This article details three of the most picturesque locations in Europe. From England to Portugal and to Poland, you will need to make sure you have your camera ready as these locations will produce some of the most amazing photos ever!
Europe is a famously picturesque place. It is comprised of nations that make up the continent each having their rich history, natural wonders, and a set of breathtaking monuments and architectural marvels.
Of course, if you are a traveler at heart, you’ll want to get the most “bang for your buck” when it comes to the locations you visit. Ideally, you want to go to places where you can have a fun time, forge some memories that will last a lifetime, and eat some delicious food.
If you’re the kind of person who likes to photograph their travels, specifically, you’ll want to make sure that the places you visit are worth photographing.
3 Picturesque Locations in Europe
1. Białowieża forest in Poland
Poland’s Białowieża Forest is a breathtaking natural sight to behold and don’t let the name fool you. It’s no ordinary forest.
Europe was once covered in ancient primeval woodland, across much of the continent. It was in this primeval woodland that many of the great creatures that once roamed the continent made their home. Alas, the ravages of time have meant that very little of this primeval woodland exists anymore.
Białowieża forest, however, actually is a remnant of that ancient primeval woodland, and it shows. On the Polish side of this forest (the forest stretches between Poland and Belarus) there is a “strict no intervention zone” where foresters are not allowed to intervene in the forest at all.
On a guided tour, you will find an incredible biodiversity of trees, insects, animals, and other plants and life forms. You’ll find rotting trees tangled in vines, half collapsed, which have become home to colonies of rare beetles.
Perhaps most impressively, however, this forest is also home to the last European bison to live in the wild. These bison – known as Żubr in Polish – were almost completely wiped out by invading German forces during World War I. Today, it is almost impossible to find them outside of captivity, anywhere.
You can find them in the Białowieża forest, where a herd of about 800 still live and thrive as they have done for millennia. If you’re really lucky, you may even glimpse them through the trees, in the distance, during your guided tour through the protected area of the forest.
2. The City of York in England
York is the capital of the county of Yorkshire, in England, and is easily one of the most beautiful, picturesque locations in Europe
It is truly a medieval city, and you will get this sense by walking down its streets, feeling the cobblestones beneath your feet, and glimpsing the overhanging buildings of the old quarter, that have been standing in some form or another for centuries.
York is also home to the world-famous York Minster Cathedral, which is a beautiful landmark in its own right. A journey into the vaults underneath York Minster will give you a short lesson about the different groups who have occupied York over time. York – then known as Jorvik — was the epicenter of the Viking occupation of Britain.
Once a year, the Jorvik Viking Festival is held to commemorate this heritage.
3. The University City of Coimbra in Portugal
Coimbra is one of the oldest, and most storied cities in Portugal, and is famous for being the “University city” of the nation.
A walk through the streets of the old town of Coimbra is truly a walk through the ages. There, you will find buildings that have been standing for centuries, designed in traditional Portuguese style, and statues every few feet dedicated to ancient heroic explorers, kings, and philosophers.
The University itself boasts many fascinating attractions, too. The Joanina library, which has been standing since the 1700s, features a live-in colony of bats whose job it is to come out at night and consume the insects that might otherwise damage the ancient manuscripts there.
Outside of the University itself, you will find various restaurants and cafés in the city which put on regular displays of the traditional Fado music of the country and region.
