Wonderful places in Europe

5. The Isle of Skye. Scotland

 

The Isle of Skye. By vtveen

National Geographic experts cannot be wrong - recently the Isle of Skye has been voted the 4th best island in the world by 650 professional travel specialists. 
The reasons it has been rated so high are clear. The wild landscape of Skye, the second largest island in Scotland, is dramatic, vibrant and breathtaking. The inland mountains, cliffs, inlets and endless beaches create spectacular scenery capable of amazing even those thick-skinned urban enthusiasts insensitive to the nature's charm.

 

Isle of Skye. By ZaNiaC

The island's population is very small, but old - it dates back to the Middle Stone Age. Today there are around 9,000 people living on Skye.
Skye's wildlife is not as diverse as in mainland Britain, but it is one of the wildest in the country. It is a great bird watching place, but other wild animals can also be spotted:

 

Deers. Isle of Skye. By Wallie-the-Frog

 

Crofter's House on the Isle of Skye. By revnancy

The Skye's history is extremely rich and the highland spirit can be felt in the air - folk art, traditional music and sports (shinty) are cultivated by the locals, some of whom still speak Gaelic.

4. Sicily. Italy

 

Cefalu, Sicily. By david.nikonvscanon

Sicily, burned by sun, permeated with the smell of wine, sundried tomatoes and the scent of history...this is an island where espresso tastes better than anywhere else in the world, and water seems to be unrealistically azure.
The island is inhabited by 5 million people, and the 25,700 square kilometers that it occupies make it the biggest island in the Mediterranean Sea.

 

Sicily. By alessandro pucci

Sicily is home to Mt. Etna, the tallest (3,320 m/10,900 ft) active volcano in Europe. Despite frequent droughts, the island is covered with vineyards and olive groves as well as orange and lemon trees.

 

Etna. By piotr.amigo

 

Between Caltagirone and Piazza Armerina. By Neil Weightman

3. The Swiss Alps and Switzerland.

 

St. Moritz. Switzerland. By ianlord

The Alps, the greatest mountain system in Europe, is stretching from Austria in the east, through Switzerland, to France in the west. This spectacular range, with its sharp peaks always covered with snow, is a stunning travel and sport destination in both summer and winter.
A big portion of this rocky cake belongs to Switzerland, one of the richest countries in the world, with a unique blend of cultures and people speaking four languages (Swiss German, French, Italian and Romansh).

 

St. Moritz. By ForsterFoto

The place that can hardly escape attention in the Swiss Alps is St. Moritz, one of the world's oldest mountain resorts. The town, backdropped by the magnificent alpine walls, lies at the foot of a crystal-clear lake and enjoys 300 days of sunshine a year.

 

 St. Gotthard Pass. By mikael miettinen

 

The Swiss Alps in all their glory. Anzere. By Robert Thomson

2. Venice. Italy

 

Santa Maria della Salute. Venice. By Ron Layters

Venice lies somewhere between dreams and reality. It is hard to believe that this town was built by man, and not by some magical creatures. Marcel Proust once said: "When I went to Venice, I discovered that my dream had become-incredibly but quite simply- my address."
This is Venice - the town of magic, dreams, fairy tales and beauty.

 

Venice. By stevewhis

The canals of Venice were constructed on an archipelago that comprises 118 islands. Around 400 bridges connect the town and therefore Venice is also called "the City of Bridges". The canals serve as roads for the gondolas and their modern version - motorbuses- to be used as the main means of public transportation.

 

Venice. By abmiller99

 

Winter in Venice. By law keven

1. Iceland

 

Iceland by Michel@

Ice, geysers, hot springs, rocks, glaciers, green hills and lakes... these are the features of Iceland - the second largest island of Europe, located in the corner of the continent, in the cold North Atlantic Ocean.

 

By taivasalla

 

Fossfirði.Iceland by visiticeland

Tundra covers around 60% of the land while lakes and glaciers take up approx. 14%. The climate is subpolar oceanic, wet and windy. Due to rather unfriendly weather conditions the island is inhabited by only 320,000 people, of which around 120,000 live in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland.

 

Gullfoss (Golden Falls). Iceland. By taivasalla

_______________________________________________________________________________