Countries &Places to Visit

Why these ten countries

Europe rewards travellers who plan with intention. The ten countries in this guide span the continent's great range — Mediterranean coastlines, Alpine peaks, Atlantic cliffs, Arctic light and some of the world's most visited cities — yet each is compact enough that a well-chosen route can combine two or three of them in a single trip.

Rather than rank destinations, we describe what each place is like to be in: its rhythm, its crowds, its strengths and the compromises you should expect. Use these portraits to decide where your time is best spent.

The ten countries

France

Paris is the obvious beginning, and deservedly so. The Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum anchor most first visits, but the city's real pleasure lies between the landmarks — neighbourhood markets, walks along the Seine and long café lunches. The French Riviera trades grand boulevards for pastel harbour towns set between sea and mountains, while Mont Saint-Michel, the abbey-crowned tidal island off Normandy, is one of the most striking sights in Western Europe. Stay a night nearby to see it after the day visitors have gone.

Italy

Italy asks for more time than most visitors give it. Rome layers ancient ruins such as the Colosseum beneath baroque piazzas, and Vatican City — the world's smallest independent state — sits entirely within it, home to St Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums. Florence, cradle of the Renaissance, is remarkably walkable; Venice, built on a lagoon, is best in the early morning or late evening. For coast, the Amalfi Coast strings villages such as Positano, Amalfi and Ravello along dramatic cliffs.

Spain

Barcelona pairs Mediterranean beaches with Antoni Gaudí's architecture, above all the Sagrada Família, a basilica whose construction began in the 1880s and has continued for generations. Madrid is the cultural capital, with the Prado Museum and a famously late dining culture. Seville is the heart of Andalusia — orange trees, flamenco, the Real Alcázar and a vast Gothic cathedral — while the Costa del Sol around Málaga offers relaxed, sun-focused resort living.

Greece

Athens is where ideas about democracy and philosophy took shape, and the Acropolis still commands its skyline. Island-hopping is the classic Greek experience: Santorini for volcanic caldera views and cliff-top villages, Mykonos for whitewashed lanes, windmills and nightlife, and Crete — the largest Greek island — for Minoan history at Knossos, mountain gorges and a distinctive food culture.

Switzerland

Efficient, immaculate and spectacular. Zurich combines a medieval old town with a lakeside setting; Lucerne, with its wooden Chapel Bridge, is one of Europe's most photogenic small cities. Interlaken, between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, is the gateway to the Jungfrau region of the Swiss Alps, and the shores of Lake Geneva link Geneva, Lausanne and Montreux, with vineyard terraces running down to the water.

Austria

Vienna is imperial grandeur at human scale — opera, coffee houses and the Habsburg splendour of Schönbrunn Palace. Salzburg, Mozart's birthplace, sits beneath a hilltop fortress; Hallstatt is a tiny lakeside village of postcard fame; and Innsbruck, capital of the Tyrol, is where city streets meet serious mountains.

Portugal

Lisbon spills over its hills with vintage trams, tiled façades and miradouros (viewpoints) at every turn, while Sintra, a short trip away, hides romantic palaces in forested hills. Porto, on the Douro River, is known for its port wine cellars and riverside old town. The Algarve delivers golden cliffs and sea caves, and Madeira, an Atlantic island, is a walker's paradise of levada trails and subtropical gardens.

Netherlands

Amsterdam's canal ring is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Rijksmuseum holds masterpieces by Rembrandt and Vermeer. In spring, the gardens of Keukenhof erupt in tulips. Rotterdam is the country's showcase of bold modern architecture, and Giethoorn — thatched farmhouses linked by canals and footbridges — feels a world away from city life.

Norway

Oslo pairs a striking waterfront opera house with excellent museums. Bergen, with its colourful Bryggen wharf, is the classic gateway to the Norwegian Fjords. North of the Arctic Circle, Tromsø is a base for the northern lights in winter and the midnight sun in summer, while the Lofoten Islands offer jagged peaks, red fishing cabins and some of Europe's most dramatic scenery.

Croatia

Dubrovnik's intact medieval walls are the country's signature sight. Split has grown within and around the Roman-era Diocletian's Palace. Inland, Plitvice Lakes National Park is a chain of terraced lakes and waterfalls; offshore, Hvar mixes lavender fields, historic towns and lively harbours. The whole Dalmatian Coast rewards slow travel by ferry and car.

Compare at a glance

Choosing your places to visit

Start with a theme rather than a map. If art and history lead, Paris, Rome, Florence, Vienna and Amsterdam form a natural core. For landscapes, look to the Swiss Alps, the Norwegian Fjords, the Lofoten Islands and Plitvice Lakes. For sun and sea, the Greek islands, the Algarve, the Amalfi Coast and the Dalmatian Coast lead the way.

Then pair by geography. Switzerland, Austria and northern Italy link neatly by rail; Spain and Portugal share the Iberian Peninsula; Croatia and Greece combine well for a coastal summer. Norway usually works best as a trip of its own.

Three countries in two weeks feels like travel. Six feels like transit.