Discover the age-old continent through these Europe travel stories, its curious, unsung places as well as its more familiar spots.
You may notice a few countries that may not traditionally be considered European. Europe’s borders are never easy to define. So I’ve decided to go by the old definition I learned in school: In the east, Europe ends at the Ural Mountains. That means the Caucasian countries are part of Europe, according to Sophie’s World. This is probably also according to the countries themselves: they are all members of the Council of Europe and cooperate with the European Union with a view to future membership. Also, they all countries participate in the Eurovision Song Contest; can’t argue with that.
- Albania
- Andorra
- Armenia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- British Isles
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Cyprus
- Denmark
- Faroe Islands
- Greenland
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Holy See (Vatican)
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Kosovo
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russia
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Türkiye
- Ukraine
Latest Europe travel stories
Enigmatic Stonehenge (Day out London)
Seeing the sun rise at Stonehenge, walking within the circle in the morning mist, touching the stones still cold from the night: pure magic.
Mysterious Hay-on-Wye (Day out Birmingham)
Apart from having a wonderful castle, Hay-on-Wye in Wales is a book town. The little town has a population of 1500 - and 30 bookshops!
Magical Portmeirion (Day out Liverpool)
Enter Portmeirion through a michelangelesque archway. After that everything is magic: a piazza with a pool, a fountain, golden statues...
Llandudno and Conwy (Day out Liverpool)
On the northern coast of Wales are the towns of Llandudno and Conwy. We roamed about both towns for a day. The verdict: We'll be back.
North Wales – first impressions
North Wales is beautiful and mystical and I adore it. Our introduction to Wales was the green, gorgeous Snowdonia National Park at sunset.
New UNESCO World Heritage Sites – and German site delisted
Last week, UNESCO decided on new properties for its World Heritage list, properties to place on the danger list and even one to delist.
Inviting Ivancea (Day out Chisinau)
On the way back to Chisinau, our driver, Boris, stops by his house and invites us in. We're about 15 km from the cave monastery at Orheiul Vechi in a little village called Ivancea, populated by Ukrainians since medieval times. Ukrainian, rather than Moldovan, is the local language. The house is cosy. Outdoors, fruit and vegetables abound. Behind [...]
Orheiul Vechi, the Cave Monastery (Day out Chisinau)
The Cultural Landscape at Orheiul Vechi is on UNESCO's Tentative list and is being considered for inclusion on the World Heritage List.
Chic Chisinau
Chisinau is probably one of Europe's least known capitals. It's a walkable city, or alternatively, the bus service is frequent and cheap.
Back in the USSR – Time travelling in Transdniestr
The peculiar little non-existing country Transdniestr is a different world; a memorial to the Soviet era, a living museum of times gone by.
Art Nouveau in Riga
I first visited Riga in 1992, shortly following the break-up of the Soviet Union. Today's Riga is an entirely different story.
Elvis of the Balkans
Tose Proeski performed Macedonia's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004 and was named by the BBC as the Elvis of the Balkans.
