Europe Vacation: Remarkable Places To See In Your Lifetime

Explore Ancient Worlds

In a world of verdant hills, dramatic cliffs, stone castles, festivals, and folklore; Ireland is one of the most enchanting places in the world. Almost everywhere you go on the Emerald Isle is bound to be a spot of myths and legends.

Take, for instance, Blarney Castle near Cork. Built in the early 1200s, this castle was a medieval stronghold for the region and has changed hands among aristocracy since its inception. It's a popular vacation destination for travelers for a reason: The Blarney Stone is a thing of legend. If you're the type of person whose palms get sweaty at the thought of public speaking, touch or kiss the castle's namesake limestone. Those who do are bestowed the gift of the gab.

When in Ireland, venture on a day trip around the Ring of Kerry, a circuit that encompasses Ireland's scenic Iveragh Peninsula. It weaves through Killarney National Park, a park of forests (and possibly fairies), to the Staigue Stone Fort made from thousands of flat, narrow stones. Along the road are cottages often with gardens overgrown with wild ferns. On the coastline, the Kerry Cliffs are an impressive geological highlight that look as though they were once chiseled by giants. Offshore, the island of Skellig Michael is where you can tour an old monastery and peek at the nesting sites of adorable puffins. Veer north of the Ring of Kerry to the impressive Cliffs of Moher, grand drops of sheer siltstone and shale.

Though Ireland's remote regions make a trip to Europe worth its weight alone, drinking a pint of Guinness in a Dublin pub just makes it that much sweeter. People have been clinking glasses of this dark stout and telling tall tales — perhaps with the help of Blarney Stone — for centuries.

Come For The Natural Beauty

For a change of pace, Iceland has it all. Iceland might as well be synonymous with drama. The natural forces shaping the country have a flair for hyperbole. Here, waterfalls don't trickle, they roar. Fjords don't slope, they plummet. Mountains don't just stand, they erupt. Beaches are often of the jet-black variety. And geothermal wonders, like lava fields, glaciers and hot springs are found from coast to coast. Even the sky puts on a theatrical performance. Come summertime, the sun lingers overhead all day, while in the winter, the lights of the aurora borealis dance through the sky.

The capital city of Reykjavík is home to a wealth of restaurants, museums and art galleries despite its small population. At the Perlan, you'll learn about the geology of Iceland. The museum hosts a 100-meter-long indoor ice cave where you can learn all about glacier formation, a planetarium with a northern lights exhibition, and interactive virtual reality exhibits taking you closer to Iceland's impossible-to-reach sites like coastal cliffs and lava pits.

Outside the city, Iceland's highlights truly shine. You can easily spend your entire trip venturing from cascade to cascade, like Skogafoss, Seljalandsfoss, Haifoss, Bruarfoss and Gullfoss. Tour the golden circle, which starts in Reykjavík and ventures to Thingvellir National Park, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates adjoin. It then veers to the Geysir geothermal area, home to two grand erupting geysers, bubbling mud pools and steam vents that look like makeshift cloud factories. The route loops to Gullfoss Waterfall, and there's plenty of opportunity for side trips to geothermal baths, volcanic craters, glaciers, scenic valleys and quiet villages. When it's time to unwind, soak in the powder-blue thermal pools of the Blue Lagoon.

Eat, Drink, And Immerse In The Culture

Add A Little Romance To Your Trip

And while Paris may be the City of Love, France's Côte d'Azur is also no stranger to romance. To many, marriage symbolizes the blending of two families, each with its own cultures and quirks. The stretch of shoreline from Saint-Tropez to the Italian border marries some of the best elements of the Mediterranean. You'll find authentic Italian restaurants next to shops serving French cheeses and the glamour of Monaco influencing the region's shops and bars. Villefranche-sur-Mer makes for an excellent port of call to explore the coastline on a Europe vacation and is just a stone's throw away from Nice. Beaches range from quiet coves to town-fronted stretches of pebbled shoreline. You'll find yourself vowing to return someday soon.

With history that will captivate you, natural beauty that will enchant you, culture and food that will excite you, the wonderful thing about Europe is you can visit again and again and discover something new every time.