Top 10 Hidden European Gems
Top European Destinations waiting to take you on an experience slightly off the well-trodden European path.
1. Lake Bled, Slovenia
Bled is Slovenia's most popular destination with the stunning blue-green lake, picture-postcard church on an islet, a medieval castle clinging to a rocky cliff and some of the highest peaks of the Julian Alps as backdrops.
Bled Castle
Perched atop a steep cliff above the lake, Bled Castle is a medieval fortress with towers, moats and a terrace offering magnificent views. The castle houses a museum collection that traces the lake’s history.
Bled Island
Tiny, tear-shaped Bled Island beckons from the shore. There’s the Church of the Assumption and a small museum on the lake. The real thrill is the ride out by boat. There is no charge to visit the island, except for what you pay to travel there. There is an admission charge to enter the church.
Bled Cream Cake
You must try the Traditional Bled Cream Cake, Kremna rezina, or affectionately called “Kremsnita”!
2. Bratislava, Slovakia
Slovakia's capital since independence in 1993, Bratislava is home to a medieval and Gothic old town, baroque palaces, and the crowning castle, rebuilt to Renaissance style.
Blue Church
A marvel of art nouveau design the early-20th-century 'Blue Church' is a vision in baby blue. From its undulating arches and ceramic roof tiles to the tip of its clock tower. If you find it open, you can step inside to see the baby-blue pews and gold decoration.
Bronze Statues
There are four fun and striking bronze statues dotted around Bratislava known as “Cumil”, “Paparazzi”, “Napoleon’s Soldier”, and “Schone Naci.” Cumil is the funniest and most famous, you can find him at Panska Street, a bronze figure of a man peeking out from under a manhole cover is undoubtedly the most photographed statue in the city.
Michaels Gate
The only preserved gate of the city fortification system dates back to the 14th century. The upper terrace of its 51-metre-high tower provides an enchanting view of the Bratislava Castle and the Old Town. The tower houses the Museum of Arms.
3. Baku, Azerbajan
Azerbaijan’s capital Baku is an architectural delight, with plenty evidence of the Soviet regime. This city is a true example of East and West blending seamlessly with the Unesco-listed İçəri Şəhər (Old City) engulfed with the oil rich high rises.
Flames
This trio of blue-glass skyscrapers forms a stunning architectural backdrop as you wander around the old town The three towers range from 28 to 33 storeys and are best observed at night when they form a stage for a light show which interchanges between fire effects, pouring water and the national flag.
Heydar Aliyev Center
A jaw-dropping delight from Zaha Hadid is a display of 21st-century architecture forming abstract waves and peaks that seem to melt together. The real attraction is simply exploring and photographing the extraordinary exterior from every angle. The interior is also impressive.
Maiden’s Tower
This stone tower is Baku’s foremost historical icon, with rooftop views surveying Baku Bay and the Old City.
4. Yerevan, Armenia
Yerevan will almost certainly force your eyes and mind open. A city of contradictions.
Armenian Genocide Memorial & Museum
Commemorating the massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1922, this institution uses photographs, documents, reports and films to deliver a powerful museum experience. On the hill above is a 44m-high spire memorial next to a circle of 12 basalt slabs leaning over to guard an eternal flame. The complex is on Tsitsernakaberd Hill (Fortress of Swallows) across the Hrazdan Gorge from central Yerevan.
Republic Square
Republic Sq is Yerevan's focal point. Designed by architect Alexander Tamanyan as part of his 1924 urban plan for the city and originally named after Vladimir Lenin until 1991, the square is enclosed by a few current and former government buildings, the Armenia Marriott Hotel and the History Museum and National Gallery. Its famous musical fountains (8pm to 10pm in summer) are the city's most endearing attraction and a popular meeting point.
The Yerevan Cascade
The Cascade is a giant stairway made of limestone in Yerevan, Armenia. It links the downtown Ketron area of Yerevan with the Monument neighborhood. Inside its core is the Cafesjian Center for the Arts, housing indoor galleries.
5. Pristina, Kosovo
Pristina is a fast-changing city that feels full of optimism and potential, withmismatched architectural styles.
National Library
Easily one of Pristina's most notable buildings, the National Library, completed in 1982 by Croatian Andrija Mutnjakovic, has to be seen to be believed.
Newborn monument
The newborn monument a typographic sculpture in Pristina, Kosov. It was set up on the day Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia, on 17 February 2008. When the monument was first revealed it was painted yellow and has since changed its colors every year. When we visited the monument on on 17 February 2018 it was surrounded by heaps of people taking selfies and group photos. For the 10 years of independence celebration, the monument actually changed to NEW10RN, in gold and silver.
ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM
The ethnographic museum in Pristina can be easy to miss. It is located in the Emin Gjiku Complex, a huge house with heaps of rooms from the 18th century. The house used to be home to a large family of 35 people that moved to Turkey during the war.
6. Tbilsi, Georgia
With its dramatic valley setting, picturesque Old Town, and eclectic architecture, Tbilisi is vibrant with a hipster culture, where many neighbourhoods retain a village-like feel with their narrow streets.
Narikala Fortress
Dominating the Old Town skyline, Narikala dates right back to the 4th century, when it was a Persian citadel. Most of the walls were built in the 8th century by the Arab emirs, whose palace was inside the fortress. Subsequently Georgians, Turks and Persians captured and patched up Narikala, but in 1827 a huge explosion of Russian munitions stored here wrecked the whole thing, and today it's a rather picturesque ruin, with only its walls largely intact.
The Church of St Nicholas, inside the fortress, was rebuilt in the 1990s. The choice way to reach Narikala is by cable car from Rike Park. Or you can walk up from Meidan or via the Betlemi St Stairs, which lead off Lado Asatiani qucha in Sololaki. The views over Tbilisi from the top of the fortress are superb.
Metekhi Church
The landmark Metekhi Church, and the 1960s equestrian statue of King Vakhtang Gorgasali beside it, occupy the strategic rocky outcrop above the Metekhi Bridge. This is where Vakhtang Gorgasali built his palace, and the site’s first church, when he made Tbilisi his capital in the 5th century. The existing church was built by King Demetre Tavdadebuli (the Self-Sacrificing) between 1278 and 1289, and has been reconstructed many times since.
The building is thought to be a copy of King David the Builder's 12th-century church on this site, which was destroyed by the Mongols in 1235.
Tsminda Sameba Cathedral
The biggest symbol of the Georgian Orthodox Church's post-Soviet revival towers on Elia Hill above Avlabari. Tsminda Sameba, unmissable by night and day, was consecrated in 2004 after a decade of building. A massive and lavish expression of traditional Georgian architectural forms in concrete, brick, granite and marble, it rises a staggering 84m to the top of the gold-covered cross above its gold-covered central dome. While largely bare inside, it does, however, contain many of Georgia's most important icons.
7. Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia
Enchanting Ohrid is North Macedonia's most enchating destination. It sits on the edge of serene Lake Ohrid, with an atmospheric old quarter that cascades down steep streets, dotted with beautiful churches and topped by the bones of a medieval castle. Traditional restaurants and lakeside cafes liven up the cobblestone streets, which in high summer can be very lively indeed.
Church of Sveti Jovan at Kaneo
This stunning 13th-century church is set on a cliff over the lake, about a 15-minute walk west of Ohrid's port area, and is possibly North Macedonia's most photographed structure. Peer down into the azure waters and you'll see why medieval monks found spiritual inspiration here. The small church has original frescoes behind the altar.
Little bobbing boats cluster beneath the church around the cliff base, waiting to whisk passengers who don't fancy the walk back to the harbour.
Ohrid Boardwalk & City Beach
Skimming the surface of the water along Ohrid's shore, snaking towards Kaneo fishing village and the town's most famous church, this over-water boardwalk takes you to a beautiful outcrop of rocky beaches and a handful of small restaurants and bars. On a hot day the area is thronged by bathers, drinkers and diners. The cool waters are translucent and inviting, the cliff-backed setting is sublime, and strolling this stretch of coast up to the Church of Sveti Jovan at Kaneo is an Ohrid must.
Classical Amphitheatre
Ohrid's impressive amphitheatre was built in the Hellenistic period (around 200 BC); the Romans later removed 10 rows to accommodate gladiators and used it as a site for Christian executions. Today it's incongruously hemmed in by residential housing and a little underwhelming as a historic attraction. In summer it is brought to life as a venue for Ohrid's Summer Festival performances.
8. Tallin, Estonia
Tallinn fairy-tale charms of its Unesco-listed Old Town – one of Europe’s most complete walled cities is the main draw.
Kumu
This futuristic, Finnish-designed, seven-storey building is a spectacular structure of limestone, glass and copper that integrates intelligently into the 18th-century landscape.
Hotel Viru KGB Museum
The Hotel Viru (1972) was not only Estonia’s first skyscraper, but literally the only place for tourists to stay in Tallinn at the time. Having all the foreigners in one place made it much easier to keep tabs on them and the locals they had contact with, which is exactly what the KGB did from its 23rd-floor spy base. The hotel offers fascinating, hour-long tours of the facility in various languages.
Old Town walking Tour
9. Riga, Latvia
Rīga is home to flamboyant art nouveau that forms the spirit of this vibrant cosmopolitan city.
Alberta Iela
Like a huge painting that you can spend hours staring at, as your eye detects more and more intriguing details, this must-see Rīga sight is in fact a rather functional street with residential houses, restaurants and shops.
Riga Old Market
This huge market, housed in a series of WWI Zeppelin hangars, is an essential experience to both people-watch and sample local food at a hip food court
Cathedral
Founded in 1211 as the seat of the Rīga diocese, this enormous Cathedral is the largest medieval church in the Baltic. A mix of architecture, influenced styles from the 13th to the 18th centuries: Romanesque, Baroque, and Gothic features.
10. Vaduz, Lichenstein
Vaduz is the tiny capital of the tiny Liechtenstein, located along the Rhine River, with forested mountains backdrop where the castle can be spotted clinging to the side of the mountain, high above town. It is truly stunning.
Vaduz Castle
This is the top attraction. A complex of turrets and towers found high on a hillside with theatrical backdrop of jagged mountains, Schloss Vaduz is the fairy-tale castle we all dream about. Built as a fortress in the 12th century and is now the official residence of the Prince of Liechtenstein. It is closed to the public, but is worth the climb for the views.
Alte Rheinbrucke - Old Rhine Bridge
The oldest surviving wooden bridge over Rhine connecting Switzerland to Liechtenstein. From 1867 to 1879, 13 enclosed wooden bridges were built in the Rhine Valley.
Vaduz Center
The bustling centre itself is unexpectedly modern, with the tax-free luxury-goods stores and cube-shaped concrete buildings. Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein distinctive black cube building is a stand out.