Europe Gardens & parks, Historic buildings + Lighthouse pictures

• World

Visit the capital of Russia, a large modern city that combines dazzling architecture with cultural riches and a fascinating history.

Maze-like hedges, marble sculptures and colorful flower beds adorn this historic royal garden, where the palace’s stables and carriages once lay.

The golden foyer and the glitzy restaurants here compete for attention with the range of spectacular ballets, operas and recitals.

The western section of Gamla Stan is a small islet decorated with aristocratic 17th-century palaces and one of the city’s oldest churches.  

Wander between campus buildings and architectural landmarks, visit museums, catch a theater show and admire outdoor art displays at this city center university. 

Relax by the pond, walk through landscaped gardens, and admire the elegant statues and buildings in one of Madrid’s biggest and most popular parks.

Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, nestled between extinct volcanoes and hills, is almost fairytale in appearance, with its medieval buildings in the Old Town and the wide streets and spacious homes Georgian New Town, and the spectacular castle looking down from its cliff. Edinburgh was declared a World Heritage Site in 1995, which only begs the question: why did it take so long?

A canal filled with boats laps around the scenic gardens at the front of this neo-Renaissance palace known as the Venice of Seville.

Stop by a 16th-century meeting room inside the Cathedral of Seville that is stunningly decorated with religious paintings, sculptures and reliefs.

Make your way along elegant promenades to find medieval churches, thermal spas and stunning gardens in the shadow of the Italian Alps. 

Explore this photogenic riverside square, which is bordered by two grand neoclassical palaces and features a spectacular fountain at its center.

Be spellbound by the scale and splendor of the Spanish Royal Family’s former official residence.