Europe’s Kings, Queens, Emperors and Empresses have left a unique legacy of heritage that still fascinates the world today. Europe’s castles, palaces and royal gardens are filled with stories of opulence, conquest, tragedy and innovation.

In particular, parks and gardens enable visitors to explore how European royalty influenced and impacted the world. Royal gardens not only served as important status symbols, they were key for the development of horticultural science. Today, visitors have the opportunity to explore these breathtaking parks and gardens while discovering for themselves the royal philosophy of harmony with nature.

Plants, prestige and politics – how Europe’s Royal Gardens took on a life of their own.

• Royal Domain of Drottningholm, Sweden
• Palaces and Parks of Potsdam, Germany
• Aranjuez Cultural Landscape, Spain
• Palace and Park of Versailles, France
• Par Force Hunting Landscape of North Sealand, Denmark
• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, United Kingdom
• Cultural Landscape of Sintra, Portugal
• Gardens and Castle at Kroměříž, Czech Republic
• Caserta Royal Palace and Park, Italy

The beauty of Europe has always inspired love. Whether it is in the hearts of honeymooners or the famous works of art, romance abounds across the continent. It is in the picturesque towns, grand cities, stunning churches, and even ancient temples. Europe was also the birthplace of romanticism, a movement beginning in the late 18th century that embraced emotion and imagination, and influenced literature, music, art, and architecture across the world.

Romantic Europe takes visitors to World Heritage Sites that have been the locations for some of the most famous love stories of all time, to feel the
inspiration for themselves. The journey invites its visitors to create their own unforgettable tales of romance.

Let the heart take a journey through some of the most romantic places in European history and legends.

• Upper Middle Rhine Valley, Germany
• Vilnius Historic Centre, Lithuania
• Pafos, Cyprus
• Bruges Historic Centre, Belgium
• Wachau Cultural Landscape, Austria
• Historic Centre of San Gimignano, Italy
• Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape, Czech Republic
• Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay, France

As the grandeur of Europe grew in cities across the continent, generations of workers toiled underground to power the unstoppable pace of development. From the gold that decorated the Middle Ages, to the wine used to toast revolutions, and the coal that fuelled the modern era, the world as we know it would never have been possible without the tough and dangerous labour taking place deep below the surface. Away from sight and often out of mind, these tunnels, caverns, mines and cellars have been hiding amazing stories about the lives of the people who helped build Europe.

Now open to the public, these incredible World Heritage sites often surprise with an eerie industrial beauty, offering visitors the chance to venture deep underground – and deep into history – of life and culture in the dark depths of Europe.

Life and culture hidden beneath the surface. Dig deeper into the secrets of Underground Europe.

• Champagne Hillsides, Houses, and Cellars, France
• Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex, Germany
• Historic Town of Banská Štiavnica and the Technical Monuments in its Vicinity, Slovakia
• Royal Salt Mines in Wieliczka and Bochnia, Poland
• Mining Area of the Great Copper Mountain in Falun, Sweden
• Major Mining Sites of Wallonia, Belgium
• Tokaj Wine Region, Hungary
• Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin, France
• Mines of Rammelsberg, Historic Town of Goslar, and Upper Harz Water Management System, Germany