Europe Beach, Castles & palaces, Flowers, Food + 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.

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

With gorgeous countryside, cultural cities and charming villages along its shores, the largest lake in Switzerland and France is a vacationer’s dream.

A setting in one of Shakespeare’s iconic tragedies, this crenellated castle sits on a hill overlooking the River Ness.

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

Learn about pirates, shipwrecks and birdlife on this island capped with a 17th-century fort or go on a diving tour and experience the vivid underwater world.

Learn about pirates, shipwrecks and birdlife on this island capped with a 17th-century fort or go on a diving tour and experience the vivid underwater world.

Spectacular scenery awaits at the confluence of the Rhine and the Nahe rivers. Learn about this village’s intriguing history.

Sitting high on a chunk of rock jutting out into the sea, this iconic medieval-style monastery is an icon of the town of Tropea.

Scotland’s capital is filled with attractive landmarks, parks and gardens, and hosts cultural festivals that draw millions of visitors each year.

Imagine you have been transported back in time as you explore this spectacular 11th-century castle, a neo-Gothic masterpiece that seems straight from a story.

A picturesque medieval town spills down rocky cliffs to spectacular bays and beaches at this seaside resort in southern Italy’s Calabria region.

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

Explore dozens of elegant rooms, meander through manicured Victorian gardens and watch falcon flying demonstrations at this castle complex.

Sitting high on a chunk of rock jutting out into the sea, this iconic medieval-style monastery is an icon of the town of Tropea.