12 Wonderful Destinations in Europe That I'm in Love With

It’s Valentine’s day so let’s talk about love.

I’m not talking about romantic love.

I’m talking about the love of places you’ve traveled to.

You’ve got a list, I’m sure of it.

And so do I.

Admittedly, narrowing down my list was not easy.

I tried for 10 but just said, “Oh sod it! I’ll just do 12!”

So here are the 12 destinations in Europe that I love the most.

And we’ll count down from 12 to 1.

Note: I chose places that I had spent at least a couple of days in if not longer. So there are no places that I took just a day trip to which eliminated Grindelwald & the Swiss Alps for me. But that would be an honorable mention.

#12 Piedmont Italy

I spent 1 week in this region in May 2019.

And I really need to get back.

I often describe Piedmont as Tuscany on steroids.

What I mean by this is that Piedmont has so much of the same beauty of Tuscany but it’s turned up a notch because of the mountains that lie within the region and just outside the region that you get views of.

Piedmont is one of the destinations in Europe that really speaks to me.

It has world class wine, rolling hills lined with vineyards, charming towns and villages — often up on hilltops (like Tuscany), amazing food, an incredible history plus it has those darn mountains that I so love.

*Sigh*

Time to go back!

#11 St Andrews Scotland

One of my favorite destinations in Europe is St Andrews.

And it was unexpected that I fell for this town in the Kingdom of Fife.

I just simply love this golf loving, historical, university town.

Granted, I’m pretty lucky to have friend of Wander Your Way (and me personally), Bo Fraser, as someone who lives there.

Bo is a wealth of knowledge about her hometown and I get to live a bit like a local while I’m visiting.

I love the energy from the university students — from all over the world.

I love the coastal location and the 2 beaches.

The history with the cathedral, the castle and yes, the golf are intriguing.

And it has some great restaurants and nice shops.

St Andrews has a bit of everything ❤️

#10 Northern County Donegal

I definitely fell in love with northern County Donegal after spending 2 weeks in the village of Dunfanaghy a few years back.

It wasn’t just Dunfanaghy, but the area around it too.

There is a gorgeous coastline — with some beautiful beaches — the superb Glenveagh National Park, intriguing historical sites and some incredibly friendly locals.

County Donegal is generally thought of as being wild, rugged and remote.

I agree.

Which is probably why it’s one of the destinations in Europe I love so much.

#9 Lake Bohinj Slovenia

Peaceful.

Natural.

Serene.

Those are the words I think of when I picture Lake Bohinj in Slovenia.

This lake is actually part of Triglav National Park.

So it’s surrounded by nature — mountains and lots of trees.

And less busy than its more popular neighbor, Lake Bled.

Don’t get me wrong, Lake Bled is fairytale-esque and lovely.

Lake Bohinj is just more beautiful because of its tranquility.

It’s one of those destinations in Europe I want to return to — soon.

#8 Paris France

Y’all know I’m not as much for cities as I am for the natural world.

But Paris, well, it’s the city that I love the most.

At least so far.

I love the architecture.

I love the history and stories.

The museums are amazing.

It’s a city that I relish wandering about, camera in hand.

Photographing here is so much fun!

Paris is simply Paris.

And when it comes to my favorite destinations in Europe, Paris will forever be on my list.

#7 Santorini Greece

It’s as dreamy as the pictures.

Maybe even more so.

Seriously.

I fell hard for Santorini.

I know this is an über popular destination in Europe.

But it’s a place that I feel like is worth it.

Just try to visit out of season a bit if possible.

The caldera with the blindingly white buildings.

The earthy browns and rusts of the cliffs.

And the deep blue of the Aegean sea.

Santorini is one of the places I love the most in Europe.

Period.

#5 Northwest Scotland

Oh boy!

One of the destinations in Europe I love the most is way up in northern Scotland.

And specifically that northwestern part of Scotland.

Gairloch, Ullapool, Lochinver.

I haven’t even made it as far north as Durness — it’s on my list — which is supposed to be fabulous.

This piece of Scotland is just so damn beautiful!

It’s remote and wild and rugged and calls to the nature lover in me.

There are even some incredible beaches.

The geology of the area is super interesting too.

I never seem to spend enough time here.

That needs to change!

#4 Connemara Ireland

I love this destination in Europe so much that I wrote an e-guide about it!

Connemara is truly special.

This is the western piece of County Galway.

And it has a unique landscape with lots of peaty bogland, the 12 Bens (mountains) and a craggy coastline.

You’ll even find some gorgeous beaches here.

Connemara National Park is a jewel of this destination.

I love this park!

There are also some lovely little towns as well.

Connemara is a fabulous region to walk or cycle, take drives and slow down and soak up the magnificent landscape.

#3 Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park Italy

One of the destinations in Europe that I love with my whole heart is Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park in Südtirol, Italy.

Oh, the stunning Dolomite peaks!

The fantastic valleys.

And the amazeballs views.

There are some marvelous trails in this park that take you to incredible vistas and valleys.

I’m so much in love with this destination in Europe that I keep going back.

And I love it so much that it’s on the upcoming Marvels & Tastes of the Dolomites small group tour in June 2024.

#2 Luskentyre Beach Isle of Harris Scotland

I had seen images of this beach on the Isle of Harris in Scotland.

And I thought, “I need to visit this beach.”

So I did.

It was even more dazzling in person.

Luskentyre is this long stretch of golden-white sand with aqua turquoise waters.

The Caribbean’s got nothing on this beach in Scotland.

It was love at first sight with Luskentyre!

#1 Alpe di Siusi and Castelrotto Italy

I love the Dolomites of northern Italy.

Which is why I chose it for the first ever Wander Your Way small group tour — Marvels & Tastes of the Dolomites.

And there was no way this tour was going to happen without time in Castelrotto (Kastelruth) and Alpe di Siusi.

I remember the first time I saw this area.

I’m quite sure it left me breathless.

This is one of my absolute favorite destinations in Europe.

I have so much love for the village of Castelrotto and the stunning Alpe di Siusi.

Together they are number 1 in my heart. ❤️

So there are the destinations in Europe I love the most

It was difficult to pare it down as I could have included more spots — County Kerry, Ireland and Vejer de la Frontera, Spain are a couple that come to mind.

Europe is filled with amazing places to travel to and explore.

From bustling cities to small villages.

From mountains to forests to the sea.

It’s a continent worth spending some time in.

And falling in love with.

What destinations in Europe have you fallen in love with?

Drop ‘em in the comments below or send me an email at Lynne@WanderYourWay.com.

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