Europe Action & adventure, Castles & palaces + Gardens & parks 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.

Discover themed gardens, artist pavilions, viewpoints and wildlife stations set around a natural amphitheater in the grounds of a medieval castle. 

Embrace Padova’s rich cultural past at one of Europe’s largest city squares, a historic spot filled with nearly 80 beautiful statues. 

Marvel at the wooden organ and work out the parables depicted in the stained glass in this blend of two separate religious buildings.

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.

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

Whether you’re catching a train or not, be sure to visit this “secular cathedral,” an early 20th-century icon that sits on a hill north of Old Town Limoges.

Embrace Padova’s rich cultural past at one of Europe’s largest city squares, a historic spot filled with nearly 80 beautiful statues. 

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.

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

This serene mountain town has rustic charm and natural beauty and is the site of one of Europe’s most famous divine encounters.

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?

Embrace Padova’s rich cultural past at one of Europe’s largest city squares, a historic spot filled with nearly 80 beautiful statues. 

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

Tour some of the country\'s oldest towns and cities, relax on beaches and hike up coastal hills in the region surrounding the capital city of Portugal.

Embrace Padova’s rich cultural past at one of Europe’s largest city squares, a historic spot filled with nearly 80 beautiful statues. 

Escape the city and head to one of the world’s largest urban parks, which has lakes and meadows, as well as beer gardens and a variety of interesting relics.

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

See the swans glide by under weeping willows and relax with a picnic in the park while taking in the pristine beauty of the source of the Clitunno River in Umbria.

Distinctive architecture, friendly people and interesting history are reasons to stay a while in this UNESCO World Heritage city on Germany’s Baltic coast.