Lying on the northern side of the Mediterranean, the continent of Europe is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on its western border and by both the Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea on its northerly axis. Many of the world's most visited and influential countries reside within Europe, grouped as the Baltic states, Benelux, Britain and Ireland, Caucasus, Central Europe, France, Iberia, Italy and Scandinavia, as well as Cyprus, Greece and Turkey, and Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.
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 | The republic of Austria lies in the very heart of Europe and is bounded by the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia. Home of the waltz and the apple strudel, Austria is rich in culture and tradition. Vienna is the capital of Austria and this important city contains some of the country's most magnificent buildings and palaces, such as the Hofburg (Imperial Palace), Schloss Belvedere and Schloss Schonbrunn. |
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 | Belgium resides in the north-western part of Europe and is particularly close to France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Although this is amongst Europe's smallest countries, Belgium is filled with interesting cities and towns, which are often based around the Schedlt River. The capital of Belgium is Brussels, and this vibrant city is divided into two main districts, the Lower and Upper towns. |
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 | Located in the English Channel, between southern England and north-western France, the Channel Islands comprise Jersey, Guernsey, Sark, Herm and Alderney, along with a series of small islets and rocky outcrops. Jersey and Guernsey are the biggest and most visited of the Channel Islands, offering mild winters, endless summer sunshine, some interesting fortifications, hidden war tunnels and literally hundreds of miles of glorious beaches. |
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 | The Republic of Croatia is a Central European country, situated beneath both Hungary and Slovenia, and alongside the countries of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia. Bounded by the Adriatic Sea, Croatia contains a number of appealing beaches, holiday resorts and islands. Croatia is divided into several distinct regions, those of Dalmatia, Hrvatsko Zagorje, Istria, Kvarner, Slavonia and Zagreb, the latter being its capital city. Lively Zagreb is close to Mount Medvednica. |
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 | A sizable Euroasian island country located in the easterly Mediterranean region, the Republic of Cyprus is famed for being the place where a number of Greek gods where born, including both Adonis and Aphrodite. Many wonderful archaeological sites remain around Cyprus, while for lively beach holidays, the nightlife at the resorts of Ayia Napa and Paphos is almost legendary. |
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 | A landlocked country within the heart of central Europe, the Czech Republic is bordered by Austria, Germany, Poland and Slovakia. When the Cold War finally ended in the early part of the 1990s, much of the country began to enjoy increased levels of tourism. The most famous and visited city within the Czech Republic is Prague (Praha), its proud capital. Prague has grown up around the meandering River Vltava and features an important historical centre. |
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 | A Scandinavian country located in the Nordic region, Denmark is especially close to both Germany and eastern Sweden. Denmark boasts a strong Viking heritage and this fact is celebrated at various museums around the country. Consisting of approximately 400 different islands in total, Denmark is home to a particularly beautiful coastline and numerous beach resorts, which often feature fine white sand. Copenhagen is the Danish capital. |
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  | England, the largest country in the UK, is steeped in history, with many landmarks famous all over the world. Highlights include Stonehenge, London's Houses of Parliament, Oxford University, the Roman city of Bath and countless seaside resorts. Bath Birmingham Blackpool Bournemouth Brighton Bristol Cambridge Canterbury Cheltenham Coventry Derby Eastbourne Exeter Falmouth Frome Glastonbury Hartlepool Hull Ipswich Isle of Wight Lake District Leeds Leicester Lincoln Liverpool London Lyme Regis Lynton and Lynmouth Manchester New Forest Newcastle Newquay Norwich Nottingham Oxford Penzance Peterborough Plymouth Poole Portsmouth Salisbury Scarborough Sheffield Southampton St. Ives Stratford-upon-Avon Stoke on Trent Sunderland Swanage Torbay Truro Weston Super Mare Weymouth Winchester Worcester York |
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 | A small and appealing country offering an array of seasonal activities and attractions, Estonia is at its most appealing during the warm and inviting summer months. However, huge numbers of skiers do arrive each winter. Estonia is surrounded by the countries of Latvia and Russia, and also edged the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland. The main cities include Haapsalu, Muuga and Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. |
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 | Finland is and extremely modern country, with many stylish cities and towns. However, despite Finland's successful attempt to embrace the 21st century, the country has managed to retain much of its Scandinavian heritage. During the Finnish summers, the daylight hours are extremely long and the midnight sun means that the nightlife at this time of the year is legendary. Finland contains nearly 200,000 lakes and islands, with many recreational activities based around its shoreline. |
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 | The Republic of France is sited in Western Europe, next to the English Channel, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Stunning attractions abound in France, particularly in Paris, the capital. Other locations worth visiting include Aires, Biarritz, the Loire Valley, Toulouse and the French Riviera. |
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 | The Federal Republic of Germany is known for its past communism and its fairly recent reunification of East and West Germany regions. Places to visit in Germany are plentiful and important cities and towns include Bavaria, Essen, the Rhine Valley and the capital city of Berlin. |
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 | Greece is a country standing in south-eastern Europe, between the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas. Popular Greek islands include Corfu, Crete, Rhodes and the Dodecanese Islands. Greece has an extremely long history and offers a huge selection of ancient attractions, with many striking ruins and archaeological wonders. |
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 | Standing within central Europe and completely landlocked, the country of Hungary offers an extremely green and verdant landscape, with large expanses of farmland and countryside. Budapest is well-known for its rich heritage and was founded almost 2,000 years ago, when Romans first began to settle the area. The result of a merge between the cities of Buda and Pest, the Budapest of today boasts exceptional shopping. |
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 | A milder country than many visitors are led to expect, Iceland is famed for its diverse natural attractions, which come in the form of steaming geysers, hot springs and even some volcanoes, a number of which remain active. The Icelandic capital is Reykjavik and it is close to this city where you will find one of Iceland's premier tourist attractions, the Blue Lagoon Spa at Grindavik. These mineral-rich waters are geothermally heated and reputed to provide a range of medicinal benefits, drawing crowds of spa-goers. |
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 | Ireland consists of two separate countries - Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland is part of the UK and home to the city of Belfast, with counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, and Tyrone. The Republic of Ireland borders Northern Ireland to the south and contains a particularly rich heritage, with historic attractions including St. Patrick's Cathedral and Dublin Castle. |
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 | The country of Italy is situated in Southern Europe and is shaped as a long peninsula, surrounded by the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Ionian Sea and the Adriatic Sea. Islands in Italy include Sardinia and Sicily. Rome is one of Italy's most historic cities and is full of ancient ruins. |
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 | A small country bordered by France and the Mediterranean Sea, the Principality of Monaco sits on the French Riviera. Many attractions can be found around Monaco, with the Monte Carlo Casino being amongst the best known. Others include the Palais Princier, Fort Antoine, the Plages du Larvotto (Larvotto Beach), Port Hercules and the Jardin Exotique. Every year in May, the Monaco Grand Prix sees motor racing around the streets of both Monte Carlo and La Condamine. |
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 | The country of the Netherlands lies in Western Europe, next to the North Sea. Much of the country is fairly flat and low, with some areas actually being below sea level, including the famous Dutch dykes. Many cities and towns in the Netherlands contain excellent attractions, both old and new, such as Alkmaar, Delft, Edam, Gouda, Haarlem, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Amsterdam, which is one of Europe's most popular cities. |
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 | The northerly Kingdom of Norway is to be found next to both the Norwegian Sea and also the Arctic Sea. Norway features an extremely long coastline, around which many popular beach resorts are gathered. Summer is a good time to visit Norway, when the sun never actually sets and exciting night-time celebrations take place. The Norwegian capital of Oslo stands close to the Skagerrak strait and offers a host of outdoor activities, such as hiking and winter skiing. |
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 | Although Poland may be known for its communist past, the country of today has gained its independence and has never been more appealing to visitors. Poland is overflowing with sightseeing opportunities and contains many beautiful timber-constructed buildings and charming medieval villages. Try to visit the cities of Gdansk, Krakow, Malbork, Poznan and Warsaw (Warszawa), the Polish capital. |
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 | The Portuguese Republic is situated on the south-western side of Europe and is known for its sunny weather and numerous beach resorts. A number of islands are considered to be a part of Portugal and include both the Azores and Madeira, two major tourist destinations. Lisbon is Portugal's capital city and resides next to the Atlantic shoreline and the River Tagus. Other appealing cities include Faro, Funchal, Guimaraes and Porto. |
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 | A vast city with a strong Soviet past, the Russian Federation is the largest country in existence and is simply vast, encompassing many different landscapes, time zones and some quite distinctive climatic extremes. No trip to Russia is really complete without visiting its capital of Moscow, where the crazy colourful architecture of St. Basil's Cathedral really has to be seen in the flesh to be properly appreciated. |
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 | Scotland stands to the north of England and is actually the northernmost country in the UK. With a rich Scottish history and a wealth of places to visit, Glasgow and Edinburgh are Scotland's largest cities. Edinburgh Castle, Craigmillar Castle, Tantallon Castle, Inchcolm Abbey and Stirling Castle are all notable landmarks in Scotland, well worth a visit. |
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 | The country of Spain can be found in the south-west of Europe. With many outstanding attractions throughout the country, Madrid - Spain's capital city, is particularly historic and vibrant. |
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 | Considered to be the most important of all the Nordic countries, Sweden sits within the northerly region of Europe and alongside both Denmark and Norway. Sweden is the birthplace of some many iconic brands and names that are known the world over, such as Ikea and Volvo, whilst also being the official home of the Nobel Peace Prize. There is so much to see in Sweden and a good place to start is within its capital city of Stockholm, which is based around Norrmalm. |
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 | Switzerland is famed for is recreational activities, which are often dependent upon the season and include everything from hiking to mountain skiing on the Swiss Alps. Home to the United Nations headquarters, Switzerland's biggest cities are extremely important in the world of finance. Berne is the Swiss capital and although this is actually Switzerland's fourth-largest city, it was chosen for its convenient westerly situation. Also make the time to explore Lausanne and Geneva. |
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 | The Republic of Turkey stands between both western Asia and south-eastern Europe, and is bounded to the south by the Mediterranean Sea, where a number of popular Turkish seaside resorts are to be found. Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey and is particularly tourist-friendly, while Ankara serves as the busy capital and offers an interesting Roman past. |
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 | Wales is located to the west of England, bordered by the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel. Much of the Welsh scenery consists of green hills and high mountains, including the Brecon Beacons, Mount Snowdon, the Cambrian Mountains and Snowdonia. Tourists visiting Wales will find many sightseeing opportunities, such as Cardiff Castle, Caerphilly Castle, the historic Tintern Abbey, Tretower Court and Castle, Conwy Castle and also Caernarvon Castle. |
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