Musee du Louvre, France

It’s hard to create a list of European museums without including the Louvre. All varieties of art, ranging from antiquities that date in the B.C. era to the famed Mona Lisa, fill the 652, 300 square feet of exhibit space. While it would take days to see all these amazing works, it is more than worth your time to map out a path to your favorite artists or periods of art and spend a few hours exploring the Louvre and ogling the art.

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

Van Gogh Museum, The Netherlands

While the French painters certainly had their hey-day of beautiful paintings, the Dutch had equally amazing master painters. Much smaller than the Louvre is the van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Here, visitors can see the largest collection of works by Vincent van Gogh, as well as works by his contemporaries, such as Paul Gaugin, Claude Monet, and Georges Seurat.

Galleria degli Uffizi, Italy

If you love the masterpieces of the Renaissance, the Uffizi is a gluttonous indulgence of riches. Here hangs some of the most famous works that came under the art-loving support of Florence’s Medici family. Michelangelo, Boticelli, and Raphael are just a few of the masters who have art here.

Museo Guggenheim Bilbao, Spain

One should visit the Guggenheim’s Spanish location even if modern art is unappealing. The architecture of the building is an amazing site to see on its own! Within this architectural landmark, visitors can see works by Basque artists and more general contemporary art from the Guggenheim collection. There are also site-specific installations. The rotating collections tend to focus on art from mid-20^th century to contemporary times.

Museo Guggenheim Bilbao, Spain by MykReeve

The National Gallery, UK

This landmark museum that towers over London’s Trafalgar Square has a well-rounded collection of paintings. Famous works by post-impressionist painter Paul Cezanne hang in rooms near Renaissance genius Titian. The National Gallery truly has something for an enthusiast of every period of Western art – plus, it is free.

Terry Carter writes about travel and backpacking for Camping Gear Outlet. 

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Alhambra, Spain

This “red fortress” in Granada, Spain is a breathtaking display of Islamic architecture. The Alhambra was built in the 10^th century as a home for the Muslim rulers in Spain. The palace was designed with central courtyards between each building, with gardenlife and handsome pools. The park outside the walls of this UNESCO World Heritage site are equally enjoyable to visit; here grows wildflowers, elm trees, roses, and more.

Garden in Alhambra, Spain by Sharon Mollerus

The Alnwick Garden, England, UK

The garden belonging to Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, England will be loved by the stodgiest of grandmothers and their dirt-loving grandsons. The Alnwick Garden manages this diverse appeal through its different themed gardens. A rose garden, an ornamental garden, and a cherry orchard are just a few of the more traditional and absolutely gorgeous stops. Non-traditionalists will love the enormous tree house and the poison garden, which features plants like opium poppy.

Alnwick Garden, England, UK by Graeme

Monet’s Garden, France

Lovers of art flock alongside garden adorers to see Monet’s Garden. Located in Giverny, France, the home and garden once owned by Claude Monet are now a museum open to the public. While he was no horticulturist, Monet created these gardens exactly how he wanted them to look – and they are quite beautiful. His gardens are the focus of many of his most famous paintings and the locations are still recognizable today.

Monet’s Garden, France by Amanda Slater

Drummond Garden, Scotland, UK

In a country famous for its green space, the Drummond Castle Gardens do not disappoint. The courtyard of Drummond Castle looks down upon one of the finest formal gardens in the country. The space flows into the natural countryside and has an extensive display of topiary, fountains, trees, and flowers. There is also an interesting kitchen garden and greenhouse.

Drummond Castle and Gardens, Scotland, UK by Roy Douglas

Nyphemburg Palace Park, Munich, Germany

The gardens of Nyphemburg Palace are referred to as the Park – and for good reason. This massive expanse of green space has the basic features of a Baroque garden style and, for that reason, still resembles a stereotypical castle garden from the 18^th century. The Grand Parterre is the key feature of the Park and is divided with a long, wide path through its center. Looking down this axis, visitors are surrounded by regularly positioned stone statues and perfectly cultivated grass.

Gardens of Nymphenburg Palace, Germany by Florian Adler

Terry Carter writes about gardening and landscaping for Grandview Landscaping and Masonry.

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Dolceacqua / Andrea Puggioni

Dolceacqua is situated in the Northern Province of Imperia and very close to the border with France.  It is a small village, but it has some interesting sights to see for a day trip. The castle on the hill was built back in 1151 by the Counts of Ventimiglia. Since then the castle has been passed down through generations and after years of changing hands, attacks and earthquakes, the castle was formally in ruins. However, the castle was recently restored by the Ligurian government and reopened in 2007. The restoration consisted of repairing the main structure, floors and stonework. A conference hall was added with an extra patio and nowadays the castle is host to many cultural events and art exhibitions, and it can be even rented out for special events.

Another interesting site to see in the village is the bridge in Dolceacqua was famously painted by Claude Monet in 1884, and looking at the oil painting in comparison to the real scenery, it still looks very similar today. One of the best photos of the town is taken from a point before the bridge with the castle to be seen up above – one of the most famous viewpoints of Liguria.

Square in Dolceacqua / Luca Galli

One of the highlights of Ligurian cuisine is pesto, a sauce native to the area. Dolceacqua has a few restaurants on offer serving regional specialities such as two hot pastry snacks of the area called barbajuan and fugasan, the latter of which is suitable for vegetarians.  Liguria boasts garden-fresh vegetables which account for other traditional vegetarian dishes of the area such as stuffed courgette flowers and onion pie. Those looking for seafood will not be disappointed- due to its position close to the coast; the seafood is at its best and consists of mouthwatering fish, mussels and clams.

Dolceacqua is very close to the French border so it’s easy to do a day trip- both Nice and Monaco are less than 1 hour away, so you can soak up a bit of French culture as well. The closest city of Ventimiglia is a mere 15 minutes away and has an old town worth exploring as well as nearby Roman ruins and the exquisite Villa Hanbury Botancial Gardens, one of the best that Europe has to offer.

Liguria boasts 300 days of sunshine a year but also a cool sun breeze so you won’t go crazy in the heat. The whole Province has so much for tourists to see that is worth renting a holiday house in Liguria for a week or two so that you can explore everything that the region – and nearby – has to offer. So don’t delay and book a holiday home today!

Vanessa wrote this article for BlumenRiviera, Liguria holiday rental specialists.

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