Europe

Ancient Stones, Open Seas

Independent travel guides for Europe. Routes, budgets, climate windows, and the practical details that make the difference between a good trip and a great one.

Country Guides

From Atlantic islands to Arctic volcanoes and Mediterranean coastlines.

Dubrovnik old town walls overlooking the Adriatic Sea

Croatia

Adriatic coastline, Dubrovnik's city walls, Plitvice waterfalls, island-hopping routes and affordable Mediterranean living.

EUR currency Best: May–Sep Capital: Zagreb
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Eiffel Tower at sunset with golden Parisian skyline

France

World-class cuisine, Alpine peaks, Mediterranean coast, 49 UNESCO sites and the TGV connecting it all.

EUR currency Best: May–Jun & Sep Capital: Paris
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Neuschwanstein Castle surrounded by Bavarian Alps

Germany

Beer gardens, fairy-tale castles, Alpine peaks, 52 UNESCO sites and the €49 Deutschland-Ticket connecting it all by rail.

EUR currency Best: May–Jun & Sep–Oct Capital: Berlin
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White-washed Santorini buildings cascading toward the deep blue Aegean

Greece

Acropolis ruins, Aegean island-hopping, olive groves, taverna nights and 6,000 years of civilisation at every turn.

EUR currency Best: Apr–Jun & Sep–Oct Capital: Athens
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Massive icebergs floating in a Greenland fjord

Greenland

Icebergs, Arctic wildlife, Inuit culture, and the most remote long-distance hikes on Earth across the world's largest island.

DKK currency Best: Jun–Sep Capital: Nuuk
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Dramatic Icelandic landscape with waterfalls and volcanic terrain

Iceland

Volcanoes, glaciers, hot springs and waterfalls along the Ring Road, with Northern Lights in winter and midnight sun in summer.

ISK currency Best: Jun–Aug Capital: Reykjavík
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Dramatic green Irish coastline with cliffs and Atlantic Ocean

Ireland

Wild Atlantic cliffs, ancient passage tombs, traditional pub sessions and impossibly green countryside across the whole island.

EUR / GBP currency Best: May–Sep Capital: Dublin
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Italy countryside and historic architecture

Italy

Ancient ruins, Renaissance art, regional cuisine and Mediterranean coastlines across 20 distinct regions.

EUR currency Best: Apr–Jun & Sep–Oct Capital: Rome
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Madeira volcanic coastline

Madeira

Volcanic peaks, levada walks through ancient laurel forest, and year-round mild weather on Portugal's Atlantic island.

EUR currency Best: Apr–Oct Capital: Funchal
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Amsterdam canal houses with boats on the water

Netherlands

World-class museums, 37,000 km of cycle paths, canal-laced cities, Wadden Sea wildlife and the Museumkaart unlocking 400+ venues.

EUR currency Best: Apr–Jun & Sep Capital: Amsterdam
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Norwegian fjord with steep green cliffs and calm blue water

Norway

Deep fjords, midnight sun, Northern Lights, stave churches, and some of Europe's most dramatic coastal scenery.

NOK currency Best: Jun–Aug Capital: Oslo
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Lisbon tram climbing through narrow hillside streets

Portugal

Pasteis de nata, port wine, Atlantic surf, fado music and 17 UNESCO sites from Lisbon to the Azores.

EUR currency Best: Apr–Jun & Sep–Oct Capital: Lisbon
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Alhambra palace with Sierra Nevada mountains behind

Spain

Tapas, flamenco, Moorish palaces, Mediterranean beaches and fiesta culture across 17 autonomous communities.

EUR currency Best: Apr–Jun & Sep–Oct Capital: Madrid
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Stockholm old town Gamla Stan waterfront at golden hour

Sweden

Stockholm archipelago, Lapland wilderness, design culture, midsummer celebrations and fika coffee breaks across four seasons.

SEK currency Best: Jun–Aug Capital: Stockholm
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Historic London skyline with the Thames and Tower Bridge

United Kingdom

Historic cities, rolling countryside, Scottish Highlands, Welsh castles and a pub on every corner across four distinct nations.

GBP currency Best: May–Sep Capital: London
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About the Europe Guides

Europe is a continent of short distances and long histories. You can cross three countries in a day by train, hear four languages before lunch, and find entirely different landscapes around every bend. That density is what makes it rewarding for independent travelers who like to move at their own pace.

Our European coverage includes Croatia, with its Adriatic coastline and Dubrovnik's famous walls, France, from Parisian boulevards to Alpine peaks and Mediterranean lavender fields, Germany, with fairy-tale castles, beer gardens, Christmas markets, and one of Europe's best rail networks, Greece, where ancient ruins meet Aegean island-hopping, Greenland, with icebergs and Arctic hikes on the world's largest island, Iceland, where volcanoes and glaciers share an island ringed by waterfalls and hot springs, Italy, with its 20 regions of art, food, and coastal beauty, Portugal, from the tiled streets of Lisbon to the Douro Valley vineyards, its Atlantic island of Madeira where hikers trade beach resorts for mountain ridges and ancient laurel forest, the Netherlands, with canal-laced cities and world-class cycling, Norway, where deep fjords meet midnight sun, Spain, with tapas trails, Moorish palaces, and Mediterranean coast stretching across 17 autonomous communities, and Sweden, from Stockholm's archipelago to Lapland wilderness.

If you are planning a trip that spans multiple countries, the planning tools above work across all destinations we cover.