Europe Castles & palaces, Flowers + Island & reefs pictures

• World

One of the world’s smallest countries lies within eastern Italy’s countryside. Visit the longstanding city-state for natural beauty, culture and food specialties.

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

Sitting high on a chunk of rock jutting out into the sea, this iconic medieval-style monastery is an icon of the town of Tropea.

Learn about pirates, shipwrecks and birdlife on this island capped with a 17th-century fort or go on a diving tour and experience the vivid underwater world.

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

Learn about pirates, shipwrecks and birdlife on this island capped with a 17th-century fort or go on a diving tour and experience the vivid underwater world.

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

Spectacular scenery awaits at the confluence of the Rhine and the Nahe rivers. Learn about this village’s intriguing history.

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 setting in one of Shakespeare’s iconic tragedies, this crenellated castle sits on a hill overlooking the River Ness.

Picture sandy beaches backed by whitewashed homes rising up hillsides from small busy ports. Bright blue sky meets deep blue ocean, resulting in scenic beauty.   

Explore dozens of elegant rooms, meander through manicured Victorian gardens and watch falcon flying demonstrations at this castle complex.

Sitting high on a chunk of rock jutting out into the sea, this iconic medieval-style monastery is an icon of the town of Tropea.

Picture sandy beaches backed by whitewashed homes rising up hillsides from small busy ports. Bright blue sky meets deep blue ocean, resulting in scenic beauty.   

Imagine you have been transported back in time as you explore this spectacular 11th-century castle, a neo-Gothic masterpiece that seems straight from a story.

Admire the greatest works of Michelangelo and da Vinci, see the center of Catholicism and pose with the Leaning Tower of Pisa on this Mediterranean peninsula.