Tour Guide to 13 Breathtaking Places to Explore in 2025 with an Expert: Picture Perfect Europe
At the end of each year, we ponder the destinations we think will be at the heart of our desires for the coming year. Now that every country in Europe has reopened without restrictions and foreign travellers are showing a strong interest in visiting. The big question is…where to go among the innumerable destinations, romantic getaways, nature, beaches, small towns, cultural and gourmand itineraries?
Salento, Italy
If you’re looking for an authentic Italian escape in 2025, venture all the way to the heel of the country, where you’ll find the enchanting region of Salento. Often likened to Cornwall, but with its unique charm and allure, Salento boasts a diverse range of attractions that will captivate any traveler. From the almost Caribbean-like west coast to the dramatic cliffs of the east coast, and from the mesmerizing baroque architecture of Lecce to the tranquil charm of Santa Maria di Leuca, Salento beckons with its beauty and cultural riches.
Timișoara, Romania
This western Romanian city is often referred to as Little Vienna, with its grand Habsburg Secessionist buildings and circular city centre. In truth, it’s not as glossily refined as the Austrian capital, but really that’s the point. Even in its grand centre, the first place in Europe to have electric street lights, Timișoara doesn’t feel like a tourist trap. And, like other Romanian cities, including Cluj-Napoca and Sibiu, there’s a palpable sense of youthful optimism in this student town. Many of the city’s establishments have the feel of someone’s living room – such as Scârț Loc Lejer, a bric-a-brac bar owned by an artist’s collective, with an overgrown garden, an adjoining theatre and a museum of Communist consumerism in the basement. Elsewhere, there are jumping club nights at underground Database and jam sessions at the graffiti’d Aethernativ Café, with faint echoes of early Noughties Berlin.
There are festivals in Timișoara for everything from world music to film, Romany art and jazz, the latter of which has always been big here, even when Ceaușescu pushed it underground. The National Opera House has opera and ballet classics, with tickets for the price of an IPA in London, and the art ranges from a street-art gallery in a road tunnel to the Muzeul de Arta’s collection of wry portraits by
Warsaw, Poland
Beautiful, friendly, green, open-minded, perfect for a family city break, a cultural city break, a shopping experience or a romantic stay, Warsaw, the #1 European Best Destination 2025 has something to offer everyone.
“Take a walk in its beautiful parks, relax on its city beaches, take advantage of its great gastronomic offer, come at any time of the year and enjoy its rich calendar of events,” EBD advises.
Be dazzled by its emblematic places including the Old Town Market Square and its colorful buildings, the Palace of Culture and Science (second tallest building in Poland), Lazienki Park and its palaces, pavilions and orangeries.
During your stay, don’t miss a stroll to “Krakowskie Przedmieście” the most prestigious street in Warsaw. And visit The Warsaw Barbican, the historic fortifications that once encircled Warsaw.
If traveling with family, be sure to visit Warsaw Zoo and take a dip at Moczydlo Water Park with its slides, wave pools and other water activities.
Warsaw is considered one of the safest city breaks in Europe – three times safer than Paris, twice as safe as Rome and even safer than Vienna.
Athens, Greece
The capital of Greece is a must-see destination for many reason, not only for having served as the cradle of democracy and philosophy but also because it’s legitimately believed that the blue of the sea, the incredible landscapes and the beautiful sunlight all help elevate the spirit and provide an escape daily cares.
Athens is a sophisticated cosmopolitan hub with excellent gastronomic delights, electrifying nightlife, creative vibes and a booming art scene. It’s an artistic beacon of the ancient world with spectacular Mediterranean landscapes. Athens is also one of the Best Street Art Destinations in Europe.
During your stay, don’t miss the Most Beautiful Beaches in Greece, Best Hidden Gems in Greece, Most Beautiful Islands in Greece and Best Natural Wonders in Greece.
Helsinki, Finland
Forget the magnificent architecture and superb waterfront dining spots, if there’s one thing Helsinki has in spades, its steely-eyed focus. In 2018, the city ploughed more than 99 million euros into its arts and culture scene, bolstering an already meaty offering of museums, concert venues and galleries. The result is a truly world-class cultural city – exciting enough to rival Cophenhagen and Stockholm – filled with genre-busting design spots and fringed by Baltic archipelagos which leave a satisfyingly salty taste in the air.
El Hierro, the Canary Islands
Shrugging off the archipelago’s unwarranted package-holiday reputation, the lesser-known Canary Islands are stepping into the spotlight. The sun-blasted Spanish chain off Africa’s Atlantic coast – a network of black, white and butter-gold beaches – is home to awe-inspiring landscapes, from lush banana plantations to laurel forests. But instead of busy Gran Canaria and touristy Tenerife, it’s the smaller, more characterful spots that are rising to claim the Canaries’ must-visit mantle.
Cittadella, Italy
Cittadella is not only the most beautiful walled city in Europe, but also its best-preserved.
Located in the heart of the Veneto Region in Northern Italy, it enjoys a strategic position because it’s close to the most important cities in the area: an hour’s drive from Venice and Verona, and just three hours by car to Milan and Florence.
From Cittadella, it’s easy reach both the sea of the Venetian Lagoon and the Dolomite mountains for a pleasant day trip. It’s also an ideal starting point to visit the Veneto and all of Northern Italy.
Founded in 1220, its origins are medieval, which explains the historical value of its walls, which in 2020 celebrated 800 years of history. Cittadella is Europe’s only walled city with a medieval walkway, elliptical in shape and completely walkable.
Essen, Germany
Essen is Germany‘s third-greenest city and the continent’s Capital of Culture 2010, an ongoing European Green Capital and a pulsating metropolis at the heart of the Ruhr region.
Here, urban trendy districts meet historic old towns; high culture meets street art and lush green meadows and forests meet the incomparable charm of former collieries.
Also in Essen, the UNESCO World Heritage Zollverein meets the magnificent Villa Hügel, the former seat of the industrial Krupp family. A high-tech city tour unique in the world also takes you to the oldest sculpture of the Virgin Mary in the world: the Golden Madonna in Essen Cathedral.
Explore the green south along Baldeneysee and the Ruhr Valley or the urban north with its industrial culture and the old coal mine settlements.
If you simply want to unwind, enjoy the tranquillity of the centrally-located, 170-acre Grugapark or the Baldeneysee leisure paradise with its numerous water sports activities.
Veszprém, Hungary
Veszprém, the European Capital of Culture 2025 is also the Best Destination to visit in Hungary in 2025 and on the list of Best Family City Breaks.
Wedged between the wooded slopes of the Bakony Hills and the northern shore of Lake Balaton, it’s a place of rare and distinct natural and environmental assets and an attractive cityscape.
This amazing city, also known as the “City of Queens,” has been a meeting place for cultures for a thousand years: Explore the contemporary art galleries, the vibrant music scene and the diverse festivals that play a significant role in shaping the cultural life of the city.
Cosy cafés, atmospheric bistros and first-rate restaurants are to be explored.
For a special family experience follow the signs for Veszprém Zoo.
London, U.K.
After Brexit, Covid and border closures, it’s high time to rediscover London in 2025, one of Europe’s most visited destinations.
Like no other place, the city brings together traders, business people, eccentrics, artists, creators, designers, royals and celebrities. Its tourist offer goes well beyond Big Ben, the London Eye and Madame Tussauds, which will always delight young and old.
Parks of rare beauty ranked among the most attractive city parks in Europe.
A backdrop to legendary films like “Notting Hill,” London offers the Portobello flea markets and its colorful houses, famously eccentric neighbourhoods such as Camden Town, tidy commercial streets like Regent Street and Oxford Street and designer, artistic and independent shopping districts Carnaby Street,
London theaters are known for hosting world-renowned plays and musicals.
Spring and summer are perfect times to visit — less crowded and the parks in the city center and surrounding areas including Richmond Park, are sublime with blossoming plants, ancient trees and deer roaming freely.
Grenoble Alps, France
Grenoble boasts an exceptional location, nestled at the heart of emblematic mountain ranges including Vercors, Chartreuse and Belledonne. A pioneer, innovative and inspiring city, the Capital of the Alps is constantly reinventing itself.
Selected as the best green destination for this year’s competition by being awarded by the E.U. title of European Green Capital, it’s an ideal destination for an urban and nature-based stay.
Accessible without a car, it offers a subtle balance between culture, living arts, open spaces and outdoor activities in winter as in summer (ski touring at ‘Col de Porte’, urban via-ferrata on the foothills of the Bastille, canoeing on the Isère river, paragliding in Saint Hilaire du Touvet, night skiing with breathtaking views of Grenoble).
The flattest city in France, Grenoble Alps is easily run through by two-wheelers along its 450 kilometers of cycle paths and during leisure time, with 21 bike loops sign-posted paths for mountain biking.
The destination is developing ‘low-carbon’ holiday packages pointing at soft mobility, and, in particular, cycling.
Grenoble is also considered the best destination to visit in France in 2025 and it is ranked among the Best Street Art Destinations in Europe.
