Updated June 11, 2026 by europeexplored
The Laurisilva forest of Madeira is a living fossil, the largest surviving tract of laurel forest in the world, a UNESCO World heritage ecosystem that once covered much of southern Europe 15–40 million years ago but now survives almost exclusively on the Atlantic island of Madeira, where it cloaks the island’s mountainous interior in an […]
Tags: atlantic-islands, azores, canaries-islands, endemic-species, ferns, flowering-plants, forest, island, laurel-forest, laurisilva, machico, madeira, madeira-portugal, natural-heritage, nature, pico-do-arieiro, pico-ruivo, pigeon, plant-diversity, ponta-delgada, portugal, relict, rich-fauna, theme-park, unesco, vascular-plants
Categories: Nature, Portugal
June 10, 2026 by europeexplored
The ferry from Doolin takes 40 minutes across Galway Bay. The Atlantic swell is constant. The Cliffs of Moher slide past on the left, 214 metres of vertical sandstone, and then the three islands appear: Inishmore, Inishmaan, and Inisheer. The Aran Islands spread across 47 square kilometres and contain the highest concentration of archaeological sites […]
Tags: aran-islands, atlantic-ocean, galway-bay, galway-city, glacial-activity, influx, inishmaan, inishmore, ireland, irish-pubs, island, minibus, nature, original-way, pony-and-trap, rugged-landscape, self-sufficiency, sheep-farming, spectacular-view, spoken-language, stone-fortress, traditions-and-customs
Categories: Ireland, Nature
Updated June 10, 2026 by europeexplored
Filicudi is the third smallest of the seven Aeolian Islands and the least visited after Alicudi. The permanent population hovers around 250 people. There is one bank, one pharmacy, one school with a single teacher, and a handful of restaurants that close for lunch. The island has no airport, no ferry from the mainland, and […]
Tags: aeolian-archipelago, aeolian-islands, alicudi, archipelago, bronze-age-settlement, digs, eolie, filicudi, ghost-in-the-shell, good-shoes, grotta-del-bue-marino, hidden-caves, interesting-place, island, islands-near-sicily, italy, jagged-rocks, nature, pebble-beaches, permanent-residents, prehistoric-times, sea-level, sicily, sicily-italy, true-view, way-to-the-heart
Categories: Islands, Italy, Nature, Nature, Sicily
Updated June 10, 2026 by europeexplored
The ferry glides across Lago Maggiore, past reedy islands and palatial villas reflected in the still water. The Borromean Islands emerge slowly from the mist, each one a different chapter in a story of aristocratic ambition and natural beauty. Isola Bella rises like a stone ship, its baroque palace and terraced gardens overflowing with white […]
Tags: 16th-century, barren-rock, beautiful-gardens, borromean-islands, borromeo-family, centuries, countess-isabella, fishing-village, flemish-tapestries, hectares, hotspot, isabella-borromeo, island, islets, isola-bella, isola-dei-pescatori, isola-madre, isola-superiore, isole-borromee, italian-masterpieces, italy, lago-maggiore, lago-maggiore-italy, peak-seasons, san-giovanni, seasons-of-the-year, square-meters, three-islands, tourists, uninhabited, verbania
Categories: Cities, Islands, Italy, Lakes, Nature, Nature, Rome, Sights
Updated June 10, 2026 by europeexplored
The ferry arrives at a harbor painted in pastel yellows and soft terracottas. Giglio is small enough that you can feel the scale of the surrounding sea pressing in from every side. Steep vineyards climb the hillsides above the port, and wild rosemary grows along the stone walls that divide the terraces. There are no […]
Tags: beautiful-island, costa-concordia, crystal-clear-water, diving-school, golden-sands, island, island-of-elba, italian-region, italy, mediterranean-sea, precious-jewel, relaxing-holiday, rocky-reefs, seahorses, square-kilometres, transshipment, tuscany, underwater-cave, untouched-nature, virgin-mary, wild-nature
Categories: Islands, Italy, Nature, Nature, Sea Sites
Updated June 10, 2026 by europeexplored
The ferry from Tenerife cuts through Atlantic swells as La Gomera appears on the horizon, green and rugged and older than time. This island does not have sprawling resorts or crowded beaches. Instead it has plunging ravines cloaked in laurel forests where the air smells of damp earth and ancient leaves. A thick layer of […]
Tags: canary-islands, dry-climate, el-silbo, garajonay-national-park, green-forests, island, la-gomera, laurel-forest, lush-vegetation, national-park, nature, northeastern-slopes, parque-nacional-de-garajonay, pleasant-holiday, reaching-heights, spain, spanish-canary-islands, square-kilometres, tree-heath, unesco-world-heritage, unesco-world-heritage-list, walking-through-the-jungle, water-regime, wet-climate
Categories: Islands, Lakes, Nature, Nature, Spain, Wellness, Relax & Sports
Updated June 10, 2026 by europeexplored
The ferry approach alone is unforgettable: whitewashed houses climb a green hillside, their blue shutters catching the morning sunlight over the Saronic Gulf. Poros is not one island but two, joined by a narrow bridge that separates the lively town from the pine-covered heights of Sferia. Lemon and olive trees scent the air as you […]
Tags: aegina, ancient-monuments, archaeological-museum, beautiful-one, citrus-groves, clock-tower, five-hundred-years, granite-stone, greece, greek-islands, greek-orator, hotel-complexes, island, little-trip, massive-structures, moussaka, passionate-lover, poros, rocky-island, saronic-islands, short-stay, temple-of-poseidon, volcanic-origin
Categories: Greece, Nature, Nature
Updated June 10, 2026 by europeexplored
Dark volcanic cliffs plunge into an Atlantic that shifts between deep blue and emerald green. Above, the terraced hillsides of Madeira are thick with laurel forests, banana plantations, and vines trained low over stone-walled patches of red soil. Levada channels trace the contours of the mountains, carrying clear water from the rainy highlands to the […]
Tags: beautiful-nature, city-of-madeira, exotic-flowers, green-paradise, irrigation-canals, island, island-of-flowers, land-of-rest, madeira, madeira-funchal, magnificent-mountain-peaks, mountainous-landscape, nature, paul-da-serra, pearl-of-the-atlantic, picturesque-streets, porto-santo-madeira, portugal, savage-islands, seaside-towns, subtropical-climate, wild-island, wild-nature
Categories: Nature, Portugal
Updated June 10, 2026 by europeexplored
Olive trees older than the Venetian Empire cast dappled shadows over hillsides that tumble toward coves of turquoise water. Corfu is not like other Greek islands. It wears its history like a layered garment, with Byzantine chapels, Venetian mansions, and British neoclassical facades all visible in a single streetscape. The waterfront at Paleokastritsa shimmers in […]
Tags: austrian-emperor, beautiful-island, best-beaches, blue-sea, calm-sea, daytime-temperatures, emerald-island, emperor-franz-joseph, favorite-destinations, fishing-boats, greece, greek-islands, greek-mainland, green-nature, island, island-corfu, johan-wolfgang-goethe, mount-pantokrator, nature, olive-trees, sandy-beaches, sea-site, sightseeing-tour, sissi
Categories: Greece, Nature, Nature
Updated June 10, 2026 by europeexplored
Rushing water echoes between towering limestone walls as you enter the Torrent de Pareis Gorge on Mallorca’s rugged coast. This dramatic canyon, carved by a torrent over millions of years, narrows to a passage where the sky becomes a sliver of brilliant blue high above. Smooth pebbles crunch beneath your feet as you follow the […]
Tags: biological-value, canyon, canyon-walls, canyons, caves, erosion, gorge, gorges, island, lot-of-water, mallorca, narrow-tunnels, natural-heritage, natural-wonder, nature, pebble-beach, rain-water, rock-tunnels, rocky-walls, salt-lake, sea-tide, spain, spanish-island, torrent, torrent-de-pareis, water-tunnels, west-coast
Categories: Islands, Nature, Nature, Spain, Wellness, Relax & Sports
