Europe Travel Guide

France needs little introduction. Paris alone — with the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and some of the best restaurants on earth — justifies a transatlantic flight. But France rewards those who venture further. Provence rolls with lavender fields in June and July. The Loire Valley is a string of fairy-tale châteaux. The French Riviera offers glamour and turquoise water from Nice to Cannes. Lyon is a food capital that rivals Paris. Bordeaux and Burgundy are the world's great wine regions. Budget travelers can self-cater and use the exceptional rail network, while luxury travelers are spoiled for choice from palace hotels to Michelin-starred kitchens. France suits every travel style and every season.

Italy is a country that rewards slow travel. Rome alone contains more ancient history than most nations — the Colosseum, the Forum, the Vatican, and the Pantheon are all walkable from the city center. Florence is the cradle of the Renaissance, home to Michelangelo's David and the Uffizi Gallery. Venice is unlike anywhere on earth: a labyrinth of canals, bridges, and baroque churches built on a lagoon. The Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre offer dramatic clifftop villages above impossibly blue water. The Italian Lakes — Como, Garda, Maggiore — are serene and cinematic. And then there is the food: pasta, pizza, risotto, and gelato that taste nothing like their imitations abroad. Italy is one of the world's most-visited countries for good reason.

Spain is Europe's sunniest major country and one of its most diverse. Barcelona combines Gaudí's extraordinary architecture with a beach, a food market, and a nightlife scene that runs until dawn. Madrid is a walkable capital of world-class museums — the Prado, the Reina Sofía, the Thyssen — surrounded by tapas bars and terraces. Seville brings Andalusian flamenco, Moorish palaces, and orange-blossom-scented streets. San Sebastián in the Basque Country has arguably the world's highest density of Michelin stars per capita. The Balearic Islands (Ibiza, Mallorca, Menorca) and the Canary Islands extend the sunny season year-round. Spain's high-speed rail network connects cities at low cost, making a multi-city trip easy and affordable. Few countries balance value with quality as well as Spain.

Greece rewards visitors with one of the richest combinations of history and natural beauty in the world. Athens anchors any trip — the Acropolis and the National Archaeological Museum are unmissable. But the Greek islands are what most visitors dream of. Santorini's caldera views at sunset are one of travel's iconic images. Mykonos balances beach-club glamour with charming old-town lanes. Crete is an island-country in itself: gorges, beaches, Minoan ruins, and superb food. The Ionian Islands (Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos) offer lush greenery and emerald water. Rhodes balances medieval walled city with long sandy beaches. The shoulder months of May and October offer warm weather, manageable crowds, and significantly lower prices than July and August.

Portugal has become one of Europe's most talked-about destinations, and for good reason. Lisbon is a hilly, pastel-coloured city of trams, azulejo tiles, fado music, and some of the best pastries on the continent. Porto, two hours north, is a dramatic city of wine cellars, baroque churches, and the Douro River lined with port-wine lodges. The Algarve in the south offers dramatic sea-stack beaches and warm water from April to October. The Alentejo wine region to the east is Portugal's answer to Tuscany — olive groves, cork forests, and hilltop villages. The Douro Valley, accessible by river cruise or scenic train, is a UNESCO-listed landscape of terraced vineyards. Sintra, half an hour from Lisbon, is a UNESCO World Heritage site of palaces and forested hills. Portugal remains excellent value by western European standards.

Germany is a country of enormous contrasts that often surprises visitors expecting only lederhosen and Oktoberfest. Berlin is one of Europe's most creative and historically charged cities — the Wall, the Brandenburg Gate, the museum island, and a nightlife scene with no equal in Europe. Munich blends Bavarian tradition with modern cosmopolitan life, and its day-trip options include Neuschwanstein Castle and the Bavarian Alps. The Rhine Valley between Cologne and Mainz is a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of castle-topped hills and medieval towns. Hamburg's harbor and warehouse district (Speicherstadt) are unexpectedly beautiful. The Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg offers hiking, cuckoo clocks, and the original Black Forest cake. In December, German Christmas markets — Nuremberg, Cologne, Dresden, Strasbourg nearby — are among Europe's most magical seasonal experiences.