Gems dotted all around Continent
Europe is a significant haul for Kiwis. We need to cram into a giant piece of metal and fly for at least 24 hours to reach the Continent. From there, many of us head for the relative comfort of places like Paris, London, Rome, or Venice.
But with more than 800 cities, and countless medieval villages, there is no shortage of hidden gems you’ve probably never heard of.
Here are 10 of the best.
A place called A
The Lofoten Islands are a little like Norway’s version of Fiordland, with a jaw-dropping mountain at every turn.
The archipelago is made up of a series of craggy peaks, which extend out into the tempestuous Norwegian Sea.
Near the end of the island group, which is connected by a stunning road through mountains and along underwater tunnels, is a tiny fishing village called A.
The community of red fishing huts is framed against a foreboding snow-capped mountain that launches out of the sea. And to top it off, you’ll often spot the Northern Lights dancing in the sky.
Italy’s crumbling village
The medieval village of Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a hill surrounded by a vast valley, and is known as the ‘‘town in the sky’’.
Each year, millimetre by millimetre, the sides of the hill are crumbling away, leaving the tiny village more vulnerable.
The town is reached by a dramatic footbridge, which extends out over the valley. Inside, you’ll find an enchanting old-town, where locals jealously cling to a traditional way of life.
The Pink and White Terraces of Italy
Tucked away in Tuscany is the geothermal wonderland of Saturnia, enjoyed since ancient times.
The main feature is a hot waterfall that has created a series of terraced pools, heated to a perfect 37 degrees Celsius. It’s reminiscent of a miniature version of the once famed White Terraces in Tarawera, and is free to visit.
Live a fairy tale
There are an estimated 20,000 castles dotted around Germany. One of the most magical has been turned into a hotel overlooking the Rhine, on a fairy tale stretch of river that has 40 castles, palaces and fortresses perched atop narrow cliffs.
The 1000-year-old Castle Hotel Schoenburg is one of them, and overlooks the medieval town of Oberwesel.
The castle has grand rooms in turrets, hidden bathrooms, and even a prison room transformed into an elaborately furnished cave. It’s such a contrast to anything you’ll find in New Zealand, and is an unforgettable place to wake up in.
Fall under a French spell
France has a seemingly endless number of medieval villages, full of history, character and oldworld charm.
One of the lesser-known is Entrevaux, a former military stronghold on the side of a hill, surrounded by an imposing fort. The main access to the town is via a drawbridge, through its Royal Gate.
Explore the narrow streets of the village, before ascending a winding 800-metre path to the citadel, overlooking the valley.
Over hundreds of years, the village has seen
war, occupations, and sieges, and the citadel even held German prisoners during World War I.
Sleep on the moon
Italy’s Dolomite mountain range is full of distinctive jagged peaks, which are the backdrop of a series of stunning walks weaving through the mountains.
On the recommendation of a local, we stumbled on a true hidden gem.
The Vajolet Towers, six craggy peaks in the heart of the Dolomites, have an overnight mountain hut (refugio) nestled in a lunar-like valley.
The hut is a steep two-hour walk, which includes a traverse up a rock face, where you need to hold on to a steel rope for balance. But, once up the top, you’ll be rewarded by reaching the unworldly heart of Italy’s most beautiful mountain range.
The waterfall village
Rastoke is a tiny Croatian town notable because it’s built on a series of waterfalls.
The hillside village has an elaborate network of streams and canals branching through it – under houses, bridges and down alleyways – to form 23 waterfalls through the town.
It’s a charming little place to stop on the way to Croatia’s central waterfall park, Plitvice, half an hour away.
The crater rock pool
Italy’s Cave of Poetry, or Grotta della Poesia, is an enormous rock pool in the southern part of the country, near the city of Lecce.
The pool is connected to the sea, and popular for swimming, with 15 natural platforms to jump into the turquoise waters.
Legend has it that the pool was a favourite of a Bronze Age princess, and poets named the pool the Cave of Poetry because of her grace in the water.
World’s oldest Republic
San Marino is a microstate in Northern Italy, that is officially the fifth smallest country in the world.
It’s an intriguing place. It’s one of the wealthiest countries in the world (in terms of GDP) and has very low unemployment. It is also steeped in history, with a Crossbow Corps as part of its very small military.
San Marino is entirely surrounded by Italy, and most tourists visit to see its hilltop castles, which dominate the tiny country of just 61 square kilometres.
France’s balcony roads
You may have heard of those hair-raising drives such as The Road of Death in Bolivia.
The Combe Laval is the French version, although it’s much safer as it has a barrier to stop your car from getting too close to the drop, which can reach 600 metres.
The road weaves through the French Alps, and is often only wide enough for one car. As a driver, you’ll spend a fair amount of time hoping someone isn’t coming the other way.
For anyone who loves driving, this trip is an unmissable way to get the heart racing.