The European continent holds 44 countries with over 800 cities spread throughout the region. Europe’s location places it north of Africa, west of Asia, and East of North America. The region’s location lends to its country’s multifaceted geography. For example, England exhibits miles of greenery and flatlands, whereas Norway speaks in fjords and sensational mountains. Following our travels through the European continent, we’ve handpicked personal European favorites everyone should visit in their lifetime. 

1. Flam, Norway

The prettiest cities have limited activities. Once you arrive in Flam, you can’t stop peering around at the dramatic scenery. Green mountains reach the sky, opening up a tiny valley that locals turned into a quaint, informative village. The focal point of Flam, though, has to be the iconic Aurlandsfjord. Fjords form after glaciers melt. The melting creates an open-spaced valley bordered by cliffs, soon filling with water. 

Fjord cruises dock in Flam, carrying passengers through the mammoth, natural creation. A brilliant blue sky shines down on the royal blue water, ricocheting the sunlight, painting an ethereal portrait. The fjord cruise travels between Flam and the Viking village in Gudvangen.  Snap a picture with the proud Viking sculpture. I suggest booking a night or two in the Fretheim Hotel, Norway’s version of the Stanley Hotel. The former farm-turned-sustainable hotel overlooks Flam’s gaping fjords via its glass exterior. Pro tip: order anything from the Flam Bakery. You’re welcome.  

2. Bergen, Norway

Freezing dark blue water reflects the row of vibrant houses of Bryggen. Get acquainted with the frosty fjords by booking a floating sauna/cold plunge package. A mountainside vessel takes tourists to the peak of Mount Fløyen, treating them with plenty of outlook spots over Bergen and a troll garden. A couple of inches of rain poured down on us during our visit to Mount Fløyen, so my parents stayed in the gift shop (dry) area as I climbed up the muddy path to the troll garden. Two-headed trolls, pig trolls, witch trolls, trolls stuck in trees, and troll heads abounded the mountain peak. Oh! So did goats. 

3. Undredal, Norway

Have you ever heard of the village of Undredal? Undredal’s population is fewer than 100 people, yet over 500 goats. The car halted as we drove into the tiny village. Mounds upon mounds of black, brown, white, striped, horned, and unhorned goats sprawled throughout the street. A couple of them napped in the right lane, blocking the car paths. Others dallied around the road, bleating with their friends. We parked the car for a bit, indulging in the comical scene, wondering when the goats would move out of the way. Spoiler alert: they didn’t until I got out of the car and herded them out of the vehicle’s path. 

Why are these goats important? Apart from their cute, funny presence on the road? For cheese. Undredal produces world-famous, mouthwatering goat cheese from our friends, the roadblockers. The city also features Norway’s tiniest stave church: a red and white wooden planked church that seats 40. 

4. Vik, Iceland

A portrait of a symmetrical church, straight out of a Wes Anderson film, acts as the centerfold of this southern Icelandic village. A few steps away from the church, a beach with deadly waves attracts visitors to its legendary black-sand shore. In the distance, basalt rocks tell the tale of trolls frozen in stone. Pizza shops serve the cheesy delight with a twist. Vik pizza comes on a black crust shaded by the lava that creates the dough. Additionally, customers eat the bready meal with jam. If pizza isn’t your thing, try any of the delectable soup dishes before watching a live lava show. How does a spicy fish (lava) soup scooped into a black bread bowl sound?  Daredevils board buses up the mountains for eye-opening zipline rides or bungee jumping sessions over the city’s frigid river. 

5. Grindavik, Iceland

A volcanic formation on the Reykjanes Peninsula forced visitors and locals to flee the scene in November, but despite the recent volcanic eruptions, Grindavik is open for tourism. Stop for a night in Grindavik before driving to Reykjavik. The city exists about 20 minutes from the Keflavik Airport, the primary international airport used in Iceland. The drive from the airport to Grindavik parallels Mars, with gaping craters fringing the roads on either side and foreboding cliffs working as barriers between the road and water.

Within Grindavik’s perimeter lays the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal hot spring powered by volcanic, sulfurous water. Numerous people try on a mud mask and take a dip in the heated water bodies of the Blue Lagoon. Grindavik’s location, a remote town far enough away from big cities and boisterous noise, makes it the ideal place to see the Northern Lights. Chance a glimpse of animated green and purple lights pirouetting across the sky with a stay at the Northern Lights Inn. Prime Aurora Borealis season starts in September and lasts until April. 

6. Reykjavik, Iceland 

Park in the central parking lot for Reykjavik’s main area. You will see a harbor with countless fishing boats, a graffiti-designed skatepark opposite the lot, and excited tourists running from hotspot to hotspot in the city center. The parking lot situates itself in the middle of Reykjavik’s best offerings. A few miles away, a see-through concert hall distracts visitors with its glass composition. 

A few miles in the other direction, a statue of Leif Erickson introduces tourists to Hallgrímskirkja, an exemplary architectural church. The Gothic revival Lutheran church appears as a symmetrical stack of legos thinning out into a cross on the precipice of the steeple. Daytime visits permit guests to climb to the highest point of the church for a lookout over Reykjavik’s variegated roofs to the Norwegian Sea. The city center presents the Icelandic Museum along with the Punk Rock Museum: an iconic testament to Iceland’s musical influence in punk rock.

7. Amsterdam, Netherlands 

Bicyclists overpower cars in this Dutch city. Tulip imagery and wooden clogs fringe the city in every shop window. Vast greeneries belay the parks on the outskirts of the city center. Inside the city center, museums dedicated to Van Gogh’s life work and the city’s history intrigue visitors. 

The smell of thick Belgian waffles dusted with sugar and thin waffles sandwiching caramel stream into visitor’s noses. Over 100 canals occupy the center of the city, forcing residents to construct roads and walkways above the waterways. The house harboring Anne Frank’s annex perches itself on the Prinsengracht Canal. 

8. Paris, France

Inch through the underground burial grounds in Paris, The Catacombs. Gaze into the eyes of protected skulls and bones lining the rock walls of the tunnel system. Unlock the doors of countless speakeasies dotting the city, some underneath hotels, others disguised as prohibition-era restaurants. They all dish the finest food and alcohol in France. 

Gear up for a monumental hike up the Eiffel Tower’s hundreds of stairs and oversee the River Seine while eating a Parisian baked good of choice. Weave through the white walls of The Louvre, noticing the Mona Lisa but spending time with the Venus de Milo and the Raft of the Medusa. Following those excursions, saunter over to the Notre Dame or the Palace of Versailles for a lesson in Parisian history. 

9. Lyon, France

Lyon is the gastronomic capital of the world. That only means one thing. When in Lyon, a foodie is going to cheer. Start out your day with a breakfast of Cervelle de canut, a seasoned fromage blanc spread pairing well with bread. Lunch and dinner cuisine ranges from andouillettes, sausage made from pig intestines meshed with onions, and its larger variation, andouille. Lyonnaise salads populate the menus, interesting those wary of consuming the plentiful andouilles. Their salads contain lettuce, veggies, eggs, and pork tossed in mustard-based dressings. Petit salé, lentil sausage soup, mixes well with the listings mentioned. Bouchons, or bistros, dish out traditional Lyonnaise food to their customers.

Lyon doubles as cinema’s birthplace. Each year, the city hosts the Lumière Film Festival, named after the brothers credited with the invention of film. Cinephiles deepen their knowledge of the craft by walking through the Lumière Museum or catching a flick at any of the city’s 40-plus theaters. 

Roman impact on the city influences its current appearance. Today, tourists embrace the buildings and ruins converging on Fourviere Hill. The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière focuses on praising Mary within its Romanesque basilica. Remnants of The Odeon, a curvaceous marbled theater, calls attention to its history as an opera hall and poetry palace.

10. Nice, France 

Nice possesses a contrasting vibe to Paris. Nestled on the French Riviera, the laid-back city adores its downtime, urging locals and guests to take a walk on the pebbled Baie des Anges or post up for the day. Unfold an umbrella on the rocky shore, lay out in the sun’s rays, or dip into the Mediterranean French Riviera. A few steps back from the beach, visitors traverse the promenade des Anglais, a pathway stocked with local and boutique shops and resorts. Roller skaters and cyclists cruise down the smooth pathway, glancing over to the turquoise water.

Nice reveres artwork and history, evident in the city's wealth of museums. Museums in fine art, modern art, archaeology, photography, sports, and instruments entertain travelers. The French town holds an annual two-week festival, Carnival de Nice with a carnival parade and a flower parade. The carnival side centers around elaborate floats, think Mardi Gras, matching up with the year’s chosen theme. This year’s theme is the king of the oceans. The flower parade portion places actors clad in flowery costumes on the floats. Stilt walkers and jugglers perform around the flower-themed floats, also dressed in floral outfits.  A lot of the flowers stem from the local area. 

11. Edinburgh, Scotland

The capital of Scotland is a hilly neoclassical-styled city with a concentrated center. My absolute favorite part of Edinburgh is the namesake castle. The Edinburgh castle drifts on Castle Rock, playing with its footing, all while pleading with visitors to step inside the menacing premises. Scotland’s crown jewels (the oldest in all of Great Britain) roost in the Crown Room, creating almost as intense a presentation as the castle’s exterior. 

Walking down the Royal Mile, a downtown collection of streets, evokes a familiar sense of nostalgia for avid Harry Potter fans. Though the movies were not filmed in Edinburgh, the author sourced heavy inspiration for the setting from the medieval Gothic mix of architecture. Speaking of Edinburgh’s influence on writers, the capital city commemorates three of the largest names in literature in the Writer’s Museum. Sections about Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Robert Burns keep guests reading about their writing for hours. 

12. Gdansk, Poland

Plucked from a fairy tale book, we have Gdansk. The port city lives on Poland’s Baltic coast and is responsible for trade and exchanges of amber. The red-tinged town earns its fairy-tale image from its combination of architectural styles. The Artus Court, a Dutch Renaissance establishment, showcases the design tactic through a gated fountain spewing water prior to the entrance and stylized statues flanking the front of the arched windows. Inside the Artus Court is a segment of Gdansk’s History Museum. Gdansk’s baroque side comes out through places of worship such as The Royal Chapel, with its heightened emotional appearance and domed ceilings. Perhaps the most famous Gothic building in all of Gdansk is St. Mary’s Basilica. The worship center has three aisles, nine naves, and intimidating teal spires.  

13. Torun, Poland

I adore towns connected to specific things. The way Undredal specializes in its goat population and cheese creation, Torun celebrates gingerbread. Fans of the flavorful ginger-laden cookie need to visit Torun, Poland, the gingerbread capital of the world. Want to elevate your knowledge of the beloved spiced cookie? The city’s Living Museum of Gingerbread details everything you ever questioned about the cookie’s invention, creation, and composition. Aside from the displays, the cookie’s inspiration creeps outside of the museum into a street titled The Gingerbread Walk of Fame. Here, Torun gingerbread shaped plaques honor names significant to the town’s image. 

Not interested in gingerbread’s lineage? How about astronomy? Nicolaus Copernicus, the individual responsible for breaking the news that the sun is the center of the Solar System, was born in Torun. A statue of the intelligent astronomer precedes the town hall. Tourists visit Copernicus’s house, which the city turned into a museum of his work and thoughts. 

14. London, England

I would say London is the closest city to American culture in Europe. So, those scared of the culture shock attached to European trips can start small with London. The mega metropolis truly sticks up to the saying “something for everybody.” The Shard, the tallest building in London, gives guests a premium view of the city’s horizon. The shiny Shard extends 1,000 feet in the air, pulling attention from all the smaller yet beautiful buildings in the English city. Another elite view of London comes from the London Eye, a monstrous Ferris wheel embracing the edge of the Thames River. See if you can spot The Shard from the London Eye or vice versa. 

Close to the London Eye, the illustrious Big Ben expands into the atmosphere, telling time on a gargantuan clock. Down the road from the clock, the London Tower, a former torture chamber/castle, summons people for walkthroughs and guided tours of the landmark. Pay a visit to any or all of the markets in London: Borough, Camden, Portobello, and Greenwich are all astounding. 

15. Brighton, England

London represents the dapper, old-money side of England, and Brighton represents its hip, boho cousin with a flair for art. A heavily visited tourist spot in Brighton’s artistic quarters is the Victorian-style Brighton Pier, the longest renowned pleasure pier in the world, crawling 1.34 miles long. Arcades, amusement park rides, and shops ornament the pier’s attractions. Brighton’s guests enjoy grazing along Brighton Beach, a five-mile-long pebbled shore resting on the coast. Fashionistas explore North Laine Brighton, a prominent cove flexing Brighton’s heavy vegetarian eateries and independent clothing shops.