Best Places for Family Vacations in Europe

It may have a ruined cathedral and a grand university—the oldest in Scotland—but the modern claim to fame for St. Andrews is mainly its status as the home of golf. Forget that Scottish kings were crowned here, or that John Knox preached here... Read more

Ever since Killarney was first "discovered" by William Thackeray and Sir Walter Scott, visitors have been searching for superlatives to describe the deep blue lakes, dark green forests, and purple mountainsides of this romantic region. Perhaps it was no... Read more

Iceland is one of the most dramatic natural spectacles on the planet. It is a land of dazzling white glaciers and black sands, blue hot springs, rugged lava fields, and green, green valleys. This North Atlantic island offers insight into the ferocious... Read more

The capital, perched on a bluff at the confluence of the Pétrusse and Alzette rivers, goes by the same name as the country—Lëtzebuerg in Luxembourgish. When Luxembourgers themselves refer to visiting the capital, they merely say they... Read more

Izmir may not have immediate appeal, but if you take a few days to explore, you'll come to appreciate the diverse architecture, fascinating ruins, and interesting museums that give this coastal Turkish city its edge. Despite the rapid growth of the past... Read more

Fir-clad mountains, rocky peaks, lederhosen, and geranium-covered houses: the Bavarian Alps come closest to what many of us envision as "Germany." Quaint towns full of frescoed half-timber houses covered in snow pop up among the mountain peaks and shimmering... Read more

The whole Eastern Alps region is dramatic countryside, with breathtaking scenery and great winter sports equal to those in Switzerland. Here majestic peaks, many well over 9,750 feet, soar above slow-moving glaciers that give way to sweeping Alpine meadows... Read more

Hanging like a large leaf from the stem of the Corinthian Isthmus, the Peloponnese has also been called Morea, which means mulberry leaf. This slight botanical variance is nothing compared to the bewildering variety of imposing ruins, situated in equally... Read more

With an average of 320 days of sunshine a year, Spain's Costa del Sol well deserves its name, "the Sunshine Coast." It's no wonder much of the coast has become built up with resorts and high-rise hotels. Don't despair, though, you can still find some classic... Read more

The vast, mountainous domain of northeastern Italy, unlike other celebrated Alpine regions, has remained relatively undeveloped. Strange, rocky pinnacles jut straight up like chimneys, looming over scattered, pristine mountain lakes. Below, rivers meander... Read more

"Charming" and "breathtaking" are adjectives that get a workout when you're traveling in Italy, but it's rare that both apply to a single location. The Cinque Terre is such a place, and this combination of characteristics goes a long way toward explaining... Read more

As you approach Provence there's a magical moment when you finally leave the north behind: cypresses and red-tile roofs appear; you hear the screech of cicadas and breathe the scent of wild thyme and lavender. Along the highway, oleanders bloom against... Read more

The lyricism of England's emotional and geographical heartland is found in the remote, half-timber market towns of the Welsh borders and the bucolic villages of Warwickshire. It melts away around the edges of one of the country's most culturally vibrant... Read more

Art lovers call Salzburg the Golden City of High Baroque; historians refer to it as the Florence of the North or the German Rome; and, of course, music lovers know it as the birthplace of one of the world's most beloved composers, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart... Read more

The banks of the Rhine are crowned by magnificent castle after castle and by breathtaking, vine-terraced hills that provide the livelihood for many of the villages hugging the shores. In the words of French poet Victor Hugo, "The Rhine combines everything... Read more