked at another, which is the correct system. market santiago de compostela spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":42.88,"lo":-8.541,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The last hundred kilometres","s":"Santiago de Compostela, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/green-spain/santiago-de-compostela","t":"the last hundred kilometres from sarria, five days, and the minimum distance for a compostela. busy, sociable, and still the real thing. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Picos de Europa (Cangas de Onís)","s":"Green Spain, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/green-spain/picos-de-europa","t":"picos de europa (cangas de onís) limestone peaks twenty kilometres from the sea, with a cable car, gorges and blue cheese aged in caves. the cares gorge, twelve kilometres cut into a cliff cabrales cheese, matured in mountain caves covadonga's lakes and the shrine below them mountains nature food wild mountains wild nature food wildlife watching spain green spain","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":43.35,"lo":-5.13,"cs":"spain","ct":"park","i":["coast","food","mountains","nature","sacred","wild","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Ruta del Cares","s":"Picos de Europa (Cangas de Onís), Spain","u":"/europe/spain/green-spain/picos-de-europa/place/cares-gorge","t":"ruta del cares twelve kilometres cut into a cliff face for a hydro channel, now the most walked path in northern spain. mountain picos de europa (cangas de onís) spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":43.222,"lo":-4.9,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"Lagos de Covadonga","s":"Picos de Europa (Cangas de Onís), Spain","u":"/europe/spain/green-spain/picos-de-europa/place/covadonga-lakes","t":"lagos de covadonga two glacial lakes at 1,100 metres above a shrine, with the road closed to cars in high season. mountain picos de europa (cangas de onís) spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":43.271,"lo":-4.987,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"City","n":"Bilbao","s":"Green Spain, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/green-spain/bilbao","t":"bilbao a steel city that commissioned one building in 1997 and changed what cities thought was possible. the guggenheim, and the argument about whether one building can do that pintxos in the casco viejo, standing, one per bar the vizcaya transporter bridge, from 1893 and still carrying cars art architecture food cities art & museums architecture food big cities spain green spain","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":43.26,"lo":-2.93,"cs":"spain","ct":"city","i":["architecture","art","cities","coast","food","mountains","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Guggenheim Bilbao","s":"Bilbao, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/green-spain/bilbao/place/guggenheim-bilbao","t":"guggenheim bilbao titanium on a riverbank, and the single building most often credited with changing a city's mind about itself. museum bilbao spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":43.269,"lo":-2.934,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"Vizcaya Bridge","s":"Bilbao, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/green-spain/bilbao/place/vizcaya-bridge","t":"vizcaya bridge the world's oldest transporter bridge, from 1893, still carrying cars across in a hanging gondola. bridge bilbao spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":43.323,"lo":-3.017,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Across on the hanging gondola","s":"Bilbao, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/green-spain/bilbao","t":"across on the hanging gondola the world's oldest transporter bridge, on the unesco list, still running every eight minutes as a local crossing. ride","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Ribeira Sacra","s":"Green Spain, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/green-spain/ribeira-sacra","t":"ribeira sacra vineyards on canyon walls above the sil, worked from boats and by hand, with romanesque monasteries in the woods. terraces at gradients that need a winch, above a 500-metre gorge mencía reds from vines nobody can mechanise catamarans up the canyon, and eighteen romanesque churches within an hour wine nature sacred food wine & drink wild nature sacred places food spain green spain","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":42.41,"lo":-7.7,"cs":"spain","ct":"valley","i":["coast","food","mountains","nature","sacred","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Heroic viticulture, from the river","s":"Ribeira Sacra, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/green-spain/ribeira-sacra","t":"heroic viticulture, from the river the growers call it viticultura heroica without irony: everything is carried up and down by hand or cable, and the boat is the only way to see why. cellar","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"Aragón & the Pyrenees","s":"Spain","u":"/europe/spain/aragon-and-the-pyrenees","t":"aragón & the pyrenees mudéjar brick towers, a spanish grand canyon, and the emptiest inhabited country in europe. mountains architecture history nature","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Zaragoza","s":"Aragón & the Pyrenees, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/aragon-and-the-pyrenees/zaragoza","t":"zaragoza roman, moorish, christian and industrial in the same city, with a basilica the size of a cathedral on the ebro. the aljafería, an 11th-century moorish palace, now the regional parliament basílica del pilar's eleven domes on the river mudéjar brickwork, on the unesco list, all over the old town architecture history food cities architecture history & ruins food big cities spain aragón & the pyrenees","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":41.65,"lo":-0.88,"cs":"spain","ct":"city","i":["architecture","cities","food","history","mountains","nature"]},{"k":"City","n":"Torla & Ordesa","s":"Aragón & the Pyrenees, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/aragon-and-the-pyrenees/torla-ordesa","t":"torla & ordesa a stone village at the mouth of a glacial canyon, under the third-highest peak in the pyrenees. ordesa canyon and the cola de caballo, a full day on a good path monte perdido, 3,355 metres, and the bearded vultures over it a shuttle bus in summer because the valley road is closed to cars mountains nature wild mountains wild nature wildlife watching spain aragón & the pyrenees","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":42.62,"lo":-0.11,"cs":"spain","ct":"village","i":["architecture","history","mountains","nature","wild"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Cola de Caballo","s":"Torla & Ordesa, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/aragon-and-the-pyrenees/torla-ordesa/place/cola-de-caballo","t":"cola de caballo the horsetail fall at the head of the ordesa canyon, at the end of a long flat path most people can walk. waterfall torla & ordesa spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":42.657,"lo":-0.041,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"City","n":"Albarracín","s":"Aragón & the Pyrenees, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/aragon-and-the-pyrenees/albarracin","t":"albarracín a pink town wrapped in a river bend and a wall that climbs the ridge above it, in one of europe's emptiest provinces. the wall walk, up the hill and back down prehistoric rock shelters in the pine woods outside a province with fewer than ten people per square kilometre history architecture nature history & ruins architecture wild nature spain aragón & the pyrenees","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":40.41,"lo":-1.44,"cs":"spain","ct":"town","i":["architecture","history","mountains","nature"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The Balearic Islands","s":"Spain","u":"/europe/spain/balearics","t":"the balearic islands four islands with four different characters: a gothic cathedral on one, prehistoric stone on another, and a mountain range that walks well in winter. islands coast food mountains","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Palma de Mallorca","s":"The Balearic Islands, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/balearics/palma","t":"palma de mallorca a cathedral with a gaudí interior on the harbour, and the tramuntana mountains behind it for the other three seasons. la seu, whose canopy gaudí redesigned and whose chapel barceló repainted in 2007 the serra de tramuntana, unesco-listed, and best from october to may the wooden train to sóller, running since 1912 architecture coast food mountains architecture coast & beaches food mountains spain the balearic islands","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":39.57,"lo":2.65,"cs":"spain","ct":"city","i":["architecture","coast","food","islands","mountains"]},{"k":"Place","n":"La Seu","s":"Palma de Mallorca, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/balearics/palma/place/la-seu","t":"la seu a cathedral on the harbour with a canopy gaudí redesigned and a chapel barceló repainted in ceramic. church palma de mallorca spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":39.567,"lo":2.649,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Place","n":"Sóller Railway","s":"Palma de Mallorca, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/balearics/palma/place/soller-railway","t":"sóller railway 1912 wooden carriages through thirteen tunnels and an orange valley, then a tram to the sea. monument palma de mallorca spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":39.571,"lo":2.647,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The wooden train to Sóller","s":"Palma de Mallorca, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/balearics/palma","t":"the wooden train to sóller 1912 rolling stock through thirteen tunnels and an orange valley, then a tram to the port. ordinary transport, and the best hour on the island. ride","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Ciutadella, Menorca","s":"The Balearic Islands, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/balearics/ciutadella","t":"ciutadella, menorca menorca's old capital: a sandstone harbour town on an island that is a unesco biosphere reserve and mostly farmland. camí de cavalls: 185 km of bridle path round the whole coast talayotic stone monuments, on the unesco list since 2023 beaches on the north coast reached only on foot islands coast history food islands coast & beaches history & ruins food spain the balearic islands","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":40.0,"lo":3.84,"cs":"spain","ct":"town","i":["coast","food","history","islands","mountains"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Extremadura","s":"Spain","u":"/europe/spain/extremadura","t":"extremadura the far west: roman theatres still in use, conquistador palaces, black pigs under oak trees, and almost no visitors. history food nature architecture","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Cáceres","s":"Extremadura, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/extremadura/caceres","t":"cáceres a walled old town of moorish towers and conquistador palaces, with storks nesting on most of them. a unesco old town with no modern buildings inside the walls at all storks on every tower from february ibérico ham from acorn-fed pigs in the dehesa outside history architecture food history & ruins architecture food spain extremadura","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":39.48,"lo":-6.37,"cs":"spain","ct":"city","i":["architecture","food","history","nature"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Ciudad Monumental","s":"Cáceres, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/extremadura/caceres/place/caceres-old-town","t":"ciudad monumental a walled old town with no modern building inside it at all, and storks on most of the towers. quarter cáceres spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":39.472,"lo":-6.371,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"City","n":"Mérida","s":"Extremadura, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/extremadura/merida","t":"mérida the best roman ruins in spain, including a theatre that still stages classical drama every summer. the theatre, from 15 bc, with a summer festival on its stage a 792-metre roman bridge, still walked across the national museum of roman art, in a rafael moneo building history architecture sacred history & ruins architecture sacred places spain extremadura","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","q":1,"m":["may","jun","sep","oct","apr","nov"],"la":38.92,"lo":-6.34,"cs":"spain","ct":"city","i":["architecture","food","history","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Roman Theatre","s":"Mérida, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/extremadura/merida/place/merida-roman-theatre","t":"roman theatre built in 15 bc, buried for centuries, and staging greek and roman drama every summer since 1933. theatre mérida spain","w":1.5,"b":"moderate","la":38.915,"lo":-6.338,"cs":"spain"},{"k":"Experience","n":"Classical drama in a Roman theatre","s":"Mérida, Spain","u":"/europe/spain/extremadura/merida","t":"classical drama in a roman theatre greek and roman plays staged every july and august in the theatre they were written for, which is a different experience from reading them. stage","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Sweden","s":"The Nordics","u":"/europe/sweden","t":"sweden kingdom of sweden stockholm an archipelago capital, a thousand miles of forest, and a country that would rather you were comfortable than impressed. sweden runs from baltic islands to arctic tundra, and most of the middle is forest and lake. the cities are calm and well-made; the countryside is where the country keeps its imagination — allemansrätten lets you walk into almost any of it. two things surprise first-time visitors: how far north the country goes, and how seriously it takes coffee at three in the afternoon. design nature islands food winter cities design & making wild nature islands food snow & winter big cities","w":2.0,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"i":["design","nature","islands","food","winter","cities"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Stockholm & the Archipelago","s":"Sweden","u":"/europe/sweden/stockholm-and-the-archipelago","t":"stockholm & the archipelago a capital built across fourteen islands, opening east into thirty thousand more. cities design islands art","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Stockholm","s":"Stockholm & the Archipelago, Sweden","u":"/europe/sweden/stockholm-and-the-archipelago/stockholm","t":"stockholm water on every side, a preserved medieval core, and the best-funded museums in the nordics. the vasa: a warship that sank in 1628, raised whole in 1961 gamla stan early, before the tour groups, or late fotografiska and the design shops of södermalm a summer ferry east to vaxholm on a commuter ticket cities design art food islands big cities design & making art & museums food islands sweden stockholm & the archipelago","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":59.33,"lo":18.07,"cs":"sweden","ct":"capital","i":["art","cities","design","food","islands"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Archipelago on a commuter boat","s":"Stockholm, Sweden","u":"/europe/sweden/stockholm-and-the-archipelago/stockholm","t":"archipelago on a commuter boat the waxholmsbolaget boats are public transport that happen to cross one of the world's great island landscapes. water","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"A proper fika circuit","s":"Stockholm, Sweden","u":"/europe/sweden/stockholm-and-the-archipelago/stockholm","t":"a proper fika circuit four bakeries, one afternoon, and the argument about whether the cardamom bun beats the cinnamon one. table","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Uppsala","s":"Stockholm & the Archipelago, Sweden","u":"/europe/sweden/stockholm-and-the-archipelago/uppsala","t":"uppsala sweden's oldest university, its largest cathedral, and the burial mounds of kings who predate both. gamla uppsala's royal mounds, from the 6th century the cathedral, the tallest in the nordics linnaeus's own garden, replanted to his 1745 plan history sacred cities history & ruins sacred places big cities sweden stockholm & the archipelago","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":59.86,"lo":17.64,"cs":"sweden","ct":"city","i":["art","cities","design","history","islands","sacred"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Linnaeus's garden, in his order","s":"Uppsala, Sweden","u":"/europe/sweden/stockholm-and-the-archipelago/uppsala","t":"linnaeus's garden, in his order the beds are laid out by his sexual system of classification, which is the point and also the scandal of 1735. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"Skåne & the South","s":"Sweden","u":"/europe/sweden/south-sweden","t":"skåne & the south flat, fertile, danish until 1658, and now the country's most interesting place to eat. food coast design history","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Malmö","s":"Skåne & the South, Sweden","u":"/europe/sweden/south-sweden/malmo","t":"malmö post-industrial, young, and twenty minutes by train from copenhagen across the bridge. the turning torso and the western harbour rebuilt from shipyards falafel, which malmö does better than anywhere north of beirut ribersborg's cold bathhouse, open year-round design food architecture cities design & making food architecture big cities sweden skåne & the south","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":55.6,"lo":13.0,"cs":"sweden","ct":"city","i":["architecture","cities","coast","design","food","history"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The open-air cold bathhouse","s":"Malmö, Sweden","u":"/europe/sweden/south-sweden/malmo","t":"the open-air cold bathhouse a wooden pier, a sauna, and the öresund at four degrees; the locals do it in february and talk about it all year. water","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Ystad","s":"Skåne & the South, Sweden","u":"/europe/sweden/south-sweden/ystad","t":"ystad half-timbered market town on a long empty beach, with a bronze age stone ship on the cliff above. ales stenar: 59 boulders in the shape of a ship, on a headland three hundred half-timbered houses, still lived in the night watchman's horn, sounded every quarter hour since the 1600s coast history coast & beaches history & ruins sweden skåne & the south","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":55.43,"lo":13.82,"cs":"sweden","ct":"town","i":["coast","design","food","history"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Swedish Lapland","s":"Sweden","u":"/europe/sweden/swedish-lapland","t":"swedish lapland above the arctic circle: sámi reindeer country, the kungsleden trail, and skies that perform. winter nature mountains wild","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Abisko","s":"Swedish Lapland, Sweden","u":"/europe/sweden/swedish-lapland/abisko","t":"abisko a rain-shadowed valley with sweden's clearest winter skies and the northern end of its greatest trail. the aurora sky station, reached by chairlift in the dark kungsleden: 440 km south to hemavan, hut to hut midnight sun over lapporten's u-shaped notch in june winter nature mountains snow & winter wild nature mountains sweden swedish lapland","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":68.35,"lo":18.83,"cs":"sweden","ct":"park","i":["mountains","nature","wild","winter"]},{"k":"Place","n":"Aurora Sky Station","s":"Abisko, Sweden","u":"/europe/sweden/swedish-lapland/abisko/place/aurora-sky-station","t":"aurora sky station 900 metres up by chairlift in the dark, in the driest sky in swedish lapland. viewpoint abisko sweden","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":68.353,"lo":18.816,"cs":"sweden"},{"k":"Place","n":"Lapporten","s":"Abisko, Sweden","u":"/europe/sweden/swedish-lapland/abisko/place/lapporten","t":"lapporten the u-shaped glacial notch that frames the valley and appears on everything sámi lapland prints. mountain abisko sweden","w":1.5,"b":"high","la":68.31,"lo":18.75,"cs":"sweden"},{"k":"Experience","n":"The first hut on the Kungsleden","s":"Abisko, Sweden","u":"/europe/sweden/swedish-lapland/abisko","t":"the first hut on the kungsleden one day out and one back gets you the landscape without the fortnight; the huts sell chocolate and take card. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Kiruna","s":"Swedish Lapland, Sweden","u":"/europe/sweden/swedish-lapland/kiruna","t":"kiruna an iron-ore town so successful at mining that it is being physically moved, building by building, off the hole it dug. the mine tour, 540 metres down the wooden church, voted sweden's finest building and relocated whole jukkasjärvi's ice hotel, rebuilt every december winter history design snow & winter history & ruins design & making sweden swedish lapland","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep"],"la":67.86,"lo":20.23,"cs":"sweden","ct":"town","i":["design","history","mountains","nature","wild","winter"]},{"k":"Country","n":"Switzerland","s":"Alpine & Central Europe","u":"/europe/switzerland","t":"switzerland swiss confederation bern the most expensive country in europe and the one that most reliably justifies it. switzerland is four language regions, twenty-six cantons and a public transport system that works so well it changes how you travel: a postbus meets the train, the train meets the boat, and all three are punctual to the minute. the alps take up 60% of the land and are threaded with cable cars and mountain huts. nothing is cheap and almost nothing is broken. mountains rail winter nature food design mountains slow travel by rail snow & winter wild nature food design & making","w":2.0,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","dec","jan","feb","may","sep","oct"],"i":["mountains","rail","winter","nature","food","design"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The Bernese Oberland","s":"Switzerland","u":"/europe/switzerland/bernese-oberland","t":"the bernese oberland the classic alps: eiger, mönch and jungfrau above green valleys full of cog railways. mountains rail winter nature","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Lauterbrunnen","s":"The Bernese Oberland, Switzerland","u":"/europe/switzerland/bernese-oberland/lauterbrunnen","t":"lauterbrunnen a valley with vertical walls and seventy-two waterfalls, and car-free villages on the shelves above it. mürren and gimmelwald, reachable only by cable car or on foot trümmelbach: ten glacier waterfalls inside the mountain the schilthorn, and the eiger north face opposite mountains nature rail mountains wild nature slow travel by rail switzerland the bernese oberland","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","dec","jan","feb","may","sep","oct"],"la":46.59,"lo":7.91,"cs":"switzerland","ct":"valley","i":["mountains","nature","rail","winter"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The North Face trail from Mürren","s":"Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland","u":"/europe/switzerland/bernese-oberland/lauterbrunnen","t":"the north face trail from mürren two hours on a balcony path with the eiger, mönch and jungfrau directly across the valley the whole way. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Bern","s":"The Bernese Oberland, Switzerland","u":"/europe/switzerland/bernese-oberland/bern","t":"bern the federal capital: six kilometres of arcades, a river you swim down, and einstein's flat above a café. swimming the aare with the current, as the city does all summer the zytglogge clock's mechanism, from 1530 paul klee's collection in a renzo piano wave architecture history cities architecture history & ruins big cities switzerland the bernese oberland","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","dec","jan","feb","may","sep","oct"],"la":46.95,"lo":7.45,"cs":"switzerland","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","cities","history","mountains","nature","rail","winter"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Float the Aare","s":"Bern, Switzerland","u":"/europe/switzerland/bernese-oberland/bern","t":"float the aare walk upstream, get in, and let the river carry you back through the city — with a dry bag and a firm plan for getting out. water","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"Valais, Ticino & the South","s":"Switzerland","u":"/europe/switzerland/valais-and-the-south","t":"valais, ticino & the south the matterhorn, the highest vineyards in europe, and an italian-speaking canton over the pass. mountains wine winter food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Zermatt","s":"Valais, Ticino & the South, Switzerland","u":"/europe/switzerland/valais-and-the-south/zermatt","t":"zermatt a car-free village under the most photographed mountain on earth, with skiing possible in july. the matterhorn from the riffelsee at sunrise, reflected gornergrat railway to 3,089 metres the haute route, ending here from chamonix mountains winter rail mountains snow & winter slow travel by rail switzerland valais, ticino & the south","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","dec","jan","feb","may","sep","oct"],"la":46.02,"lo":7.75,"cs":"switzerland","ct":"village","i":["food","mountains","rail","wine","winter"]},{"k":"City","n":"Lugano","s":"Valais, Ticino & the South, Switzerland","u":"/europe/switzerland/valais-and-the-south/lugano","t":"lugano palm trees, a glacial lake and italian spoken everywhere, twenty minutes from the alps. monte brè and monte san salvatore by funicular the lakeside promenade and the ferries to gandria italian food at swiss standards of execution coast food art nature coast & beaches food art & museums wild nature switzerland valais, ticino & the south","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","dec","jan","feb","may","sep","oct"],"la":46.0,"lo":8.95,"cs":"switzerland","ct":"city","i":["art","coast","food","mountains","nature","wine","winter"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Graubünden & the East","s":"Switzerland","u":"/europe/switzerland/graubunden","t":"graubünden & the east romansh country, the rhaetian railway's viaducts, and the highest mainline pass in the alps. rail mountains winter nature","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"St. Moritz & the Engadin","s":"Graubünden & the East, Switzerland","u":"/europe/switzerland/graubunden/st-moritz","t":"st. moritz & the engadin a high valley of lakes at 1,800 metres, with sgraffito villages and 322 days of sun a year. the bernina express over a unesco-listed railway to italy segantini's paintings where he painted them cross-country skiing on frozen lakes in february winter mountains design rail snow & winter mountains design & making slow travel by rail switzerland graubünden & the east","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","dec","jan","feb","may","sep","oct"],"la":46.5,"lo":9.84,"cs":"switzerland","ct":"valley","i":["design","mountains","nature","rail","winter"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The Bernina line to Tirano","s":"St. Moritz & the Engadin, Switzerland","u":"/europe/switzerland/graubunden/st-moritz","t":"the bernina line to tirano from glacier to palm trees in four hours, over the landwasser viaduct and around the brusio spiral — booked as a normal train, not a tour. ride","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Türkiye","s":"The Caucasus & the Bosphorus","u":"/europe/turkiye","t":"türkiye republic of türkiye ankara a city on two continents, and a mediterranean coast with more classical ruins than greece. türkiye is transcontinental: east thrace is in europe, istanbul straddles the divide, and the rest is anatolia. it is a council of europe member and a candidate for eu accession. it holds more greek and roman cities than greece and italy, a volcanic landscape in cappadocia carved into churches and houses, and a food culture that repays a trip on its own. history food coast sacred architecture nature history & ruins food coast & beaches sacred places architecture wild nature","w":2.0,"b":"low","m":["apr","may","sep","oct","mar","jun","nov"],"i":["history","food","coast","sacred","architecture","nature"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Istanbul & Thrace","s":"Türkiye","u":"/europe/turkiye/istanbul-and-thrace","t":"istanbul & thrace the city on the bosphorus, and the european corner of the country behind it. history sacred food architecture","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Istanbul","s":"Istanbul & Thrace, Türkiye","u":"/europe/turkiye/istanbul-and-thrace/istanbul","t":"istanbul capital of two empires, on two continents, with a 1,500-year-old church-mosque at the centre of it. hagia sophia, and the basilica cistern under the street outside the süleymaniye mosque, quieter and better proportioned than the blue mosque a commuter ferry to kadıköy at dusk, with tea, for the price of a bus ride breakfast in beşiktaş, which will take the whole morning history sacred food architecture cities history & ruins sacred places food architecture big cities türkiye istanbul & thrace","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["apr","may","sep","oct","mar","jun","nov"],"la":41.01,"lo":28.98,"cs":"turkiye","ct":"city","i":["architecture","cities","food","history","sacred"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Between continents on a commuter ferry","s":"Istanbul, Türkiye","u":"/europe/turkiye/istanbul-and-thrace/istanbul","t":"between continents on a commuter ferry twenty minutes, a glass of tea, gulls following the stern, and europe and asia both in view. the single best thing in the city and nearly free. water","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"A two-hour Turkish breakfast","s":"Istanbul, Türkiye","u":"/europe/turkiye/istanbul-and-thrace/istanbul","t":"a two-hour turkish breakfast fifteen small dishes, endless tea, and no expectation that you leave. order for the table and clear the morning. table","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Edirne","s":"Istanbul & Thrace, Türkiye","u":"/europe/turkiye/istanbul-and-thrace/edirne","t":"edirne the ottoman capital before istanbul, in the european corner, with sinan's masterpiece mosque in it. selimiye mosque, which its architect called his best work at 86 the oil wrestling championship each summer, running since 1362 a town with almost no visitors, an hour from the greek and bulgarian borders sacred architecture history sacred places architecture history & ruins türkiye istanbul & thrace","w":1.6,"b":"low","q":1,"m":["apr","may","sep","oct","mar","jun","nov"],"la":41.68,"lo":26.56,"cs":"turkiye","ct":"city","i":["architecture","food","history","sacred"]},{"k":"Region","n":"The Aegean & Mediterranean","s":"Türkiye","u":"/europe/turkiye/aegean-and-mediterranean","t":"the aegean & mediterranean classical cities, terraces of white travertine, and a long walking path above the sea. history coast nature","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Selçuk & Ephesus","s":"The Aegean & Mediterranean, Türkiye","u":"/europe/turkiye/aegean-and-mediterranean/selcuk","t":"selçuk & ephesus a market town beside one of the best-preserved classical cities in the mediterranean. ephesus's library facade and marble street the terrace houses, roofed and separately ticketed, with intact mosaics şirince, a hill village of former greek houses making fruit wine history sacred food history & ruins sacred places food türkiye the aegean & mediterranean","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["apr","may","sep","oct","mar","jun","nov"],"la":37.95,"lo":27.37,"cs":"turkiye","ct":"town","i":["coast","food","history","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"City","n":"Fethiye & the Lycian coast","s":"The Aegean & Mediterranean, Türkiye","u":"/europe/turkiye/aegean-and-mediterranean/fethiye","t":"fethiye & the lycian coast rock-cut tombs in the cliffs above a harbour, and a 540-kilometre coastal path starting nearby. the lycian way, hugging the coast for 540 km sunken ruins in the shallows off kekova, seen from a boat butterfly valley and the beaches reachable only by sea coast history nature mountains coast & beaches history & ruins wild nature mountains türkiye the aegean & mediterranean","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["apr","may","sep","oct","mar","jun","nov"],"la":36.62,"lo":29.12,"cs":"turkiye","ct":"town","i":["coast","history","mountains","nature"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"A section of the Lycian Way","s":"Fethiye & the Lycian coast, Türkiye","u":"/europe/turkiye/aegean-and-mediterranean/fethiye","t":"a section of the lycian way waymarked in red and white since 1999, through pine, ruins and goat country, with village pensions at the ends of most stages. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"Central Anatolia","s":"Türkiye","u":"/europe/turkiye/central-anatolia","t":"central anatolia volcanic valleys carved into churches and homes, and the dervish city of konya. nature sacred history","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Göreme, Cappadocia","s":"Central Anatolia, Türkiye","u":"/europe/turkiye/central-anatolia/goreme","t":"göreme, cappadocia soft volcanic rock eroded into cones and carved out for a thousand years into churches, houses and underground cities. rock-cut churches with byzantine frescoes in the open-air museum derinkuyu, an underground city eighteen storeys deep balloons at dawn, weather permitting, which it often does not the rose and red valleys, walked at sunset nature sacred history wild nature sacred places history & ruins türkiye central anatolia","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["apr","may","sep","oct","mar","jun","nov"],"la":38.64,"lo":34.83,"cs":"turkiye","ct":"village","i":["history","nature","sacred"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The valleys on foot, not from the air","s":"Göreme, Cappadocia, Türkiye","u":"/europe/turkiye/central-anatolia/goreme","t":"the valleys on foot, not from the air ihlara, rose and pigeon valleys are walked in a morning each, with abandoned rock churches nobody signposts. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Country","n":"Ukraine","s":"Eastern Europe","u":"/europe/ukraine","t":"ukraine ukraine kyiv the largest country wholly within europe, with the mother of slavic cities on the dnipro. ukraine holds europe's richest farmland, a black sea coast, the carpathian foothills, and in kyiv one of the oldest continuously important cities in the slavic world — the monastery caves there date from 1051. lviv's centre is habsburg and intact. this page records what the country is; when travel is possible again, it will be updated by people who have been. history sacred architecture food music history & ruins sacred places architecture food music & nightlife","w":2.0,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","apr","oct"],"i":["history","sacred","architecture","food","music"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Kyiv & the Centre","s":"Ukraine","u":"/europe/ukraine/kyiv-and-the-centre","t":"kyiv & the centre the capital on the dnipro, its monastery caves and its golden domes. sacred history architecture","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Kyiv","s":"Kyiv & the Centre, Ukraine","u":"/europe/ukraine/kyiv-and-the-centre/kyiv","t":"kyiv a city founded in the 5th century on hills above a wide river, with a cave monastery from 1051 beneath it. saint sophia's cathedral, with 11th-century mosaics the lavra caves, and the monks buried in them andriivskyi descent, the old artists' street the deepest metro station in the world at arsenalna, 105 metres down sacred history architecture music sacred places history & ruins architecture music & nightlife ukraine kyiv & the centre","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","apr","oct"],"la":50.45,"lo":30.52,"cs":"ukraine","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","history","music","sacred"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Western Ukraine","s":"Ukraine","u":"/europe/ukraine/western-ukraine","t":"western ukraine habsburg lviv and the carpathian foothills beyond it. architecture food mountains music","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Lviv","s":"Western Ukraine, Ukraine","u":"/europe/ukraine/western-ukraine/lviv","t":"lviv an austro-hungarian city with an intact centre on the unesco list, a coffee tradition and a chocolate one. rynok square and the merchant houses around it the lychakiv cemetery, a park of 19th-century sculpture coffee houses that predate most of vienna's architecture food history music architecture food history & ruins music & nightlife ukraine western ukraine","w":1.6,"b":"low","m":["may","jun","sep","apr","oct"],"la":49.84,"lo":24.03,"cs":"ukraine","ct":"city","i":["architecture","food","history","mountains","music"]},{"k":"Country","n":"United Kingdom","s":"Britain & Ireland","u":"/europe/united-kingdom","t":"united kingdom united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland london four nations, one small island group, and an argument about all of it that has run for a thousand years. the uk compresses an enormous amount into a short train ride: a global city, a roman spa town, a mining valley, a hebridean beach and a border wall built by an emperor, all within a day of each other. nothing is far and everything is different — the accent changes every forty miles and so does the beer. it left the eu in 2020, so entry, roaming and customs work differently from its neighbours. history art music coast mountains cities rail sacred history & ruins art & museums music & nightlife coast & beaches mountains big cities slow travel by rail sacred places","w":2.0,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep","oct"],"i":["history","art","music","coast","mountains","cities","rail","sacred"]},{"k":"Region","n":"London & the South East","s":"United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/london-and-the-south-east","t":"london & the south east the capital, the cathedral city that crowned the country, and the coast that faces france. cities art history music food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"London","s":"London & the South East, United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/london-and-the-south-east/london","t":"london a city of villages that grew together, with the free national collections of a former empire in the middle of it. the british museum, the national gallery and the tates — all free, all enormous borough market, then the thames path east past shakespeare's globe hampstead heath and the swimming ponds, open all year a play in a 900-seat theatre for the price of a cinema ticket, if you queue cities art music food history architecture big cities art & museums music & nightlife food history & ruins architecture united kingdom london & the south east","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep","oct"],"la":51.51,"lo":-0.13,"cs":"united-kingdom","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","art","cities","food","history","music"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The Hampstead bathing ponds","s":"London, United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/london-and-the-south-east/london","t":"the hampstead bathing ponds three ponds, open every day of the year, including the january mornings when the ice is broken by hand. water","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"One free national collection a day","s":"London, United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/london-and-the-south-east/london","t":"one free national collection a day britain's museums charge nothing for the permanent collections; treat one as an hour's visit rather than a day's endurance. museum","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Canterbury","s":"London & the South East, United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/london-and-the-south-east/canterbury","t":"canterbury the mother church of a global communion, in a walled town on the pilgrims' road from london. the cathedral, and the spot where becket was killed in 1170 the pilgrims' way, still walkable from winchester or southwark roman and norman layers visible in the same street sacred history sacred places history & ruins united kingdom london & the south east","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep","oct"],"la":51.28,"lo":1.08,"cs":"united-kingdom","ct":"city","i":["art","cities","food","history","music","sacred"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The last day of the Pilgrims' Way","s":"Canterbury, United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/london-and-the-south-east/canterbury","t":"the last day of the pilgrims' way twenty miles from chilham along the north downs, arriving on foot the way it was meant to be done. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"The West Country","s":"United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/west-country","t":"the west country georgian bath, granite cornwall, and the mildest, wettest, greenest corner of england. coast history architecture food","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Bath","s":"The West Country, United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/west-country/bath","t":"bath a roman bathing complex under a georgian city built in one honey-coloured stone. the roman baths, still fed by the only hot spring in britain the royal crescent and the circus, built as speculation and now the argument for it bathing in the thermal water again, at the modern spa history architecture food history & ruins architecture food united kingdom the west country","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep","oct"],"la":51.38,"lo":-2.36,"cs":"united-kingdom","ct":"town","i":["architecture","coast","food","history"]},{"k":"City","n":"St Ives","s":"The West Country, United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/west-country/st-ives","t":"st ives a cornish fishing town whose light brought the modernists, and kept them. tate st ives and the barbara hepworth garden, left as she had it the coast path west to zennor along granite cliffs porthmeor beach, which surfs properly art coast food art & museums coast & beaches food united kingdom the west country","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep","oct"],"la":50.21,"lo":-5.48,"cs":"united-kingdom","ct":"town","i":["architecture","art","coast","food","history"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"A day on the South West Coast Path","s":"St Ives, United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/west-country/st-ives","t":"a day on the south west coast path 1,014 kilometres in total; the st ives-to-zennor stretch gives you the best of it in six hours. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"Northern England","s":"United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/the-north","t":"northern england a roman wall, a viking city, mill towns turned music towns, and the lakes. history mountains music nature","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"York","s":"Northern England, United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/the-north/york","t":"york roman, viking and medieval in the same square mile, inside walls you can walk around. york minster's medieval glass, the largest expanse in britain the shambles, a 14th-century street of overhanging timber the city walls, three kilometres, best at opening time history architecture food history & ruins architecture food united kingdom northern england","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep","oct"],"la":53.96,"lo":-1.08,"cs":"united-kingdom","ct":"city","i":["architecture","food","history","mountains","music","nature"]},{"k":"City","n":"Keswick & the Lakes","s":"Northern England, United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/the-north/keswick","t":"keswick & the lakes a market town under skiddaw on derwentwater, at the centre of england's mountain country. catbells: a two-hour ridge with a view worth ten rowing on derwentwater and the launch that circles it wild swimming in buttermere, cold enough to hurt mountains nature coast mountains wild nature coast & beaches united kingdom northern england","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep","oct"],"la":54.6,"lo":-3.13,"cs":"united-kingdom","ct":"town","i":["coast","history","mountains","music","nature"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"A Wainwright, start to finish","s":"Keswick & the Lakes, United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/the-north/keswick","t":"a wainwright, start to finish 214 fells were catalogued by one man in seven hand-written volumes; walking one of the small ones is the best introduction to why. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"Scotland","s":"United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/scotland","t":"scotland an old capital on a volcano, and a highland north of sea lochs, whisky and islands. history mountains islands music wine","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Edinburgh","s":"Scotland, United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/scotland/edinburgh","t":"edinburgh a medieval spine running down from a castle on a plug of volcanic rock, with a georgian grid alongside. the royal mile at seven in the morning, before anyone else arthur's seat, a full hill inside the city the national museum of scotland's free, excellent everything the fringe in august, which triples the population history architecture music cities festivals history & ruins architecture music & nightlife big cities festivals united kingdom scotland","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep","oct"],"la":55.95,"lo":-3.19,"cs":"united-kingdom","ct":"city","i":["architecture","cities","festivals","history","islands","mountains","music","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Up Arthur's Seat before breakfast","s":"Edinburgh, United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/scotland/edinburgh","t":"up arthur's seat before breakfast 251 metres of extinct volcano, forty minutes up, and the whole city and the forth laid out at the top. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Isle of Skye (Portree)","s":"Scotland, United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/scotland/skye","t":"isle of skye (portree) black basalt ridges, sea cliffs and more visitors than the single-track roads were built for. the quiraing, a landslip you walk into the cuillin ridge, which is mountaineering rather than hiking neist point at sunset, with the outer hebrides on the horizon mountains islands nature coast mountains islands wild nature coast & beaches united kingdom scotland","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep","oct"],"la":57.41,"lo":-6.19,"cs":"united-kingdom","ct":"island","i":["coast","history","islands","mountains","music","nature","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The Quiraing circuit","s":"Isle of Skye (Portree), United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/scotland/skye","t":"the quiraing circuit seven kilometres through a landscape still slowly moving downhill; start early, because the car park fills by nine. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"Islay","s":"Scotland, United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/scotland/islay","t":"islay a low green island of nine working distilleries, 3,000 people and 50,000 wintering geese. peated whisky at the distillery that made it, on the shore barnacle geese arriving from greenland each october machir bay, empty in any weather wine coast wild nature wine & drink coast & beaches wildlife watching wild nature united kingdom scotland","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep","oct"],"la":55.76,"lo":-6.19,"cs":"united-kingdom","ct":"island","i":["coast","history","islands","mountains","music","nature","wild","wine"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Three distilleries on foot","s":"Islay, United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/scotland/islay","t":"three distilleries on foot ardbeg, lagavulin and laphroaig sit within five kilometres of each other along one coastal path — walk it, for obvious reasons. cellar","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"Wales","s":"United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/wales","t":"wales a living celtic language, castles built to suppress it, and mountains in the north. mountains history coast music","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Cardiff","s":"Wales, United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/wales/cardiff","t":"cardiff a coal port turned capital, with a fantasy castle in the middle and a rugby stadium that empties into the streets. cardiff castle's victorian gothic interiors, wildly over the top st fagans: a free open-air museum of relocated welsh buildings a match day, if you can get in cities music history big cities music & nightlife history & ruins united kingdom wales","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep","oct"],"la":51.48,"lo":-3.18,"cs":"united-kingdom","ct":"city","i":["cities","coast","history","mountains","music"]},{"k":"City","n":"Eryri / Snowdonia (Betws-y-Coed)","s":"Wales, United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/wales/snowdonia","t":"eryri / snowdonia (betws-y-coed) slate, lakes and the highest mountains in england and wales, in a national park with a welsh-speaking heart. yr wyddfa by the watkin or rhyd ddu path rather than the crowded one the slate landscape of blaenau ffestiniog, now unesco-listed narrow-gauge railways built for slate, now for the view mountains nature rail mountains wild nature slow travel by rail united kingdom wales","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep","oct"],"la":53.09,"lo":-3.8,"cs":"united-kingdom","ct":"park","i":["coast","history","mountains","music","nature","rail"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The slate railway to the coast","s":"Eryri / Snowdonia (Betws-y-Coed), United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/wales/snowdonia","t":"the slate railway to the coast built in 1836 to run loaded downhill by gravity; it still descends 700 feet to porthmadog through the woods. ride","w":0.9},{"k":"Region","n":"Northern Ireland","s":"United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/northern-ireland","t":"northern ireland a basalt coast, a shipyard city, and recent history that is neither hidden nor settled. coast history music","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Belfast","s":"Northern Ireland, United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/northern-ireland/belfast","t":"belfast a victorian industrial city working through its own recent past in public, with murals as the text. the titanic quarter, on the slipway where she was built black cab tours of the peace walls, given by people who lived it the crown liquor saloon, a gas-lit gin palace owned by the national trust history music cities history & ruins music & nightlife big cities united kingdom northern ireland","w":1.6,"b":"high","m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep","oct"],"la":54.6,"lo":-5.93,"cs":"united-kingdom","ct":"city","i":["cities","coast","history","music"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"The walls, told by both sides","s":"Belfast, United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/northern-ireland/belfast","t":"the walls, told by both sides the good operators take you to both communities and let the contradictions stand rather than resolving them for you. walk","w":0.9},{"k":"City","n":"The Causeway Coast (Bushmills)","s":"Northern Ireland, United Kingdom","u":"/europe/united-kingdom/northern-ireland/causeway-coast","t":"the causeway coast (bushmills) forty thousand basalt columns, a rope bridge to a fishing rock, and cliffs the whole way along. the giant's causeway, best at dawn or in rain carrick-a-rede rope bridge, if heights are your thing the oldest licensed distillery in the world, from 1608 coast nature wine coast & beaches wild nature wine & drink united kingdom northern ireland","w":1.6,"b":"high","q":1,"m":["jun","jul","aug","may","sep","oct"],"la":55.2,"lo":-6.52,"cs":"united-kingdom","ct":"site","i":["coast","history","music","nature","wine"]},{"k":"Country","n":"Vatican City","s":"The Mediterranean","u":"/europe/vatican-city","t":"vatican city vatican city state vatican city the smallest state in the world, at 0.49 square kilometres, and one of its largest art collections. vatican city is an independent state inside rome, created by treaty in 1929, with around 800 residents and no tourism industry of its own — visitors come for the basilica and the museums. it holds the sistine chapel, raphael's rooms, and a collection assembled over five centuries. it is entered freely on foot from st peter's square; there is no border post. sacred art architecture history sacred places art & museums architecture history & ruins","w":2.0,"b":"moderate","m":["apr","may","sep","oct","mar","nov"],"i":["sacred","art","architecture","history"]},{"k":"Region","n":"Vatican City","s":"Vatican City","u":"/europe/vatican-city/vatican","t":"vatican city the basilica, the square, the museums and the gardens behind them. sacred art architecture","w":1.2},{"k":"City","n":"Vatican City","s":"Vatican City, Vatican City","u":"/europe/vatican-city/vatican/vatican-city","t":"vatican city a state the size of a large park, holding michelangelo's ceiling, his dome and his pietà. the sistine chapel, best at the first entry slot of the day st peter's dome, 551 steps, with the last stretch leaning inward raphael's school of athens, on the way to the chapel and often rushed past the necropolis under the basilica, booked separately and months ahead sacred art architecture history sacred places art & museums architecture history & ruins vatican city vatican city","w":1.6,"b":"moderate","m":["apr","may","sep","oct","mar","nov"],"la":41.9,"lo":12.45,"cs":"vatican-city","ct":"capital","i":["architecture","art","history","sacred"]},{"k":"Experience","n":"Up the dome of St Peter's","s":"Vatican City, Vatican City","u":"/europe/vatican-city/vatican/vatican-city","t":"up the dome of st peter's the staircase follows the curve of the dome and tilts with it; the reward is the whole of rome and the gardens nobody else sees. sacred","w":0.9},{"k":"Experience","n":"The scavi, under the basilica","s":"Vatican City, Vatican City","u":"/europe/vatican-city/vatican/vatican-city","t":"the scavi, under the basilica a roman street of tombs beneath the church, ending at what may be st peter's grave. twelve people at a time, booked by email, months ahead. sacred","w":0.9},{"k":"Journey","n":"Arctic to the Baltic","s":"19 days","u":"/journeys/arctic-to-the-baltic","t":"arctic to the baltic midnight sun to hanseatic brick start where the sun does not set and end where medieval merchants counted their money. this is the long north: an arctic city, an island chain of granite peaks, a night train down the spine of sweden, and then the three old trading capitals of the baltic — each of which was rich, then occupied, and is now itself again. long legs, and the train is the point rather than the cost.","w":1.5},{"k":"Journey","n":"Atlantic to the Mediterranean","s":"23 days","u":"/journeys/atlantic-to-the-mediterranean","t":"atlantic to the mediterranean across iberia and along the coast the classic west-to-east traverse, taken slowly enough to notice the change: atlantic light and salt cod in the northwest, the moorish south in the middle, then the mediterranean proper from barcelona onward. every leg on this route can be done by train, which is unusual for a journey of this length and is half the pleasure of it.","w":1.5},{"k":"Journey","n":"The Alpine Grand Tour","s":"17 days","u":"/journeys/the-alpine-grand-tour","t":"the alpine grand tour six valleys, four countries, one mountain range the alps are a single range and five nationalities, and the way to feel that is to cross them slowly by train and cable car rather than fly over. this route runs west to east from mont blanc to the dolomites, staying high, and every leg is on a scheduled public service. book the mountain huts before you book the hotels.","w":1.5},{"k":"Journey","n":"Scandinavia to Central Europe","s":"21 days","u":"/journeys/scandinavia-to-central-europe","t":"scandinavia to central europe copenhagen to budapest, all by rail a north-south line down the middle of the continent, from a harbour you can swim in to a capital built on hot springs. it crosses the old inner-german border, the old iron curtain, and three empires' worth of architecture, without ever needing a flight or a car. the stretch from berlin to budapest is the densest run of great cities in europe.","w":1.5},{"k":"Journey","n":"The Adriatic Run","s":"19 days","u":"/journeys/the-adriatic-run","t":"the adriatic run venice to dubrovnik the long way round down the eastern adriatic, which has the mediterranean's clearest water and its least developed coastline. the route leaves the sea twice on purpose — into slovenia's karst and into bosnia — because the interior is where the layers are: venetian, ottoman, habsburg and yugoslav, sometimes in the same street. ferries and buses, not trains, from split onward.","w":1.5},{"k":"Journey","n":"Camino & Sacred Europe","s":"15 days","u":"/journeys/camino-and-sacred-europe","t":"camino & sacred europe six places people have walked to for a thousand years not a religious journey unless you want it to be — a route through the buildings and landscapes that pilgrimage produced, which is most of what europe built before it built anything else. it ends where it should, on foot, in the rain, in galicia. two of these stops are still working monastic communities and one is a sovereign state.","w":1.5},{"k":"Journey","n":"The Hanseatic Arc","s":"16 days","u":"/journeys/the-hanseatic-arc","t":"the hanseatic arc the medieval trading league, in order between the 13th and 17th centuries a network of merchant towns ran the northern seas, and they all built with the same brick and the same confidence. this route follows them from flanders to the gulf of finland. what the league left behind is a very specific pleasure: gabled warehouses, town halls larger than the towns needed, and a shared idea of what a rich city should look like.","w":1.5},{"k":"Journey","n":"The Classical Mediterranean","s":"18 days","u":"/journeys/the-classical-mediterranean","t":"the classical mediterranean greek and roman cities, on both shores three thousand years of the same sea. this route takes in the best-preserved classical cities on either side of the mediterranean — a sicilian cathedral built inside a doric temple, a roman arena still hosting events, and the anatolian coast where more of the greek world survives than in greece. two flights or ferries are unavoidable and are worth it.","w":1.5},{"k":"Journey","n":"The European Heritage Route","s":"20 days","u":"/journeys/european-heritage-route","t":"the european heritage route london to budapest by rail the specification's own suggestion, and a good one: the cathedral-and-capital spine of western and central europe, taken entirely by train. it crosses seven countries and four architectural centuries without ever needing a flight, and every stop on it is a city that once thought of itself as the centre of something.","w":1.5},{"k":"Journey","n":"The Mediterranean Arc","s":"21 days","u":"/journeys/mediterranean-arc","t":"the mediterranean arc barcelona to athens along one sea also from the specification: the northern shore of the mediterranean, followed east. it changes language five times and cuisine about fifteen, and the through-line is a sea that everyone on it has been trading across for three thousand years. ferries and trains for most of it; one flight at the end unless you have a spare week.","w":1.5},{"k":"Journey","n":"The Baltic Crossing","s":"14 days","u":"/journeys/the-baltic-crossing","t":"the baltic crossing four capitals and a sea a short, dense route round the eastern baltic: three capitals that were occupied within living memory and one that was not, joined by ferries that locals use as buses. it is the cheapest good rail-and-boat trip in northern europe and the least travelled by visitors from outside it.","w":1.5},{"k":"Journey","n":"The Danube Line","s":"16 days","u":"/journeys/the-danube-line","t":"the danube line four countries down one river the danube passes through more capitals than any river in the world, and this follows the interesting half of it. cycle path, train and river boat all run alongside each other for most of the way, so the transport is a choice rather than a constraint.","w":1.5},{"k":"Journey","n":"The Iberian Circle","s":"23 days","u":"/journeys/iberian-circle","t":"the iberian circle two countries, one peninsula, no flights a loop rather than a line: down the atlantic, across the moorish south, up the mediterranean and back through the middle. high-speed rail makes the long legs painless and the slow legs are where the trip actually is.","w":1.5},{"k":"Journey","n":"The Carpathian Arc","s":"20 days","u":"/journeys/carpathian-arc","t":"the carpathian arc mountains, monasteries and very few visitors the carpathians run 1,500 kilometres through five countries and almost nobody outside them treats the range as one thing. this does. wooden churches, painted monasteries, hay meadows cut by hand, brown bears, and prices that make western europe look absurd.","w":1.5},{"k":"Journey","n":"The Cold North","s":"18 days","u":"/journeys/the-cold-north","t":"the cold north winter, treated as the reason rather than the problem most of europe's north is sold in summer and is more itself in february. this is a winter route: aurora, snow, saunas, ice and four hours of daylight that are better than most places get in twelve. it needs proper clothing and repays it.","w":1.5},{"k":"Journey","n":"The White South","s":"15 days","u":"/journeys/the-white-villages","t":"the white south andalusia and the maghreb's long shadow eight centuries of islamic rule left more than the alhambra, and this route is the rest of it: the horseshoe arch in the village church, the irrigation channel still running, the word for the vegetable. short legs, hot afternoons, and everything happening after six.","w":1.5},{"k":"Journey","n":"Arctic to Mediterranean","s":"34 days","u":"/journeys/arctic-to-mediterranean","t":"arctic to mediterranean the full length of europe, 69°n to 38°n the specification's flagship, and the longest thing on this site: the whole north-to-south axis of europe, from the midnight sun to the aegean. thirteen stops, eight countries, and roughly 5,000 kilometres of ground. almost all of it can be done by train, which is the argument for taking it slowly rather than flying the middle out. it is a month, and it is honestly a month — anyone selling you this in a fortnight is selling you airports.","w":1.5},{"k":"Theme","n":"Medieval Europe","s":"Walls, guilds and the towns that stopped changing","u":"/themes/medieval-europe","t":"medieval europe walls, guilds and the towns that stopped changing a medieval town survives for one of two reasons: it stayed poor, or it stayed useful. these did one or the other. look for the shape rather than the set pieces — a market square where the roads meet, a wall that a rich century paid for, and a church larger than the population ever justified.","w":1.5},{"k":"Theme","n":"Sacred Europe","s":"Where people have gone on purpose for a thousand years","u":"/themes/sacred-europe","t":"sacred europe where people have gone on purpose for a thousand years pilgrimage built more of europe than any king did: the roads, the bridges, the hostels, the towns that grew where walkers stopped. these places span four christian traditions and are all still in use — which means visiting them means visiting somebody's church rather than a monument.","w":1.5},{"k":"Theme","n":"Viking Europe","s":"Ships, settlements and the places they reached","u":"/themes/viking-europe","t":"viking europe ships, settlements and the places they reached the norse were traders and settlers more often than raiders, and the archaeology says so: ships built for cargo, parliaments held in the open air, and towns founded from dublin to kyiv. these are the places where you can see the evidence rather than the reputation.","w":1.5},{"k":"Theme","n":"Mountain Europe","s":"Eight ranges, one continent","u":"/themes/mountain-europe","t":"mountain europe eight ranges, one continent europe's mountains are not one thing. the alps are high and serviced; the caucasus is higher and barely; the tatras are compressed; the picos end in the sea; the accursed mountains have a blood-feud memory and a trail through three countries. this is the case for treating them as different places rather than one activity.","w":1.5},{"k":"Theme","n":"Roman Europe","s":"The empire, where it is still standing up","u":"/themes/roman-europe","t":"roman europe the empire, where it is still standing up rome's best surviving buildings are mostly not in rome. they are in the provinces, where a later city did not need the stone, or where a cathedral was built inside the temple instead of on top of it. these are the places where the engineering is still doing its job.","w":1.5},{"k":"Theme","n":"Wine Europe","s":"Eight regions that do not taste like each other","u":"/themes/wine-europe","t":"wine europe eight regions that do not taste like each other the interesting wine map of europe is not the famous one. it includes clay vessels buried in georgian courtyards, volcanic vines woven into baskets against aegean wind, and slate slopes on the rhine at sixty degrees. every one of these places will let you taste in the cellar where it was made.","w":1.5},{"k":"Theme","n":"Rail Europe","s":"Journeys where the train is the destination","u":"/themes/rail-europe","t":"rail europe journeys where the train is the destination some lines were built to move slate, ore or salt and are now worth the fare on their own. others were engineering arguments. all of these are scheduled public services rather than tourist excursions, which means you can use them as transport and get the spectacle for the price of a ticket.","w":1.5},{"k":"Theme","n":"Island Europe","s":"Where the ferry timetable is the itinerary","u":"/themes/island-europe","t":"island europe where the ferry timetable is the itinerary an island changes the pace before you arrive, because you have to wait for a boat. these eight are chosen for being genuinely themselves rather than resort annexes — a baltic sand spit, a hebridean distillery island, an adriatic island closed to outsiders until 1989, and a cycladic island that farms.","w":1.5},{"k":"Theme","n":"Jewish Europe","s":"A thousand years, and what remains of it","u":"/themes/jewish-europe","t":"jewish europe a thousand years, and what remains of it jewish communities shaped european cities for a millennium before most of them were destroyed in the twentieth century. these places hold both halves of that: living communities and institutions, and the sites of what happened. they are visited best slowly, with the museums that were built by the communities themselves rather than about them.","w":1.5},{"k":"Theme","n":"Renaissance Europe","s":"Where the money went","u":"/themes/renaissance-europe","t":"renaissance europe where the money went the renaissance happened where banking did, and the buildings are the receipts. these are the city states that funded it and the courts that competed with them — plus the two places that exported the style north and made it something else.","w":1.5},{"k":"Theme","n":"The Grand Tour","s":"The eighteenth-century route, still walkable","u":"/themes/grand-tour-europe","t":"the grand tour the eighteenth-century route, still walkable for two hundred years a wealthy young northern european was sent south to learn taste, and the itinerary barely changed: paris, the alps, the italian cities, ideally greece. the route survives, the coaching inns are hotels, and the trains do in hours what took them weeks.","w":1.5},{"k":"Theme","n":"Thermal Europe","s":"Where the ground is warm","u":"/themes/thermal-europe","t":"thermal europe where the ground is warm europe sits on hot water in more places than people realise, and every culture that found some built something around it: roman baths, ottoman hammams, habsburg spa towns, icelandic municipal pools and a finnish sauna in every building. bathing is the oldest continuous european leisure activity there is.","w":1.5},{"k":"Theme","n":"Modernist Europe","s":"The twentieth century, built","u":"/themes/modernist-europe","t":"modernist europe the twentieth century, built between about 1920 and 1975 europe rebuilt itself twice and argued about how the whole time. these are the places where the argument is still standing: social housing that worked, a manifesto in a house, a city rebuilt from nothing, and one that decided not to be rebuilt at all.","w":1.5},{"k":"Story","n":"The last forest that was never cut","s":"History","u":"/stories/the-last-forest","t":"the last forest that was never cut białowieża has never been logged, which in europe makes it a survivor of something the rest of the continent lost quietly and without noticing. history","w":1.1},{"k":"Story","n":"The bridge that was rebuilt from its own river","s":"People","u":"/stories/the-bridge-that-was-rebuilt","t":"the bridge that was rebuilt from its own river mostar's stari most stood for 427 years, fell in 1993, and came back out of the water it fell into. people","w":1.1},{"k":"Story","n":"What a pilgrimage is for when you do not believe","s":"Faith","u":"/stories/what-a-pilgrimage-is-for","t":"what a pilgrimage is for when you do not believe three hundred thousand people a year walk to santiago. most of them do not describe the reason as religious, and the camino has absorbed that without much difficulty. faith","w":1.1},{"k":"Story","n":"The cheese that explains a country","s":"Food","u":"/stories/the-cheese-that-explains-a-country","t":"the cheese that explains a country you can read a european landscape backwards from what it makes: altitude, rainfall, grass and who owned the land. food","w":1.1},{"k":"Story","n":"The case for going in October","s":"Travel","u":"/stories/europe-in-the-shoulder-season","t":"the case for going in october europe's crowding problem is not the number of visitors. it is that they all arrive in the same eleven places in the same six weeks. travel","w":1.1},{"k":"Story","n":"The languages with no relatives","s":"Culture","u":"/stories/a-language-with-no-relatives","t":"the languages with no relatives basque, hungarian, finnish, georgian and albanian have almost nothing in common except that they do not fit. culture","w":1.1},{"k":"Story","n":"The city rebuilt from paintings","s":"Places","u":"/stories/the-city-that-was-rebuilt-from-paintings","t":"the city rebuilt from paintings warsaw's old town is a reconstruction, and unesco listed it precisely for that. places","w":1.1},{"k":"Story","n":"The ferry is the attraction","s":"Nature","u":"/stories/the-ferry-is-the-attraction","t":"the ferry is the attraction some of europe's best journeys are public transport, priced as public transport, and almost nobody treats them as sightseeing. nature","w":1.1},{"k":"Story","n":"The long walk nobody finishes","s":"Adventure","u":"/stories/the-long-walk-nobody-finishes","t":"the long walk nobody finishes europe has four trails over a thousand kilometres long. almost everyone who starts one stops, and the ones who plan to stop have a better time than the ones who do not. adventure","w":1.1},{"k":"Fund project","n":"Saxon fortified churches, Transylvania","s":"Heritage repair","u":"/fund/saxon-fortified-churches","t":"saxon fortified churches, transylvania around 150 fortified churches were built by german-speaking settlers in transylvania between the 13th and 16th centuries. most of the community that maintained them left after 1990, and the roofs are the first thing to go. roof and gutter work on the smaller village churches that no tour reaches, and salaries for the local key-holders who open them. shingle, tile and lime mortar, applied by masons from the same villages.","w":0.8},{"k":"Fund project","n":"Hay meadows and the people who cut them","s":"Landscape","u":"/fund/hay-meadow-scything","t":"hay meadows and the people who cut them transylvania's hay meadows hold some of the richest plant diversity in europe, and they hold it because they are cut by hand at the right time each year. mechanised cutting destroys them within a decade. scythe blades, peening tools and training weeks, plus a small per-hectare payment that makes hand cutting survivable for families who would otherwise stop.","w":0.8},{"k":"Fund project","n":"Wooden churches of Maramureș","s":"Heritage repair","u":"/fund/wooden-churches-maramures","t":"wooden churches of maramureș shingle-roofed oak churches built without nails, some from the 1600s, in villages of a few hundred people. shingles last about thirty years and the craft of splitting them is held by a handful of people. apprenticeships in shingle splitting, and materials for two roofs a year.","w":0.8},{"k":"Fund project","n":"Sámi-language media and youth programmes","s":"Language","u":"/fund/sami-language-media","t":"sámi-language media and youth programmes there are ten sámi languages and several have fewer than a thousand speakers. media and youth programming in the language does more for its survival than any monument. production support for sámi-language youth media, and residential language weeks for teenagers.","w":0.8},{"k":"Fund project","n":"Dry stone walls, Inis Mór","s":"Landscape","u":"/fund/dry-stone-walls-aran","t":"dry stone walls, inis mór sixteen hundred kilometres of dry stone wall on an island fourteen kilometres long, built to clear the ground and to make soil out of sand and seaweed. they fall down and are rebuilt by hand or not at all. wall-building weeks with island masons, and a small fund for the sections along public paths that visitors damage.","w":0.8},{"k":"Fund project","n":"Coast path erosion, the Lycian Way","s":"Trails","u":"/fund/coast-path-erosion","t":"coast path erosion, the lycian way 540 kilometres of waymarked path opened in 1999, now carrying far more feet than it was built for, across soft limestone and through villages with no maintenance budget. waymark repainting, drainage work on the eroded sections above kabak, and payment to the village households who maintain the stages nearest them.","w":0.8},{"k":"Fund project","n":"Lake Ohrid endemic species monitoring","s":"Landscape","u":"/fund/ohrid-lake-monitoring","t":"lake ohrid endemic species monitoring between three and five million years old, with over sixty species found nowhere else, and under pressure from sewage, water abstraction and shoreline building. monitoring equipment and student stipends, and support for the enforcement of the wild trout ban that restaurants routinely ignore.","w":0.8},{"k":"Fund project","n":"Guesthouse training in the Albanian Alps","s":"Community","u":"/fund/albanian-alps-guesthouses","t":"guesthouse training in the albanian alps the valbona-theth crossing has gone from almost no visitors to thousands a season within a decade, and the money mostly stays local because the beds are family-run. that is fragile and worth protecting. water and waste systems for village guesthouses, first aid and mountain safety training, and a shared booking system that is not owned by a platform.","w":0.8},{"k":"Fund project","n":"Sephardic Thessaloniki, documented","s":"Memory","u":"/fund/sephardic-thessaloniki","t":"sephardic thessaloniki, documented thessaloniki was a majority-sephardic city for four centuries. almost the entire community was deported in 1943. the documentation of what was there is held in fragments across several countries. archival digitisation, translation of ladino material, and school programmes in the city itself.","w":0.8},{"k":"Fund project","n":"Qvevri makers, Kakheti","s":"Craft","u":"/fund/qvevri-apprenticeship","t":"qvevri makers, kakheti the clay vessels georgian wine ferments in are made by a handful of families. the technique is on the unesco intangible heritage list and the number of working makers is in single figures. apprentice stipends, kiln repair, and a survey of the surviving clay sources.","w":0.8},{"k":"Fund project","n":"Wadden Sea mudflat guiding","s":"Trails","u":"/fund/wadden-sea-mudflat-guides","t":"wadden sea mudflat guiding walking the exposed sea floor at low tide requires a guide who knows the channels and the tide tables, and the licensing and training of those guides is entirely voluntary work. training and licensing costs for new guides, and safety equipment for the routes to ameland and schiermonnikoog.","w":0.8},{"k":"Fund project","n":"Bear coexistence in the Carpathians","s":"Landscape","u":"/fund/bear-coexistence-carpathians","t":"bear coexistence in the carpathians romania holds most of europe's brown bears. conflict with people rises every year, driven largely by roadside feeding and unsecured rubbish, and the animals lose that argument. bear-proof bins in mountain villages, electric fencing for smallholders' orchards, and the field staff who install both.","w":0.8},{"k":"Interest","n":"History & ruins","s":"Everywhere tagged for it","u":"/interests/history","t":"history & ruins history","w":1.3},{"k":"Interest","n":"Art & museums","s":"Everywhere tagged for it","u":"/interests/art","t":"art & museums art","w":1.3},{"k":"Interest","n":"Architecture","s":"Everywhere tagged for it","u":"/interests/architecture","t":"architecture architecture","w":1.3},{"k":"Interest","n":"Sacred places","s":"Everywhere tagged for it","u":"/interests/sacred","t":"sacred places sacred","w":1.3},{"k":"Interest","n":"Food","s":"Everywhere tagged for it","u":"/interests/food","t":"food food","w":1.3},{"k":"Interest","n":"Wine & drink","s":"Everywhere tagged for it","u":"/interests/wine","t":"wine & drink 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