Best Places to Visit in Europe This Fall

Spain conjures images of flamenco dancers, café-lined plazas, white hillside villages, and soaring cathedrals. Beyond these traditional associations, this modern country offers top-notch art museums, inventive cuisine, and exciting nightlife. From the... Read more

In modern Turkey, the legacy of centuries of history coexists with progressive and contemporary culture. Exciting Istanbul spans Europe and Asia: here, upscale eateries and swanky nightclubs are squeezed between Byzantine and Ottoman structures, with... Read more

Italy is the kind of destination that travelers return to over and over. They come for awe-inspiring art and architecture that influenced Western civilization, and stunning historical ruins—as well as for some of the world's best food and wine. Also beckoning... Read more

It is a fabled land of unmatched food and sublime wine that has inspired many to gasp in satisfied contentment—“We all have two countries—our own and France!” But it is not just a country for those who worship at the altar of gastronomy. The sheer beauty... Read more

It's a Celtic mystery: how can a country as small as Ireland be packed with so much majestic history, natural beauty, vibrant culture, and, of course, fun? Norman castles overlook wild, empty beaches, Georgian country houses host impromptu traditional... Read more

Scotland has astonishing variety, even within a small area. North Sea to Irish Sea, Highlands to Lowlands, the landscapes of Scotland—lush woodlands, windswept moors, lochs as deep as the imagination—may take your breath away. Edinburgh is a gloriously... Read more

The paradox of Switzerland pitches rustic friendliness against high-tech urban efficiency. While the crude harmony of cowbells echoes in the velvet mountain pastures of the Berner Oberland, digital screens tick off beef futures in Zurich. Switzerland... Read more

A "blast from the past" is how one recent visitor described her journey through Austria. It remains, she explained, a place where children laugh at marionette shows in the parks, couples linger for hours over pastries at gilt-ceiling cafés, and Lipizzan... Read more

Croatia’s splendors extend from the deep-blue waters of the Adriatic coastline to the waterfall-laced mountains of the Dinaric Alps and through­out its medieval towns. From Dubrovnik’s walled city where baroque buildings are surrounded by centuries-old... Read more

From medieval cathedrals to postmodern towers, from prehistoric stones to one-pub villages, England is a spectacular tribute to the strength—and flexibility—of tradition. In the capital city of London and beyond, you can explore grand manors and royal... Read more

From half-timbered medieval towns to cosmopolitan cities, Germany offers a thoroughly engaging mix of tradition and modernity. You can explore Bavaria’s magnificent baroque palaces one day, and immerse yourself in Hamburg’s cool, redeveloped HafenCity... Read more

Belgium has attractions out of proportion to its diminutive size. From medieval cities and abbeys where the monks run their own breweries to forested hills and famous World War I and II battlegrounds for contemplation and remembrance. It's a little country... Read more

Tiny Luxembourg, nestled between Germany, France, and Belgium, has been a pawn of world powers for much of its 1,000 years. Today it looms large as a world financial powerhouse and one of Europe's most scenic countries. Come here for rambles through medieval... Read more

Never in its history has Northern Ireland enjoyed such peace, stability, and investment, all of which is making it the envy of Europe. Once a region torn apart by civil strife and sectarian violence, today it has changed beyond recognition. A dizzying... Read more

Budapest, an old-world city with a throbbing urban pulse, is a must-stop on any trip to Central Europe. Szentendre and Eger have their own charms, including majestic hilltop castles and cobblestone streets winding among lovely baroque buildings. All this... Read more