Europe
Regions in Europe
Albania is a small country in the Balkans. It shares borders with Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, and Montenegro. While the relative majority of the people in Albania are of Muslim heritage (60-65...
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Andorra is a small (pop. 73,100, size 464 km squared), mountainous country in the Pyrenees mountains in Europe, and is on the Iberian Peninsula, on the border between France and Spain, in Southern Europe....
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Armenia is the only country remaining from the 3,000 year old maps of Anatolia. It became the world’s first Christian country more than 1,700 years ago in 301 AD, and has a large Diaspora all over the world....
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If you are what you eat, then Austria is its Sachertorte. Like the famous Viennese chocolate cake, Austria consists of two dense, sweet layers that when combined leave a satisfying, lingering taste for...
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Originally part of Kievan Rus, Belarus was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until the Polish Partitions in the 18th century. After over a hundred years of Russian rule followed by seven decades...
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Despite what you’ve heard, Belgium isn’t all about chocolate and beer. The well-rounded country also touts an impressive array of medieval time-warps, ornamental Art Nouveau, and passionate freedom fighters....
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Bosnia and Herzegovina is a European country located on the Balkan peninsula. It was formerly part of Yugoslavia but gained independence in 1992. It borders Croatia to the north, west and southwest, Serbia...
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Bulgaria, which was founded in 681 A.D., is the oldest state in Europe, but its roots reach far deeper into the past. In tombs adorned with frescoes and bas-reliefs in the Valley of the Kings, archaeologists...
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Until recently, July and August in Croatia belonged to German and Italian tourists, who clogged border crossings in their annual "migration" to the country's endless beaches and clear blue sea. Today, the...
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Cyprus gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1960. Despite a constitution which guaranteed a degree of power-sharing between the Greek Cypriot majority and the Turkish Cypriot minority, the two...
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If the Czech Republic is the crown of Central Europe, it is indeed a crown of many jewels. After centuries of struggling for independence and with identity (think: Germany, Kafka, Havel), Czech has emerged...
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Home of Hans Christian Anderson, Denmark is truly a land of fairy tales. A quick glance at the most basic of stats reveals a nation with a rich, cultural history (once upon a time, the Vikings...) and a progressive,...
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Estonia is a Baltic gem offering visitors the chance to see an ex-Soviet occupied country that is now proudly part of the European Union. Traces of the Soviet era are still there to be seen — e.g. Paldiski,...
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Finland feels like a fairy tale. And not just that one about the bearded guy in a red suit, flying around delivering presents one night a year. Golden summers and deep dark winters, untouched forests and tech-savvy...
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If you have an itch for travel, we can be pretty sure France is somewhere on your itinerary. The most popular tourist destination in the world, France lures visitors with its legendary landmarks, its world-class...
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Georgia is a land filled with magnificent history and unparalleled natural beauty. Archaeologists have found the oldest traces of wine production (7000-5000 BC) in Georgia. Much of the West gets precious little...
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Alemania, Tyskland, Niemcy —if Germany’s many names say anything, it’s that the country is far from homogenous. While you may be thinking lederhosen and beer steins, visitors soon discover Germany to...
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Where else would you find a town that is also a country? Gibraltar is only 5.8 sq. km (2 1/4 sq. miles) in size, but it has its own airport, currency, postage stamps, newspapers, radio, TV, naval and military...
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Don’t let its stereotypes fool you—Greece is more than crumbling monuments and crumbly cheese. Greece is as much a vibrantly diverse, modern European country as it is a cradle of ancient culture. One of...
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There are a million ways to dissect Hungary. Seated right where Central meets Eastern Europe, split in half by the Danube river, and informally divided into five regions (Budapest and the surrounding areas;...
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On each trip to Iceland, we are always struck by how often other travelers are -- or intend to be -- repeat visitors. Many come year after year, never exhausting Iceland's endless variations of magnificent...
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Pubs and spuds and lots of green—the Emerald Isle lures you in with its idyllic countryside and boisterous charisma. More visitors than residents come every year to experience Ireland’s ancient Celtic sites,...
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History—there, we said it. No other country in the world touts more UNESCO World Heritage sites than Italy. But while museums and the Colosseum may draw you in, it’s the infectiously dynamic Italian spirit...
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Latvia one of the three Baltic states, and its most famous travel spot is the capital Riga, a World Heritage Site. There are also many other great places to see, both urban and rural, such as Liepaja with...
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The smallest German speaking country in the world, Liechtenstein is often overlooked. But its size should be no indicator of its possibilities. Bordered by Switzerland and Austria, it’s no surprise that Lichtenstein...
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Lithuania is the only Baltic country with nearly eight hundred years of statehood tradition. Wedged at the dividing line of Western and Eastern civilizations, Lithuania battled dramatically for its independence...
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Once upon a time, there was a country called Luxembourg. It had castles and forests, valleys and rivers, dramatic views and picturesque villages—everything except dragons and fairies. Nestled into the heart...
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While easily accessible from all points abroad, and boasting all the amenities of the Western world, the Republic of Macedonia remains one of Europe’s last undiscovered countries, a natural paradise of...
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Governed by Arabs, Sicilians, Greeks and British (just to name a few), over the course of it’s 7,000 year history, you’d think Malta must be suffering from some sort of identity crisis. On the contrary;...
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The capital of Moldova is Chişinău. The local language is Romanian, based on the Latin alphabet, but Russian is widely used. Moldova is a multi-ethnic republic that has suffered from violent ethnic conflict....
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The outspoken Katharine Hepburn once called Monaco "a pimple on the chin of the south of France." She wasn't referring to the principality's lack of beauty, but rather to the preposterous idea of having a...
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Montenegro is a tiny seaside Balkan nation. Its tourism has suffered greatly from Yugoslavia's tragic civil war in the 1990's. In recent years, along with the stabilized situation in the region, tourism in...
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What other country can feel like the middle of nowhere and the top of the world, while simultaneously being the wealthiest and most peaceful nation in the world? Does such a place even exist? In...
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With a history as large and complex as its size, Poland epitomizes “East meets West.” And “rural meets urban,” “modern meets traditional”… you get the idea. And while Poland certainly has the...
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You don’t have to listen very hard to hear whispers of the old world in Portugal. Moorish castles, sleepy villages and magical port towns all speak of times gone by, with a former charm no longer palpable...
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On a visit to Bucharest, Tolstoy noted that Romanians had a "sad destiny," his observation no doubt based on a strong sense of their troubled past -- Romania's soul is tormented by history, its loveliness...
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Yes, it’s big. And a little imposing. But don’t let the daunting size, challenging language or arduous visa process keep you from venturing into one of Europe’s most fascinating and yet-to-be-overrun-with-tourists...
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Serbia is defined by its beautiful landscapes...from the plains of Vojvodina to the mountain lakes, and distinct Balkan culture, Serbia is a country going through a re-birth after a decade of senseless religious...
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Slovakia's humble tourism motto, "A Part of Europe Worth Visiting," seems to sum up the country's rather modest ambitions when it comes to luring visitors. Just barely a teenager -- Slovakia became an independent...
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It's been referred to as a pocket-size country, but Slovenia is perhaps more justly thought of as Europe's first "boutique destination." Crammed with jaw-dropping scenery and packing in more history than...
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To the sun-starved, the siesta-deprived, the tapas-hungry: this is for you. Spain’s cities drenched in history; fabled coastlines; and salivating mix of seafood, bar bites, and great wine have lured visitors...
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Roughly the size of California, Sweden has some 280,000 sq. km (108,109 sq. miles) of landmass, bordering Finland to its northeast and Norway to its west. As the northern end creeps over the Arctic Circle,...
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Where else can you be in three places at once? Switzerland can best be described as the sum of its parts – one cup each of French, German, Italian, and a generous dollop of Romansch. While visitors may feel...
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Tolerance is a beautiful thing. In the Netherlands, it’s a tall, cultured, bicycle-ridding beautiful thing. The small, flat country has attained larger-than-life status through its famously liberal attitudes...
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First-time visitors to Turkey (or anywhere, for that matter) often leave home with preconceived notions about what their destination will be like. But Turkey represents many, often contradictory things:...
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The Ukraine's history is long and proud. Kyivan Rus was the most powerful state in Medieval Europe. While this state fell prey to Mongol conquest, the western part of Ukraine became part of the Polish-Lithuanian...
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Castles and cosmopolitanism—nowhere else combines the two quite like the United Kingdom. Where else do you find prehistoric sites like Stonehenge, Roman relics like Hadrian’s Wall, medieval monuments like...
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