Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Travel / Europe

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is finally set to open in L.A.’s Exposition Park on September 22.

These Are the Top Ten Most Anticipated Museums Opening Around the World in 2026

New institutions dedicated to digital art, exploration, hip-hop, conservation and more are expected to welcome visitors this year

Built in 1872, the Yaquina Head Lighthouse sits atop a narrow point of land that extends almost a mile into the Pacific Ocean.

View 20 Beautiful Lighthouses That Lead the Way to Serene Scenes

These highlights from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest include cliffside towers and lovely landscapes

The Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) owns about half of Switzerland’s 320 huts, including the Almageller Hut on the southern side of Weissmies Mountain above the village of Saas-Almagell.

The Race Is On to Save the Alps’ Famous Huts and Trails as Melting Permafrost Threatens to Destroy Them

Hiking will always be a part of life in the Alps, but climate change has made navigating high-alpine routes more complicated

Barcelona

Coastal Cities of Europe

Coastal Cities of Europe

Explore the history, culture and natural wonders of the continent’s most celebrated ports

Crabs not yet at the molting stage are thrown back into the Venice lagoon.

Coastal Cities of Europe

Can Venice’s Iconic Crab Dish Survive Climate Change?

For more than 300 years, Italians have fried soft-shell green crabs, called moeche. But the culinary tradition is under threat

The four-story building, originally a private home, dates to at least 1590.

The Oldest Restaurant in the World Just Turned 300 Years Old

Madrid’s Sobrino de Botín is filled with legends, ghosts and priceless art. The food is pretty good, too

A horse at the Minnesota State Fair receives attention and affection from visitors.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

These 20 Majestic Photos Show Just Why Humans Adore Horses

To commemorate the National Day of the Horse, see herds of equine images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

Smithsonian magazine's picks for the best books about travel of 2025 include Adventures in the Louvre, On the Hippie Trail and Things Become Other Things.

The Best Books of 2025

The Ten Best Books About Travel of 2025

These top titles of the year conveniently bring the world and its many perspectives to us

Made with more than 2,000 hand-blown glass flowers, artist Dale Chihuly created Fiori di Como, this colorful ceiling of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. 

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

These 15 Gorgeous Photographs Capture the Beautiful Art of Blown and Stained Glass

From cathedrals to train stations to museums, these masterful displays showcase the remarkable talent that goes into creating the fragile art form

A company called Roofscapes has installed an experimental green roof over a zinc one at the Academy of Climate in Paris. A wooden platform, dotted with planters, runs along the building’s side, creating a terrace.

The Skyline of Paris Is Filled With Zinc Rooftops. But Can They Survive Climate Change?

Innovations are overdue, as the signature blue-gray metal roofs heat up in high temperatures, making living conditions in the apartments beneath them unbearable

The Walnut of Benevento (Sabbath of Witches), 1822-1826, by Giuseppe Pietro Bagetti

How This Italian Town Came to Be Known as the ‘City of Witches’

Centuries ago, it was said that Benevento was a gathering place for the occult. Today, superstitions still run deep

Père Lachaise Cemetery sprawls across 110 acres. “You don’t feel anymore that you are in Paris,” Benoît Gallot, the conservator, says. “All of your references fall away.”

Why Paris Designed Its Peculiarly Popular Grand Graveyards to Evoke a Celebration of Life Amid All the Death

Cemeteries that inspired parks serve as unlikely tourist attractions in the City of Light and prove that the end of the line is just the start of a new story

The Syrian shawarma, originally served in the alleys of Damascus and Aleppo, has become a culinary mainstay in Berlin.

How Shawarma Became a Soul Food of Syria’s Diaspora in Berlin

The popularity of the humble street food is a testament to cultural survival for the hundreds of thousands of Syrians who arrived in Germany as refugees and asylum seekers in 2015

A matador and bull stand center stage as attendees look on during the San Fermín festival in Pamplona.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

See 15 Spectacular Photographs That Show Off Scenes From Spain

These images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest celebrate the Iberian nation

Every September in the Swiss Alps, dairy farmers drive their herds from mountain pastures to the villages where they spend the winter.

When the Cows Come Home in the Alps, the Swiss Eat Raclette

Every September, dairy farmers herd cattle from high-alpine pastures back to the villages where they reside for the winter and celebrate the occasion by roasting cheese over a fire

As the sun rises over the horizon, the Castle of Rocca Calascio emerges from the peaks of the Abruzzo Apennines.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Explore 15 Captivating, Cool and Classic Castles

These images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest capture the grandeur of the historic fortresses

Kulfi is the perfect cool-down in Delhi's sweltering heat.

Fancy a Kulfi? From Granita to Queso Helado, Cool Down With These Seven Frozen Desserts Found Around the World

Shaved ice, stretchy ice cream and other cold treats can transport you in time and place

Entrepreneurs are remaking these 16th to 18th century farmhouses into intimate retreats and luxury hotels.

The Centuries-Old Abandoned Farmhouses of Puglia Are Having a Renaissance Moment

Supporting sustainability and local economies, these out-of-the-way structures known as masserie are offering a new type of rustic luxury

Brightly colored homes line the caldera in Santorini, a contrast to much of the blue-and-white motif.

Coastal Cities of Europe

See Greece in All Its Gorgeous Glory

These 15 images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest remind us of the grandeur of Greece

Jewish communities in Poland originated foods like the bialy, the knish and the bagel.

Jewish Food Is Making a Comeback in Poland

Bagels, knishes, bialys and more are popping up in bakeries as the country reckons with historical trauma

Page 2 of 20