The atlas

Explore Europe

709 destination guides — cities, coasts, islands and mountain valleys — each written the way we would brief a friend. Search by place, country or theme — or mark the countries and cities you have been to, guide or not.

A to Z — choose interests to sort by your match

39 destinations

Andorra

Andorra la Vella & Escaldes

Europe's highest capital: a medieval parliament, thermal baths & a UNESCO valley

2 days

Lake Ercina at Covadonga with the Picos de Europa behind

Spain

Asturias & the Picos de Europa

Green Spain: limestone peaks, cider poured from on high & fabada

4 days

Painted moliceiro boats moored along the central canal in Aveiro

Portugal

Aveiro & Costa Nova

Canals, painted boats, Art Nouveau & striped beach houses

1–2 days

Spain

Barcelona

Gaudí, the Gothic Quarter & lunch that lasts until four

3–4 days

The titanium curves of the Guggenheim Museum on the river in Bilbao

Spain

Bilbao & the Basque Coast

The Guggenheim, pintxo bars & a wild green coast

3 days

Monumental Baroque zig-zag stairway of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga

Portugal

Braga & Guimarães

Monumental Baroque stairways, medieval cradles & Minho feasts

2–3 days

The bell tower of Sant Serni de Canillo with the mountains of the Valira valley behind

Andorra

Canillo, Soldeu & Grandvalira

Andorra's big ski area, Romanesque churches & the sanctuary of Meritxell

2–4 days

Historic courtyard and clock tower of the Paço das Escolas at the University of Coimbra

Portugal

Coimbra & Central Portugal

Scholarly traditions, baroque libraries & haunting student fado

2–3 days

Untamed golden sands and maritime pine dunes at Praia da Comporta on the Alentejo Coast

Portugal

Comporta & Alentejo Coast

Wild Atlantic sands, thatched cabanas & fragrant umbrella pines

3–5 days

Spain

Córdoba

The Mezquita, flower-filled patios & the cradle of salmorejo

2 days

Terraced schist vineyards descending steeply to the winding Douro river

Portugal

Douro Valley

Terraced schist vineyards, wine quintas & serpentine river bends

2–4 days

Historic Roman bridge and whitewashed buildings reflected in the Gilão river in Tavira

Portugal

Eastern Algarve & Tavira

Ria Formosa lagoons, barrier islands & the capital of octopus

2–4 days

Slender Corinthian columns of the Roman Temple of Diana standing in central Évora

Portugal

Évora & Alentejo

Roman columns, macabre bone chapels & endless cork plains

2–4 days

Painted houses along the River Onyar in Girona with the cathedral tower behind

Spain

Girona & the Costa Brava

A medieval Catalan city, Dalí country & rocky coves

3–4 days

The Alhambra fortress and palaces complex viewed from the Mirador de San Nicolás with Sierra Nevada mountains

Spain

Granada

Nasrid palaces, Albaicín lanes & mountain-backed flamenco

2–3 days

Stacked sherry casks in a whitewashed bodega in Jerez

Spain

Jerez & the Sherry Triangle

Sherry bodegas, dancing horses, flamenco & the sea at Cádiz

3 days

Spain

La Rioja

Spain's great red wine country, from Logroño's pintxo street to Haro's cellars

3 days

Portugal

Lisbon

Hills, tiles, seafood & Atlantic light

3–5 days

Portugal

Madeira

Subtropical crags, levada watercourses & Atlantic volcanic ocean

4–7 days

Spain

Madrid

Great art, late nights & tapas bar to tapas bar

3 days

Spain

Málaga

Picasso's city, a Moorish fortress & sardines grilled on the beach

3 days

Spain

Mallorca

Turquoise calas, Tramuntana stone villages & slow island rhythm

4–6 days

Marvão's castle on its granite crag at sunset

Portugal

Marvão & the Alentejo Castles

Eagle's-nest villages on the Spanish border

2–3 days

Forte de São Miguel Arcanjo perched on the promontory above the giant wave surf in Nazaré

Portugal

Nazaré & Óbidos

Giant ocean rollers, cliff fortresses & medieval walled ramparts

2–3 days

The Romanesque church of Sant Martí de la Cortinada in the Ordino valley

Andorra

Ordino & La Massana

Andorra's quiet north: stone villages, flower meadows & high lakes

2 days

Portugal

Peneda-Gerês National Park

Granite gorges, wild garrano ponies & emerald mountain lagoons

2–4 days

Portugal

Porto

Port lodges, tiled churches & a river city built on a hill

2–4 days

The Puente Nuevo spanning the deep El Tajo gorge at Ronda

Spain

Ronda & the White Villages

A town split by a gorge and the pueblos blancos of the sierra

2–3 days

Spain

San Sebastián

Pintxos bars, Belle Époque seaside & Basque culinary passion

2–3 days

Spain

Santiago de Compostela

Camino pilgrimage destination, granite arcades & Galician seafood

1–2 days

Portugal

São Miguel & Azores

Twin crater lakes, geothermal hot springs & Europe's only tea plantations

4–7 days

Portugal

Serra da Estrela

Portugal's highest mountains, a glacial valley & the famous cheese

2–3 days

Spain

Seville

Moorish palaces, orange trees & tapas till late

2–3 days

Colourful romanticist towers and battlements of Pena Palace in Sintra

Portugal

Sintra & Cascais

Romanticist palaces, misty pine ridges & Atlantic surf

2–3 days

Spain

Toledo

City of three faiths on a rock above the Tagus, El Greco & marzipan

1–2 days

The Templar castle and Convent of Christ above Tomar

Portugal

Tomar & the Templar Heartland

The Knights Templar's castle, a Manueline masterpiece & great monasteries

2 days

Spain

Valencia

Futuristic architecture, sunlit Turia gardens & the home of paella

2–3 days

Viana do Castelo and the Eiffel bridge over the Lima estuary

Portugal

Viana do Castelo & the Minho

Green Portugal: vinho verde, festivals & a sanctuary over the sea

2 days

Golden limestone cliffs and sea pillars at Ponta da Piedade in Lagos

Portugal

Western Algarve

Golden sea arches, windswept capes & wild Atlantic surf

3–6 days