11 Best Places in Europe To Visit (Including Hidden Gems)

Cork, Ireland

In a world of verdant hills, dramatic cliffs, stone castles, festivals and folklore, Ireland is one of the most enchanting places in the world. Almost everywhere you go on the Emerald Isle is bound to be a spot of myths and legends.

Take, for instance, Blarney Castle near Cork. Built in the early 1400s, this castle was a medieval stronghold for the region and has changed hands among aristocracy since its inception. It's a popular vacation destination for travelers for a reason: The Blarney Stone is a thing of legend. If you're the type of person whose palms get sweaty at the thought of public speaking, touch or kiss the castle's namesake limestone. Those who do are bestowed the gift of the gab.

When in Ireland, venture on a day trip around the Ring of Kerry, a circuit that encompasses Ireland's scenic Iveragh Peninsula. It weaves through Killarney National Park, a park of forests (and possibly fairies), to the Staigue Stone Fort made from thousands of flat, narrow stones. Along the road are cottages, often with gardens overgrown with wild ferns.

Content copyOn the coastline, the Kerry Cliffs are an impressive geological highlight that look as though they were once chiseled by giants. Offshore, the island of Skellig Michael is where you can tour an old monastery and peek at the nesting sites of adorable puffins. Veer north of the Ring of Kerry to the impressive Cliffs of Moher, grand drops of sheer siltstone and shale.

Even though Ireland's remote regions make a trip to Europe worth its weight alone, drinking a pint of Guinness in a Dublin pub just makes it that much sweeter. People have been clinking glasses of this dark stout and telling tall tales — perhaps with the help of Blarney Stone — for centuries.

Santorini, Greece

When taking the moment to travel to Europe, it’s time to tune out from any semblance of the man-made world — and for that, there's always the Greek Isles. While not all cities in and of themselves, rotating between your lounge chair and an aquarium-clear sea is a coveted European pastime, it's emblematic of the Greek experience. Island hop from Santorini for whitewashed villages topped with blue roofs, Crete to tiptoe around ancient ruins and Delos to see the legendary birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. The great thing about these islands is that you're never too far from the shore.

Greece is one of the best places in Europe to experience a heightened state of all your senses: the mesmerizing shades of blue contrast with the stark white coastline, the soft prickle of sunshine warm on your skin, the sweet yet tart flavor of a perfectly ripe tomato, the sound of a sail blowing taut in the wind. Greece is where you go to live in the moment. With so many ports accessing the best regions — all within close distance of one another — it's an obvious choice for a Europe vacation cruise.

Athens, Greece

The Port of Piraeus holds the key to Athens, the birthplace of democracy. Here, you can walk on stones that have been smoothed by almost 2,500 years of visitors at the Parthenon. Admire Athens from above and the columns of the Acropolis. The Temple of Hephaestus, Philopappos Hill and the Ancient Agora of Athens are also worth a visit. Other relics like the Panathenaic Stadium and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus theater reveal humanity's long-lasting love of sports and entertainment. Come sunset, watch as the city's lights flicker on under a lavender sky from the top of Mount Lycabettus.

Reykjavík, Iceland

For a change of pace, Iceland has it all. Iceland might as well be synonymous with drama. The natural forces shaping the country have a flair for hyperbole. Here, waterfalls don't trickle; they roar. Fjords don't slope; they plummet. Mountains don't just stand; they erupt. Beaches are often of the jet-black variety. And geothermal wonders, like lava fields, glaciers and hot springs are found from coast to coast. Even the sky puts on a theatrical performance. If you’re cruising in summertime, the sun lingers overhead all day, while in the winter, the lights of the aurora borealis dance through the sky.

The capital city of Reykjavík is home to a wealth of restaurants, museums and art galleries despite its small population. At the Perlan, you'll learn about the geology of Iceland. The museum hosts a 328-foot-long indoor ice cave where you can learn all about glacier formation, a planetarium with a northern lights exhibition and interactive virtual reality exhibits taking you closer to Iceland's impossible-to-reach sites like coastal cliffs and lava pits.

Outside the city, Iceland's highlights truly shine. You can easily spend your entire trip venturing from cascade to cascade, like Skogafoss, Seljalandsfoss, Haifoss, Bruarfoss and Gullfoss. Tour the Golden Circle, which starts in Reykjavík and ventures to Thingvellir National Park, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates adjoin. It then veers to the Geysir geothermal area, home to two grand erupting geysers, bubbling mud pools and steam vents that look like makeshift cloud factories. The route loops to Gullfoss Waterfall, and there's plenty of opportunity for side trips to geothermal baths, volcanic craters, glaciers, scenic valleys and quiet villages. When it's time to unwind, soak in the powder-blue thermal pools of the Blue Lagoon.

Barcelona, Spain

Set on the Mediterranean Sea, Spain’s coastal city of Barcelona is a must-see place in Europe. The architecture of the city spans back over 4,000 years, also nodding to the era when artists had a flair for the flamboyant. Stroll around the city and admire the work of Antoni Gaudí at Sagrada Família, arguably the most popular tourist spot in Europe, or from Parc Güell, a whimsical and colorful park overlooking a scenic stretch of the city. Casa Batlló and its iridescent roof tiles, curved lines and pops of color are a nod to Gaudí's love of nature.

For more artistic inspiration, pop into the Picasso Museum to see some of Picasso's iconic works, Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site for an architectural feat of imagination and the Palace of Catalan Music — a venue that's as exciting for the eyes as it is for the ears. When it's time to unwind, there's always the coast. Barcelona hosts one of the best beaches in Europe with cookie-crumb sand just steps away from the city.

Istanbul, Turkey

One of the most fascinating things about Istanbul is that the city converges the European and Asian continents, making it feel like many worlds in one. Once the hub for the Byzantine and Ottoman empires, you can find treasures from every era as you roam through markets like the Grand Bazaar. Hunt for the domes of Hagia Sophia, the blue tiles of Sultan Ahmed Mosque and enjoy the smoky scents of spice floating through the city.

If you’re looking for a unique experience, you can also walk between continents across the Bosphorus Bridge. For iconic Istanbul views, take a river cruise and peer up at the skyline of minarets or sip tea while watching the sunset over the water.

Europe is a diverse continent with a history that will captivate you, natural beauty that will enchant you and culture and food that will excite you. Plus, the wonderful thing about this cruise destination is that you can visit again and again and discover something new every time.