12. Plitvice Lakes National Park – Croatia
Over a million visitors a year come to Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia for the gorgeous natural scenery. Source: Wikipedia
In Plitvice Lakes National Park, waterfalls and streams link sixteen lakes together like jewels on a necklace. This series of cascading lakes in Croatia’s karst mountains offers spectacular hiking. Every turn is an introduction to a new shade of blue or green.
13. Eisriesenwelt – Austria
Eisriesenwelt is an underground natural palace of ice.
Source: European Travlere
In German, Eisriesenwelt means “World of the Ice Giants,” and this is a fitting name for the otherworldly caverns found in north-central Austria.
The planet’s largest ice caves, Eisriesenwelt ducks 400 meters below the surface and measures 42 kilometers from end to end. Visitors can explore part of this frozen underground, which was once believed to be an icy entrance to hell, on guided tours from May to October.
14. Berchtesgaden National Park – Germany
The mountains of Bavaria in Berchtesgaden National Park make for incredible hiking. Source: Flickr
As one German tourism site proclaims, this “is where the wilderness begins.” Rising from the still, emerald waters of Lake Königssee to the staggering heights of the Watzmann, Germany’s second tallest mountain, the Berchtesgaden National Park encompasses some of the most gorgeous landscapes in Bavaria.
15. Black Forest – Germany
Bring your breadcrumbs and watch out for witches in Germany’s Black Forest. Source: Flickr
A network of rivers whose names make them sound like a tribe of trolls (the Enz, the Kinzig, the Murg, the Nagold, the Neckar, the Rench, and the Wiese) weaves through the roughly 7,000 square kilometers of pines and firs that comprise Germany’s Black Forest.
This dense expanse of tress and hills inspired many of the fairytales collected by brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, including Hansel and Gretel. Though many still enter by foot, it is also possible to explore the forest on long, scenic drives.
16. Faroe Islands – Denmark
One of the smallest of the Faroe Islands, Tindhólmur juts out of the North Atlantic like a colossal fin.
Source: The Atlantic
An archipelago of eighteen islands in the North Atlantic forms one of Europe’s most remarkable natural settings. The Faroe Islands are home to about 50,000 human inhabitants who live alongside flocks of puffins, starlings, and other seabirds. The islands’ dramatic sloping coasts and seaside cliffs are as enchanting as they are stark.
17. The Fjords – Norway
The fjords of Norway are among Europe’s most awe-inspiring sights. Source: Flickr
Fjords are the scars of retreating glaciers. From Nærøyfjord to Magdalenefjord, from Lysefjord to Hardangerfjord, the fjords of Norway are magnificent chasms of granite plummeting to near-freezing water. These cold and beautiful places inspire silent awe.
18. The Northern Lights – Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland
The Aurora Borealis lights up the sky above Finland. Source: Flickr
As solar wind blows against atmosphere of the earth it sets off one of the planet’s most spectacular light shows. In Kakslauttanen, Finland, visitors can lie back in bed and watch the lights through the ceilings of their glass igloos.
The elusive glimmer of the Aurora Borealis also adorns the skies of Sweden, Norway, and Iceland.
Finally, check out Nevada’s bizarelly beautiful Fly Geyser.
