Friday, September 18, 2026

My Top Ten Favorite European Destinations

I absolutely love visiting Europe! I have visited so many amazing places that making a list of only ten of my favorites is quite a challenge. But these are some places that if given the choice, I would visit over and over again. I have traveled to Italy, England, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Czechia, Vatican City, and France. I have dreams of visiting many more European countries over the next few years. Of the many wonderful experiences I've enjoyed so far, these are the ultimate highlights. Keep in mind that this is my top 10, but it's based only on my own opinions and preferences. You can decide what your own top ten would be.

#10: The Eiffel Tower

I have visited the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France multiple times, and have ridden the elevator to the second level twice, but never all the way to the top. We intended to go to the top on our first visit, but it was closed due to high winds. I am terrified of heights, so the second level was scary enough for me as it was! The Eiffel Tower is iconic to France. It is known all over the world. It is a romantic landmark, and especially during the five minutes of the moon-lit hours when the tower sparkles -- it gives you a feeling of hope and happiness that few other world-wide tourist destinations can deliver. I admit that Paris is not my favorite place to visit, but this iconic landmark is definitely one of the top of my European list. You can see the Eiffel Tower from many locations in Paris, including as you fly into the Orly airport. It is an undeniably recognizable landmark and its notoriety is, in my opinion, well deserved.

#9: The Scavi Tour of the Vatican Necropolis

Unfortunately, video and photographs are not allowed on the Necropolis Tour at Vatican City. All I have are photographs of the entrance to the tour, and photographs of St. Peter's Basilica after exiting the tour. I have taken the Scavi tour 3 times already, and would happily do it again. I find it quite fascinating. The first thing I would advise is to definitely NOT buy a tour through a tour company -- that is a complete waste of money. All they do is talk to you for a while and walk you to the entrance of the tour. You pay a very high amount for what only costs a few euros if purchased directly from the Scavi Tour at their official website, which is here: Necropolis Tour As part of the tour, you are shown a box that most suspect contain the bones of St. Peter. The first time we went on the Scavi Tour of the Necropolis, we happened to be joined by Tim Tebow and his new wife. At the time I didn't know who Tim Tebow was. In fact, my husband and I both didn't realize he'd been on our tour until we were later talking with another couple who had been on the tour and they told us. During the tour, I was trying to see where St. Peter's bones were (the tour guide was not clear that the bones were inside a white box), and Tim tried to point them out for me. My husband and I were both impressed by what a kind and personable man Tebow is, because he was not above helping me try to see what the rest of the group was focusing on. It wasn't until my third tour that I finally confirmed with the tour guide that what we were looking at was a white BOX housing St. Peter's bones, and not the bones themselves. The mystery, the history, and the exclusivity of this tour are big draws for me. By taking this tour, you avoid waiting in line to enter St. Peter's Basilica, because you are brought into the Basilica directly from the Necropolis. That in and of itself makes the tour well worth it. But for all the other reasons that I've already listed, I highly recommend this tour and would definitely take it again when visiting Vatican City.

#8: The Caves of Drach

The Caves of Drach on the island of Mallorca, Spain is one of my favorite destinations, not because it's a cave -- I've been to plenty of caves before, including very fascinating ones that are close to home. The reason the Caves of Drach hits my top ten of European site destinations is because of the orchestra concert in the underground lake that features a small floating orchestra who float through the water while playing classics such as Pachelbel's Canon, while a live audience sits on bleachers in silence and in the dark. Photographs and video are prohibited during the performance, so I am not able to share any video of the amazing concert. An underground lake is fascinating enough without a live concert being performed. Mallorca, Spain is one of mine and my husband's favorite places in the world to visit, but this is the ultimate highlight of the island for me.

#7: Lyme Park

My daughters and I are huge fans of Jane Austen, and especially of her novel "Pride and Prejudice." We have watched it countless times. We have watched every Pride & Prejudice movie or series that was ever made, including the comical Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Our very favorite rendition of the novel that was ever made for film, is the BBC Production of Pride & Prejudice that was created in 1995. My daughters and I have watched the entire six-hour series in one sitting multiple times. We just cannot get enough of the romance and drama of this beautiful, unique story. And the serene setting for Pemberley for this particular production of Pride & Prejudice is at Lyme Park in Cheshire, England. The timing of our trip happened to put us in Cheshire on the very last day of the annual closure of Lyme Park (they close every November to decorate for Christmas). In fact, we came very close to being able to go inside Lyme Park, because an employee considered letting us tour with the other employees, but she decided that she might get in trouble if she let us in. If we had come only one day later, we would have been able to go inside Lyme Park. My daughter visited a few months later and was able to tour the house. I am determined to some day return to Cheshire during a time that Lyme Park is open. Incidentally, we also visited Chatsworth House on that same day, which is featured as Pemberley in the 2005 filming of Pride & Prejudice starring Keira Knightley. I hadn't purchased tickets ahead of time and it sold out before we arrived, so once again we were met with disappointment when we weren't able to go inside. The two houses are only about a half hour apart.

#6: The Secret Passages Tour of the Palazzo Vecchio

The Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy is a fascinating historical building to visit, but especially if you take the Secret Passages tour. Maps or paintings double as doors and secret cupboards. Winding staircases are built into walls. I have taken the Secret Passages tour twice, and both times the tour was different. The second tour, which we took a few years after the first tour, took us through different secret passageways than the first tour. I first learned about the secret passages when watching the movie "Inferno," which I love. In fact, the first time we toured the Palazzo Vecchio the secret passages tour was called "The Inferno Tour." There are so many beautiful sites in Florence, and things not to miss -- climbing the Duomo would be a very important one -- but this is at the very top of my list in Florence!

#5: Rome Italy Temple

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and our temples throughout the world are a very important part of our worship. It is inside these holy houses of the Lord that we make covenants with Heavenly Father, and where we receive blessings from Him. I have a goal to attend all of the temples of our Church in the United States, and as I've been striving to meet this goal, I've also been blessed to attend many international temples. I keep a blog of all of the temples that I have visited so far and their surrounding areas, including places to stay, places to eat, and sites to see in the area. As of the date of this writing, I have visited 78 temples so far. There are so many beautiful sites to visit in Rome, and as far as concentration of the most must-see sites, Rome is definitely the place to be! But truth be told, of all the hundreds of sites I have seen in Rome, one of the very most beautiful places in Rome is the Rome Temple. The Rome Temple is one of the most beautiful temples, inside and out, that I have ever visited. If you aren't a member of our Church with a current temple recommend, you will not be able to go inside the temple. But you can walk around the beautiful grounds and admire the 500 year old olive trees, and you can enter the visitor's center and view the beautiful Christus statue and the statues of Christ's twelve apostles. The only down-side of visiting the Rome Temple is that you cannot reach it by metro. The easiest way to visit the Rome Temple is by taxi.

#4: Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron

The entire city of Salzburg, Austria is magical. Because of my life-long love for the Sound of Music, simply being where filming took place, as well as where the real-life story of the von Trapp family took place, was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. I loved all of the various filming sites that we visited in the Salzburg area, but my ultimate favorite was the night we slept at the Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron, which acts as the home of the von Trapp family in the movie -- specifically the back of the house, but also some of the interior rooms. It was an expensive night, but totally worth every penny. Although it may not look exactly as it did during filming in 1964, the scenery is extremely recognizable from the movie.

#3: Stonehenge

My entire life I had yearned to visit Stonehenge in Salisbury, England. The mystery of it captivated me. I had read about it, watched documentaries about it, and planned the visit. My only disappointment about our visit was the inability to walk through the stone circle. Tourists are kept at a safe distance by a rope fence. We also visited Avebury Henge close-by, and were able to walk through those stone circles. I love history, and I love mysteries, and Stonehenge is a perfect combination of both.

#2: Durdle Door

I absolutely LOVE arches. In fact, I have an entire blog about arches from around the world that I have visited, in many cases searched for, and sometimes literally hunted. The idea of visiting an arch in another country is beyond exciting for me! Other notable arches that I have visited in Europe are Pravcicka Natural Bridge in Czechia, or Bleckwand Arch in Austria, or S'Archittu in Italy, just to name a few. Durdle Door is the most famous arch in England. It has been featured in movies, television shows, and commercials, including in the recent movie "Project Hail Mary." Durdle Door is located in Dorset, England, and is relatively easy to visit. There is parking within walking distance of the arch, and it's a very easy walk down some wooden stairs to the beach that houses both Durdle Door, and the much lesser-known arch Bat's Hole. We visited so many tourist spots while we were touring England, but this is my very favorite place we visited in England. As I think about it now, I feel homesick for this arch and for the beach where I watched the waves crashing against the arch and flowing over my feet as I stood admiring the arch on the shore.

#1: The Leaning Tower of Pisa

It is hard for me to adequately describe what it was like to climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I'd heard of the Leaning Tower of Pisa all my life, but when I arrived and viewed the tower, it was leaning far more than I had imagined. As I climbed the tower, it was like walking through a fun-house at an amusement park. The lean became more and more prominent as I climbed higher. The marble steps had permanent indentations where countless people had walked over the years. I had a hard time standing upright as I climbed higher, traveling very obviously up and down as I circled the tower. My fear of heights was definitely a problem, especially out in the open on the top levels, but it was worth it and one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Despite my fear of heights, I would climb the tower again if given the opportunity. Also, it you're in Pisa at the Square of Miracles, don't miss walking on the Ancient Walls of Pisa. There are so many amazing sites in Europe, and in Italy specifically, but the Leaning Tower of Pisa is at the very top of my list!

I feel that I must also include some Honorable Mentions that just didn't quite make my Top Ten list. These are some of my other very favorite places that I have visited in Europe, and are worth seeing if you haven't already made it to each of these: The Man in the Clock is an iconic and unique item that is located in both the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, and also at Paddington Station in London. There is a third Man in the Clock that was at one time located in Venice, but I am not sure where it is located now. Staying at the Relais Balcone di Giulietta and getting to have Juliet's courtyard and statue all to ourselves while staying in Verona, Italy was such an amazing experience. If you are a fan of Romeo and Juliet, this is not to miss! Of all of the sites that I love seeing in Rome, The Mouth of Truth is perhaps the most entertaining. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the famous Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain, which is now the tallest church in the world. We bought tickets to one of the towers, in addition to our entrance ticket. That was well worth the money and such a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The main thing I remember about visiting the Sagrada Familia, though, was the sun shining through the stained glass windows and making the most brilliant colors on the interior of the basilica. It was truly a sight to behold. And speaking of sights to behold, Piz Gloria, the rotating restaurant high in the Swiss Alps is unlike anything I have ever beheld or experienced. I could mention that this was the filming site of the James Bond movie "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," but this location is fascinating even without knowing that little detail.

Two more sites deserve an honorable mention. The first takes me back to my childhood, and like many other little girls, I dreamed of being a princess who lived in a castle with a handsome prince. The Disney castle, to be specific. The Neuschwanstein Castle in Hohenschwangau, Germany is the castle that inspired the Disney castle. We arrived too late to tour the interior of the castle, but my son, my grandson, and I ran up the winding hill to try to reach the castle before they closed the gate. We were able to take photos outside the castle. And last but not least, I want to mention a royal palace -- that is, Buckingham Palace. I've toured the White House a couple of times, and there is just no comparison. I've toured other beautiful palaces, such as the Palace of Versailles. Buckingham Palace takes the cake. There is just no comparison to its beauty, majesty, and grandeur. It is expensive to purchase tickets for a tour of Buckingham Palace. But do it once. It is worth the money.

If you haven't traveled to Europe yet, I hope that this list inspires you to take the leap. This list is only the tip of the iceberg for the amazing things to see in Europe -- and there are so many more for me still to see during my lifetime. In a few years I'll need to make an update to my European Top Ten!

Happy traveling!

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Sagrada Familia

Basilica de la Sagrada Familia

The Sagrada Familia when we visited in 2024

I don’t have adequate words to describe La Sagrada Familia. It is completely unique!

It was completed in 2026 and is now the tallest church in the world, with its highest tower reaching 566 feet.

It has 18 towers, with the Jesus Christ Tower being the tallest.

We had purchased our entrance tickets ahead of time because we heard about the church’s popularity.

We also purchased tickets to the Passion Tower, which at the time of our visit in 2024 was the highest

tower in the Sagrada Familia.

Sagrada Familia was originally designed by Francisco de Paula del Villa in 1882. Only a year later, the project was taken over by famous architect Antoni Gaudi. He worked on the Sagrada Familia until his death in 1926. The basilica was scheduled to be completed 100 years after his death, in 2026. And it was.

Tickets to visit the basilica are 26 euro. To visit the basilica along with one of the towers - either the Nativity or the Passion Tower - costs 36 euro. This is definitely worth it! Don’t miss visiting one of the towers! You ride the elevator to the top, enjoy the view, and then you climb down the winding stairs all the way to the bottom (in the case of the Passion Tower, that is 426 steps). I am deathly afraid of heights, but this was still very worth it! We chose the Passion Tower, the higher of the two. I didn’t have any problems with vertigo, despite the height, and have probably never descended a winding staircase faster than that one!

The sun shines through the stained glass windows on the interior of the basilica and the result is so very beautiful.

The basilica is open beginning at 9 am Monday through Saturday, but 10:30 on Sundays. It closes at 6 p.m.

during the winter and 8 p.m. during the summer. Full information can be found at their official website here:

La Sagrada Familia

The famous Sagrada Familia

The detail and workmanship are incredible

The model of what Sagrada Familia will look like when completed in 2026

A worker on the exterior of Sagrada Familia

I could have taken hundreds of photos of all of the details on the exterior

The stained glass windows on the interior are amazing as well and create such a brilliant light show inside the basilica

workmanship on the ceilings

the beautiful windows

one of the towers not currently open to the public

beautiful staircase and stained glass windows - look at the reflection from the windows on the side of the staircase

This light effect may have been my very favorite

The columns are supposed to resemble tree trunks so that visitors feel they are standing in a forest. They branch out at the top to form an illusion of a canopy of trees.