Skip to main content

(Photo Story) Lonely Planet announces its Best in Europe 2016 list

Lonely Planet's travel experts have come up with a list of top 10 European destinations[1] that should be on every traveler’s radar this year. The 'Best in Europe 2016' list includes places that are less popular but offer new experiences. Which town or city makes the cut in this year's list?

10. Northern Dalmatia, Croatia

© Marin Tomas/Getty Images

Sun-kissed islands, Mediterranean cuisine, and the imposing Velebit mountains make Dalmatia a vacationer's paradise. Zadar, a fast-growing historical city of the region, along with Zrće Beach and Tisno, form the nucleus of Croatia's premier summer clubbing scene. The sandy coastline of Nin, the rough nature of Paklenica National Park, and the ancient city of Asseria are also worth a mention.

9. Texel, The Netherlands

© Sara Winter/ShutterStock

Texel, the largest of the Netherlands’ Wadden Islands, boasts of wildlife reserves, long white-sand beaches and pine forests. Adventure seekers may climb up its iconic red lighthouse, a 150-year-old building offering sweeping views of Texel and the neighboring island of Vlieland. Nature lovers can head to Ecomare, located in the National Park Dunes, to learn all about the Wadden Sea and North Sea, or just sit back and take in the natural beauty of the landscape.

8. East Coast Tenerife, Spain

undefined © Westend61/Getty Images undefined

The island is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the country. If you wish to leave the crowd and rowdy revelry behind, East Coast Tenerife has extraordinary volcanic moonscapes, simple fishing villages and dramatic cliffs to offer. Unlike the international resorts of the south coast, this region features pleasant low-key beach towns that are yet to be explored.

7. Extremadura, Spain

© Santiago Urquijo/Getty Images

The western Spanish region is the heart of old Spain. You can see traces of Roman empire, and soak in the beauty of some preserved historical settlements. For a culturally-enriched experience, a visit to Trujillo, Guadalupe, Mérida, Alcántara and Cáceres is a must. Foodies can relish some of inland Spain's best food here, including roasted meats, Torta del Casar cheese and the finest jamón (ham) from Monesterio.

6. Warwickshire, England

© Royal Shakespeare Company

With its bucolic hills, sublime castles and historic market towns, Warwickshire makes it to the list. Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare, is marking the 400th anniversary of the playwright’s death by holding various festivities; while Warwick Castle restored and relaunched its 22-tonne trebuchet — the world’s largest siege machine — this year.

5. Lviv, Ukraine

© Tunart/Getty Images

The Ukrainian city offers rich and diverse culture, owing to the past rulings of the Polish Empire, Hapsburgs, Soviets and Nazis. The city’s old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, while the main city itself remains teeming with festivals and concerts that are held every week.

4. The Dordogne, France

© Andrew Montgomery/Lonely Planet

Apart from being a paradise for food lovers with its vibrant culinary heritage, the region features sweeping meadows, picturesque hilltop villages and vineyards. You can see some of the world’s most amazing prehistoric art here in the caves of Vézère Valley.

3. Venice, Italy

© Justin Foulkes/Lonely Planet

With its Venetian Gothic architecture and aqua passageways, the Italian metropolitan is considered to be one of the most alluring cities in the world. Once you are done with a tour of Grand Canal, you can enjoy a moonlit gondola ride, hang around with locals at Piazza San Marco or taste the original Bellini cocktail at Harry's Bar. Spring (April-June) is the best time to visit but if you want to attend Carnevale di Venezia, one of the most famous masked party in the world, plan your trip in February.

2. Aarhus, Denmark

© Den Gamle

The second-largest Danish city features beautiful neighborhoods, captivating architecture and culinary wizardry. Check out the exhibits from the Stone Age to Viking days at the Moesgard Museum of Prehistory, or visit modern cafes buzzing with lively music and dance for a relaxing evening. Den Gamle By, a Danish open-air museum of urban history, is open throughout the year.

1. Peloponnese, Greece

© Maria Toutoudaki/Getty Images

The Peloponnese tops the list for this summer. This diverse and vibrant region offers several magnificent ancient sights such as Olympia, Mycenae and Mystras. For adventurous souls, a hike to the new Menalon trail is a must; while wine lovers shouldn’t miss the Nemean wine region, which offers the perfect spot to take a tipple.

To help travelers experience the very best of the Peloponnese, Lonely Planet is offering a free PDF[2] about the region, as featured in Lonely Planet's Greece guide. 

Lonely Planet's experts have also compiled a free ebook[3] "Secret Europe 2016," featuring other European recommendations.

References

  1. ^ 10 European destinations (www.lonelyplanet.com)
  2. ^ free PDF (www.lonelyplanet.com)
  3. ^ free ebook (www.lonelyplanet.com)
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

R. Tiglao Exposed LTO Records Showing Aquino Never Bought or Sold a Porsche

Veteran columnist Rigoberto Tiglao exposed the Land Transportation Office (LTO) records of former President Benigno Aquino III showing that he never bought or sold an expensive Porsche car. The LTO records proved that the former President did not sold his Porsche 911 Carrera car which he claimed he bought for P5 million. The controversial Porsche car of the former President made headlines just months into his presidency but he explained that he bought the luxury car with the proceeds he got when he sold his BMW. Because of the furor from such display of opulence, Pres. Aquino claimed to have sold it six months later for exactly the same price. According to Tiglao during that time he asked through his column the LTO to release the car's deed of sale and registration to prove that it was not a gift from a Chinese-Filipino tycoon as rumored by some individuals critical to the President. The only possible way to discover whether the Porsche luxury was indeed sold was through ...
Read more

You can pay at a restaurant by smiling at a camera

© Provided by Engadget As easy as it is to make purchases in the era of tap-to-pay services , it's about to get easier still. Alipay (which handles purchases for Chinese shopping giant Alibaba) has launched what it says is the first payment system that uses facial recognition to complete the sale. If you visit one of KFC's KPRO restaurants in Hangzhou, China, you can pay for your panini or salad by smiling at a camera-equipped kiosk -- you need to verify the purchase on your phone, but you don't have to punch in digits or bring your phone up to an NFC reader. The system (Smile to Pay) is purportedly resistant to spoofing with photos and other tricks. It relies on both depth-sensing cameras and a "likeness detection algorithm" to make sure it's really you. Reportedly, the technology is good enough that it can accurately identify people even when they're disguising themselves through makeup or wigs. You shouldn't have to worry about someone buying ...
Read more

Tesla cloud account hacked to mine cryptocurrency

© Provided by The Hill An unidentified outside hacker infiltrated Tesla's Amazon cloud account and used its systems to quietly mine for cryptocurrencies, a cybersecurity firm announced Tuesday. The hack also potentially exposed the electric car company's data. Researchers for RedLock found that Tesla's credentials on an IT administrative console were not password protected. They made the discovery while trying to track down which organizations had left their Amazon Web Services (AWS) credentials openly exposed on the internet last month. The hackers quietly hijacked the console and began running scripts to generate virtual currency like bitcoin, the latest in a series of "cryptojacking" attacks. The researchers also found the hackers used "sophisticated evasion measures" to go undetected. A spokesperson for Tesla said the company learned about the breach in a company-sanctioned bug bounty program that pays outside hackers to discover vulnerabilitie...
Read more