From heart-stopping thrill rides to ancient cultural treasures, Europe’s star attractions are many and varied. There are 46 European member states, according to the Council of Europe – including countries like Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan – and each is brimming with destinations that pull in the crowds. Natural wonders and historic monuments feature heavily in the top spots, while the continent’s theme parks continue to be top choices for fun days out too.
Click through this gallery to discover the most popular must-see spot in every country in Europe...
Complete with an amphitheatre, heated baths, sprawling mosaic floors and waterside villas, this ancient Greek town close to Albania's modern-day border with northern Greece is a stunningly well-preserved UNESCO World Heritage Site that's slowly sinking into the surrounding lake. Dating back to the 7th century BC, the atmospheric ruins also include buildings from the Roman and Byzantine periods. While the huge open-air complex is Albania's most visited tourist spot, it remains pretty uncrowded for most of the year.
The small and mysterious mountain state of Andorra, high in the Pyrenees between Spain and France, has just 80,000 residents, but it’s a magnet for snowsports fans who flock to its pristine ski resorts in winter. The largest ski area in southern Europe covering more than 125 miles (200km) of piste, and encompassing 140 slopes, Grandvalira is the tiny nation’s big draw. Dog-sledding, snow-shoeing, kid-friendly snowparks, an 1,800-foot-long (550m) zip line, an alpine coaster and cosy mountain lodges make it appealing to non-skiers too.
One of the world’s oldest cities – traditionally founded in 782 BC, with archaeological evidence going back further – Armenian capital Yerevan has long been the gateway to the country. But it’s one of the city’s more modern attractions that’s intriguing visitors these days – the beautiful Cascade Complex, which was completed in the early 2000s. The terraced structure linked by 572 steps features fountains, courtyards, art installations and gardens, and serves up sumptuous views out over the Ararat Valley. Inside is the Cafesjian Center for the Arts, an art museum with escalators and elevators linking the bottom with the top.
The summer pleasure palace of the imperial Habsburg family built in 1642 (though the current building dates from the early 18th century), Schonbrunn still wows visitors today with its vast Baroque facades and ceremonial rooms brought to life with VR exhibits. A UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to its historical significance and exquisite furnishings, the palace's landscaped grounds include botanic gardens, greenhouses and a hedge maze first plotted in around 1720 that together help draw more visitors each year than anywhere else in Austria.
Layers of history and centuries of architectural ingenuity are contained within the 12th-century walls and towers of Baku's Inner City. The country’s most popular attraction, this site at the core of Azerbaijan’s capital has been continuously inhabited since the Palaeolithic period by everyone from Sasanians and Ottomans to Russians and Arabs. Today its medieval remains are like an open-air museum, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for highlights including the Maiden Tower and the magnificent Shirvanshahs' Palace.
Although Brussels' futuristic Atomium structure clocks up around 600,000 paid visitors per year, it’s the Belgian capital’s iconic Grand Place that throngs with the most tourists. The square is the centrepoint of every city tour and it’s easy to see why, as handsome 17th-century Flemish guildhalls gilded with gold stand shoulder-to-shoulder along each side, overlooked by a grand Gothic cathedral.
Love this? Follow us on Facebook for travel inspiration and more
This picturesque stone bridge spanning Mostar’s Neretva River is considered a masterpiece of Balkan Islamic architecture, and marks a historic melding of cultures in the region. Commissioned by Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1557 and described by one 17th-century source as "like a rainbow arch soaring to the skies", the bridge has become an icon of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with many sightseers making a beeline for the structure. The bridge had to be rebuilt following heavy shelling during the 1990s Croat-Bosniak War.
More than a site of religious pilgrimage, the elaborately decorated Rila Monastery is a magnet for curious travellers who flock to its scenic location south of Sofia on day tours from the capital. Enclosed by high walls, its UNESCO-inscribed arches and colourful frescoes are a feast for the eyes, while its domes are framed by a serene backdrop of forested mountains. Founded in the 10th century and named after its founder St Ivan of Rila, a hermit who lived in a nearby cave, a peaceful sense of history pervades the place.
Croatia’s beautiful Adriatic Coast has attracted record numbers of tourists in recent years, and no part is more popular than Dubrovnik. According to official tourism stats, there were more than 3.5 million overnight stays in the city in 2022, many of them geared towards seeing the monolithic walls that found fame a decade ago thanks to their star turn as King’s Landing in Game of Thrones. Dropping to the ocean on three sides, the fortifications enclose a charming labyrinth of stone streets and staircases lined by little shops and residences.
The crumbling remains of the ancient Greek city of Paphos founded in the 4th century BC sprawl across a hillside above the harbour and are still only partially excavated. The ancient theatre, columned temples and vivid mosaic floors based on ancient Greek myth place the site among the most important UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Mediterranean. When holidaymakers explore beyond Cyprus's sun-drenched beaches, the archaeological park is their destination of choice, and is the most-visited sight on the island.
In 2022 the Petrin Funicular beat the ever-popular Prague Castle to the title of most visited site in Czechia, according to Czech tourism authorities. First opened more than 130 years ago, the cable-car railway climbing Petrin Hill in the Czech capital offers panoramic views of the so-called 'city of a hundred spires'. The funicular saw 1.7 million visitors at the last annual count, while the castle complex recorded 1.4 million people.
Tivoli Gardens in the centre of Copenhagen has been offering tourists thrills and spills for longer than almost any other theme park in the world, and its mix of vintage charm and modern roller coasters keeps pulling in the crowds year after year. Originally opening in 1843, it inspired famous storyteller Hans Christian Anderson and even Walt Disney. Most magical at night when it’s spectacularly illuminated, the park’s most popular attractions are The Demon, a modern ride with three loop-the-loops, and its century-old wooden roller coaster.
Tallinn’s fairy-tale Old Town is Estonia’s most tempting spot, and the vast majority of the capital's few million annual tourists spend at least an afternoon strolling around its UNESCO-inscribed medieval quarter. Turrets and spires punctuate the skyline above its cobbled streets that wind between notable buildings such as the 14th-century House of the Blackheads, which almost looks made of gingerbread, and the old Gothic Great Guild Hall, which now contains Tallinn’s history museum.
A trip to see Santa at the North Pole is on most kids' wish-lists, so it’s little surprise that the Santa Claus Village in Finnish Lapland is such a hit. Set right on the Arctic Circle, it’s also a great place to spot the Northern Lights, while husky-sledding, reindeer sleigh rides and snow-shoeing all add to the area’s winter appeal. According to the local tourism office, more than half a million people visited the village last year, and children can send letters from Santa Claus' Main Post Office and enjoy a free trip to meet the man himself.
With approximately 10 million visitors a year, Disneyland Paris beats out the Louvre, Sacre-Coeur and the Eiffel Tower to claim the top spot in France. It hasn’t always been that way though, as the theme park, which opened as Euro Disney in 1992, struggled to make ends meet in its early days. Today its five themed lands, 50-odd attractions, world-famous rides and colourful parades and shows featuring beloved Disney characters make it one of Europe’s most visited tourist hubs.
Most travellers exploring Georgia will visit its capital Tbilisi first, and its Old Town has become the epicentre of the country's tourism industry – full of old-world architecture, eastern Orthodox churches, ornate mosques and the imposing Narikala Fortress. A colourful mix of eastern and western-style buildings are stacked beneath the castle, where cobbled lanes lead to ancient landmarks such as the 6th-century Anchiskhati Basilica, the Abanotubani sulphur baths and the medieval Sioni Cathedral.
With more than 100 attractions spread over 20 themed areas, plus six hotels and the associated Rulantica water world, German giant Europa Park draws more than six million people every year and claims to be the second most-visited theme park on the continent. Visitors can find everything from sprawling roller coasters and big splash rides to merry-go-rounds and ghost trains, with new attractions unveiled annually. This spring, a Croatia-themed area opened with the new Voltron Nevera multi-launch coaster, inspired by Tesla’s coil.
One of the most visited heritage sites in the entire world, the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis has stood watch over Athens since the 5th century BC. It’s an icon of the ancient world seen by millions of people each year and its treasures are carefully preserved in the state-of-the-art Acropolis Museum a little way down the hill. After counting more than three million tourists in 2022, up to 23,000 people per day visited the site in the high season of 2023, leading to overcrowding. Local authorities have now introduced a daily cap of 20,000 visitors.
The gigantic home of Hungary’s parliament stretching along the banks of the Danube in Budapest is consistently named the country’s number one tourist attraction, registering around 700,000 visitors per year. It gets plenty of virtual visitors too, with videos featuring the attraction clocking up hundreds of millions of views on TikTok. As well as gazing at its Neo-Gothic facades, tourists can take a tour inside its hallowed halls and domed chambers.
Iceland’s natural geothermal spa, the Blue Lagoon, usually attracts around 700,000 people per year – that's getting on for double the entire country's population. Located in a black lava field, its steaming turquoise-blue waters are filled by underground hot springs rich with healing minerals, and it stays warm even when it’s snowing. The lagoon is currently open but has been subject to closures recently due to a period of volcanic and seismic activity.
The Guinness Storehouse in Dublin is Ireland’s top tourist spot, boasting an impressive 1.5 million visitors in 2023, and it was also named Europe’s leading attraction in last year’s World Travel Awards. People from all over the world come to see how the famous stout is made. The brewery site dates back more than a century but the visitor experience is state-of-the-art, with interactive exhibits including the chance to print your photo on a head of stout and a modern rooftop bar with 360-degree views of the city.
Surely Rome's most iconic landmark, this enormous ancient amphitheatre registered a staggering 9.8 million visitors in 2022 – even though only 3,000 visitors can be inside at any one time. Standing for almost two millennia, it's the largest structure of its kind ever built and once hosted ancient Rome's famous gladiator battles. Today, its ruins remain remarkably intact and visitors can explore its stands and look down through the collapsed arena floor to the hypogeum that once housed gladiators, animals and props.
Riga attracted 1.2 million tourists in 2023 – a 22% increase for the Latvian capital. Its old quarter played a huge part in its popularity, with some travellers visiting purely to experience Old Riga’s pretty Christmas markets. The UNESCO-inscribed area is atmospheric at any time of year though, with cute cobbled squares and narrow lanes lined with a fascinating medley of medieval buildings, such as the trio of pastel-coloured houses known as the Three Brothers and the grand House of the Blackheads (pictured, right).
Liechtenstein receives just 80,000 visitors each year, but that’s still twice the population of this tiny Alpine state wedged between Switzerland and Austria. The pocket-sized principality is ruled over by a prince who lives in the iconic Vaduz Castle, which is the country’s most photographed attraction. Though you can’t go inside, the storybook stone fortress, perched high on a hillside, is still Liechtenstein's most-visited spot, with far-reaching views from the top of the trail.
A symbol of Lithuania’s capital city, Gediminas Tower was first built by the founder of Vilnius, Grand Duke Gediminas, more than seven centuries ago. Constructed on a 157-foot-high (48m) conical hill, the tower is what's left of Upper Castle and is officially the most-visited attraction in the country. Reached via a funicular or a winding trail, it has one of the best vantage points in the city, giving visitors a bird's-eye view of the red-roofed medieval old town.
A real life fairy-tale castle, it’s easy to see why Vianden is the tiny country of Luxembourg’s most magnetic sight. Hundreds of thousands of visitors make the pilgrimage to the Carolingian castle each year to see the romantic towers and turrets in all their glory, surrounded by pristine countryside. Within its walls are historic artefacts such as suits of armour and faded tapestries befitting its ancient halls.
Tourists wandering around the stunning UNESCO-listed city of Valletta in Malta will almost always join the throng at Upper Barrakka Gardens to witness the atmospheric midday cannon fire across the harbour from the Saluting Battery on the terrace below. Research by the Maltese tourist board showed more than 80% of visitors to the island capital were drawn into the free-to-visit gardens, designed by the crusading knights of St John who once paraded there.
Leading the charge for a wine tourism boom in tiny Moldova, the cavernous Cricova Winery is the most popular attraction in the country. Each year, more than half of the country's tourists join wine tours as part of their holiday. An underground village with ornate tasting halls snaking beneath the vineyards that cover much of the nation’s countryside, its wine cellars are so vast that tours of the tunnels are conducted on electric buggies. The vintage collection tops more than a million, and the winery produces 11 million bottles of wine per year.
As the playground of the rich, it makes sense that a casino would be Monaco’s top sightseeing spot. The glamorous, Belle Epoque-style Casino de Monte Carlo entertainment complex contains a grand theatre as well as a casino, and has become a symbolic Monaco institution. It’s one of the chief places to snap a selfie in the city-state, and visitors can tour the complex in the mornings to admire its opulent interiors, gaming rooms and private gambling dens – without having to place a bet.
The fjord-like Bay of Kotor in coastal Montenegro is the dramatic location for the centuries-old city of Kotor, enclosed by Venetian walls that climb the mountainside to a sky-high fortress. The maze of stone streets and handsome squares is dubbed the City of Cats for its historic colony of felines, with a sanctuary and museum dedicated to them. Immensely scenic and easily accessible via the close-by cruise ship port and international airport of Tivat, it’s easy to see why it's now Montenegro’s top tourism hotspot.
Amsterdam may have suffered from overtourism in recent years, but it’s the country’s premier theme park Efteling that officially receives the most visitors, pulling in a record 5.6 million people in 2023. The fairy-tale-themed attraction in the south of the country has been steadily growing since the 1950s to become one of the top parks in Europe. It features everything from classic carousels to wild river rides. All-new attraction Danse Macabre, themed around a spooky Gothic abbey, is due to open in autumn 2024.
More than 1.1 million tourists visited North Macedonia in 2023, and the World Heritage Site of Ohrid and Lake Ohrid in the southwest of the country accounts for one third of those visitors, making it the country’s leading tourist spot. Enveloped in history, Ohrid is one of the oldest settlements in Europe dating back to 353 BC and referred to as the ‘Jerusalem of the Balkans’ for its 365 churches. Its scenic lake draws most holidaymakers in the summer season.
Norway’s gateway to the fjords, the charming waterside town of Bergen has become a hotspot for tourism, and its funicular railway sees more visitors than anywhere else in the country. Scaling the mountainside, the funicular links the city centre with the peak of Mount Floyen in just six minutes, with panoramic views from the top. Since it opened in 1918, it has carried more than 50 million people. With up to two million tourists per year, the funicular recently increased the capacity of its carriages.
In Poland the infamous Second World War Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau is the most visited place in the country, with 1.7 million people in 2023 visiting to try and make sense of the horrific atrocities committed within these grounds and to remember the 1.1 million people who perished here. Many of its original buildings remain, now housing a museum and memorial to those who were killed, with emotive exhibits such as piles of discarded spectacles and shoes.
The Portuguese capital is one of the most popular city break destinations in Europe and Lisbon’s most recognisable landmark, the Belem Tower, receives 1.5 million visitors every year. The UNESCO-listed naval fortress, built in the 16th century on a rocky outcrop in the Tagus River, is a symbol of Europe’s age of discovery, marking the spot where explorer Vasco da Gama departed on his expeditions. Six storeys up, the top terrace is a great lookout point.
More than one million tourists took the pilgrimage to Transylvania’s eerie Bran Castle – also known as Dracula’s Castle – in 2023, making it Romania’s most standout attraction. The turreted medieval fortress, which has been modified since the 14th century, certainly resembles Bram Stoker’s description of Count Dracula’s castle. Its association with blood-thirsty prince Vlad the Impaler, who the legend was based on, was enough to cement the link.
The Three Towers crowning San Marino’s sky-high fortifications tempt visitors on the winding road up to the tiny microstate in the clouds, giving this ancient republic an almost mythic air. Its UNESCO-listed centre is essentially an open museum built of stone, with narrow cobbled streets lined with medieval buildings. Most visitors follow the sloping lanes to the summit path along the top of Mount Titano, where the Three Towers overlook vast swathes of northeast Italy.
An estimated two million people flock to Belgrade Fortress each year, which sits at the historic centre of Serbia’s capital city on a riverside ridge. The walled complex once contained the entire city and as a result it’s layered with archaeology from numerous empires including the Celts, Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans. Visitors can explore cultural and historical artefacts covering two millennia, from the Roman well, clock tower and military museum to old Turkish baths and churches.
Slovakia (also known as the Slovak Republic) welcomed 2.1 million international travellers in 2023, and 60% of them stayed in the capital Bratislava, according to official statistics. High on a hill and visible from many places in the city, it's no wonder the gleaming white architectural gem of Bratislava Castle has caught their eye. The lofty views from its Crown Tower are worth the trip alone, but its chambers also contain a history museum featuring fascinating antiques and artefacts, plus an exhibition of ancient underground ruins.
The secret’s out about this magical vision in the mountains, which has become Slovenia’s most-visited sight. The country received 4.7 million foreign travellers in 2023 and many chose the scenic surroundings of glacial Lake Bled as their base, while still more visited on day trips from capital Ljubljana, around an hour’s drive away. As well as boat trips to the tiny, church-topped Bled Island, medieval Bled Castle on a rocky bluff above the lake is one of its most popular lookouts.
The title of Spain’s number one attraction oscillates between two very different creations by iconic architect Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona – Park Guell and the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia. But the surreal storied church trumped the colourful architectural garden in the popularity stakes in 2023, drawing 4.7 million tourists versus Park Guell’s 4.4 million visitors. The cornerstone of Gaudi’s towering Catholic landmark was laid more than 140 years ago, but the church still remains unfinished.
As Scandinavia’s largest theme park surrounded by green spaces, Liseberg is Sweden’s most-visited attraction with around three million visitors each year. Originally founded as an amusement fair for all the family, it celebrated its centenary in 2023, adding a new Luna Park area including a family roller coaster. Among its 80+ rides and attractions and signature Rabbit Land, it has retained some of its original features such as a charming 1923 carousel.
The highlight of any Swiss adventure is a visit to the alpine wonderland of Jungfraujoch, the highest train station in Europe, situated on a snowy saddle between two peaks. More than one million people travelled on the cog-wheel train or Eiger Express cable cars up to the 11,328-foot-high (3,454m) viewing point in 2023, to gaze on the glory of Aletsch Glacier, which boasts an altitude of 13,123 feet (4,000m). On top of awe-inducing panoramas from the observation deck, there's a beautiful ice palace of frozen sculptures.
Istanbul was the world’s most visited city in 2023, according to Euromonitor International, registering 20.2 million arrivals, so it’s small wonder the country’s top attraction would be an icon. In fact, with annual visits topping 13.6 million, Hagia Sophia has attracted so much attention that it started charging admission in 2024 in an effort to quell visitor numbers. The UNESCO-listed east-meets-west religious monument has stood for more than 1,600 years and was once a Byzantine cathedral before it was converted into a mosque.
Before the Russian invasion in 2022, more than a million people per year visited the monastic complex at the centre of Ukrainian capital Kiev. Aside from its spectacular collection of Baroque golden domes, its underground chambers date back a thousand years and still house monks. Divided in the Upper and Lower Lavra, a church guards the entrance to the sparingly-lit corridors of the ancient subterranean monastery, which stores the relics of more than 120 saints.
A cultural institution with a legacy that stretches back more than 260 years, The British Museum’s treasures were perused by 5.8 million visitors in 2023, making it the UK’s top attraction just ahead of the Natural History Museum and the royal palaces. Among the priceless historical artefacts in its 60 galleries are the Elgin marbles, Egyptian mummies and the Rosetta Stone, plus ancient Minoan, Greek, Roman and Assyrian objects, and other extraordinary relics from all around the globe.
Now discover what Europe's most famous attractions looked like before tourism