Whether one wants to wander through high mountain ranges or lose oneself on city streets, travelers looking for inspiration for a European holiday will find everything they need on Lonely Planet’s Best in Europe list for 2019.
This year’s top destination in Europe, as chosen by Lonely Planet’s travel experts, is High Tatras, Slovakia. There, travellers can see mountains, waterfalls and even brown bears, which have been eradicated from most other regions of Europe.
The second destination on the list is Madrid, Spain, which earns its place for its emphasis on sustainable living, bicycle lanes and rental schemes, wide footpaths and so much more. In the third spot is a less-explored part of Iceland, the new Arctic Coast Way, which launched this year to bring travelers to the undiscovered coastline of North Iceland.
The full top 10 is: Herzegovina, Bosnia and Hercegovina; Bari, Italy; Shetland, Scotland; Lyon, France; Liechtenstein; Vevey, Switzerland; and Istria, Croatia.
“Think of Herzegovina – the historical region on which counterpart Bosnia geographically piggybacks – and Mostar’s magnificent Stari Most bridge may spring to mind. What you won’t picture, however, are the crowds who arrive each summer to fiddle with their filters in the hope of snagging the perfect snap of the striking stone structure. Widen your focus in 2019 to Hercegovina’s other highlights with a trip along the CIRO cycling trail, a former Austro-Hungarian railway line that threads through the countryside from Mostar to Dubrovnik, tying together some of the region’s top sights. Accommodation in atmospheric old train stations en route offers the chance to lock up the bikes and explore further. Potter around the streets of medieval Počitelj, explore the Vjetrenica karst wind tunnels or hike to the traditional mountain village of Lukomir – experiences that’ll provide a new perspective on this picture-perfect region”, writes Lonely Planet.
