Home > Travel > Top European Destinations

The Top 10 European Travel Destinations

With so many European travel spots to see, planning a European vacation might seem a bit overwhelming. However, with a little planning and forethought you can see many of the top European destinations on your holiday.

Here's a list of the top ten European travel destinations:

Florence, Italy
Florence possesses culture, art, fine food, wine and architecture. Here are just a few of the must-see places in Florence:

• The Ponte Vecchio
• Santa Croce church
• Santa Maria del Fiore
• Santo Spirito church
• Uffizi Galleries.

As a plus, you can walk to see many of the sites in this top European destination.

Rome, Italy
Rome is Italy's capital city and is located in the Lazio region.While on a vacation in Rome, you may want to explore the structures of the Roman Empire, such as the Colosseum, the Pantheon and the Roman Forum. If you enjoy museums, try the Galleria Borghese or the Villa Giulia. There are many beautiful Roman Catholic churches for your enjoyment. You'll want to stop at the following:

• San Carlo alla Quattro Fontane
• Sant' Ivo della Sapienza
• St. Pietro.

Venice, Italy
Venice, Italy, is located on a lagoon. Therefore, besides walking, tourists can use water transportation to get around. Tourists will definitely want to take in a gondola ride while visiting this top European travel destination. You may wish to visit the following sights while touring Venice:

• Jewish Ghetto of Venice
• Piazza San Marco
• Rialto bridge
• Saint Mark's Basilica.

Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul is the most populous city in Turkey and is the country's economic and cultural center. When planning a trip to Istanbul, be sure to include the following attractions on your list of must-see spots:

• Basilica Cistern
• Haghia Sofia
• Sultanahmet mosque
• Topkapi Palace.

While in Istanbul, you also must experience a Turkish bath, the Middle Eastern alternative to a steam bath.

Paris, France
When you think of Paris, you may think of romance. While romance is abundant in Paris, the city also offers many other elements, including:

• art
• culture
• design
• fashion
• food.

One thing to remember when traveling in Paris is that you can buy a prepaid entry card to visit more than 70 of the city's monuments and museums. You may purchase one of these cards and use it over a period of either two, four or six days.

No trip to Paris would be complete without seeing the following attractions:

• Chateau de Versailles
• Eiffel Tower
• Notre Dame Cathedral
• Pantheon
• Pere-Lachaise Cemetery
• The Louvre.

Movies are also a Paris highlight, and the city hosts several weekly film festivals.

If you enjoy drinking, Paris is a delight, because it contains the most bars in the world.

Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona, Spain, features historic architecture and has been a popular tourist location since the 1990s. Barcelona is Spain's second largest city and is the capital of Catalonia. There are a number of festivals that may interest you during your visit to Barcelona, including:

• Festes de Gracia
• Festes de la Merce
• Feste fe Sants.

If you are interested in architecture, you might want to check out the following spots:

• La Casa Batllo
• La Pedrera/Casa Mila
• Para Guell
• Sagrada Familia.

For museum enthusiasts, try The Museum of the City of Barcelona, Joan Miro Museum and the MHI (Catalonia's Museum of History).

Bike lovers will certainly want to participate in The Fat Tire Bike Tour.

Bruges, Belgium
Bruges, Belgium, is located in northern Belgium. It is a beautiful city that possesses a circling canal.

While visiting Bruges, you may want to visit the Groeninge museum and the Basilica of the Holy Blood. You may also want to tour the city on a boat or via horse-drawn buggies, although some tours can get a bit pricey.

Chocolate and beer are popular items in Bruges, but you'll want to avoid the high-price shops and purchase the items from a local supermarket instead.

Salzburg, Austria
Many people know Salzburg, Austria, from the movie The Sound of Music. It is also Mozart's birthplace. Some possible attractions to see during your Salzburg vacation include:

• Getreidegasse 
• Hohenssalzburg Fortress
• Mozarts Geburtshaus
• Schloss Hellbrunn.

Siena, Italy
Siena, Italy, is a small city in the northern part of Italy and is located about 43 miles south of Florence. One of the city's claims to fame is the Il Palio horse race, which is held twice during the summer. While vacationing at this European travel spot, you may want to visit:

• The Duomo
• The Palazzo Pubblico
• The Palazzo Salimbeni
• The Piazza del Campo.

Vienna, Austria
Vienna is both the largest city in Austria as well as the country's capital. Coffee is quite popular in the city, so you'll have to include a trip to a Kaffeehaus on your Vienna vacation. There are many museums in Vienna, including:

• Kunsthistorisches
• Schatzkammer
• The New Palace.

You may also wish to visit the following spots:

• Austrian National Library
• Haus des Meeres Aquarium Zoo
• Karlskirche
• Parliament.

You should also include a trip to the Naschmarkt (market) while in Vienna or take a river or canal tour.