Europe attractions

As to its touristic potential, European continent has almost no equals. By objective, historical and geographical reasons, on a small territory there emerged a huge number of cities, which are interesting for visiting. Near them, in the most picturesque places, there located castles, monasteries, fortresses, and all other things, which would be interesting to see during any trip. There are at least as many nature sites, as well as seaside and mountain resorts.

It was just on this continent that European civilization emerged and matured, which was later called «western civilization». And though it appeared after the time of at least as great civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and China, the modern world was still much stronger in-fluenced by Hellenic and Roman cultures.

The cities that once were the capitals of great empires are located on this continent: Rome, London, Paris, St. Petersburg, and Vienna. They may be considered the most beautiful cities in the world. However, not only the capitals of former empires deserve the highest rating. Europe has cities that are at least as attractive and even more so, touristically. They are Venice, Florence, Amsterdam, Prague, Dubrovnik and Barcelona. Though, everyone can find something to its taste in Europe.

France and Italy are the two most beautiful countries, which are of exceptional interest for tourists from all over the world. There are a lot of historical and nature sites in this countries. They have excellent seaside resorts.

Also, London, the capital of Great Britain, is one of the world`s most visited cities. To see all the sights of London, you`ll need at least 4 or 5 days, and you shouldn’t forget about museums and art galleries at that. They are really interesting. If you want to see the authentic landscapes of Great Britain, you should go to the mountains of Scotland. And remember to visit Edinburg as it is a very beautiful city.
If you like beach vacations and want to have European comfort and security at that, you should go to Spain, which is virtually indisputable leader in this market segment. Annually, vast beaches of Mediterranean coast of Spain attract tens of millions of tourists. Also, you should consider Spanish islands, - Majorca, Ibiza and Canary Islands, - where you can have a rest all round the year.
Apart from Spain, you can also find good opportunities for beach vacations in Italy (Rimini, Lido di Jesolo, and Capri) and France (Azure Coast). The islands of Greece (Crete, Santorin, Mikonos, Rhodes, Corfu, and Khalkidhiki) are just created for beach vacations, as well as small island states Malta and Cyprus.

A bit aside from Europe (although partially in Europe) there located one of the world`s big-gest centers of beach vacations – Turkey. As to quality-price ratio, you can hardly find a wor-thy competitor of Turkish resorts. The most popular of them are located around the cities of Antalya, Marmaris, and Bodrum. However, beaches aren’t the only attraction of Turkey. There are a great number of ancient city sites, as well as curious nature sites such as Pa-mukkale and Cappadocia.

The fjords of Norway are considered the most beautiful nature sites in the world. Consider-ing that Norway is located in northern latitudes, it isn’t hot even in summer, however, you should go there to see the beauties of this region. Beautiful waterfall is considered an impor-tant sight in every country of the world, but in the fjords of Norway you can see hundreds of wonderful waterfalls, and each of them will be more beautiful then another. At some time you will even cease to notice them.

The lake regions of Finland, Sweden and Karelia (north-west of Russia) are perfect for eco-tourism and quiet vacations. Rivers, streams, lakes, islands, coniferous forests, solid rock and excellent environmental conditions make it possible to spend your vacations in quietness and solitude, having a respite from civilization.

If you like mountains, then in Europe you can find the paths that would be accessible even for untrained people. The Alps are considered the most picturesque mountains in the world. This is the tallest mountain system in Western Europe. The Alps cover the territory of 9 states, and there are dozens of resort towns and settlement located all along this mountain range. There you can go in for skiing, in winter, and trekking, in summer.