Europe Animal, Castles & palaces, Gardens & parks + Water sports 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.

Get up close to an abundance of animal and bird species while wandering along the pathways of this zoo that is open 24 hours a day. 

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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

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

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

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

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